I have finished major part of the project, still need to fix small things like paint work on the wooden boarder, arbor over waterfall, rails, aquatic plants and fish. here are some pics; Mia, thanks again for the pump and filters, it is working great, lift lot of water. Thank you all for all those tips to make it happen. Here is a link that might be useful: Hot Bath Tub Water Garden

I agree with the guys in the electrical forum. When I hear statements like this it frightens me to know that they're fixing to do something like energize a portable tub on the advice of a Home Depot aisle worker. QUOTE" At the service panel end I'm presuming I'll connect the red and the black to the breaker and the other two wires to the ground bar. At the other end of the cable, where it hooks up to the GFCI, is there anything special to know or will that wiring be obvious? He told me that the wiring the guy at Home Depot recommended has 4 conductors encased in a flat cable; 3 of the conductors look to be about #8 stranded, and the 4th conductor is much smaller diameter. He also has a weatherproof hookup box that contains a GFCI, which I haven't looked at yet. "QUOTE Whatever you do DON"T TAKE A JOB LIKE THIS LIGHTLY. Your safety and that of the bathers depends on an installation that meets code. Here's what I use for my installs. 60amp 240volt GFCI breaker installed at the existing power center or a sub panel (NO EXCEPTIONS) 2 #4awg 1 #6awg 1 #8awg, I use THHN/THWN inside of 1 1/4" sch40 a&u conduit. Mine may have higher amperage loads because the pumps are 5hp each so I have a larger breaker and wire size than you might need. IMO, if your unable to determine your amperage load and size the appropriate breaker/wire size for the tub and are unclear on the manner of wiring in a GFCI breaker "PAY A PRO" just my .02 See ya, Kelly

That requirement refers to the flexible connection between the spa and whatever it's connected to. You have to read the ENTIRE clause. (A) Flexible Connections. Listed packaged spa or hot tub equipment assemblies or self-contained spas or hot tubs utilizing a factory-installed or assembled control panel or panelboard shall be permitted to use flexible connections as covered in 680.42(A)(1) and (A)(2). (1) Flexible Conduit. Liquidtight flexible metal conduit or liquidtight flexible nonmetallic conduit shall be permitted in lengths of not more than 1.8 m (6 ft) external to the spa or hot tub enclosure in addition to the length needed within the enclosure to make the electrical connection.

Because of the inherent risks of water and electricity, it's damned important you get everything right. If you have even the slightest doubt, call a licensed electrician. You can NOT use a bare ground wire. If the GFCI is not tripping, you have it either wired wrong (more likely) or it's defective (less likely). Fix the problem BEFORE using the spa. Tell us how you have it wired or take some clear pictures and post them.