Electician costs

[NurseN2000]

Hiya, just ordered my first hot tub, does anyone know about what it will cost for an electician to do a 50 amp GFCI breaker and an 8' whip, along with a 120v GFCI?  I don't even know what all of that means, but that is what the first estimate I have lists on it.  My boyfriend wanted the 120v stuff for something (like outdoor speakers and/or lights or something).  I have one estimate but it seems high to me, just wondering if anyone might know sort of what the going rate is.  I am in the South Central US (Oklahoma).  Thanks for any input!

[shabba34]

Without knowing whats going on in the main panel, and assuming the accessibility to the projected hot tub area is relatively mundane, and also assuming you may or may not have the disconnect box (50amp gfci box) for outside, and have to purchase it, $750.00-$1500.00 gives you a fair range to work with.

[NurseN2000]

Thanks Shabba34.  I don't know what is going on at the box, but i do know that access is easy (easy to get to the attic, and my boyfriend ran the correct wires under the patio we built, so there is several ft of the proper wires near where the tub will plug in and corner of the house where it will i guess go up into our attic?) and yes we need to purchase the GFCI box...I just feel a little bit at the electrician's mercy, since I am electrically challenged (I definitely know how to pay the electric bill though, believe me!!)lol.  I appreciate the reply, and my estimate fell on the lower end of that range at $851 so I guess it's a pretty decent estimate after all  

[shabba34]

If the 50amp line from the main has already been run, then $400-$700 would be more reasonable... Near me anyways.  Remember, it's about a $200.00 sub-panel included in the electricians cost.

[Waterbug]

  If your pre-run wire is not accessable for inspection, the local inspector could give you some grief.  Also, it needs to be 6-3 with ground (6 gauge wire) and direct sunlight exposure (UF ) or in conduit, for 50 amp service.  The cheapest 50 amp GFI with outside weather box, that I have found is about $85.  75 feed of 6-3 wire with ground costs about $370. Add in several hours of labor and you'r approaching $1K.

[sorebikr]

  If your pre-run wire is not accessable for inspection, the local inspector could give you some grief.  Also, it needs to be 6-3 with ground (6 gauge wire) and direct sunlight exposure (UF ) or in conduit, for 50 amp service.  The cheapest 50 amp GFI with outside weather box, that I have found is about $85.  75 feed of 6-3 wire with ground costs about $370. Add in several hours of labor and you'r approaching $1K.

Waterbug nailed it.  Hopefully your boyfriend ran 6gauge wire under the patio and not something thinner.  Otherwise this just got a whole lot more complicated for you.  The last question in the equation is whether or not you have a 200amp main panel in the house, and whether or not there are open spots to put in a new breaker.  If the answer is "no" to either of those questions, I think $1500-$2000 for the whole job would be conservative.

[NurseN2000]

Thanks for all the help!!  yes, it's 6g wire under the patio, and i got 2 estimates one for $851 (this was from a guy recommended by my bf's brother in law, who owns an electical/plumbing company but is not local so couldn't do it himself) and another local guy who quoted $1482.  The first guy we are told is an excellent electician, he's already been out and seen the site and the wires and says everything is appropriate and he'll be free to do the work next week...I think we are getting the "family" discount, so I think we're all set

[robmet1015]

  If your pre-run wire is not accessable for inspection, the local inspector could give you some grief.  Also, it needs to be 6-3 with ground (6 gauge wire) and direct sunlight exposure (UF ) or in conduit, for 50 amp service.  The cheapest 50 amp GFI with outside weather box, that I have found is about $85.  75 feed of 6-3 wire with ground costs about $370. Add in several hours of labor and you'r approaching $1K.

I live in PA - Pittsburgh and was able to buy 75 feet of 6/3 with ground at homedepot.com online for $126 +12 shipping.  Apparently it was lots cheaper ordering it online than goign to store

[Dr. Spa™ Ret.]

6/3 with ground is generally a violation of electrical code to use on a spa. The ground wire is typically one size smaller, and uninsulated...both of which are code violations.

[Tman122]

6/3 with ground is generally a violation of electrical code to use on a spa. The ground wire is typically one size smaller, and uninsulated...both of which are code violations.

4 seperate wires all of the same gauge (6) in conduit is best.

[Waterbug]

 If your pre-run wire is not accessable for inspection, the local inspector could give you some grief.  Also, it needs to be 6-3 with ground (6 gauge wire) and direct sunlight exposure (UF ) or in conduit, for 50 amp service.  The cheapest 50 amp GFI with outside weather box, that I have found is about $85.  75 feed of 6-3 wire with ground costs about $370. Add in several hours of labor and you'r approaching $1K.

I live in PA - Pittsburgh and was able to buy 75 feet of 6/3 with ground at homedepot.com online for $126 +12 shipping.  Apparently it was lots cheaper ordering it online than goign to store

The closest I found at HD on-line was this:

http://www.homedepot.com/Electrical/h_d1/N-5yc1vZarcd/R-202304786/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

It would make 75 feet closer to $250.  A smaller spool would cost more per foot.

[JulieMor]

Does your municipality follow the National Electrical Code or does it have it's own codes?  Many municipalities that establish their own codes start with the NEC and modify it.  I've been an electrician (IBEW) for 37 years and I've always found it a lot easier to call the local inspector than hope following the code book will satisfy the inspector.  I've had inspectors tell me, "Yeah, I know that's what the code book says but that's not how I do it!"  If you plan to have it inspected, just call to make sure.  Some inspectors will come out before and tell you exactly what they want.

