Old spa was 3 wire, new one is 4 wire...240v or Plug and Play

[Ghvf]

I know a qualified electrican will handle my install. The problem is my old Vita spa was hooked up to a 50amp with 2 hot wires and a ground.

The new tub is asking for that AND a neutral. Do you think they can run just a ground wire from the current GFCI at the panel or use a small transformer to create?

Any thoughts are greatly appreciated. This cost will decide if I get a 240V hookup with a single 4 horsepower pump or a Plug and Play rated at 2 horsepower. Same 265 gallon round tub with whirlpool jet.

[Tman122]

I know a qualified electrican will handle my install. The problem is my old Vita spa was hooked up to a 50amp with 2 hot wires and a ground.

The new tub is asking for that AND a neutral. Do you think they can run just a ground wire from the current GFCI at the panel or use a small transformer to create?

Any thoughts are greatly appreciated. This cost will decide if I get a 240V hookup with a single 4 horsepower pump or a Plug and Play rated at 2 horsepower. Same 265 gallon round tub with whirlpool jet.

You will have to run one wire from the neutral block in your main panel to a new GFCI breaker at your tub. The 4 wire setup is because there are 110V components that require the neutral on your new tub. Your old tub had all 220V components.

[Ghvf]

Thank you...that seems easy enough for an electrician. It's not far from the tub location so hoping to spend @ $300.

I have another external plug with GFCI close to the hot tub. Can the electrician use the neutral from this or does it have to come from the house panel like the 3-wire 50 amp?

[Tman122]

Thank you...that seems easy enough for an electrician. It's not far from the tub location so hoping to spend @ $300.

I have another external plug with GFCI close to the hot tub. Can the electrician use the neutral from this or does it have to come from the house panel like the 3-wire 50 amp?

I'm not an electrician and don't know the ramifications of jumping neutral from the other outlet.

[bud16415]

You do not want to share a neutral from two different circuits. The only time it is allowed to the best of my knowledge is with a multi wire branch circuit like you find in kitchens.   

[Ghvf]

It would not be sharing the neutral between 2 circuits. The green Ground Wire exists on current 50 am breaker box with GFCI. There's another external GFCI plug on the deck and that would be only source of the Neutral wire.

It's really a theoretical question, as I want a clean install and running the neutral from the breaker panel to another GFCI plug is the safest.

[Tman122]

It would not be sharing the neutral between 2 circuits. The green Ground Wire exists on current 50 am breaker box with GFCI. There's another external GFCI plug on the deck and that would be only source of the Neutral wire.

It's really a theoretical question, as I want a clean install and running the neutral from the breaker panel to another GFCI plug is the safest.

I think bud is right. If you had multiple outlets on a single circuit sharing common is....well...common. But on a dedicated circuit the common is an important part of the ground fault system and should be dedicated to that circuit.

You could put a 110V outlet off of the same common by pulling one leg from the 220 circuit the ground and the common. And as long as the draw was low enough the tub and a 110 outlet would work on the same circuit. I have done this and it worked fine for a radio next to the tub or phone chargers, maybe a lava light..............