[b]Gang...[/b]
My step son & I are gutting the bathroom in his recently purchased house; & we will be re-wiring the entire room. His wife wants a Jacuzzi Tub...& although I'm familiar with wiring guidelines & codes...I've never hooked one of these babys up.
So my question is...are they hard wired? How should I go about this? (the floor & wall framing is now open...so I can approach this from any configuration.)
Any hints or tips would be appreciated.
Thanks very much,
[b]mark4man[/b]
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Mark4Man - hi, I had a whirlpool tub in my last rental house that I did repairs on, and I've done a little work on my mother-in-law's whirlpool tub as well. Both were wired the same way - dedicated circuit from the panel, with a GFCI outlet for the pump to feed into. That allows you to remove the pump for maintenance without problems, and the GFCI offers protection.
If you've seen some of the other more recent queries about whirlpool tubs on this BBS, you've seen people don't always know how to get access to the pump and the tubing around the tub. Be sure to leave yourself easy access, whether it be through the adjoining wall, or the tub skirting, or whatever. Normally, the pump impeller is made of plastic and it will eventually break off the pump's driveshaft, requiring removal of the pump for repairs. Also, in my case, I found the pump wasn't getting primed through simply filling the tub with water, so I had to add a 1/2-gallon reservoir to the front of the pump so it would hold water for a couple weeks and give the pump enough prime to start up.
If you don't build in access ports now, you'll hate yorself later when you have to get to the pump or the tubing. I hope this helps you - regards! Jim D/West Point, VA
If you've seen some of the other more recent queries about whirlpool tubs on this BBS, you've seen people don't always know how to get access to the pump and the tubing around the tub. Be sure to leave yourself easy access, whether it be through the adjoining wall, or the tub skirting, or whatever. Normally, the pump impeller is made of plastic and it will eventually break off the pump's driveshaft, requiring removal of the pump for repairs. Also, in my case, I found the pump wasn't getting primed through simply filling the tub with water, so I had to add a 1/2-gallon reservoir to the front of the pump so it would hold water for a couple weeks and give the pump enough prime to start up.
If you don't build in access ports now, you'll hate yorself later when you have to get to the pump or the tubing. I hope this helps you - regards! Jim D/West Point, VA
Jim D,
Thanks very much...all good advice. I've decided to take a trip to the outlet where the unit is sold; & have a look at the layout (in order to determine where & how the feed should be configured.)
Otherwise...I'm just beating my brains against the wall.
Thanks again,
mark4man
Thanks very much...all good advice. I've decided to take a trip to the outlet where the unit is sold; & have a look at the layout (in order to determine where & how the feed should be configured.)
Otherwise...I'm just beating my brains against the wall.
Thanks again,
mark4man
Some jacuzzis have a need for 2 seperate circuits--pump & heater. Check installation instructions. Either way any wiring to jacuzzi must be GFCI protected, either in the bathroom or at the panel.
A real neat device made is a "faceless" GFI. It is just like a GFI receptacle only you cannot plug into it. Install this in the bathroom and feed the tub. IF it ever trips, you won't need to make a trip to the panel in your birthday suit!
The last one I wired required a seperate 20Amp circuit GFI protected.
A real neat device made is a "faceless" GFI. It is just like a GFI receptacle only you cannot plug into it. Install this in the bathroom and feed the tub. IF it ever trips, you won't need to make a trip to the panel in your birthday suit!
The last one I wired required a seperate 20Amp circuit GFI protected.
