Hot tub disconnect labeling

Little Bill said:
Playing devil's advocate.....
If you were the inspector, could you back this up with a code requirement?
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First sentence of 110.22(A): "unless located and arranged so the purpose is evident"

50 feet away may or may not need marked but the chances are certainly greater than when the disconnect is immediately adjacent to what it supplies.
 
There is a local jurisdiction near me that requires engraved name plates on all A/C unit disconnects indicating what they are connected to. The first time we got called on it was a small single family dwelling with a single A/C condenser. The disconnect was about 6" away from the side of the unit and had about 3' of sealtite between the disconnect and the unit. The inspector said that someone servicing the unit might not know what the disconnect is for. I told her that if they can't figure out what the disconnect is for they should not be working on it.
 
curt swartz said:
The disconnect was about 6" away from the side of the unit and had about 3' of sealtite between the disconnect and the unit. The inspector said that someone servicing the unit might not know what the disconnect is for. I told her that if they can't figure out what the disconnect is for they should not be working on it.
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Just dumb. The wording in the NEC supports your argument and is sufficient.
 
Lots of questions, so little code. As far as using a marker, no. 110.22:
"The marking shall be of sufficient durability to withstand the environment involved." The inspector will say that it ain't.
If there some kind of shutoff at the extreme 50-feet but within sight, I'd say it should be labeled as to what it is. Something like:
SPA DISCONNECT or
HOT TUB DISCONNECT.
This isn't so hard to figure out, right? We can do this!

Then it's a motor, right? So ya needed a disconnect for the motor anyway. It can even be a receptacle (430.81).
If there's an access panel and a receptacle in there for the motor, the access panel can be labeled accordingly to let someone know that there is a disconnect inside.

The amperage isn't mentioned. We don't know the size of the feed. We don't know if this spa or hot tub requires larger wires, but probably does.
So I would not be surprised if there was already a disconnect as part of the control panel.
I would check the manufacturer's instructions, because that is the best place to start. Then if they say you need a disconnect between 5 and 10 feet, you are stuck with that above all else (110.3B). But 680.13 requires it anyway so this is a no-brainer.

I don't believe we have enough info. Do you even know the manufacturer and model number of the piece of equipment? I will look it up for ya.
 
Each means of disconnect for 680.13 also needs to be READILY accessible.

Accessible, Readily (Readily Accessible).
Capable of being reached quickly for operation, renewal, or inspections without requiring those to whom ready access is requisite to take actions such as to use tools (other than keys), to climb over or under, to remove obstacles, or to resort to portable ladders, and so forth. (CMP-1)

So I can argue with myself that the access panel would not constitute the required disconnect since most likely I will need a tool to open it.
So yeah,
SPA DISCONNECT or
HOT TUB DISCONNECT should satisfy the inspector.
I would not accept a label or sticker that is like 50-feet away and only says, "Emergency Disconnect"

I used to carry around a pen that was a waterproof paint pen. As an electrician, when I ran into situations like this, I just used the waterproof paint-pen, and I left the pen there on the jobsite for the inspector to see that it was waterproof. A pain, I know. But I think it would meet code.
 
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(continued)
I would not accept a label or sticker that is like 50-feet away and only says, "Emergency Disconnect"
110.22: "...the marking shall include the identification and location of the circuit source that supplies the disconnecting means unless located and arranged so the identification and location of the circuit source is evident."

At that far away, it's just simply not evident IMO. The inspector will say this. If there is an emergency (God forbid) and they need to shut that thing down quickly, the person will be injured or dead before they can figure out that the little box 50-feet away that says only EMERGENCY DISCONNECT was meant for the hot tub. You want to label things better, it's one of the most important requirements in the code. Just look at what they did with 408.4(A), for panelboard circuit directory. YET we still see characters writing LIGHTS and OUTLETS (even though an "outlet" can be a light, a receptacle, or a junction box) with no further definition of where. You want to give the building occupant a decent chance of figuring out what the circuit is for. Now I'm rambling...

Ok, I will shut up now. Thanks for letting me vent.
 
necGuru said:
(continued)
I would not accept a label or sticker that is like 50-feet away and only says, "Emergency Disconnect"
110.22: "...the marking shall include the identification and location of the circuit source that supplies the disconnecting means unless located and arranged so the identification and location of the circuit source is evident."

At that far away, it's just simply not evident IMO. The inspector will say this. If there is an emergency (God forbid) and they need to shut that thing down quickly, the person will be injured or dead before they can figure out that the little box 50-feet away that says only EMERGENCY DISCONNECT was meant for the hot tub. You want to label things better, it's one of the most important requirements in the code. Just look at what they did with 408.4(A), for panelboard circuit directory. YET we still see characters writing LIGHTS and OUTLETS (even though an "outlet" can be a light, a receptacle, or a junction box) with no further definition of where. You want to give the building occupant a decent chance of figuring out what the circuit is for. Now I'm rambling...

Ok, I will shut up now. Thanks for letting me vent.
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680.13 describes the requirements for the disconnecting means. There is nothing in there requiring any labeling.
 
infinity said:
The general rule is in 110.22(A).
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Thanks for the correction. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a disconnect in a single family dwelling that had a label.

I think the original question asked in this thread was if the disconnect can be more than 50’ away as long as it’s labeled. And I think that answer is ‘no.’
 
retirede said:
Thanks for the correction. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a disconnect in a single family dwelling that had a label.

I think the original question asked in this thread was if the disconnect can be more than 50’ away as long as it’s labeled. And I think that answer is ‘no.’
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Original question was about labeling it as Emergency Disconnect. Then moved on to what if it is right at 50 feet away but only labeled as Emergency Disconnect.

My answer to either is it must be fairly obvious what the disconnect is for in either case or else it needs further information in the labeling to comply with 110.22(A). It may or may not be obvious what it is for if the disconnect is at the maximum allowed distance of 50 feet away.
 
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