wsroufe Posted February 2, 2008 Report Share Posted February 2, 2008 Turns out that my electrical box is full and thee is no place for a breaker for the hot tub I bought. I do have access to a 110 outlet. Couldn't I use a transformer? to convert 110 to 220? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chas Posted February 3, 2008 Report Share Posted February 3, 2008 No, sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wsroufe Posted February 3, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 3, 2008 Chas - Thanks. Any reason? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chas Posted February 3, 2008 Report Share Posted February 3, 2008 Chas - Thanks. Any reason? Sure - Assuming your spa needs 50 amps at 220 volts, which is most tubs, you would need to feed 100 amps at 110 volts into a transformer to step it up properly. Actually, it would be slightly more than 100 to allow for losses, and NEC states that you would need to put about a 125 amp breaker to run a 100 amp device. That is most likely more than your panel could handle, and the cost of a transformer which would carry that load would be more than the cost of installing a new panel and simply popping in a 50 amp two-pole breaker. Even if you could use a B&B - A Buck and Boost transformer is generally only used to adjust the line voltage up to about 26 or 27%, and those units are still pretty pricey. Get lots of bids on upgrading your main panel - if the market is as slow where you live as it is here in So Cal, I bet you will get some prices which are far lower than usual. A new panel can be mounted on the surface next to your existing box for less money, if the looks of it don't matter - if it's out of sight. O you may have a friend or relative who could do the job for you for the cost of hard goods. In that case, get a permit as an "owner builder" and have it inspected to assure it is done safely. The inspector will generally work with you to assure the job ends up done right. They are not going to sign off on a bad job. Mounting the new box on the surface and then using your existing box as a sub panel can save you money on patching the wall as well, in some installations. Plus, you can install all the breakers you would need for your tub in the new box, and still have room to take care of all of those other needs: like adding circuits to your kitchen so you can run that new microwave and coffee maker at the same time from now on, and so forth. Do you have any breakers which are not being used? For example, if you have an outlet for an electric dryer which you are not using (I switched to gas years ago) that breaker can be removed, and new wiring for the spa run from a new breaker put in it's place. The breaker and wire would generally not be suited to run a spa, but the space could be made available. What tub did you buy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D.P. Roberts Posted February 3, 2008 Report Share Posted February 3, 2008 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wsroufe Posted February 4, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2008 Thanks. I have a call into a friend who is an electrician. I bought a Cal Spa. It's an older spa, but we wanted to buy used (the price) to see if we would use, etc. I appreciate your input. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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