How do you wire...

[Chris_H]

Question for the Hotspring experts, can you wire a Hotspring Spa on a straight 50 Amp service instead of the 20/30 that is provided with the purchase of thier larger units?  

If so where can I can find a wiring diagram?

Thanks,

Chris

[tonyp]

Question for the Hotspring experts, can you wire a Hotspring Spa on a straight 50 Amp service instead of the 20/30 that is provided with the purchase of thier larger units?

It's basically straight 50 (with a neutral) from the main panel to the provided sub-panel (which is 20/30).  It must be 20/30 to the spa.

If so where can I can find a wiring diagram?  

http://www.hotspring.com/Hot_Tub_Customers/owner_manual.html

This has both pre-delivery guides (with wiring) which you can also get from your dealer and owners manuals.

[Chris_H]

Can I have two sub-panels by the spa?  

Let me try to explain the wiring and tell me if I can do this:  Starting at, a 50 amp non-GFCI from main electrical service panel to a 50 amp GFCI protected sub-panel to the Hotspring 20/30 GFCI protected sub-panel then to the spa.  Can I wire the spa like this?

I ask because I think many customers that are replacing an existing spa with a GFCI protected 50 amp service may shy from Hotspring because of the additional cost of wiring their new spa.  

[Brewman]

Where's Chas when you need him.  
He'd probably know for sure.

Time to activate the "Chas" light.

[obi wan]

there it is now! that giant sunglass wearing rubber ducky in the sky! gadzooks!! quick.. to the chas phone!

on a serious note... should be nominal cost. you can either mount the 20/30 amp can next to the current 50 amp can, or pull the 50 breaker out, and replace it with the 20/30, and reuse the original can. there was some discussion a while back about being able to purchase a 20/30 amp in the can complete at home depot/lowes for less than $100.

[Chas]

Wow - I saw the light all the way over here!

Stand back good citizens and let me do my work..

What was the question?

[Chas]

OK - sorry - here's some info:

Yes, you will need to have the sub panel in the system for a HotSpring, Tiger River and Caldera spa. You can't re-wire them for a direct feed from a single 50A 2Pole breaker.

Go to http://www.hotspring.com/cgi-bin/download.cgi?c=4&f=pdfs/pre-delivery_instruct_04.pdf

Click here

There are wiring diagrams available for various years on the HotSpring web site under 'Customer Corner.' You can also download owners manuals etc.
This does scare off some potential customers who are replacing a spa which did not have such wiring - but it really shouldn't. I think the way Watkins has chosen to supply power to their spas is about the safest way to do it. Also, it has been my experience that you will have to do some changing to the wiring anyway - either the wire comes in the wrong side of the spa, or you may want to move it a couple of feet because trees/shrubs have grown or been removed, or that neighbor has a yard light now...

Getting back to the question at hand, I usually offer to do the wire change-out (I'm licensed) in the case of a customer who is concerned about extra cost. What I do is to simply divert the power which would have gone directly into the spa to the sub panel, and then I set the sub panel in a creative location - such as under a step, behind a decorative panel, around a corner, or some other way to get five feet distance from the water to the box. Sometimes just putting it a foot away and covering it with a planter will satisfy the inspector. I have found that our various city inspectors would rather see this level of GFCI protection, and they appreciate the fact that in a retrofit application it may be harder to get the required clearances. They will accept a "reach radius" which means that if the box is too close but you have to reach around something to get to it, they will measure the distance you have to reach.