Hot tub wiring (for the umpteenth time)
#1
08-01-05, 10:57 AM
Hot tub wiring (for the umpteenth time)
I've read through the forums on wiring of hot tubs and gotten just about all I can. I have a few specific questions. I have almost no electrical experience (other than replacing a few light switches in the house with combination light switch/ceiling fan controls, wiring up some ceiling fans to light outlets, etc).
We had our house built in Jan 2002 and I had the foresight to order a hot tub pre-wire for the back yard. The electrician ran 240V 50A service to the back yard to a panel box mounted on the side of the house. I have installed a pad for the hot tub about 8 feet away from the panel box.
The hot tub is to be delivered this Thursday and I was told by the hot tub salesperson that I had to have 6 gauge wire prewired to the disconnect and to leave about a 10 foot coil of wire for the installers to hardwire into the tub.
I purchased 15 feet of 3 wire 6 gauge UF wire, a 1-1/4" conduit and a 50AMP GFCI breaker. My plan is to insert the breaker into the panel set by the contractor and then run the wire through the conduit to the hot tub pad. I know I don't need conduit for the UF wire, but I feel safer with the wire in the conduit knowing it will keep me (or someone else) from ever digging down and accidentally cutting the wire.
It appears to be a pretty easy process. My basic question is... Is it really that easy or am I missing something big?
We had our house built in Jan 2002 and I had the foresight to order a hot tub pre-wire for the back yard. The electrician ran 240V 50A service to the back yard to a panel box mounted on the side of the house. I have installed a pad for the hot tub about 8 feet away from the panel box.
The hot tub is to be delivered this Thursday and I was told by the hot tub salesperson that I had to have 6 gauge wire prewired to the disconnect and to leave about a 10 foot coil of wire for the installers to hardwire into the tub.
I purchased 15 feet of 3 wire 6 gauge UF wire, a 1-1/4" conduit and a 50AMP GFCI breaker. My plan is to insert the breaker into the panel set by the contractor and then run the wire through the conduit to the hot tub pad. I know I don't need conduit for the UF wire, but I feel safer with the wire in the conduit knowing it will keep me (or someone else) from ever digging down and accidentally cutting the wire.
It appears to be a pretty easy process. My basic question is... Is it really that easy or am I missing something big?
#2
08-01-05, 11:21 AM
Yes, you are missing something. You cannot use UF cable no matter what. You need individual conductors. Hot tubs, spas and pools require an insulated ground wire. The ground cannot be uninsulated.
#3
08-01-05, 11:49 AM
Member
Consider having an electrician do this work. Hot tubs are a terrible place to try to learn electrical wiring, since the rules for hot tubs are very different than the rules for all the other circuits in your house. Everything you've ever learned about other circuits is useless for this project.
#4
08-02-05, 06:39 PM
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If you had a conduit placed in the slab for the tub it will make it much easier for an electrician to wire the tub. Thing is you would have had to place it very specifically under the control panel of the tub.
Most units like to be wired from below, very few can accept a conduit from the side. Besides, you probably don't want to see the conduit feeding the tub coming in above the slab and into the side of the tub, I assume.
I would be surprised if the tub sellers didn't inform you of this knowing it is going on a slab.
Most units like to be wired from below, very few can accept a conduit from the side. Besides, you probably don't want to see the conduit feeding the tub coming in above the slab and into the side of the tub, I assume.
I would be surprised if the tub sellers didn't inform you of this knowing it is going on a slab.
