what comes first the electrician or hot tub

[lucy1234]

Do I have the electrician come out first to run the 220 wire or do I have the spa delivered first and then have the electrician come out?  

[jenn]

Depends on whether you want to look at an inviting hot tub that you can't use....just kidding, I'm speaking only from my personal experience of our delivery this past week.

Spa was delivered on Tuesday, and the electrician came by to hook us up.  He was a friend, and turned out our electrical panel was too old to add the new panel.  He called someone else and well.....finally yesterday we called another electrician who came out and did the job.  

It was killing my husband and I to look at that tub for 5 days and not be able to use it!!!  First soak was last night and we actually spoke about how we wished we had just got the electrical done prior to arranging delivery of the tub.

Anyway, that's my 2 cents.  I won't go into the fact that our tub is leaking!  That's another heartache!

[UnderTheStars]

Wow, sorry to hear about the leak Jenn.  Hi Lucy, just my opinion but I think the most efficient is if the electrician comes out as part of the bid process.  That way they know what your elect. system looks like, the physical layout (where the spa will go,) and what they will need.  Try to schedule the job either the day of, or day after the spa arrives.  Having wire run before the spa can work but they still have to come back for hook-up.  That's not efficient from the electricians point of view.

Also, before they come out to view/bid, go to your manufacturer's web site and download delivery/set-up instructions.  Many brands offer it on the web and it will show your electrician how many of which size wire etc.

[Tubber]

I get people who do not realize that these spas require a dedicated line of whatever 120 or 240 at said amps for the hot tub all the time.  It is always helpful to know before you start looking what you have for space in your panel, if your going to have to upgrade your service or not. This just makes the process easier. The more you know about what you can and cannot do as far as the site plan and electrical goes  The easier it will be to find a spa that will fit your needs. The perfect spa is out there for everyones individual needs. This is where an experienced sales rep can help. Rather than take you to the biggest most expensive spa in the showroom right away, we as professionals can figure out whats out there for just about every situation, provided we have the information in advance.

It's best to talk about the site, electrical and concerns you have prior to even touching the water in a spa at a showroom.

[wmccall]

Do I have the electrician come out first to run the 220 wire or do I have the spa delivered first and then have the electrician come out?  

I suppose their are different circumstances, but for me, I have a degree in electronics, which meant I had an understanding of what I needed to have someone else do.    I called in an electrician friend, got a list of things he needed and bought them for him.

In some cases spas come with GFCI panels I'm told. Mine didn't so I ran the proper wire from my breaker box to the GFCI disconnect, which I hung on the side of the house.  Once the tub was in place, there was only 20 minutes of work left to do which I filled up the tub while the wiring was complete.

[tonyp]

I would say talk to the electrician.  He may want to do all the prep work before the tub arrives.  Obviously the final hook-up must be done after delivery.  Also depending on how the wiring is done, you may need more than 1 electrical inspection.

[Brewman]

You have to do a little managing here.  First, settle on a specific spa model.  That will dictate your electrical needs.  Once that is known, get your electrician bids, or work thru the dealer, if you want.
It is likely that a rough in inspection will be required before the spa can be turned on.  Then a final once all is hooked up.  The rough in is especially important if you will be burying an cable in walls or underground.
I put in my own electric, and had 2 inspections.  
Any failed inspection will result in another inspection.
Brewman

[HotTubMan]

Depends on the dealer. My installers make the final electrical connection. If your dealer does not provide this servive, have the electrician come by after delivery.

[Warkovision]

It is likely that a rough in inspection will be required before the spa can be turned on.
Brewman

That's what I did. Rough electrical was done the same day as the slab was prepped. Rough inspection followed for the electrical. After the slab was poured and cured for a week, the tub was delivered. The electrician came back an hour or so after the delivery and completed the hookup.

[Spa_Tech]

There's no pat answer to this- circumstances dictate what proceeds the other...

But my feelings say-

Spa delivery first, then electrician...

Set the spa where you want it- orient the spa so the seats face the way you'd like them and then have the electrician wire it up- This way there's no guestimation of how much wire to leave hanging and certainly less wasted materials.

[wmccall]

There's no pat answer to this- circumstances dictate what proceeds the other...

But my feelings say-

Spa delivery first, then electrician...

Set the spa where you want it- orient the spa so the seats face the way you'd like them and then have the electrician wire it up- This way there's no guestimation of how much wire to leave hanging and certainly less wasted materials.

In areas that require disconnects (most all?)  You can have everything ready and wired to the disconnect and save the final connection for when the spa is in place. There would be no excess  wire hanging.

But like you said, different situations require different approaches.

[Wheeler]

This also depends on which spa model you're buying, where your spa will be located, and whether or not you're doing any construction or landscaping in conjunction with your spa purchase.

When we decided on the Optima I was in process of planning landscaping for the backyard of a new house.  First I had to determine location for the spa. (also had to take convenience and local building/electrical codes into account)  I wanted a clean looking install, so I asked the dealer if it was possible for the electrical service to come up from underneath.  The dealer will pre-drill the underside of the spa cabinet so I can have electrical conduit stubbed up out of the concrete pad so no wires/conduit will be seen from outside the tub.

Once I had the site and necessary conduit stub location determined, I hired an electrician to run conduit from my main service panel, install a sub-panel/service disconnect, and trench the conduit under a sidewalk and stub it up to the location where the concrete will be poured.  

Now I'm just waiting for the landscaping and concrete to be finished before I have the spa delivered.

So, in summary, I had my electrical roughed in in June, but the spa won't be delivered until end of September or early October.  Whether or not you need electrical done first just depends on your situation.  I also agree that it would stink to have your spa delivered and then have to wait for electrician to show up several days later to hook it up.  My advice is to do the research and know what you need in advance, get the electrical done, and then enjoy your spa ASAP after it's delivered.

[UnderTheStars]

Hi Lucy!  Looks like the one thing (only thing?) that  everybody agreed on is, "it depends/it can vary."

So how about this:  Call in a couple electricians in advance to bid & let them advise.  They will be familiar with specifics for your area (permit, inspections, etc.)  Ideally, pick the tub first and show the electrician the manufacturers printed electrical requirements.  Keep us posted!
Stars

[stiffy]

I'm with U,T,S thats sound advice  
what I did,Picked the tub,Wire requirements off the web, ran wires from main panel to GFCI (ask the dealer for it on day of diposit) then on delivery day finished up why'll tub was a fillen.But I did the work myself

[Sol_Dahbrishinsky]

Question for all of you

What is the ballpark cost for running about 40 feet from the subpanel to the outdoor GFI panel?

Thanks....