We want to have an addition put on to our deck and get a hot tub/spa. I understand you need to have a separate circuit for it and it has to be 220. The deck will be approximately 10 ft from the house. How does the electric get installed? We can't dig into the ground for the wire to run from the house to the hot tub, as we just spent a lot of money having a concrete patio installed.

Forgive my ignorance, but I know nothing about this, and before we spend a ton of money on a hot tub, I want to make sure it is something that can be easily done.

Can we have the wire running from the house to the hot tub and have it enclosed in pvc pipe, attached to the deck somehow? There's no way we can have the wire running underground.

Your advice/suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks for your help.

 

Spa wiring is very specialized, and there are quite a few rules that apply to it that do not apply to any other circuit in your house. For this reason, it is best to have an electrician do this work unless you are very experience at electrical work. If you are an experienced electrical DIYer, I suggest you go to the public library and read article 680 of the NEC. But unless you have a lot of electrical background, this is unlikely to make much sense to you.

But here are some things you can do get an idea of how big of a deal this is:

• Look in your panel. Are there two unused slots, one above the other. If not, this job will be more involved. The electrician will either need to rearrange some circuits, replace your main panel, and/or add a subpanel.
• Look at the main breaker. Is it a 200-amp main breaker? If not, this job could very well be quite a bit more expensive, perhaps an extra $1000 or more.
• Look at your panel and where you want the spa. How far apart are they, and what is in between? You need to run the wiring in conduit, so plan out a reasonable route. If underground is infeasible, try to figure out where the least obtrusive route would be. It may be possible to go under the patio without disturbing it.

Good luck, and let us know what you decide.

 

Having just been through this...Also check with your locality's electrical inspector. Depending on where you are, different cities/counties operate under different versions of the NEC code. My county in MD (just noticed you are in Baltimore, I'm in Anne Arundel) is still enforcing 1993 code, and there are some changes regarding tubs between that and the 2002 code. Basically you have to have a separate disconnect outside (ie an outdoor panel) at least 5 feet from the tub. Whether you need conduit or not depends on your local code. Also I believe the newer code requires a GFCI outlet between 5-10 ft from the tub (so said my electrician, though our county doesn't require that)

If you have an electrician do it, expect to pay approx. $1000 minimum (in this part of MD anyway), we had estimates as high as $1500 (with no panel upgrade necessary). You need to plan that into the cost of the tub. If you DIY, its around $200-300 in materials (the GFCI breaker alone will be around $100). Our wiringis in conduit attached to the underside of the deck to get to the tub.

Good luck! Its worth it in the long run IMHO. Soaking in the tub is sooo relaxing!

 

Thank you both so much. I have zero experience and do plan to hire an electrical contractor, but it helps to be as informed as possible. I also don't want to have any "surprises" because I didn't take the time to educate myself.

It will probably be a few months before we go ahead with this project, because it's beginning to add up to quite a bit more money than we anticipated.

Thanks again.