jd-santaclarita Posted July 20, 2008 Report Share Posted July 20, 2008 Well all, I got my spa delivered yesterday (bought used from a family member that had to move). All excited, we had an electrician give us a quote to run the electric circuit...........grand total....$5K. That is 5 thousand dollars. My panel is on the opposite side of the house as the spa and the only feasible route is conduit up the house (2 story house), through the attic and down the other side of the house. Its a little over 100 feet run. He recommended 6 gauge wire and 1" conduit. Seems reasonable as far as the work is concerned...but the price seems so far out of wack that it is really bumming out the "we just got a nice spa" excitement. Any tips? Thanks all, JD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Spa Posted July 20, 2008 Report Share Posted July 20, 2008 Get another estimate! Typically it's recommended to get at least 3 estimates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jd-santaclarita Posted July 20, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 20, 2008 Get another estimate! Typically it's recommended to get at least 3 estimates. Will do for sure, but my guess is that it wont be in the ballpark i was thinking (~$1200-1500). I would like to spec it out to DIY. Me and my dad moved my A/C unit a couple weeks ago, so i think we are capable of the job if we have the right info and can find the time. Given that it is a 50amp/230v spa setup and the run is ~120 foot the guy recommened 6 gauge. He acted like this is where the cost comes. If i bought a spool of wire myself, what would I get. There are several types of wires and i dont know exactly what to get. All i know for sure is that its 6 gauge and 4 wires and will be running in 1" conduit up the walls and probably NO conduit through the attic. If anyone can help me determine what kind of wire i need that would be super helpful. Thanks, JD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ncaaref Posted July 20, 2008 Report Share Posted July 20, 2008 Get another estimate! Typically it's recommended to get at least 3 estimates. Will do for sure, but my guess is that it wont be in the ballpark i was thinking (~$1200-1500). I would like to spec it out to DIY. Me and my dad moved my A/C unit a couple weeks ago, so i think we are capable of the job if we have the right info and can find the time. Given that it is a 50amp/230v spa setup and the run is ~120 foot the guy recommened 6 gauge. He acted like this is where the cost comes. If i bought a spool of wire myself, what would I get. There are several types of wires and i dont know exactly what to get. All i know for sure is that its 6 gauge and 4 wires and will be running in 1" conduit up the walls and probably NO conduit through the attic. If anyone can help me determine what kind of wire i need that would be super helpful. Thanks, JD Well the problem is the materials the #6 Wire the cheapest that I have found at an electrical supply place is .62 per foot and I had to have 4 runs of 40 ft. As well the GFCI Breaker that I am using is a 60 AMP and the Cheapest that I got it for was $75. My advise Go to Home Deopt Buy the Book Electrical 1-2-3 and find an electrical supply house and buy the materials and DIY. But I do a lot of DIY around my house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trigger Posted July 21, 2008 Report Share Posted July 21, 2008 Well all, I got my spa delivered yesterday (bought used from a family member that had to move). All excited, we had an electrician give us a quote to run the electric circuit...........grand total....$5K. That is 5 thousand dollars. My panel is on the opposite side of the house as the spa and the only feasible route is conduit up the house (2 story house), through the attic and down the other side of the house. Its a little over 100 feet run. He recommended 6 gauge wire and 1" conduit. Seems reasonable as far as the work is concerned...but the price seems so far out of wack that it is really bumming out the "we just got a nice spa" excitement. Any tips? Thanks all, JD Get a few more opions. That seems insanely high. at .62 /ft you're talking $250 in wire, toss in a breaker box and the connctors and weather tite; another $100. And let's assume we are 100% off in prices, and double everything, that's stil $700 bucks, leavign $4300 for what? labor and profit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kengorman Posted July 21, 2008 Report Share Posted July 21, 2008 Get a few more opions. That seems insanely high. at .62 /ft you're talking $250 in wire, toss in a breaker box and the connctors and weather tite; another $100. And let's assume we are 100% off in prices, and double everything, that's stil $700 bucks, leavign $4300 for what? labor and profit? I'll agree with the rest of the folks - get another estimate. Some contractors, when busy, give extravagant quotes. There are some who only get 1 get quote and aren't too concerned about the money. They'll pay these high prices. I ran the electric myself, and my material costs were between $500 - $600 dollars. This included 80 feet of #6 AWG copper for each of the 4 conductors @ $0.89/ft); a 60-amp circuit breaker for my main panel, a 60-amp disconnect panel (mounted within line-of-sight of the tub), a 6-foot section of flexible water-proof tubing (Flex-tite), miscellaneous fittings, conduit. These prices are for the Philadelphia area, so they're probably a bit higher than a lot of other places. I ran 4-conductor sheethed wire inside the house, and switched to 4 individual conductors in 1" conduit outside the house. Around here, bonded, insured electricians charge around $75/hour. I can't imagine running 100 feet of wire taking more than a days worth of work, unless the areas are really difficult to get to. Another suggestion I have is to have your electrician "line item" the quote and break it down by materials and labor. Not only does your electrician have to calculate if the voltage drop over this run is acceptable, make sure your electrician properly derates the conductor if it is going through an attic and is exposed to high heat conditions. I used #6 AWG for my 60-amp hook-up, but my conductors aren't exposed to any high heat conditions. There is a good derating calculator here. Keep us posted on any progress. Regards, Ken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deus66 Posted July 24, 2008 Report Share Posted July 24, 2008 If you have the service "from the street" or in other words, as long as your house has 100 amp service then it should be fine. I can't imagine a 2 story with less than 100 amp (unless it's a very old home). If you don't have at least 100 amps, he may be quoting a service upgrade (in that case 5K might be only a little high). since you said you moved the AC, then I assume you have the serice to support the tub. AC usually needs 100 amp service. As an example my run was about 85 feet (so 6 gauge wire was required) same as yours 4 wire hook up. Conduit only from the box to the attic and from the roof down to the GFCI.... Cost $750.00 after taxes! FYI I had quotes from several electricians and electrical contractors. Some were much higher, some lower, but I went with the company with the best customer service. I ruled out any electrician who's phone was answered as "hello". I wanted a nice "thank you for calling xxxx, how can I help you"....lol Get more quotes! Everyone in this forum knows what they are talking about. I use it for all kinds of useful info! ...Get more quotes! Post what the outcome is / was, I'd love to know what you end up getting this for, and how much they were trying to soak you for a soak. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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