Is there a requirement that a spa or hot tub disconnect be over 5' from the spa? The conditions are as follows:

Single-family dwelling
Outdoor location

Article 680.12 only mentions "accessible and within sight", however Exhibit 680.2 mentions "at least 5 ft. from the pool".

Dave

680.22 says all switching devices will be 5' or greater from the water.
There is still some debate about a disconnect under the covers of the spa.

I have wondered why you can install a light switch as close as you want to a hydromassage tub, but not for an indoor spa?

I got spanked here a while ago for confusing the hydromassage tub rules and the spa rules. They are basically just a bathtub.

I believe the 5' rule is so Joe Homeowner doesn't mess with the disconnect while he or she is actually in the spa. I know common sense tells us that water and electricity DO NOT MIX but some homeowners are no-so-bright when it comes to electrical issues.

The article cited by gfretwell (680.22 (C)) actually pertains to "II. Permanently Installed Pools", which is a section separate from "IV. Spas and Hot Tubs." The closest the NEC comes to stating a required distance for the disconnect, aside from the "readily accessible and within sight" requirement in 680.12, is the 5' required for an "Emergency Switch" in 680.41; but this "emergency switch" is not the same as the "maintenance disconnect," AND the article concludes with the statement that "This requiremnet shall NOT apply to single-family dwellings."

So to summarize, all we get from the NEC, regarding home hot tubs, is "readily accessible and within sight." For more specifics you need to talk to your AHJ.

Tripp- The text at 680.12 is for a Maintenance Disconnect Switch not the "Emergency Switch" and applies to all equipment in 680 unless altered by some other section in 680.

The rules in 680.20(C) apply to Spas installed outside. See 680.42. gfretwell is correct.

George: I stand humbly corrected. I am embarrassed to realize (and in public!) that i have never noticed that 680.42 references Parts I AND II. I've always just noticed the article above (680.41) that references Parts I and IV and called it good.

So putting my humiliation aside, let me ask you this: are you saying that "Switching Devices" (per 680.22 (C)) includes Maintenance Disconnects? If so, why don't they just spell it out like they do in the General section 680.12 Maintenance Disconnects?

Thanks for being gentle.

And apologies to gfretwell.

No problem at all. I screw up things here too. That is why it is good to be with friends. Greg

Disconnect? We don't need no disconnect! At least, not for residential hot tubs.

The tubside "switches" I've seen are usually air-operated, with no electric anywhere near the water.

My neighbor has a hot tub that makes me shake my head. It is a real fancy thing with a LCD control panel and real switches right in the rim. It runs off a CMOS controller about 20' away via a ribbon cable. They have a U/L sticker on it but I don't know how you resolve that with 680.
I asked the owner of the company about it and he blew me off like I was a moron. "That's low voltage, it doesn't count. Don't you know anything?".
Since I really had no "J" in the game I had to just walk away shaking my head.

FWIW department-
All equipment covered in article 680 with the exception of lighting is required to have a "disconnecting means"
This disconnecting means must be within sight of it's equipment. (visible from it's equipment and not more than 50 feet away) I would not approve an air switch or a keypad as that disconnecting means no more than I would accept a stop/start station as a disconnect for a motor. As for the spa with the disconnect switch under the skirt of the spa where the motor/pump/etc is located I think it certainly qualifies as within 50 feet of it's quipment and visible. As for the 5' thingee in 680.22(C), I can say that the skirt with a removable panel provides the required barrier.

Hey! I can have my opinion.

For those inspectors that can't buy this - are you having the contractors remove this factory installed disconnect that's under the skirt of the spa??

This installation would not need an "Emergency Switch" if it were installed in a residential setting.

[This message has been edited by George Little (edited 09-27-2006).]

George, I agree with your fine point. The disconnect is a separate issue from the "emergency" switch. Please forgibe my sloppy thinking.

[This message has been edited by renosteinke (edited 09-27-2006).]