Free standing spa tub wiring??

[Ljgale]

Hey fellas, my name is Luke. I have been working as an electricians helper for 4 years now and going to school. My boss and I have a question. We are working on a new home and have to wire a spa tub unlike any we have seen before. The motor is 15amps and is already has a 3 prong plug just like any othe appliance.

Plan is- new 15amp GFCI breaker from panel. Through crawl space to tub location. Up through subfloor and then to a receptacle. Bam, tub plugs in.

But, what I do not know is this...

1. Does it need a switch within sight of the tub, ie: the nearest wall?
2. There is room under the tub for me to mount a 2x4 on edge so the receptacle faces out instead if up....good or bad idea?
3. The wall behind the tub is a log wall so no outlets there....it has to be under the tub.
4. The tub is light, maybe 50lbs, it is a finished product 360 degrees around and has a flex drain hose, so I am assuming that maintenance for the motor would be to simply drain the tub and lift it/prop it up. Is this acceptable as an "access panel"???
5. What kind of box? Exterior grade?, exterior wire?
The tub came with absolutely no instruction, owner bought it off eBay and it came in a crate with nothing else.

This county has adopted 2011NEC

HELP!!!!

Thanks, Luke

 

[Dennis Alwon]

Is this a hydromassage tub? Or does water stay in the tub and get treated?

The only disconnect that is required is taken care of by plugging it in. The outlet is the disconnect. The gfci cannot be under the tub but must be in a readily accessible location. We use dead front gfci's so we avoid a gfci under the tub-- I am assuming a 120V unit not 240V

 

[Ljgale]

It is a massage tub so water gets drained each time. And yes 120v. The motor has a plug on it, do dead front GFCI need to be hardwired, or will the plug insert into the back?? Sorry I am unfamiliar with them. If I wire it to the load side if the GFCI can I simply cut the plug off the tub and treat it like NMC? The nearest wall is a log wall so my only option is to mount the GFCI in the floor next to the tub, or can the cord from the tub drop into the crawl space, be plugged into a GFCI receptacle that is controlled by a switch in the bathroom? The custome want no electric showing. Thanks for any more help

 

[Dennis Alwon]

I usually put the dead front in the bathroom where the tub usually sits. It wires the same as a gfci Line in and Line out. Line out goes to the receptacle under the tub.

 

[Ljgale]

Thanks for the replies Dennis, I am still missing something...

I understand the dead front GFCI and how it works, are you suggesting this:

Panel to dead front GFCI
GFCI to standard outlet under tub
Plug the tub male end cord into the standard receptacle.

I still have questions:

Can an outlet be mounted to the floor under the tub?
Should I face it up toward the bottom of the tub, or mount it on a block sideways?
What about motor access? Is liftin the tub up, because it has a flex drain, acceptable access?
I thought every motor needed a switch, by your proposal I would have to lift the tub up to unplug it from the GFCI protected outlet located under the tub? Right? Is this allowed?

Thank you for your replies but it still doesn't seem right or safe to me.

Does the receptacle box under the tub mounted on the floor have to be watertight?

 

[Dennis Alwon]

Thanks for the replies Dennis, I am still missing something...

I understand the dead front GFCI and how it works, are you suggesting this:

Panel to dead front GFCI
GFCI to standard outlet under tub
Plug the tub male end cord into the standard receptacle.

Exactly

I still have questions:

Can an outlet be mounted to the floor under the tub?

Yes

Should I face it up toward the bottom of the tub, or mount it on a block sideways?

Personally I mount it to the left or right of the access.

What about motor access? Is liftin the tub up, because it has a flex drain, acceptable access?

No but I have never seen a free standing hydromassage tub. It is usually installed as a tub would be against a wall with a deck built around it.

I thought every motor needed a switch, by your proposal I would have to lift the tub up to unplug it from the GFCI protected outlet located under the tub? Right? Is this allowed?

You cannot lift the tub to get to the disconnect. :?

Thank you for your replies but it still doesn't seem right or safe to me.

Does the receptacle box under the tub mounted on the floor have to be watertight?

Does not have to be watertight

 

[PetrosA]

Considering the log construction, you might be better off running a circuit from a GFI breaker to your receptacle under the tub instead of trying to get a deadfront mounted somewhere. Just a thought...

 

[Ljgale]

Thanks for the replies guys.

Imagine this:

A bathtub in the middle of a room. You can walk completely around it. It has no walls built around it. It is freestanding, finished fiberglass all the way around.

On the bottom is a 15A motor with a 3 prong cord.

Below the floor is a crawl space.

