Wiring a tub that was made to be 115V is usually very easy as they nearly always come with a power cord. Most will have a 20Amp plug. You can tell this by the prongs. They look like a regular 115V plug but one of the prongs is at a 90 degree angle. You can use a regular 20Amp outlet and just plug it in. If the outlet is exposed to water (close to the tub or outside), you need to replace the outlet with a “weatherproof while in use” outlet. These are available at most big-box home improvement stores. Some tubs will have the GFCI built into the end of the cord. In that case, you need an outlet that matches, so that it will accommodate the plug. These are very hard to find locally, except from hot tub dealers.
Wiring a convertible 110/220V tub is definitely trickier but the manufacturers have helped. There will be a wiring diagram in the control panel, usually on the back of the most easily removable faceplate, and covering the place where the power wires attach. You may have to add or move jumper wires and possibly very small circuit board jumpers. All changes will be on this diagram.
For GFCI protection (mandatory) there are different ways tub manufacturers accomplish this. Some integrate the GFCI into the cord. If this is the case, you will not see any GFCI (test and reset buttons) on the control panel. You will need to purchase a cord. You can opt to buy a plain cord and use a GFCI-protected outlet or buy a cord with an integrated GFCI. Either way, use a “weatherproof while in use” outlet to match the plug. If you want to make a cord, you can buy “SO” cord from the home-improvement stores. Use 12 gauge with 3 conductors (hot, neutral, ground). When connecting wires to screw terminal blocks, black goes to brass and white goes to silver (green goes to ground). At the tub-side, follow the wiring diagram. Be sure to really get those screws good and tight. Test the connection on each wire by giving it a good tug.
If there is a GFCI in the control panel, you are not necessarily protected. Some tubs have GFCI protection for everything except the heater. Guess which component is most likely to leak current and ruin your day. That’s right, the heater. You will want to check for GFCI protection of the heater. Open the control box so that you can see the back of the GFCI. Most look like the back of any regular GFCI outlet. A few will have a loop attached to the back with big wires threaded through it. This is a “high current GFCI” and those wires go to the heater. If you have this setup, you are definitely protected by the GFCI in the tub. If there is no high-current loop, you may or may not be protected. If the wiring diagram tells you specifically that you are protected, you can probably trust it.
All that being said, GFCI’s go bad in tubs. It’s not hard to add a GFCI to the outlet you are using, and additional GFCI’s on the line will not cause any problem (I know I’ll get comments on this, because it is an old electrician’s tale that GFCI’s can somehow “interfere” with each other. Every electrician who has told me this could not describe in ANY detail how a GFCI works. Those that could tell me all agreed with me that there is no interaction.)
As a side note, you can go the more permanent route and run a regular 110V 12AWG line to the tub directly from the breaker, and use a GFCI breaker. If you do this, the white wire from the tub goes to the silver lug on the breaker, not the neutral bar like a non-GFCI line. Some of these breakers just have a white dot to indicate where the white wire goes. If you still can’t tell which is which, the white wire is usually further back and under the breaker when installed wires-facing-down. If you still can’t tell, ask somebody who knows.
Whatever you do to wire the tub, always test the GFCI by hitting the “test” button. The reset button should pop out and the power should go off for the tub. If it doesn’t, check your connections. If it still won’t test, you still have a wiring problem, or more likely, the GFCI is bad, especially if it is old.
As far as dangers are concerned, if you do something wrong, you could damage the tub or trip a breaker. Loose connections could actually start a fire (I have seen it). If you haven’t adequately protected yourself with a proper GFCI, you could even die. Please keep all of this in mind.
I highly recommend using an electrician, mot tubs are 240V, some are 120. Basic rule of thumb with this type of electrical is if you have to ask you probably shouldn't be doing it.
First you need a supply or a home run to your panel, or you can tie on to another circuit. With hot tubs you should ALWAYS use a GFCI (ground fault circuit interrupter) breaker or device or you could die from electrical shock (water and electricity don't mix!!!!!!) if its a hot tub its not likely that its 120v because of the heating elements and pump usually they are 220-240v make sure you are using the right voltage or you could burn up any controls and your wasting money. Make sure there is a good ground, GFCI devices need a ground to work properly. Other than that, black or other dark colors are hot, white and gray are neutral, green is always ground. Get yourself a tester and find the hot lead it should read 120v to ground or neutral. Be very careful with wiring its not always done correctly you have to check with a tester. With 220-240v you have two hots, a ground,and no neutral unless the appliance specifically calls for it. this can be very dangerous and if you don't have any experience you should probably call a professional. GOOD LUCK
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