orourkeva Posted June 11, 2006 Report Share Posted June 11, 2006 Does anyone know if Watkins voids their warranty (or any portion thereof) if you don't have a licensed electrician do the electrical connections? My husband is very handy and has done this type of work before and so we would prefer to save the $1k but I don't want to have problems with our warranty down the road. Our dealer (who has been in business for over 30 years and selling Caldera's for about 15) said this wouldn't be a problem as they "wouldn't know or ask for proof" but I don't want to risk it if there is a chance we could have problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJWebb Posted June 12, 2006 Report Share Posted June 12, 2006 Does anyone know if Watkins voids their warranty (or any portion thereof) if you don't have a licensed electrician do the electrical connections? My husband is very handy and has done this type of work before and so we would prefer to save the $1k but I don't want to have problems with our warranty down the road. Our dealer (who has been in business for over 30 years and selling Caldera's for about 15) said this wouldn't be a problem as they "wouldn't know or ask for proof" but I don't want to risk it if there is a chance we could have problems. Hi: It is a bad idea from real estate perspective. If you should want to sell your house in the future, having had non-licensed (and in many places illegal) electrical work on your house can create deal-killer problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigD Posted June 12, 2006 Report Share Posted June 12, 2006 Hi: It is a bad idea from real estate perspective. If you should want to sell your house in the future, having had non-licensed (and in many places illegal) electrical work on your house can create deal-killer problems. That statement is just bunk, especially when it comes to wiring a hot tub. I have wired a Caldera hot tub, and the process is very straight-forward. In fact, the most difficult portion of the work involved snaking the wire and keeping the wire neat. The hot tub comes with redundant wiring diagrams in exhaustive detail. If your husband knows how to install a circuit breaker (easy), he can certainly do this task. Let's analyze the "deal-killer" statement. Let's assume the wiring costs $200 in parts and $300 in labor as performed by a licensed electrician. That's $500. Let's double it to be safe. That's $1000, which, in my opinion, is excessive. Let's say that your house is worth $200,000 (most likely on the low side). A potential buyer comes in and offers $200,000, which you accept. A home inspector comes in and says the wiring for the hot tub is unsatisfactory and/or simply doesn't meet code. All that would end up happening is that the buyer would amend the P&S to state that the wiring needs to be redone by an electrician, or amend the offer to $199k. If the buyer were to walk away, then the buyer could not really have been too serious about the deal to begin with. The only issue you would have is a potential insurance one if a fire were to start as a result of your husband's handywork. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craighaggart Posted June 12, 2006 Report Share Posted June 12, 2006 Does anyone know if Watkins voids their warranty (or any portion thereof) if you don't have a licensed electrician do the electrical connections? It seems extremely unlikely that such a restriction would be in a warranty, but at the very least it wouldn't be legally enforceable even if it were. I had absolutely no trouble wiring my own spa recently. The only real concern is safety, which is what the electrical code is all about. If your husband knows or can learn the applicable code, there should be no problem. In California, at least, there's no way anyone could know whether or not any electrical work had been done by a licensed electrical contractor, so the real estate concern doesn't even make sense. There's no guarantee that a licensed electrician would do a great job, either. I know for a fact that my installation exceeds all building codes and electrical codes. I'm the one who lives in the house -- if someone were to be electrocuted or if my house were to burn down due to my spa installation, my family and I are the ones who are affected! The applicable codes, by the way, are quite straightforward. Basically, use large enough wire with the proper insulation (readily available at Home Depot), put it in conduit large enough to allow a generous "fill ratio," and use the right overcurrent protection. Do NOT be tempted to skimp on wire to save a few bucks! I actually made some notes about my installation for a friend who will be installing his own spa soon, and I'd be happy to send them to you by e-mail if you like. Contact me at craig_s_haggart@yahoo.com . -Craig Haggart Sunnyvale, California Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orourkeva Posted June 13, 2006 Author Report Share Posted June 13, 2006 Thanks for the comments. My husband and I were thinking along the same lines. He has already installed a 220 box that he uses for his compressor in the garage so I don't expect this work will be an issue for him. We just wanted to make sure there haven't been any warranty issues out there for anyone who has done the work themselves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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