tbill Posted June 20, 2015 Posted June 20, 2015 Hi all, have a hot tub coming and need some electrical help, I am pretty handy with stuff, but would like some professional help/advice. If you can offer any help, please PM me and I will tell ya what I need to accomplish. Thanks in advance, Tom
Belugawrx Posted June 21, 2015 Posted June 21, 2015 Check your yellow pages for the closest licensed electrician ...please.
drummerdad Posted June 21, 2015 Posted June 21, 2015 Check your yellow pages for the closest licensed electrician ...please. Agreed. Anytime you mix water with electricity, there is a potential for disaster. I can answer some simple questions, as long as they are in the realm of beginner. There are also electrical codes and building codes to worry about, maybe even permits. But if you are thinking of adding an outlet, or doing a re-wire, call a pro.
Jantrix Posted June 21, 2015 Posted June 21, 2015 Check your yellow pages for the closest licensed electrician ...please. Yellow pages. You guys still using those in Canada, Bruce?
1930fordpickup Posted June 21, 2015 Posted June 21, 2015 Yellow pages. You guys still using those in Canada, Bruce? We still use them here also. Rob. LOL That is where you find the old guys that do it right .
Guest Posted June 21, 2015 Posted June 21, 2015 Tom, The one thing that I will caution you on is proper grounding. It's not so much about providing the correct receptacle for power, it's the grounding (bonding) of the tub itself. Not trying to scare you, just trying to make you aware.
Tom Geiger Posted June 21, 2015 Posted June 21, 2015 (edited) and where are you placing the hot tub? On the ground or concrete slab, good. On a deck, or in a house, you will need to reinforce the floor to handle the load. Edited June 21, 2015 by Tom Geiger
Ace-Garageguy Posted June 21, 2015 Posted June 21, 2015 (edited) Check your yellow pages for the closest licensed electrician ...please. If you're not VERY familiar with 120 / 240 volt AC house power systems, function and theory, DO NOT DO YOUR OWN ELECTRICAL WORK. And I mean REALLY UNDERSTAND it. Just one seemingly small mistake, one little thing overlooked, and you or a family member can become very very dead. Edited June 21, 2015 by Ace-Garageguy
Guest Posted June 21, 2015 Posted June 21, 2015 and where are you placing the hot tub? On the ground or concrete slab, good. On a deck, or in a house, you will need to reinforce the floor to handle the load. The weight of one gallon of water is 8.34 lbs., just something to keep in mind if it's on a deck or inside
dieseldawg142 Posted June 21, 2015 Posted June 21, 2015 (edited) ..... Edited May 11, 2018 by dieseldawg142
Guest Posted June 21, 2015 Posted June 21, 2015 electricity can be dangerous, but with some planning you can do it. my house had old solid wire/fabric insulation & needed a complete re-wire & upgrade. i went to city hall & bought the code book, it has EVERYTHING you will need to know about electricity in your house. having a basic knowledge of electricity, i decided to hire a contractor to install a new bigger breaker box, then did the rest myself. the first thing you might want to do before anything is put a GFCI breaker in your box that will be powering your tub. as your near water, all your outlets should be GFCI as well. these will do an excellent job of preventing you from getting zapped. just be careful & meticulous & it's not such a scary job. oh yeah, when my wiring job was inspected, the inspector asked what company did it, said it was well done. that was 21 yrs ago..... An electrical code book, whether it be the NEC, state or city/town, is intended to give you the minimum requirements for a safe installation. It is not a training manual or a do it yourself guide. Anybody can read a code book, how you interpret what the books tells you and how you execute your installation is a different matter. The installation of a GFCI breaker or receptacle doesn't satisfy all of the requirements for a safe installation.
High octane Posted June 21, 2015 Posted June 21, 2015 I didn't get a permit, but I did get a union electrician to wire up mine with underground piping, GFI breaker, disconnect box, etc. and had no inspection afterwards, and no problems for the twelve years I kept the tub.
Ace-Garageguy Posted June 21, 2015 Posted June 21, 2015 I do all my own wiring as well, both house and shop AC, and 12/24 volt DC automotive and aircraft. I've been doing it for more than 40 years and I'm anal-retentively careful. This is the '47 Caddy I'm doing at the moment. My uncle was a radio tech in the Army, really thought he had a lock on wiring and electricity. They found him in his own attic when he started to stink enough to alarm the neighbors. He lived alone and was installing a whole-house fan. Oops. If you don't REALLY understand what you're doing, don't.
tbill Posted June 22, 2015 Author Posted June 22, 2015 Thanks for all the input guys. I have done some 110 stuff, but no 220 stuff. I fully understand the proper grounding aspect of electrical work, last thing I want to do is turn this tub into cooking pot due to an electrical issue. Tom, going to put it on a ground level deck, 2x12 construction with joists 12" on center with every other joist 'doubled up' with 4 4x4 in between each of the doubled up joists, then 4x4's in the ground (all carriage bolted together), I figure that should handle the 5000 pounds of tub. That's a beefier build than my existing deck, and the existing deck has had some major snow loads on it over the years without issues. Crappy description, but I hope it makes sense the way I typed it. I'll update this as progress is made. Thanks again all.
dieseldawg142 Posted June 22, 2015 Posted June 22, 2015 (edited) ......... Edited May 11, 2018 by dieseldawg142
dieseldawg142 Posted June 22, 2015 Posted June 22, 2015 (edited) ............. Edited May 11, 2018 by dieseldawg142
tbill Posted July 12, 2015 Author Posted July 12, 2015 Well, after talking to a contractor buddy of mine, and him looking at what I have, he told me to get an electrician as my service was at its limit. So, tomorrow morning I have a company coming in to update my electrical service and wire up the hot tub. Being an auto tech for almost 30 years, I am pretty well versed in automotive electrical, but this project is beyond my comfort level, so I will leave it to the professionals. With luck, by Wednesday I will be soaking my old bones. Will update this with some pics later on. Thanks to all that replied and pm'd me.
High octane Posted July 12, 2015 Posted July 12, 2015 Tom, I hope that you enjoy your hot tub, as we sure enjoyed ours for 12 years when we had it. I enjoyed it most when there was snow on the ground all around the hot tub and steam was rising from the water. So crank it up to 104 degrees and grab a beer, life is good.
tbill Posted July 12, 2015 Author Posted July 12, 2015 Haha, I am soo looking forward to getting it fired up and relaxing in it. I have been 'balls out' since end of march, need some down time to relax. Wonder if I can get a floating tray for it so I can get some model building time in.....
detailstymied Posted July 12, 2015 Posted July 12, 2015 ....by Wednesday I will be soaking my old bones. Will update this with some pics later on. .... uh .... it's okay; thanks anyway.
tbill Posted July 12, 2015 Author Posted July 12, 2015 Haha....that is soooo not what I meant, hahaha.....
my80malibu Posted July 13, 2015 Posted July 13, 2015 I know electricity, whenever I do any on my own. I am meticulously careful, like anal Bill. Unlike some I know my limits, it only takes a small amount of voltage to kill someone. Do yourself a favor, pay a licensed electrician to do the work, before you stick yourself, or your Family in a bubbling stew pot.
Tom Geiger Posted July 14, 2015 Posted July 14, 2015 Haha....that is soooo not what I meant, hahaha..... Yea, but if your hot tub is strategically located....
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