disconnect location

[txwillie]

Any limits on the location for the GFCI panel/disconnect? Seems like I recall from the last tub I had that it had to be at least 10 feet away and within sight of the tub. I want to locate it about 25 feet away and around the side of the house to hide it. Anyone know of any issues with this?

txwillie

[Jacuzzi Jim]

 Codes vary everywhere,here its not closer than 5' to inside of spa and not greater than 25 and insight from the spa,some inspectors do let it slide if its just around the corner it depends what kind of mood they are  in.

 Same goes with access to equipment if built into a deck, some want 3' some are happy with 18" or less.

[txwillie]

Found this on another site:

"The National Electrical Code requires that a manual disconnect device for your hot tub be installed at least 5 ft. away, and within 15 ft. (line of sight) of the spa for safety.  Consult with your local building department for additional information."

Now that I see it, this sounds more like what I recall. Seems like I'm gonna need a big potted plant to hide the disconnect.

txwillie

[Brewman]

If you have to conform to NEC you can't put the disconnect around a corner.  Line of sight means just that- and inside looking thru a window doesn't count either.
 Last I checked, the distance was 5' from the water, no farther than 50'.  
There is also a requirement for a GFI protected 120V outlet that must be located within 10' to 20' from the spa- not sure how thoroughly that one is enforced.  My inspector checked for one, luckily it was already there, or I'd have had to install one.

[Chas]

The part about not being closer than 5 feet to the water is generally non-negotiable.  It is, however, called a 'reach radius' and so you can put the panel under a shelf or inside of a cabinet if there is a door or ledge. The idea is that if you have to reach around something permanent and that distance is over five feet you are good.

But I have put in several recently where there was NO shut-off within sight of the tub. We just put the breakers (two for HotSpring, Caldera and Tiger River Spas) into the main panel. On one the breakers wouldn't go into the panel so we mounted the subpanel just below the main panel.

The way this meets code is you snap a padlock on the main panel, and be sure the breakers are all labeled. In fact, on one job, the owner had the lock and key handy to show the inspector, and that was good.

The point is that if a technician or the homeowner is going to do work on the tub, there needs to be a way that the power can be shut off without a chance of somebody turning it back on unexpectedly.

This is covered in the NEC, but not well known. I have been doing this for twenty years and I just found out about four months ago.

 8-)

[Brewman]

Dont' HS spas have breakers in the spa cabinet?  If so it's my understanding (or possibly mis-understanding) that these serve as the required disconnect- so you'd possibly have more lattitude as to wiring at the panel end.
 Just something I heard.

[nlittle]

The part about not being closer than 5 feet to the water is generally non-negotiable.  It is, however, called a 'reach radius' and so you can put the panel under a shelf or inside of a cabinet if there is a door or ledge. The idea is that if you have to reach around something permanent and that distance is over five feet you are good.

I have a spa on a deck hooked up to 120v GFI outlet under the deck.  The actual distance from the edge of the spa to the outlet is probably 3 feet but the spa is on top and the outlet underneath....so this is OK?

[Chas]

NO - HS products don't have breakers in the spa cabinet. They do generally include a subpanel with the tubs, and that contains the appropriate GFI breakers. Certain models have two breakers, others have only one 50A GFCI breaker.



 8-)

[Brewman]

I have a spa on a deck hooked up to 120v GFI outlet under the deck.  The actual distance from the edge of the spa to the outlet is probably 3 feet but the spa is on top and the outlet underneath....so this is OK?

You'd need to run that past a local inspector- but IF I interpret NEC correctly no.
  There is a requirement that no outlets be any closer to the water than 10'.  
But there may be special circumstances, and no matter what NEC says, it's the local authority in your area that matters.  And the NEC is open to a lot of interpretation.
There are books out there that have the sole purpose of explaining how to read the code.  It's that complicated.

[nlittle]

OH.....hmmm.    :-/
Well, I guess right now I will leave it and when/if we go to 220 we will make sure to be spot on.  

[loosenupspas]

Local code here state that the technicians disconnect be no closer than five feet to the water surface or within a convenient distance from the hot tub.  But as I recollect not beyond 25 feet.  Ask a electrician......Home Depot guys will know, if you are comfortable with their knowledge.

[Reese]

I have a spa on a deck hooked up to 120v GFI outlet under the deck.  The actual distance from the edge of the spa to the outlet is probably 3 feet but the spa is on top and the outlet underneath....so this is OK?

It sounds like you may have two or three problems here: distance (depending on how "surface" is interpreted), and line of sight -- and I'm not sure what to make of a disconnect located below the tub, even if it was in line of sight and far enough away.  Unless you need a building permit for something, the main issue is safety and the effect of non-compliance on your insurance coverage.  If you plan to eventually install code-compliant 230V service, perhaps now would be a good time!

[nlittle]

I guess this is what happens when you hire your brother in law to do the work....a contractor that "has done alot" of electrical  but is not an electrician.
I think I will call another electrician to take a look....a friend of the brother.   LOL

[Chas]

I have a spa on a deck hooked up to 120v GFI outlet under the deck.  The actual distance from the edge of the spa to the outlet is probably 3 feet but the spa is on top and the outlet underneath....so this is OK?

Actually, the dedicated outlet for a 110 volt spa is exempt from this distance requirement. You can put it closer than five feet, though most inspectors will not like it. If you push it, you can get it to pass. I have done so many dozens of times, now all the local inspectors have learned and no longer question it. For practical purposes, it is best not to have the outlet were water will splash on it - for longevity of the outlet and GFI plug if nothing else - but also to reduce the likelyhood of a person trying to plug/unplug the thing while standing in the spa.

However, your installation sounds like it might be more than a five foot 'reach radius.' If you stretch a tape measure from the water to the outlet, is it more than five feet? Not a direct line, but around the edge of the deck etc. In other words, the way a human being could reasonably reach?

 8-)

[Chad]

My good friend is an electrician in the IBEW and here's how he did my hook-up.(btw, he did all the labor for free and supplied all the materials minus the Hot tub Panel, total cost for me was $82 and a couple hours or digging. )
Here's my sub panel attached to my main panel in my garage.


 
Here's a seperate disconnect attached to the back of my garage.



Here's me standing about 15 feet away from it, behind my tub. He told me all of this meets MO building codes.