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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.
Plumbing Considerations
Portable spas do not need any connections to either water or
drain. They simply fill with a garden hose and drain with a
garden hose. You can also us a sump pump for quick
draining. Using Instant Ions or Eco One allows you to drain the
spa directly on the ground and the water can be used to water plants.
If you are installing a potable spa in a room, it needs a water proof
floor, a drain and the fixtures in the room must be water/ steam proof,
like in a locker shower room.
Electrical Considerations.
I worked as an electrician ( as well as an electronics technician and
engineer) 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. Click
Here for Electrical Specs on Haven Spas
|
Ground
Fault Safety
considerations:
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 (Still in 2005) made one that works for a long time on a
high performace spa. 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. (We
finally had one in 2003!. that is one out of approximately 2400 we have
sold.)
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." The worst case so far was $577 paid to a spa
repair service company to fix a spa under warranty that was not
defective. If the spa is fine, there is no warranty. The GFCI
breaker was the problem, but the electrician insisted there was nothing
wrong with the breaker. So, eventually we got another electrician
out to fix the problem by removing the faulty GFCI breaker and
replacing it. The customer also had to pay the electrician.
That is an expensive lesson that I do not want to put on my customers.
Click Here to Order Your GFCI
Disconnect
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