Putting in a hot tub, need wiring advice

[Ennco Bryce]

Hey all,
I'm putting in a hot tub pretty soon and I'll need to get it wired. I'm a bit nervous about making all of the connections in the end because I'm a bit of a noob when it comes to wiring, and I've never done 220 before.

My question is about electricians...can I save money by running all of the conduit myself and pulling the wire through before I call an electrician, or are they going to need to see it done/do it? I'm thinking that I can save coin by hanging the conduit and at lease digging the trench before I call one in. Whatta ya think?

 

[mrb]

some (most) electricians do not want to finish work started by a homeowner. Some may be flexible with things like digging a trench if pre arranged. Make sure you are aware of all code requirements pertaining to wiring a spa and that you do it right. Pull a permit (if you hire an electrician have him pull the permit. dont get an owner builder permit and then hire someone to do the work)

 

[Ennco Bryce]

Thanks MRB, I'll talk to a few electricians and see if I can find one that is willing to work with me on it. You mentioned permitting...is it typical to need a permit for adding an electrical breaker?

 

[Aceman]

Wiring a hot tub is more complicated than just digging a trench and running power to it. YOU NEED TO MAKE SURE THE CONTRACTOR IS FAMILIAR WITH WIRING HOT TUBS AND PULLS A PERMIT. NO EXCUSES! This is not the time to go with the cheapest handyman you can find either! There are a lot of grounding and bonding requirements for outdoor hot tubs, I'm really not up to speed on all of it since I don't hardly ever wire them. I'd have to read through the code book to jog my memory before I wired one again.

For the record, electricians love it when you offer to dig the trench. But not when you try and do the actual electrical work too. I've had guys help me in a pinch when I needed a second hand, but they don't do the rest of the work for me.

 

[sberry]

Got to agree, a hot tub or pool is not the place for DIY learning experience , am with Aceman, I know most of it but would probably read it before I did one.
I was at a Home Depot, a guy and one of the store people were trying to figure what they guy needed for a hot tub, like the flooring guy or something and I usually don't but in but I said something like that, they didn't know if this was a whirlpool, hot tub, if it run on 120 or 240 let alone having any idea of a bond, ground, insulated ground wire this calls for, gfci, etc.

 

[JimDon]

ask your hot tub dealer if they have a list of sparkies they work with. then find one you like out of that mix. dig the trench if they will let you. no offense, but paws off the rest of this project. this is not one to learn on. a missed step here can result in death to you or a family member. cheers, JimDon

 

[Frank The Plumber]

Let the pro do the whole job. I can do almost any of the stuff an electrician can do but out of respect if I call one in I do not part the job out on him. I let him do his work and make his living.

 

[JimDon]

Frank,
Yes, I agree but still ask him about the trench. Most sane people prefer not to do that s---! Me, on the other hand have never been certified as sane so ---


Jim

 

[Norcal]

ask your hot tub dealer if they have a list of sparkies they work with. then find one you like out of that mix. dig the trench if they will let you. no offense, but paws off the rest of this project. this is not one to learn on. a missed step here can result in death to you or a family member. cheers, JimDon

IMO, it's a HUGE mistake to use a dealers "installer" some use trunk slammers & do less then quality work.

 

[D.J.]

Norcal what is a truck slammer?

 

[Ford12508]

IMO, it's a HUGE mistake to use a dealers "installer" some use trunk slammers & do less then quality work.

That depends on the individuals. We sell the spa and do maintenance on them, and hire out the delivery guys and the electricians. We do them separately. The simple minded deliver the tub, and an actual electrician wires it. I am there a lot for deliveries, and I should be the one wiring the tub.

When you hire an electrician, make sure they know what they are doing. I get most guys don't do it regularly, but we always recommend from a short list because they have experience. People like to use their own electricians, and it isn't always wise. I showed up on a service call one day. The electrician wired the tub and the gfci wrong. Clearly not the brightest

 

[Norcal]

Norcal what is a truck slammer?

Someone who works out of their car & does **** work, you usually get a "tail light" warranty w/ their work, it's warrantied until you can no longer see their tail lights.

 

[Ennco Bryce]

Thanks for all of the replies guys...I think I've found an electrician that will do the job, and he'll let me get all of the grunt work out of the way first. Looks like I'll be in the trenchs for a while!

I don't want to risk anything to save some money, never worth it.
Thanks again for all of your help, I really appreciated it!
Bryce