And when it comes to grounding, there's so much variation in interpretation you'd think congress made the rules.  The problem is, for all we know about grounding, we still don't know as much as we think we do. 

We live in the Chicago area and our codes are stricter than the NEC.  I ran thinwall conduit inside the house to the breaker box mounted on the exterior wall.  From there I ran heavywall conduit and changed over to sealtite as it came out of the ground.  I needed something flexible to connect to the spa.  I installed a 50A, 2-pole breaker in the house panel and ran (3) #6 THHN (two hots and a neutral) and (1) #8 ground to the spa panel.   

The breaker panel that came with the spa had two separate 2-pole GFCI breakers, one each for the heater and pumps.  I have seven wires coming out of the sealtite: For the heaters - (2) #8 THHN with (1) # 10 ground.  For the pumps - (3) #10 with (1) #10 ground.  The pumps required a neutral.  Both grounds land in the junction box inside the equipment cabinet.

If I had to hire an electrician to do this installation today it would cost me around $2,000.  But that's union labor with conduit installed. 

If you're installing Romex and direct burial cable, the cost will be a lot less.  If all I was doing was running the Romex from your house panel to the exterior breaker box and then running direct burial cable in a trench you dug I'd say I could do it in about 4-6 hours.  And that includes mounting the spa panel and terminating the wiring.  But that is assuming you have a basement with an open ceiling, the main panel and spa panel are within 40' of each other and the spa is less than 20' from its panel.  If I had to drill through brick or concrete to get the power outside, it would take a bit longer.  And if the distances are considerably shorter and the spa is next to the house, it would take less time.

Nurse 2000, as you live in OK, I doubt you have a union electrician.  From what I can see, the average electrician in OK City makes about $20/hr.  After contractor overhead and profit, I'm guessing local contractors charge between $30-$40 per hour.  Material costs are: the breakers at the main panel, the wiring from the panel, cable hangers, fittings, wire nuts, etc.  I'm guessing in your area about $200-$300 total for material. 

From what you said, it looks like your spa doesn't have an exterior dedicated panel and it is fed directly from your main panel.  You have to have a GFCI (ground fault circuit interrupter) breaker at the panel that feeds the tub.  It's a specialized circuit breaker designed to trip when it senses an electrical short such as what would go through water.  Standard breakers aren't that sensitive.  A GFCI breaker is so you won't fry in your hot tub if there's a short.

So, if you're running straight from your main panel, the 8' whip (flexible conduit/cable) seems too short, unless your main panel is that close to the spa.  That would mean your spa will be next to your electrical meter and I doubt any inspector will allow that.  So let's assume you set your spa right outside the house and that the main panel is about 20' away.  I would think the average electrician could complete that job in 4 hours or less.  So you'd have about $150 in labor and, after contractor markup on the materials, your total cost would be about $400-$500.  It could be a little less and it could be a lot more.  Without knowing the exact footages and other labor related factors, that's about the best guess I can give.     

BTW, if you need credentials, in my 37 years in the trades, I was a project manager/estimator for 10 years, job foreman for 18 years and electrical CAD designer for 7.  (if you're wondering about when I had time to serve my apprenticeship, there was some overlapping in there)

[Tman122]

So, if you're running straight from your main panel, the 8' whip (flexible conduit/cable) seems too short, unless your main panel is that close to the spa.  That would mean your spa will be next to your electrical meter and I doubt any inspector will allow that.  So let's assume you set your spa right outside the house and that the main panel is about 20' away.  I would think the average electrician could complete that job in 4 hours or less.  So you'd have about $150 in labor and, after contractor markup on the materials, your total cost would be about $400-$500.  It could be a little less and it could be a lot more.  Without knowing the exact footages and other labor related factors, that's about the best guess I can give.     

BTW, if you need credentials, in my 37 years in the trades, I was a project manager/estimator for 10 years, job foreman for 18 years and electrical CAD designer for 7.  (if you're wondering about when I had time to serve my apprenticeship, there was some overlapping in there)

Us service guys like to see a standerd breaker in the main box and a GFCI breaker outside by the tub. This makes service easier if there is a tripping problem. FYI

[robmet1015]

 If your pre-run wire is not accessable for inspection, the local inspector could give you some grief.  Also, it needs to be 6-3 with ground (6 gauge wire) and direct sunlight exposure (UF ) or in conduit, for 50 amp service.  The cheapest 50 amp GFI with outside weather box, that I have found is about $85.  75 feed of 6-3 wire with ground costs about $370. Add in several hours of labor and you'r approaching $1K.

I live in PA - Pittsburgh and was able to buy 75 feet of 6/3 with ground at homedepot.com online for $126 +12 shipping.  Apparently it was lots cheaper ordering it online than goign to store

The closest I found at HD on-line was this:

http://www.homedepot.com/Electrical/h_d1/N-5yc1vZarcd/R-202304786/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

It would make 75 feet closer to $250.  A smaller spool would cost more per foot.

I got 75feet 6/3 for $126 from Homedepot online in Pittsburgh. 
http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-202206573/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

[Dr. Spa™ Ret.]

robmet1015, that wire violates national electric code and shouldn't be used for swimming pools or spas. While it's listed as 6 gauge, the GROUND wire is uninsulated and only 10 gauge....both of which are violations.