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Electrical Wiring

Hot Tub Wiring

8 years ago

I'm gathering parts to wire up our new hot tub and have a question about the wiring. With the short run from the electric panel to the outside disconnect I can get by with #8 wire but I plan to run #6. A friend gave me some #6 wire but I'm not sure it is the correct wire for the job. It is a 6/4 cable that looks like a very large extension cord, i've seen it referred to as soow on the web.

Can this be used for a hot tub?

Thanks!

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Comments (2)

randy427
8 years ago
1. SOOW cable is portable control cable designed for heavy-duty industrial use. Applications include wiring remote control circuits for push-button stations, fire alarm controls, temperature control systems and motor leads. It can be used for power extension cords but is not appropriate for a power lead to the wall-mounted disconnect.
Ron Natalie
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
SOOW is a cord type not cable. Other than that Randy is right. You can not use cords to connect either the spa to the disconnect or the disconnect to the rest of the house wiring.

Vats of water that you are going to immerse yourself and your family in are not things you should be randomly screwing around with when you don't know what you are doing. There are very specific requirements for the wiring to spas/hot tubs. It is almost certain that the out door part of the run to the disconnect and the connection between the disconnect and the tub itself will be required to be suitable conduit with suitable conductors including INSULATED equipment grounding conductors inside.

Most new spas/hot tubs will have rather explicit requirements for wiring that you (or your contractor) should be following without making goofy substitutions.
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If this is in the US (in a place that follows any of the modern versions of the NEC), you must use approved conduit. It must be GFCI. It must have a service disconnect in sight of where you service the tub. Follow any manufacturer's recommendations. They will almost certainly call out the breaker size. The emergency stop out of reach but within sight of the tub is not required for single family residences. Do not mess with pool/spa wiring if you do not know what you are doing.
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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.
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How did you wire it? The red and black go to the load terminals on the GFCI. The neutral pigtail from the GFCI still needs to go to the panel neutral bus. The ground shouldn't touch the GFCI at all. If you wired it right and the GFCI is working, then it's possible your tub does indeed have a ground fault! Very dangerous.
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Thanks for all the information / help. It is greatly appreciated!!! I have calculated the voltage drop using the equation reference above and using another have found. Using the calculator above, I get the following results (200' run, 50A, 240V): #6 9.5V drop 4% #4 6.0V drop 2.5% The other formula I used gave slightly lower results. It seems like 4% is real borderline. I will check the distance and if less than 200', might consider #6. My understanding is a max of 3% for the sub so that the total does not exceed 5%. I am on a dedicated transformer providing a 200A service within 100' of the home. Have no idea the size of the feeder line. The house is all electric but is not large as it is a weekend place. Thanks,
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