Hot Tubs – Do They Require a Special Circuit Breaker?
Nothing can rejuvenate you more than a leisurely bath in your hot tub/Jacuzzi after a hectic day at work. however, you may often experience circuit breakers/over-current protection device (OCPD) tripping whenever you switch on your hot tub. This is because this electric equipment draws a huge amount of power, and so, a hot tub needs a separate circuit breaker to operate efficiently.
Water and electricity is a deadly combination. therefore, to enjoy your jacuzzi tub safely without any fear of electrical hazards, you should hire the services of an experienced electrical contractor for installing a hot tub and circuit breaker.
NEC guidelines to be followed for hot tub wire installation:
Generally, there are two different types of jacuzzi tubs available in the market. the smaller tubs need 120V/20 Amp power, while the bigger units run at 240V and 50 amperes. as per Section 680.22-A5 of the NEC guidelines, power supply to both the units should pass through a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter. in addition, the NEC specifies that you maintain a distance of 5 feet between the hot tub and GFCI. you should also ask your electrical contractor to place GFCI breaker in the same room as the jacuzzi tub and not mount it on the outside doors or walls of the unit.
Many people end up using the over-current protection device as a switch for their jacuzzi, which can prove to be dangerous. This is because constantly flipping the breaker on/off can cause damage to the buss bar. Even a tiny gap in the buss bar can result in electrical arcing, which is one of the main reasons behind electric fires. therefore, it would be a good idea to install a separate emergency switch for your hot tub along with an individual GFCI over-current protection device.
Reasons behind constant tripping of your hot tub circuit breakers:
One of the most common problems experienced by jacuzzi owners is the constant tripping of circuit breakers when they are using the equipment. Electricians suggest that you ensure you are using a right size circuit breaker for running your device. if the problem persists even after replacing your old circuit breaker and by using a new GFCI especially for your equipment, then you need to pull out your user manual and carry out some checks. Ensure that the filter of your jacuzzi tub is clean and that it is not damaged. the circuit breaker can also trip if there is a problem with the ozonator or air blower of your hot tub.
Keep these tips in mind and enjoy using your jacuzzi tub safely.
Spain Hot Tubs – Problems
A day in the life of a Hot Tub specialist somewhere on the Costa del Sol
The phone rang one Saturday morning in our Estepona Showroom can you look at my Hot Tub Jacuzzi Style Spa please it doesn’t work.
We go through the usual pleasantries – how long as he had the Spa – about two years – what make is it – does it have good controls that I recognize like for example Balboa and then the potential client tells me that he wasn’t very happy with the original sale in the first place. On no account will he go back to the original supplier if he could find him which he cannot. It’s a Hot Tub Jacuzzi from a Major American maker but it is a little bit dated in my view from the design point of view but a perfectly good product never the less and more than adequate for the its intended purpose certainly not a cheap import.
On the telephone we can get a good idea of what might be the problem and it would appear that at this stage the Spa has no power and my initial reaction is that it is possibly a mains electrical fault of some kind. the Juice is not getting through for what ever reason
So with my pal Ulf (a Swede) we go for a drive in to the country to see the Hot Tub.
When we arrive the first thing I notice is that completely against the maker’s instruction and best practice there is no breaker switch accessible to turn off the supply of electricity.
There is a breaker but it has been fitted INSIDE the spa and is then behind a locked door requiring a key. so if there was a requirement to switch off the spa in a hurry or for what ever reason the breaker just not where it should be.
We carry out some simple checks and surprise we find that the spa is not earthed? the house does not seem to be earthed well this is Spain. but this House has been rewired on the last two / three years BUT NO EARTH
We turn every thing off and open the breaker. the blue wires are the wrong size to carry the load they are to small and the colour has changed from blue to black as they were getting close to ignition. the ceramic part of the broker has started to go brown as it was close to ignition. it smelt like an incendiary device it had clearly been getting very hot and close to ignition. the Breaker that had been supplied was of the wrong size as was the cables.
The spa company had just dropped off the spa and said here is your spa and we have a local electrician coming tomorrow to wire it up. he probably did a good job but was not briefed or trained on the project. a bit like the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand does.
We got an independent electrician in to Earth the Spa and rewired the Spa as required with proper sized cables.
The Moral of the Story when it comes to Hot Tubs deal with the professionals.