Going to use old hot tub panel to run power to my shop


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Old 03-21-18, 09:53 AM
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Going to use old hot tub panel to run power to my shop

Hi All, I'm looking to run power to my shop about 160' away from the house. I have an old hot tub panel that originally fed a hot tub. Can I repurpose that power and run it down to my shop? The main panel it comes from is using 2 60amp breakers to power the hot tub subpanel. Inside the hot tub panel is a 20 amp breaker and a 30 amp breaker.

If so what type of wire should I use to run it to the shop? We will just be using small power tools, lights, and a stereo.

Thanks!
 
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Old 03-21-18, 10:49 AM
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Welcome to the forums.

You can re-purpose that panel to run your shop but it can't run your shop and a spa.
That panel is fed with a 2P60A breaker supplying it with 60A of power.

You could connect directly to the 20A breaker, run #10 UF cable and install 120v receptacles directly on that. This is how my shed is wired. One general purpose circuit.

You could run conduit and single conductors. You could run larger wiring and set a small sub panel in the shed. You'd need a ground rod with the addition of a sub panel.
 
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Old 03-21-18, 12:13 PM
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Hey PJmax, thanks for the reply. I got rid of the old hot tub it was falling apart when we bought the house. I wanted to take the original wire and run it down to the shop. Do you think its enough power? The cable coming from the main panel is thick black white and green. Do you know what kind of cable that is?
 
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Old 03-21-18, 01:43 PM
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From your description it sounds like 6-3 w/g NM type cable. That cable is only used inside in non wet areas.
 
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Old 03-21-18, 02:15 PM
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Thanks for the reply. Im going to buy some wire to run in the ground from that wire. What should I use?
 
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Old 03-21-18, 03:59 PM
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Are you going to use PVC conduit or a direct burial cable ?

A direct burial cable would be 6-3 UF-b
Southwire-6-3-Gray-Stranded-CU-UF-B-W-G-Wire
 
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Old 03-21-18, 04:34 PM
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Yes I will use PVC. Thank you so much. There are so many different cables.
 
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Old 03-21-18, 06:49 PM
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If you use a continuous PVC conduit system easiest to not use cable but instead individual conductors such as THWN.
 
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Old 03-23-18, 07:35 AM
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The cable coming from the main panel is thick black white and green. Do you know what kind of cable that is?

That sounds to me more like 6-2/G NM cable. If there is no red wire I wouldn't use it to feed a shop and it probably shouldn't have been used to feed the old hot tub.
 
 

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