hot tub clearance from meter

[chris mc]

Mr. Codeman,
My next door/across the street neighbor is going to put a hot tub on his deck, the meter base is on this deck, the meter is not actually on the deck, but you know what I mean.
He has asked me how far from the meter base does the hot tub need to be? Is this the same 30"x36" space required for a panel?

[Jerry Peck - Codeman]

Hi Chris,

The short answer is "5 feet" between the pool and the underground wiring (presuming the service is underground wiring - the distance is much greater if the service is overhead - i.e., 10 feet horizontal separation).

From the 2008 NEC.
- Article 680
- - - IV. Spas and Hot Tubs
- - - 680.40 General.
- - - - Electrical installations at spas and hot tubs shall comply with the provisions of Part I and Part IV of this article.

Which means we now need to go to Part I of Article 680:
- ARTICLE 680 Swimming Pools, Fountains, and Similar Installations
- - 680.10 Underground Wiring Location.
- - - Underground wiring shall not be permitted under the pool or within the area extending 1.5 m (5 ft) horizontally from the inside wall of the pool unless this wiring is necessary to supply pool equipment permitted by this article. Where space limitations prevent wiring from being routed a distance 1.5 m (5 ft) or more from the pool, such wiring shall be permitted where installed in complete raceway systems of rigid metal conduit, intermediate metal conduit, or a nonmetallic raceway system. All metal conduit shall be corrosion resistant and suitable for the location. The minimum cover depth shall be as given in Table 680.10.
- - - - Table 680.10 (addresses minimum cover depth for the underground wiring method).

Let me know if the service is underground or overhead and I can supply the information for that.

[chris mc]

You presumed correctly, it is an underground service.

Ahh...I didn't think of the hot tub falling under the "pool codes".