If I hook the tub up, mount an outlet on the surface of the subfloor UNDER THE TUB in a handibox, run that outlet to a switch on the nearest wall in sight of the tub, then run the switch to a 15A GFCI in the panel.

Here is the question I have.....

The tub is freestanding and can be lifted up at anytime.......so anyone who goes in the bathroom can grab the lip of the tub (that weighs 50lbs) and flip it on edge........IS THIS CONSIDERED AN "ACCESS PANEL"

Or do I have to cut a hole in the floor for access to the motor??? The crawl space is a tight fit!!! Ductwork in the way. If I cut a hole, I will have access to the motor but only for a person that is very very skinny.

The tub is so light, and is not mounted to the floor in any way....just sits there, the plumbing is flex with a 4 foot drain whip so tilting the tub and propping it up is simple. But is this considered and acceptable access per 2011 NEC??? So i am thinking the disconnect to the outlet would be the switch on the wall, the circuit would be protected by the GGCI Breaker in the panel.

Here is a picture of the tub

All help has been appreciated so far but I still am confused about "MOTOR ACCESS"

Thanks, Luke

 

[suemarkp]

Would they consider some different legs or leg extensions, something that gets the tub a few inches higher? That way, you could put a tombstone box under the tub and be able to reach under to plug and unplug it. Having a GFCI protected, upward facing, floor mounted receptacle is asking for trouble in a tub area.

 

[Ljgale]

Thanks kent, could be an option.

Are you proposing this....

A platform, built of 2x6, with a removable front or side?

So would the GFCI protected outlet be mounted to the framing of this platform, just like it was a wall?

Standard 18 cu in plastic switch box, standard receptacle, fed from switch on wall which is 4 feet away, that is protected by GFCI Breaker.

If the platform/tub step was larger than the tub itself then the receptacle inside it could be mounted on the edge, away from any possible water damage.

Does this seem right???

The question still is this though.....IS LIFTING THE TUB UP ACCEPTABLE MEANS OF MOTOR ACCESS??????

Thanks..

 

[Volta]

....The question still is this though.....IS LIFTING THE TUB UP ACCEPTABLE MEANS OF MOTOR ACCESS??????....

I would say yes, as you've described it.

VII. Hydromassage Bathtubs

680.70 General. Hydromassage bathtubs as defined in 680.2 shall comply with Part VII of this article. They shall not be required to comply with other parts of this article.

680.73 Accessibility. Hydromassage bathtub electrical equipment shall be accessible without damaging the building structure or building finish. Where the hydromassage bathtub is cord- and plug-connected with the supply receptacle accessible only through a service access opening, the receptacle shall be installed so that its face is within direct view and not more than 300 mm (1 ft) of the opening.

 

[PetrosA]

The question still is this though.....IS LIFTING THE TUB UP ACCEPTABLE MEANS OF MOTOR ACCESS??????

Thanks..

I've only hooked up one freestanding bubble tub, and it was accepted that way, in spite of the fact that the plumbing would have to be removed before you'd be able to lift the tub. It was on a concrete floor, with living space below, so access from below was not an option at all.

 

[mwm1752]

I believe the install instructions allow the removal of the tub to be access. There should be some manufacture name plate & instructions are most likely available on the internet. Google images of free standing jacuzzi tubs & match your product. Should also describe recept location to plug into.

 

[suemarkp]

Was just thinking large wooden dowels, a bit larger in diamater than the feet, and length of the about you want to raise it plus 1.5". Drill a hole into them about 1.5" deep the diameter of the existing feet. Slide one over each foot.

Could also use a 4x4 block, but that isn't very fancy looking.

If you build a platform, now you're getting into all the classic issues relating to built in hydromassage tube and the required accessibility of the cord/plug/receptacle.

 

[hurk27]

to me I see that the tub has feet that keep a space between the fiberglass and floor around the tub, I think the manufacture was thinking it would be close to a wall and the receptacle would be in the wall with the cord routed outside of the tub, but with it being in the middle of the room kind of makes it hard, I know relying on lifting the tub might not be accepted around here not sure never run into one of these, but it is a good question, Just a FYI, the blank faced GFCI that Dennis posted about are UL listed as a motor disconnect so if you want to save on the cost of a breaker you can use one for both GFCI protection and a disconnect and they are cheaper then a GFCI breaker, I think the last one I purchased was around $15.00 at Menard's for a P&S, I would just find a open area under the tub and mount a receptacle on a short piece of 2x4 so it isn't right on the floor, as water getting into the receptacle will cause problems down the road.