two hot tubs, one circuit ?

Status
Not open for further replies.

Stevenfyeager

Senior Member
Location
United States, Indiana
Occupation
electrical contractor
A customer wants me to run a circuit for a new hot tub. Easy enough. But he also is asking if there is a way to use that circuit occasionally for another one. He repairs hot tubs. He asking for an outside disconnect for his new tub and on that same wall, and same circuit, just inside the garage, another disconnect to use when repairing other tubs.
Is there some kind of a "switch" available ?? help !
 

Dennis Alwon

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Chapel Hill, NC
Occupation
Retired Electrical Contractor
Thanks, the first thing I pictured was a transfer switch kit, (Interlok kit) like we install for customers' generators but didn't know if that was allowed for this situation.

The transfer switch insures that the loads would be noncoincidental. Not an issue at all especially for a temp installation.
 

augie47

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Tennessee
Occupation
State Electrical Inspector (Retired)
Even if you didn't install the transfer switch and he inadvertently left the main tub "on", the worse case scenario (assuming everything is sized properly) would be the feeder breaker would trip
 

mwm1752

Senior Member
Location
Aspen, Colo
Even if you didn't install the transfer switch and he inadvertently left the main tub "on", the worse case scenario (assuming everything is sized properly) would be the feeder breaker would trip
210.23(C) -

transfer switch insures that the loads would be noncoincidental.
 

LarryFine

Master Electrician Electric Contractor Richmond VA
Location
Henrico County, VA
Occupation
Electrical Contractor
How about a simple solution: One feeder/circuit to two pull-out disconnects.

Now, hide one of the pull-outs. "Instant interlock."
 

James L

Senior Member
Location
Kansas Cty, Mo, USA
Occupation
Electrician
You could go with an aluminum 100 amp feeder to an 8-circuit 3R panel and drop 2 copper whips out of it, one to the permanent tub and one to a 6x6 box on the wall so it can be closed up when not temporarily connected.

But in reality, I agree with @hillbilly1 l that the guy should know how to manage with 1 circuit if he's working on them
 

Hv&Lv

Senior Member
Location
-
Occupation
Engineer/Technician
Who brings a hot tub home to repair it unless maybe it is major rebuild type of repairs on the tub, piping, enclosure...?
Sort of what I was thinking...
And if he is repairing hot tubs why not go ahead and run the other circuit?
 

hillbilly1

Senior Member
Location
North Georgia mountains
Occupation
Owner/electrical contractor
I’m betting he flips them, buys or gets one given to him, fixes it up, then sells it. I sold one years ago, the woman paid for it, but didn’t pick it up until three years later. Frozen and busted pipes and all! (Was in good working order when she bought it, wasn’t going to winterize it for free!)
 

brantmacga

Señor Member
Location
Georgia
Occupation
Former Child
I think it would be a waste of money to do the transferswitch, since the customer is skilled enough to work on them, he would have enough sense to turn the other one off.

Agree.

I had to buy a 60/3 non-fused a few weeks ago and it was $950 (GE/ABB). Idk how much less a 2-pole would be; likely still several hundred dollars.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska

Jraef

Moderator, OTD
Staff member
Location
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, USA
Occupation
Electrical Engineer
Who brings a hot tub home to repair it unless maybe it is major rebuild type of repairs on the tub, piping, enclosure...?
Any given day I can find 2-3 hot tubs being given away for free on Craigslist if you are willing to haul them out. If you bring them home and clean them, replace the heater elements and fix any leaks, then sell them for half of what new ones cost, it could be a nice little business. It's a pain in the rear to move them though, you would need a couple of strapping teenage sons who are basically "free" labor to make that work.

There are a few guys around here that advertise they will come out and remove them for $150, that would make it even better if you repair and resell them.
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
Any given day I can find 2-3 hot tubs being given away for free on Craigslist if you are willing to haul them out. If you bring them home and clean them, replace the heater elements and fix any leaks, then sell them for half of what new ones cost, it could be a nice little business. It's a pain in the rear to move them though, you would need a couple of strapping teenage sons who are basically "free" labor to make that work.

There are a few guys around here that advertise they will come out and remove them for $150, that would make it even better if you repair and resell them.
If I were to do that I probably wouldn't do it next to my own hot tub, well maybe if I was no longer married ;)

But even then probably would be doing it in the garage, shop, etc. Anyone that is good with such things surely has at least 50 amp capacity at their workspace, many probably have more than that even though they likely never put that much load on it for any significant time.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top