windsurferLA
New member
?A friend installing wiring for a soon to be installed hot tub spa feels my electrical engineering education qualifies me to provide advise on the installation. My advise has been to follow the manufacturer's instructions. However, I'm puzzled by those instructions, and I'm hoping someone can tell me if there is a rational reason for their specification.
The unit being installed is a Watkins Envoy Spa that includes a 4000W heater and two, 2 HP motors. Provided with the spa are a 30 AMP 230 V GFI circuit breaker and a 20 AMP 230 V GFI circuit breaker. I expect that one breaker powers the heater while the other breaker power the motors. Circuit diagrams can be found on pages 15 and 16 of manufacturer's web site at:
http://www.hotspring.com/cgi-bin/download.cgi?c=4&f=pdfs/pre_delivery_instructions_2007.pdf
The two diagrams only differ in terms of location for connecting the white neutral wire from the hot tub. One specifically emphasizes that the white wire must be connected to the to the load neutral wire of the 30 AMP breaker while the other specifically emphasizes that the white wire must be connected to the load neutral wire of the 20 AMP breaker. (In the above cited document there is no ambiguity about which configuration is to be used with which model, so I know how to connect the spa; the provided hard-copy instructions were not as clear.)
However, my question remains. Why should it matter where the white neutral wire from the tub is connected as long as it is electrically connected to the neutral wire in a reliable manner? The circuit schematic shows the GFIs being connected to the white/neutral bus through a "coil." Am I correct that the coil serves no electrical purpose; I suspect the wire is configured in that manner to limit the strain on the wire when a GFI is installed or removed? It would seem to me that it would make more sense to connect the white / neutral wire coming from the tub to the neutral bus as it is of stronger physical construction.
Does the white wire connection to the spa have a function other than as an additional backup for hardware grounding? I would assume that all the loads internal to the spa operate off 230 Volts.
On a separate issue. The schematic calls for running a "green" ground wire back to the circuit breaker panel. Given that heavy copper wire has become very expensive, and there is extra "black" wire left over of a suitable gage, could the black wire be used for the ground if the ends are either stripped bare or firmly covered with green tape to identify it as a ground?
The unit being installed is a Watkins Envoy Spa that includes a 4000W heater and two, 2 HP motors. Provided with the spa are a 30 AMP 230 V GFI circuit breaker and a 20 AMP 230 V GFI circuit breaker. I expect that one breaker powers the heater while the other breaker power the motors. Circuit diagrams can be found on pages 15 and 16 of manufacturer's web site at:
http://www.hotspring.com/cgi-bin/download.cgi?c=4&f=pdfs/pre_delivery_instructions_2007.pdf
The two diagrams only differ in terms of location for connecting the white neutral wire from the hot tub. One specifically emphasizes that the white wire must be connected to the to the load neutral wire of the 30 AMP breaker while the other specifically emphasizes that the white wire must be connected to the load neutral wire of the 20 AMP breaker. (In the above cited document there is no ambiguity about which configuration is to be used with which model, so I know how to connect the spa; the provided hard-copy instructions were not as clear.)
However, my question remains. Why should it matter where the white neutral wire from the tub is connected as long as it is electrically connected to the neutral wire in a reliable manner? The circuit schematic shows the GFIs being connected to the white/neutral bus through a "coil." Am I correct that the coil serves no electrical purpose; I suspect the wire is configured in that manner to limit the strain on the wire when a GFI is installed or removed? It would seem to me that it would make more sense to connect the white / neutral wire coming from the tub to the neutral bus as it is of stronger physical construction.
Does the white wire connection to the spa have a function other than as an additional backup for hardware grounding? I would assume that all the loads internal to the spa operate off 230 Volts.
On a separate issue. The schematic calls for running a "green" ground wire back to the circuit breaker panel. Given that heavy copper wire has become very expensive, and there is extra "black" wire left over of a suitable gage, could the black wire be used for the ground if the ends are either stripped bare or firmly covered with green tape to identify it as a ground?
