Where/how to plug in my portable hot tub?

[magictime]

Hi all

Hope someone can advise me on this!

OK - I just bought an inflatable hot tub that's designed to plug into a standard 13A, RCD-protected socket... which saves me worrying about major wiring jobs - in theory! (It has a 15ft cable with an RCD plug attached.)

But I still need to figure out how & where to plug it in. There are no sockets in the garden, so I think I need to do one of three things:

1. Drill a hole in the outside wall of my house, feed the hot tub's power cable through it, and hope it reaches the nearest socket (which I don't think it will, quite.)

2. Assuming it DOESN'T reach, plug a suitable (capable of running a 3kw appliance) extension lead into the fixed socket & then plug the hot tub (which has an RCD plug on it) into that.

3. Get power outside somehow - am I right that you can buy kits that are basically a plug one end and an outdoor socket the other (i.e. an extension cable that permanently leads from an existing indoor socket to a new outdoor socket)? - again by drilling through the wall, and plug the hot tub in outside. I'm worried that might be made awkward by the fact that the hot tub plug is a non-standard shape (being an RCD unit) and so won't fit a standard weather proof socket, and also by the requirement to site the socket well away from the hot tub - could mean some long cables trailing around!

Simplest option to me looks like 1, with 2 as a backup if the hot tub's own cable won't reach the socket. It would also mean all plugs & sockets were inside in the dry, which sounds safest to me. But I want to be sure it'd be OK to use an extension cable permanently like this, and that there's no compelling reason to use an outdoor power supply.

Many thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[electronicsuk]

Given that the whole thing is temporary, I'd probably just make an extension lead with 30mA RCD plug fitted one end, 16A commando socket on the other, all wired in 2.5mmsq blue arctic flex. Fit a 16A commando plug onto the hot tub, and you're good to go.

I wouldn't bother with option 3, as the outdoor power kits sold by the likes of B&Q are a bit of a lashup and don't get around the need for notification of the work to your LABC. You could run the flex through a hole in the wall and plug in, but it seems a bit of a waste of time if this really is only temporary.

 

[flameport]

Option 1 - can't see how that could work, since the RCD plug won't fit through the hole, and 15ft of cable is far too short to reach anywhere. It would also result in this temporary appliance being permanently installed.

Option 2 - more likely, given that this tub is presumably a temporary item, not intended to be left outside for long periods?

Option 3 - Such kits are available. However, an RCD plug won't fit into a waterproof socket (or at least, not with the cover closed). Installing such an item is notifiable work, regardless of the fact that the kit has a plug on the end.

Option 4 - Have an electrician install a weatherproof socket with RCD protection included (if required - your cunsumer unit may already have an RCD). Put a normal plug on the hot tub.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

designed to plug into a standard 13A, RCD-protected socket.....has a 15ft cable with an RCD plug attached

That doesn't make any sense. You don't need both an RCD protected socket and an RCD plug.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Option 2 - more likely, given that this tub is presumably a temporary item, not intended to be left outside for long periods?

I wonder how much water it holds, and how long its 3kW (max) heater needs to be connected to:

1) Raise the water temperature to the required level.

2) Maintain it at the required temperature as it loses heat into the ground and the air.

 

[ricicle]

BS7671:2008 :-

Temporary electrical installation - Electrical installation erected for a particular purpose and dismantled when no longer required for that purpose.


Will it serve it's purpose and the be dismantled/put away or is it there for the long-term ?

 

[Tipper]

Option 2 - more likely, given that this tub is presumably a temporary item, not intended to be left outside for long periods?

I wonder how much water it holds, and how long its 3kW (max) heater needs to be connected to:

1) Raise the water temperature to the required level.

2) Maintain it at the required temperature as it loses heat into the ground and the air.

It's not just a heater as it probably has a circulating pump and an air blower too. So the combined load will need to be 3kW which it probably is if designed to use a 13A supply.

 

[electronicsuk]

All pretty irrelevant really, as it sounds as if the OP has already purchased the hot tub. Not a lot of point this degenerating into a discussion of whether or not it will actually be any good!

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Well there is, because an extension lead thrown out of a window might not be a workable solution. If it turns out that the thing needs to be initially plugged in for days, and then topped up for a certain number of hours each day, then problems like "how do I close the window?" (or door), "what do I do when it rains?" etc are going to be very real.

It might turn out that the only sensible way to connect this to a supply is a socket inside an outbuilding.

 

[IJWS15]

And the obvious question . .

is this appliance really designed to be left OUTSIDE?

 

[davelx]

http://www.ukoutdoortoys.co.uk/swimming-pools/Inflatable-Hot-Tubs/?id=57

Looks like it could be (OP: is this what you've got?)

 

[magictime]

Thanks for all the replies folks...

...I obviously need to clarify that this is NOT a temporary installation of anything - the hot tub will be staying where we put it permanently, and stay plugged in. (Unless I decide to pack it away over the winter, I suppose). So just trailing extension cables round the garden on sunny days is not an option. I need a solution that's safe & that works long-term.

RE comment that "You don't need both an RCD protected socket and an RCD plug" - OK, that makes more sense! I thought I'd read that somewhere but must have made it up.

So back to my original question then - would it be OK to feed the hot tub's cable into the house & then plug it into an extension cable? Or is that not a suitable long-term option?

... & if I were to do that - which would mean, I guess, cutting the RCD unit off the cable in order to get the cable through the wall anyway - should I be putting the RCD unit back on, or putting a normal plug on (since the circuit is RCD protected anyway)? Is there any problem with plugging an RCD unit into an RCD-protected circuit?

(By the way - tub is a small 800 litre one & quite well-insulated, especially as I'm also buying a wooden surround. The reviews don't mention any problem getting & keeping the water hot.)

 

[ban-all-sheds]

...I obviously need to clarify that this is NOT a temporary installation of anything - the hot tub will be staying where we put it permanently, and stay plugged in. (Unless I decide to pack it away over the winter, I suppose). So just trailing extension cables round the garden on sunny days is not an option. I need a solution that's safe & that works long-term.

Then you need a proper supply permanently installed for it.

RE comment that "You don't need both an RCD protected socket and an RCD plug" - OK, that makes more sense! I thought I'd read that somewhere but must have made it up.

An RCD supply means you can ditch the RCD plug. Given the length of time the heater will have to be on I would strongly suggest using a 16A IEC 60309 plug, and the use of (for example) an IP rated MK Commando socket.

So back to my original question then - would it be OK to feed the hot tub's cable into the house & then plug it into an extension cable? Or is that not a suitable long-term option?

No it's not suitable.

(By the way - tub is a small 800 litre one & quite well-insulated, especially as I'm also buying a wooden surround. The reviews don't mention any problem getting & keeping the water hot.)

You'll probably need to run the heater for at least 12 hours, initially, more if any heat is lost during the process, in order to get it up to temperature. How often after that will depend on all sorts of factors.

Have you thought about the running costs?

 

[ricicle]

Have you thought about the running costs?

 

[mbga9pgf]

If you dont have RCD protection, why not drill the hole, unscrew the plug off the wire, pass wire through said hole, reconnect plug and hey presto, RCD protection inside the house.

Takes 5 mins. Have the same setup for our water fountain pump.