Question about wiring a hot tub


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Old 03-09-09, 11:44 AM
J
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Question about wiring a hot tub

Hello all, I have a home warranty "pain in the a" that covers my hot tub. Well the GFI breaker went bad and they sent out an electrician (they sent a hot tub guy first, then an electrician). The electrician came out and stated the breaker was bad but the reason that the breaker was bad was because the motor was run without water (not the case - I drained the tub after realizing the system had no power so I did not get nasty stagnant water)...There was no way for them to tell since the hot tub had no power and the breaker was bad. The warranty company also told me that since there was no disconnect box that it was not up to code either (which was news to me). Do I need this disconnect box since I have a dedicated GFI 50A breaker installed in my panel?
Also just to argue against his point (even though the unit was not run without water) - the motor would just burn out rather than the breaker going bad, correct? How would running the motor without water make the breaker go bad? Just doesnt make sense - I know GFI breakers fail all the time...

Thanks for your answers!
 
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Old 03-09-09, 12:09 PM
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Originally Posted by Jonmormile
The electrician came out and stated the breaker was bad but the reason that the breaker was bad was because the motor was run without water
There is no way to know that. The breaker could have failed on it's own. If anything running the motor dry would burn out the motor, not the breaker.

The warranty company also told me that since there was no disconnect box that it was not up to code either (which was news to me). Do I need this disconnect box since I have a dedicated GFI 50A breaker installed in my panel?
Yes it is true that a disconnect is mandatory within line-of-sight of the tub. Most local codes require the disconnect to be a minimum of 5' from the tub with a maximum somewhere between 10' and 50'. The lack of a disconnect means that the original installation may not have been permitted or inspected which may cause a problem with your insurance company.
 
 

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