Disconnect Location Question

[Jason12345]

Hello!

I just placed a hot tub on a small slab (put in for the tub) along the side of my deck. My deck is about the same height as the hot tub, so there will be a door in the deck railing to step in and out of the hot tub from the deck. The service door on the side of the hot tub (where the controls and 240VAC terminations are) is located on the deck side of the tub. This means that I have to crawl under my deck to open the door and work on it. I believe the rule states that the disconnect for the tub must be >5ft from the tub and in line of site from the tub. The most convenient place for me to put the disconnect box is under the deck where the cable will come out of the crawl space of my house. I have to go under the deck anyway to work on the tub so is it ok to put the disconnect there? I do not want the disconnect box above my deck where everyone can see it. The disconnect box is one of them pre-assembled outdoor spa boxes. It contains a 50A gfci breaker. In the house I have a dedicated 50A breaker. Thanks for any help in advance. I was going to post a picture of the location, but the picture site won't let me yet.
Regards,
Jason

[Jacuzzi Jim]

 It would probably be fine down there as long as its at least 5 ft away.   You getting this inspected?  More or less just a PIA like when you go to drain it, but I suppose you can turn the breaker in the house off also. 

[Jason12345]

It will be 5 ft away.  Needs to be 5 ft from the closest water, not the exterior of the tub right?  I don't plan on getting it inspected, but the only reason I am putting in the gfci breaker disconnect on the exterior of the house is so that it meets code.  Otherwise I would have just put a gfci 50A breaker in the house and went directly to the tub.  I'll probably use the house breaker for disconnecting anyway.  The box in the house is just through the patio door on the deck.  Maybe I shouldn't even have bought the outdoor disconnect...  I thought code said I needed one.

[Jason12345]

Oh, I forgot to thank you for the reply!  Thanks!

[Dr. Spa™ Ret.]

I believe there's codes specifying minimum and maximum height, as well as clearance in front of  any openable/operable electrical "box". Unlikely that under the deck would meet these codes....though, also unlikely any inspector would would catch it :-)

[Flyonthewall]

all i can say is that people do it all the time.  if being inspected it might be touch and go.  how hard to redirect the conduit up thru the deck if need be?

[Jason12345]

Well I just wired it and it looks pretty good, but I have one more question.  The wiring schematic that came with the catalina spa shows the 4 conductor cable (Rd,Bk,Wh,Gn) shows the neautral and ground (Wh, Gn) both terminated to the same term strip in the house breaker box.  Then at the disconnect panel this cable terminates to a separate ground strip (Gn) and a separate neutral strip (Wh).  The white wire from the GFI breaker in the disconnect goes to this neutral strip as well.  Then the cable going from disconnect to spa is termed at the ground strip, L1, L2, and the neutral goes into the breaker in its own terminal.  Anyway, the question is...Why does the picture show both green and white going to the same strip in the house breaker box.  I'm assuming green goes to the ground strip and white goes to the neutral strip, and this is how I have it wired.  I'm about to turn this thing on, but will wait for a reply first.  THanks!!

[Dr. Spa™ Ret.]

Generally in a homes MAIN panel, ground and neutral are one and the same terminal strip (some panels may have two terminal strips, but they're not isolated from each other). In a subpanel they're separate.

[Spoiledrotten]

And if you connect the white/neutral to the ground bar in the GFCI rather than the terminal it is designed for, it will not allow you to turn on the power. It will keep tripping until you get the white wire on the correct GFCI terminal.