This link is to a video story (high speed needed?)(sorry about the commercial)
http://us.video.aol.com/video.index.adp?mode=2&guideContext=65.491&pmmsid=1673955


Makes one think the last sentence should be deleted.

On a slightly different topic, how would you rule on a townhome where the hot tub is in the unit owner's "back yard"? I have assumed in the past that the intent in single-family dwellings was that it wasn't public or semi-public access as would be for an apartment complex or hotel or health club. I guess by the letter of the code I may have been wrong.

[This message has been edited by Jps1006 (edited 07-05-2006).]

Around where I am at, some townships require 2 drains far enough apart, so that one can't get stuck at the bottom. Designing the tubs and pools so this doesn't happen should be the first priority...

If the town issued a permit, for the spa at a townhouse, and it was approved, then it's ok.

Sounds like a good idea. When the original emergency stop rule was put into the code, the information provided with the substantiation said that dwelling unit pumps do not have enough suction to cause this problem. The code change was a result of this type of accident in commerical installations.
Don

JPS:
As to your townhome question. Here in NJ a 'townhouse' is a single family dwelling, as in a structure with 8 townhouse units is 8-single family houses. Work within each unit requires a seperate permit. The hot tub in this instance is in/at a single family home.

NJ also has a requirement for Emergency Off on public pools.

An alternative for the hot tub is a 'Stengel Switch" which shuts down the pump(s) with an increase in suction. Another option was/is a raised diverter on the return line.

John

Hmmm. I always thought the emergency shut off was for electricution hazard, due to its distance from the tub. Couldn't the same happen in a regular pool?

[This message has been edited by e57 (edited 07-05-2006).]

I can't believe this hot tub was approved without an anti-entrapment system. It was code in Md in 1980 when I built my first hot tub and Florida also has the rule. It gets inspected twice here, once during the plumbing rough and once for the final.

The spa we have has four (4) drains (returns), each approximately 5-6 inches diameter. There are two on the bottom of the spa and two on the side, each being about 2 feet apart.

The pool and spa was built in 1983. This is in Ventura County, CA.

I wonder how "old" this spa in the video is?

Steve

The anti-entrapment in my pool includes a vent to air. If the suction side gets blocked it will suck air until the pump cavitates.

Shut-offs I've seen that were next to tubs have usually been air-operated, with the electrical parts off somewhere else.

I believe the code limits the requirement to non-residential tubs for two reasons:
- Residential ones usually have controls at tub side, while the ones at the "Y" generally have ALL controls locked up in a different room; and
- Large pools get larger pumps, and thus might pose a greater risk.

The size of the pump really doesn't matter that much. You can develop sufficient suction to hold a person down with a pretty small pump. Certainly the jet pump on a spa will do that. They will be at least 1HP and usually end up being more like 2HP on a residential spa. The safest anti-entrapment systems wre all done with the plumbing. You just need to be sure the system will suck air if it gets plugged, either through the skimmer or through a vent. I have both.