Your Guide to Electrical Installation of Your Hot Tub: EVERYTHING You Need to Know

Anyone buying a hot tub must do three things:

• they must choose a hot tub
• they must have a place to put the hot tub
• they must have it hooked up to electrical.

We have articles on all these topics. Here’s one on how to pick the best hot tub. And here’s another on what to put your hot tub on and where the best place for it is.

We have these conversations daily with every hot tub customer we have. They are a part of every purchase.

We encourage people to buy their hot tubs in this order:

• choose a hot tub
• figure out where it goes and what it is going to sit on
• figure the electrical part out last.

You don’t have to do it this way but we find it helps. That way you know what area you need for the hot tub and the electrician can figure out everything he or she needs to for installation.

Which leads us to a common first question: Do you need an electrician to install a hot tub? That answer is yes. A certified licensed electrician must install your hot tub if it is anything but a plug and play model with an accessible plug-in. In all other cases, you will need an electrician.  

This is not the kind of work to leave to an amateur, even a capable one. It can seem a little daunting to have water and electricity in such close proximity and for good reason. So it is essential to only let qualified electricians install your hot tub and not attempt the DIY route.

In this article we will cover the major questions we get at Hydropool about electrical installations. That includes:

• How much does hot tub electrical cost?
• How to install your hot tub electrical?
• Is electrical different with plug and play versus regular hot tubs?
• What are some of the electrical requirements for 220V hot tubs?
• What is your best tip on electrical installation?

Hopefully when we’re done, we will have answered all your questions about electrical installation for your hot tub!

 

 

How Much Does Electrical Installation Cost?

In general, we estimate it to cost around $2000 Cdn. This can vary depending on where you are in the world, but that’s a reasonable estimate for you to set your budget with. For more information on costs, click the link below.

Where Can I Find an Electrician to Install My Hot Tub?

If you buy from a local retailer, they will generally have people they can recommend who are experienced at installing hot tubs. These people generally don’t work directly for the company but they are contractors experienced in this work.

Is Electrical Installation Different With Plug and Play and 220V Hot Tubs?

Electrical installation is quite different with plug and play and 220V hot tubs.  

Plug and play tubs plug into a standard power outlet, like the ones you have throughout your home. So if your hot tub is able to be placed by a power outlet, you’re in good shape and you will not need an electrician. This is basically the ONLY time you don’t need an electrician. So if this is you, consider yourself lucky!

If you don’t have a power outlet where you want to put the hot tub, one will have to be installed. And if that’s the case, you will need an electrician to do that work.

A 220V hot tub is known as a hard-wired hot tub. It requires an electrician to install a cable directly to the hot tub itself. That comes with a whole host of regulations and steps, some of which we will go through in the next section.

The tradeoff with having a plug and play hot tub is that you can only run the jets or the heat the hot tub at one time. A 220V, by far the most popular choice, has enough power to operate both at the same time.

What Are Some of the Electrical Requirements for 220V Hot Tubs?

There are a lot of installation elements that are specific to hot tubs. This is why they need to be installed by professional electricians.

It is important to make sure that the electrician installing your hot tub is familiar with the National Electrical Code as well as any local requirements. That’s because there are a large number of very specific requirements when installing hot tubs. These requirements for installing an outdoor hot tub where the wire run is less than 15 metres (50ft) are:

• In North America, hot tubs operate on a wire ground fault circuit interrupter also known as a GFCI. It is usually between 220 to 240 volts with a 40 to 60 AMP circuit.
• The hot tub must be connected to a dedicated circuit which is protected by a two-pole, class ‘A’ GFCI.
• Only use copper conductors
• All electrical plugs, outlets, lighting, and equipment within 1.5 metres (5ft) must be GFCI protected.
• The ground terminal must be connected to the grounding means provided in the electrical supply service panel with a continuous copper wire equivalent which meets the minimum size requirements.
• The hot tub must not be installed under or near power lines.

These are not the only requirements - not even close. But they are listed here to show you the kind of specifications required to install a hot tub legally, safely and properly.

What Is Your Top Tip on Electrical Installation?

It is easiest to hook up the electrical once the hot tub is in place! Otherwise, the electrician comes back twice: first to do the initial set up to your installation and then a second time to complete the job of attaching it directly to your hot tub.

You may need to wait a few days for your electrician to come after the hot tub is delivered with this method, as he may not be available the day you get it put in place. But that minor hassle may be offset with the cost. Again, this is something to work out with your local retailer, who can help you with the scheduling.

What Do I Need to Know About a Hot Tub’s Electrical for Installation?

In most cases, what you need to know is that this is a job for a professional and that we estimate the cost of that work to add about $2000 to the price of your hot tub.

You can often pay less if you opt for a plug and play hot tub, that is if you have a plug in available to you near where you want the hot tub to go. But there are trade-offs with those models, in that you can only run the jets or use the heater at one time.  

We also covered some of the specific elements involved in installing a hot tub and gave our top tip on electrical installation.

We hope that covers all of your questions! But if we missed something, please reach out to the closest retailer near you by clicking here.