Electrical installation for tub with no access hole

[nepnep]

Hi everyone,

Happy owner of a new Arctic Fox here.

There is something that leaves me a bit puzzled. There is no premade access hole for the electrical to come in. It looks like it's something I have to drill myself but I'm not certain as to where to drill it. One of my friends also has an Arctic and he drilled his hole through the side of the flooring. However, his cable looks like 8/3 NMWU. I have 6/3 TECK, so mine is both bigger and armoured, thus not known for having a great bend radius. I wouldn't want the cable to work against the floor nor have it come out too far away from the tub, and the size of the hole I feel would be too big for the available flooring surface. So ideally I'd need to enter higher than that and drill through the skirt, but I have no idea which part of it is load bearing.

Electricians in my area won't do it. They seem only interested in doing the actual screwing in of the wires (they won't trench or hire it out either - that was the part I was looking least forward to, and landscaping/irrigation companies are full on now). Seems like I have to do everything else. Not ideal.

Any help :\ anyone ever used TECK without having to have a foot of it on the ground to enter the spa? And where is the best place to drill? I'd really appreciate pictures.

Thanks

[nepnep]

Hi, no need, I drilled through the pan. I do have a bit of cable coming out but it's not so bad.

[bud16415]

My tub sits on a wood deck and I picked a place inside the equipment area and drilled a 1” hole thru the pan and deck and brought my seal-tite conduit up thru the bottom. It sounds like you are going underground with the 6/3 Teck. If it were mine and I had to enter the side and was using a direct burial cable I would still run a conduit thru the side panel at the equipment area outside I would put a LB 90 and run some conduit down below grade at least and bring the 6/3 Teck in thru it for the cleaner look and added protection. Think string trimmers and tripping hazard. Pick the side that will be least noticed and away from where your stairs will be.

It is hard to find anyone to do actual work these days and what you do it is most of the time sloppy looking. Just do it yourself and if you don’t feel comfortable with working behind the panel get some help there. Don’t forget you need a GFCI breaker and switch located in eye sight of the tub but at least 5’ from the tub.