jtpryan wrote:
....
and point out the folly of my logic. Say I put a 30 amp breaker in
there to handle the initial spike. ...
... Is there something I'm missing?

Yes. 12ga wire isn't rated (by Code) for 30A.

It is a _VERY_ bad idea, akin to albeit not as bad as the penny in the
bottom of the fuse socket but the overcurrent condition required to trip
a 30A breaker on 20A-rated circuit is dangerous and should not be
considered.

Either find a sequential switch or use something like the remote switch
I posted a link to, rearrange to use two circuits and a control suitable
for that arrangement, pull 10 ga and upgrade to a 30A circuit or revert
to manually starting one and then the other from their respective manual
switches.

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