equipotential bonding grid

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wyboy

Senior Member
Is an equipotential bonding grid required on self contained hot tub set on an outside existing concrete deck and how can it be installed?
 

juptonstone

Member
Location
Lady Lake, FL
Equipotential Bonding Grid?

Equipotential Bonding Grid?

A self contained hot tub is manufactured of fiberglass, rubber, plastic, wood and very little metal. A bonding grid is required when you have a pool with a metal structure that is not necessarily bonded together. I've done a couple of French made pools wher ethe entire structure was seperate metal supports with no common link between them. We had to bond every single metal part. Unless this is the hot tun from hell, all you need in virtually every case is #8 or #6 wire run to a GFCI protected spa disconnect, followed by a whip run directly to the electrical cabinet inside the hot-tub. I admit that I've only done about 200 spas, but wow! What are you going to bond? There's a ground clamp in the electrical enclosure and spaces for two hots and a neutral! The hot tub is pre-bonded by the manufacturer! Just post a copy of the instaqllation instructions nect to the permit so the inspector can see it!
 

Dennis Alwon

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Chapel Hill, NC
Occupation
Retired Electrical Contractor
Unless this is the hot tun from hell, all you need in virtually every case is #8 or #6 wire run to a GFCI protected spa disconnect, followed by a whip run directly to the electrical cabinet inside the hot-tub. I admit that I've only done about 200 spas, but wow! What are you going to bond? There's a ground clamp in the electrical enclosure and spaces for two hots and a neutral! The hot tub is pre-bonded by the manufacturer! Just post a copy of the instaqllation instructions nect to the permit so the inspector can see it!

I believe you have been installing 200 hot tubs incorrectly. I am not sure where your info is coming from but it does not seem correct at all.
 

hotwire1955

Senior Member
Location
nj
A self contained hot tub is manufactured of fiberglass, rubber, plastic, wood and very little metal. A bonding grid is required when you have a pool with a metal structure that is not necessarily bonded together. I've done a couple of French made pools wher ethe entire structure was seperate metal supports with no common link between them. We had to bond every single metal part. Unless this is the hot tun from hell, all you need in virtually every case is #8 or #6 wire run to a GFCI protected spa disconnect, followed by a whip run directly to the electrical cabinet inside the hot-tub. I admit that I've only done about 200 spas, but wow! What are you going to bond? There's a ground clamp in the electrical enclosure and spaces for two hots and a neutral! The hot tub is pre-bonded by the manufacturer! Just post a copy of the instaqllation instructions nect to the permit so the inspector can see it!

"But wow" eather you don't know the code or the Inspector dosn't,or the install is not being inspected!
 

infinity

Moderator
Staff member
Location
New Jersey
Occupation
Journeyman Electrician
A self contained hot tub is manufactured of fiberglass, rubber, plastic, wood and very little metal. A bonding grid is required when you have a pool with a metal structure that is not necessarily bonded together. I've done a couple of French made pools wher ethe entire structure was seperate metal supports with no common link between them. We had to bond every single metal part. Unless this is the hot tun from hell, all you need in virtually every case is #8 or #6 wire run to a GFCI protected spa disconnect, followed by a whip run directly to the electrical cabinet inside the hot-tub. I admit that I've only done about 200 spas, but wow! What are you going to bond? There's a ground clamp in the electrical enclosure and spaces for two hots and a neutral! The hot tub is pre-bonded by the manufacturer! Just post a copy of the instaqllation instructions nect to the permit so the inspector can see it!

"But wow" either you don't know the code or the Inspector doesn't, or the install is not being inspected!

Not sure I would be bragging about that. The EQ grid requirement has been around for a while, unless you have a local amendment that does not require it.
 

JR@WDI

Member
680.26 refers to Permanently Installed Pools (Part II). Portable Spas fall under Part IV and are subject to Part I and Part II. Bonding is required for certain components but there is no requirement for an equipotential bonding grid that I can find.
 

hotwire1955

Senior Member
Location
nj
680.26 refers to Permanently Installed Pools (Part II). Portable Spas fall under Part IV and are subject to Part I and Part II. Bonding is required for certain components but there is no requirement for an equipotential bonding grid that I can find.

yes there is and you answered it, indoor installations part I&II, outdoor installations part I&II 680.26 is in part II
 

JR@WDI

Member
Oops. My bad. I should have wrote: Portable spas are subject to Part I and Part IV - not Part II. 680.26 is in Part II. So I would read that no equipotential bonding grid is required. Sorry about that...
 

Dennis Alwon

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Chapel Hill, NC
Occupation
Retired Electrical Contractor
Oops. My bad. I should have wrote: Portable spas are subject to Part I and Part IV - not Part II. 680.26 is in Part II. So I would read that no equipotential bonding grid is required. Sorry about that...

You are still missing the important section. You are required to have the epb.
You can't just read part of the article. We were talking about an outdoor installation of a hot tub....

680.42 Outdoor Installations.
A spa or hot tub installed outdoors shall comply with the provisions of Parts I and II of this article, except as permitted in 680.42(A) and (B), that would otherwise apply to pools installed outdoors.

This includes EPB
 
Last time I looked, we are ALL in the 21st Century, as a matter of fact, I am pretty sure it is the year 2010...Hmmm, I could be dreaming though, please someone pinch me.



This outdoor hottub, spa, whatever one may call it, is mostly treated like a pool. Even if the hottub is installed on a second floor wood deck, the Equipotential Bonding Grid as per 680.26 will be required to be properly installed.




Dennis
How did you post the "2008 NEC" in regards to the minimum number of spaces required by this site???
 

Minuteman

Senior Member
I posed this same question with my AHJ awhile back. According to him, the self contained portable spa is "listed equipment" and not required to be attached to a ebg.
 
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