Steps In Setting Up Hot Tub

[newguy35]

hey guys.  i have been doing my homework on tubs for a while, and am getting closer to pulling the trigger.  as a first time hot tub owner, i am really green when it comes to the steps involved.  specifically, i was wondering about the "pre-work", the stuff that needs to be done prior to the tub arriving.  would i want to get a concrete guy over first, to build me a slab?  Or would it make more sense to have an electrician come over, then a concrete guy?  would putting a slab foundation in prior to having an electrician come over mess up the wiring of the tub?  i am eager to get the tub site all ready to go, so that once the tub arrives i can hit the ground running.  in other words, what would be the proper order of steps.  any and all feedback greatly appreciated!!! 

[JohnnyK45]

I'd get the slab done first; once you know where you want it to go, then your electrician can come over.  Frankly, your electrician could come over once you take delivery of your tub too.  Do you know what kind of tub you want to get, size, mfg, features you want etc.?   

[vangoghsear]

I'm no expert, however, the rebar in concrete has to be properly bonded as does any metal around the tub within 6' (I think, like I said, I'm no expert).  I would contact the electrician and ask him when he needs to be involved.  I used an EZ-Pad so my electrician said he could come the day the tub was installed.

[TwinCitiesHotSpring]

I'm no expert, however, the rebar in concrete has to be properly bonded as does any metal around the tub within 6' (I think, like I said, I'm no expert).  I would contact the electrician and ask him when he needs to be involved.  I used an EZ-Pad so my electrician said he could come the day the tub was installed.

this will depend on your area, check local codes...in MN for example bonding is not necessary

[vangoghsear]

this will depend on your area, check local codes...in MN for example bonding is not necessary

I've heard that is true of some areas. 

In my installation in NJ I had to put a bonding ring in the grass surrounding the hot tub, but nothing below the base because the EZ-Pad is not conductive. 

The electrician should be able to tell you if it's required.  I would still contact them first and ask when they need to get involved.  They may want a conduit rise in the concrete even if bonding is not required.

[goose973]

As for the code requirements, I agree with the other posters that you need to check with a licensed electrician or local code enforcement to make sure your installation is safe and legal. As for the actual mechanics of it, you have several options. Some people like to have the electrical line totally hidden and will run the line in conduit under the slab and bring it up from below the tub. I wasn't a fan of that idea. So, we ran the conduit along the edge of the slab over to where one of the tub's electrical openings in the skirt would be. We knew right where to run it because we knew what tub we were going to buy before we started site work. We ran the conduit while the concrete guy's backhoe was here to dig the trench. Saved us some $. Electrician came while tub was being delivered and finished the wiring then. All you see is a foot or so of flexible conduit from ground to tub. Looks good.

[TwinCitiesHotSpring]

As for the code requirements, I agree with the other posters that you need to check with a licensed electrician or local code enforcement to make sure your installation is safe and legal. As for the actual mechanics of it, you have several options. Some people like to have the electrical line totally hidden and will run the line in conduit under the slab and bring it up from below the tub. I wasn't a fan of that idea. So, we ran the conduit along the edge of the slab over to where one of the tub's electrical openings in the skirt would be. We knew right where to run it because we knew what tub we were going to buy before we started site work. We ran the conduit while the concrete guy's backhoe was here to dig the trench. Saved us some $. Electrician came while tub was being delivered and finished the wiring then. All you see is a foot or so of flexible conduit from ground to tub. Looks good.

here's one of my installation photos which gives you a visual follow up to this post: as you can see the slab was obviously existing, so the customer chose to "wrap" the 3/4" conduit to the base of the spa and the electrician I use attaches it to the base of the spa to avoid any tripping accidents, the other option would have been to dig along the front of that slab and do a little drilling and tunneling and he could have came straight up into the cabinet making it a super clean installation but that also would have costed more labor $