Month of October, 1998
Installing A Portable Spa
Part I
I receive a lot of questions about how to install a spa; what is needed,
and what may be done to prepare for the spa.
Because our spas are made in the best possible fashion, with modern acrylic,
and painstaking fiber-glassing, The spas must be placed on a solid flat surface.
We recommend either a concrete slab, or a deck with concrete caissons.
With a concrete pad it is preferred to place it on a well compacted and level
ground. We recommend at least 4 inches thick, and be reinforced. Spas can
weigh close to 5,000 pounds. The concrete should not have any relief cuts into
the surface for stress cracking. The reason for this is so the slab will not
separate under the spa, but will work like a huge flat table if the ground shifts.
We do not want the spa the become distorted.
In some parts of the country, the ground is very stable, and you may be able to
use other support systems. I prefer to recommend the best possible platforms,
for any area of the country. Check with your local building department for
their opinion on the ground. In Colorado, where our store is, the base has to
be supported by concrete, because the ground is an unstable mixture of soft
and hard materials.
Nearly all spa warranties have a disclaimer for improper installations that
cause shell cracking, from distorted platforms.
It is a good idea to have a plan for how you want the spa to be oriented, so the
best seats are aligned with something you like to look at. (I like looking up at
the stars, and out towards the mountains).
If the spa is to be out in the open, we recommend that the platform be big
enough for an extended area in front of the spa for the steps and a place to
hang your robes. If you are concerned about the appearance of a large concrete
slab, you can have the slab go just under the spa, and place stonework around
the spa, and in the front for the entrance area. The steps we include with our
spas are 23 inches out from the spa and 30 inches wide. If the spa has a "cut
corner" design with the step in at the cut corner, the slab has to be big enough
to accommodate the steps at the corner.
If you plan to have a gazebo, you may want the concrete to extend to the outer
walls of the gazebo, or place concrete "footers" where the gazebo structural
posts will go.
If you want hidden electrical conduit, you can have the electrician bring the
conduit up through the concrete, into the bottom of the spa. With thermal
pane spas, this is an easy thing to do, because there are many places inside the
spa where the electrical conduit can be brought in. (Another reason to stay
away from fully foamed spas)
If you are planning to have a cover removal device like our SuperLift2, plan an
area behind the spa at least 15 inches of clear space for the cover to tilt off the
spa. 18 inches is even better.
I worked as an electrician ( as well as an electronics technician) for years,
before getting into the spa business, so I understand the installation
procedures from both the electrician's and the spa installers viewpoints. There
are many electricians, who do not fully understand the operation of spas, and
how a spa has a different need than say and electric clothes dryer.
One of the main concerns with a spa is the power requirements for water
pumps. Because water pumps have a rather heavy current draw during the
motor starting, it is recommended to use a larger wire, than is commonly used.
I have seen many newly constructed custom houses with too small wire for the
powerful two and three pump spas being offered today. We recommend using
Number 6 copper wire for your spa. If you look inside the control box of most
modern spas, they are built with lugs for number 6 copper wire. Even if the
electrical requirements for the spa you get now is for a smaller wire, you may
consider trading up to a more powerful spa in the future.
The other concern is the length of run. With water pumps the wire size gets
larger with distance, more so than with any resistive load. I can recall
installing a 240 volt irrigation pump with number 6 copper for a 100 foot run;
even thought the breaker size was 20 Amps. The nature of the reactive rating
on the pump motor called for a large wire to allow full energy to the motor.
Too small of a wire, can cause the motors to have a lower voltage at starting,
and shorten the life of the motors. In spa wiring, if you use a sheathed cable (romex) the
wire size must be increased one size. The heat retention of a closed cable cause more heat build up.
A Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter,GFCI, is an electrical safety device required
by the National Electrical Code to be installed on all spas after January
1,1994. It basically senses an electrical current going straight to ground, often
indicating electricity in the water. These GFCI's are set to a very low amount
of electrical current. I don't believe I could feel 0.5 MA of electricity, but that is
how sensitive they are. The concept is to stop even the slightest possibility of
getting electricity touching your body. A good concept!!
We have found that two pole GFCI breakers, the standard types used inside
load centers (main panels and sub panels) do not work very well on spas.
There is a phenomenon called "false tripping", that drives spa repair people and
spa electricians crazy.
I have (as an experiment) replaced an entire spa equipment package, in order to
prove that the false tripping GFCI breaker was the problem. The electrician
(who had not installed many spas) told me that the breaker was tripping
because of a problem in the spa. The funny thing is we have many of the same
equipped spas that do not have a false tripping problem on a GFCI disconnect.
I have heard of things such as garage door openers that cause the spa's GFCI
breaker to trip. (That must have been a time waster to locate!!)
Because of the reactive loads that spas present, and the fact that parts of the
spa run on 115 volts, the GFCI breakers "think" that a normal spa condition is
a ground fault and trip for no measurable reason. The breakers also go bad
with time. It seems that spas are rough on these GFCI Breakers.
This is not a fun thing to deal with! In the winter it can lead to frozen spas!
I know that it took a long time to develop GFCI breakers and they barely work
on spas. I personally do not think it is possible to make one, because no one
has. It seems that unless the spa has no 115 volt components, and the spa
has less than two pumps, the odds of the GFCI breaker false tripping in time
are 100%. I have seen capacitors applied to stop the back feed of electricity to
the chassis of motors, so the GFCI doesn't "think" the magnetic lines of flux
crossing the metal frame are not a ground fault.
There is an answer. It is called the GFCI disconnect. This device is not a
"breaker". It does not trip because of an over-current. It is strictly a ground
fault detector. It consists of a high current GFCI that drives a three pole
contactor. If there is a ground fault, it turns off the contactor and disconnects
all three lines. The two "hots" and the neutral. It is UL listed, and comes with
its own outdoor box. If you can't find one, we distribute them.
The best way to install them is this way. Place a standard 50 or 60 amp two
pole breaker in the house load center. Run conduit out to the GFCI, then
conduit to the spa. The GFCI needs to be available to the spa, and not locked
in another room. Ask the building department in your area about placement.
The electricians like them, and I like them. They are easy to install, with lots
of room for the number 6 wires to bend.
So far, I have not seen one "false trip". I have seen them trip and shut off
power with reason; usually water in the ozonator.
When ever I have the chance to talk with my customer's electrician, I talk them
out of using a GFCI breaker and into using a GFCI disconnect. I simply say:
"If the breaker trips, you will be the first person to go out and waste your time."
If the GFCI disconnect trips, then I'll be the first to send someone out."
Click here to Email us to order GFCI or ask any question.
