Need Help on Hot Tub Wiring Method

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Need Help on Hot Tub Wiring Method

#120067 02/25/05 11:13 PM

Joined: Oct 2000

Posts: 3,677

Likes: 3

NY, USA

Admin

OP

Administrator

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Quote

I ran across a hot tub that requires a 240V 50A feeder. The problem is the control panel has no provisions to terminate a raceway, no knockouts. All it has is a clamp the says turn one way for #6 and turn the other way for #8 wire. It works along the same lines as a cord cap clamp that secures a cord.

The factory told me the unit was not made to cord connect and just stop the conduit off and run an open cable into the clamp on the control panel. They did not see a problem. I told them it must have a raceway to the control panel or be cord connected but the receptacle must be min of 5' form the tub wall, be single locking and GFCI. They told me the tub was not meant to be hardwired. I told them there was no code compliant way it could be done. They told me I did not know what I was talking about when I told them it must have a hard raceway with an insolated grounding conductor except for the last 6' could be sealtite. I told them only that in the dwelling portion to the disconnect could be NM cable.

They thought I had lost my mind and this was done everywhere. They said another alternative could be to just have open THHN within the tub skirt and just stub out the 1" conduit in the tub. 680.42 states it shall comply with parts I and II of art 680. It got really bad on the phone. This guy really thought I was in left field. Any thoughts. He got tired of arguing and said he would have an engineer call me.

-necbuff

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Re: Need Help on Hot Tub Wiring Method

#120068 02/26/05 01:26 AM

Joined: Oct 2004

Posts: 806

Atomic City, ID USA

mxslick

Member

necbuff:

From the looks of the fifth pic, you could probably bring in THHN in the blue nonmetallic flex ("smurf tube"?) which looks like it would fit into the clamp....

Sounds to me like the manufacturer is the one who doesn't know what they're talking about....and that's one crowded control box!! (Being plastic and mounted directly on the inline heater is a nice touch..)

Stupid should be painful.

Re: Need Help on Hot Tub Wiring Method

#120069 02/26/05 01:39 AM

Joined: Jun 2001

Posts: 642

omaha,ne

N

nesparky

Member

That control panel makes me wonder how it got UL listed.
Not sure a smurf connector would fit in that controller if you ran #6.

ed

Re: Need Help on Hot Tub Wiring Method

#120070 02/26/05 08:46 AM

Joined: Dec 2000

Posts: 4,293

Fullerton, CA USA

electure

Member

It doesn't look like they've got it quite together.
Check the info that this guy says he got!
(look at bottom post)
http://spaforums.com/Spa_Hot_Tub_ptopic324.html

Re: Need Help on Hot Tub Wiring Method

#120071 02/26/05 11:01 AM

Joined: Jul 2004

Posts: 41

Lebanon Tn USA

N

necbuff

Member

Clarification... In the middle paragragh, the sentence should read "They told me the unit was meant to be hardwired" Sorry 'bout that. Long day.

Kenny Wilee

Re: Need Help on Hot Tub Wiring Method

#120072 02/26/05 01:15 PM

Joined: Feb 2002

Posts: 840

Connecticut, USA

C

CTwireman

Member

Wow, that brings back memories. I had to wire the same control panel on the same spa for a friend. I had the exact same problem.

I concluded that the controll panel was made to IEC standards (metric) and that's why the 3/4" non-metallic liquidtight connector would not fit into that "knockout" or cable clamp or whatever the heck that is.

I got so frustrated that I just ran the liquidtight right up to the box without a connector and threaded the conductors through the opening without tightening it.

Yes, it was hack to do that but I had no options. I didn't see a problem because the enclosure was all plastic.

That thing really needs to be redesigned. Those cheesy plastic lug connectors felt like they were going to snap right off when I was tightening down the #6.

Peter

Peter

Re: Need Help on Hot Tub Wiring Method

#120073 02/26/05 01:54 PM

Joined: Dec 2004

Posts: 161

Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

G

gideonr

Member

"Those cheesy plastic lug connectors felt like they were going to snap right off when I was tightening down the #6."

Those are Choc-bloc connectors, very common in Europe. Being usually polyamide/Nylon they're quite bendy but actually very difficult to part without a knife.

Gideon.

Re: Need Help on Hot Tub Wiring Method

#120074 03/06/05 03:51 PM

Joined: Jan 2005

Posts: 22

Manteo, NC

X

xGROMx

Member

Here on the coast of NC, i've done hundreds of Hot tubs for the rentals here. Most are pretty easy but i have done that modle befor, and yes they are all a pain in the arse.

There is a few ways of doing this, all reaquireing some modifiying....its the only way to make it work. If you realy want to use the hoel that is supplied with the clamp the only way is to use a unibit of sort and resize the hole to fit 3/4. If you cut away some of the inside you can fit a lock ring down in and spin the flex connector on, this is useing plastic gray carlon.

The better way i have done in the past and seems to hold up is to relocate that top connector down, shift them all and leave the bottom one inside the control box, for some reason they all have that one left out. You can fit a 3/4 flex connector in the top of the control to the left of the door hinge. The only problem there is you have open holes left in the box now.

Anyway you look at it, the manufacurer wasn't looking out for ANY electrician. Basicly not instalable in there means.

Re: Need Help on Hot Tub Wiring Method

#120075 03/08/05 04:37 AM

Joined: Dec 2004

Posts: 354

christchurch new zealand

K

kiwi

Member

xGROMx is absolutely right ! The Designers job is to make the enclosure as cheap as possible, NOT to make it code compliant ! !

Can somebody please explain what a "raceway" is ?

Re: Need Help on Hot Tub Wiring Method

#120076 03/08/05 07:08 AM

Joined: Dec 2000

Posts: 4,293

Fullerton, CA USA

electure

Member

Raceway. An enclosed channel of metal or nonmetallic materials designed expressly for holding wires, cables, or busbars, with additional functions as permitted in this Code. Raceways include, but are not limited to, rigid metal conduit, rigid nonmetallic conduit, intermediate metal conduit, liquidtight flexible conduit, flexible metallic tubing, flexible metal conduit, electrical nonmetallic tubing, electrical metallic tubing, underfloor raceways, cellular concrete floor raceways, cellular metal floor raceways, surface raceways, wireways, and busways.