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slimtrahan · May 2, 2009, 05:36 PM

I have a hot tub with 4 wires coming from the hot tub controls to be attached to the shut off box 8 feet away. Two wires, one blue, one red are 10awg, apparently 110volts each incoming. Two additional wires, one blue, one red are 12awg and would appear to be for the second cirucuit, with a 15 amp breaker associated. Additionally there is a white, grounded neutral conductor and a green grounding conductor wire. My question is which 12 awg goes to the hot side of the 15 amp circuit and which one goes to the neurtal bar? There are only two connection left so it has to be one or the other but the colors are throwing me. I though the grounded conductor (neutral) was supposed to be white or white with stripes or maybe gray - A little help would be appreciated.
Slim

KISS · May 2, 2009, 05:51 PM

Not enough info to go on, but the following might be useful:

You seem to have a 4 wire spa. It will need L1, L2, G and N from the main panel.

Within the SPA box, the Neutral that will feed everything from that SPA box forward comes from the GFCI. The GFCI needs a line and load neutral if 120 circuits are provided.

slimtrahan · May 2, 2009, 06:17 PM

Yes, a 4 wire. L1 is a red 10awg, L2 is a blue 10awg, there is a neutral (white) and a green grounding wire. 2 more wires coming out of the spa control box that I want to also attach to the gfi are both 12awg (what I would expect for a simple 110 circuit. If one were red or black and the other white I would know just where it stick it - but one is red and the other is blue (same as the two 110 hots). I am trying to avoid attaching the neutral to the hot - It just occurred to me that it probably doesnot matter how I hook them up because, like in a duplex receptacle, it would still work(even though the neutral is supposed to be on the left). Ah, ha he said. What think you?

KISS · May 2, 2009, 06:56 PM

I need better info. Even a pic of the inside of the spa box. You can post one using "Go Advanced/Manage Attachments".

The SPA likely has some 240 V circuits (heater) and some 120 V circuits (Pump and controls).

The way you wrote your last post suggests that the GFI is in the breaker box. Is it?

Read your first post again.

Best guess: The #10's are a 240 heater circuit

The #12's are for a 240/120 circuit for the pumps and controls when combined with the neutral.

For giggles check the voltages of the pumps by looking at the nameplates.

What does Additionally there is a white, grounded neutral conductor this mean in your original post.

slimtrahan · May 2, 2009, 07:42 PM

There is 3/4 liquid tite line attached to the spa, the other end is loose. Inside the liquid tite are 6 wires, 1 blue 10awg, 1 red 10awg, 1 blue 12awg, 1 red 12awg, 1 white and 1 green. The gfi is in the box I bought to mount on the wall of the house about 8 ft away (or as the code says more than 5 feet but less than 50 feet and in plain sight). The box has a double breaker gfi (60 amps) and a 15amp single breaker. Since there are 6 wires going in to the spa control box and the same 6 coming out of the unconnected end, my dilemma is what to do with the two 12awg wires. On the breaker box schematic it show two wires (a black going to the 15 amp breaker and a white going to the neutral bar inside the box). The big red and the big blue are the 110 each coming in, the white is the neutral (what the code calls the grounded conductor) and the green, the ground (what the code calls the grounding conductor). However, I have a smaller blue and a smaller red and if I connect them to the 15 amp breaker I would be protecting the 110 circuit assuming only one of them is hot. Forgive me if I seem to be making this complicated, I was really just looking to extra careful. Thanks for the help - Slim

KISS · May 2, 2009, 07:56 PM

Ahhh:

Looks like you have the wrong SPA panel.

See here: Wiring a Hot Tub - Electrical Installation and Wiring Diagrams

Under SPAS requiring special dual 240 V GFCI Sub panels.

Based on what you said this makes lots of sense:

12 AWG good for 20 Amps
#10 AWG good for 30 Amps
Colors make sense also.

The leads that you are labeling 110. Drop the 110 and call it 120. Actually they are two wires 180 degrees out of phase with respect to ground. Connecting a meter from the blue to the red will result in 240 V.

slimtrahan · May 2, 2009, 08:13 PM

Thanks so much for the help. I was looking at that site when you replied. 120 it is and another panel. Thanks again. Slim