Repurposing a hot tub circuit breaker

[tealfixie]

Hello FOG,
Just wanted to get some advice on some electrical  setups for my upcoming basement workshop. And don't worry I plan on hiring out the work to a pro. Just want to gather Intel.

Bought a house that previously had a hot tub. There is a 60a service panel that is now unused. It sits outside on the back corner of my foundation. I want to run a subpanel to my basement dedicated to the shop space.

Is there a way to reuse this spa circuit for my workshop such as wiring a subpanel to it? I plan on having 3-4 110 circuits and 1 220v circuit.

Also consider that the spa panel is about 20' closer to my shop area when compared to the main breaker panel. I want to find the most economical way since copper isn't cheap!

 

[Sparktrician]

It's very easy to re-use a breaker.  It's also possible to relocate the subpanel.  If I understand your message right, you could pull back the existing spa wiring to the basement and reinstall the subpanel there.  That said, be sure to have a qualified electrician fully inspect the existing wiring before doing anything.  Also, the run from the main panel to the subpanel needs to be continuous, without splices.  If there's any damage to the existing run, replace it.  Don't take a chance by re-using damaged wire. 

 

[Alanbach]

[member=7493]Sparktrician[/member] - it sounds like his 60 amp breaker that used to feed a hot tub is in between his main panel and the basement. If the wires feeding that 60 amp breaker are good can he run the feed for his new sub panel from there to the basement, effectively making the existing 60 amp breaker the main for his new sub panel even though it is 20’ away?

 

[Sparktrician]

[member=7493]Sparktrician[/member] - it sounds like his 60 amp breaker that used to feed a hot tub is in between his main panel and the basement. If the wires feeding that 60 amp breaker are good can he run the feed for his new sub panel from there to the basement, effectively making the existing 60 amp breaker the main for his new sub panel even though it is 20’ away?

My interpretation is that he has a 60 amp breaker in his main panel feeding a subpanel that used to feed a hot tub.  The wiring that fed the subpanel can be pulled back and the subpanel relocated to the basement, provided that there's no damage to the existing wire.  Most importantly, anything he does must be completely in compliance with local electrical code.  In any case, the AHJ has the final say. 

 

[tealfixie]

That's correct, there's a 60 amp breaker going out to the spa panel. I didn't get a chance to open that panel up today due to such beautiful weather  [big grin]. I am going to assume there's some kind of GFCI breaker out there as well. I was thinking about just running a few auxiliary circuits from that panel but I'm afraid that there might not be enough space in that panel to run 3-4 extra circuits.

Is it out of the question to wire a sub panel to the sub panel? I'd like to just connect straight to the spa panel since I would have a shorter wire run. That's kind of what I'm researching so I can have an informed discussion with the electrician.

[member=7493]Sparktrician[/member] - it sounds like his 60 amp breaker that used to feed a hot tub is in between his main panel and the basement. If the wires feeding that 60 amp breaker are good can he run the feed for his new sub panel from there to the basement, effectively making the existing 60 amp breaker the main for his new sub panel even though it is 20’ away?

My interpretation is that he has a 60 amp breaker in his main panel feeding a subpanel that used to feed a hot tub.  The wiring that fed the subpanel can be pulled back and the subpanel relocated to the basement, provided that there's no damage to the existing wire.  Most importantly, anything he does must be completely in compliance with local electrical code.  In any case, the AHJ has the final say. 

 

[Mario Turcot]

If ever you have to change the wire, go aluminium. 3 times cheaper

 

[Sparktrician]

If ever you have to change the wire, go aluminium. 3 times cheaper

Careful with that!  Aluminum is less expensive, but it comes with a price.  One must be certain to use AL-OX to protect any copper-to-aluminum joints to prevent corrosion.  Given that this could be a pull-back of existing copper, I'd far prefer to reuse the copper if it's in good condition.  Actually, I'd prefer to use copper in any case. 

 

[Mario Turcot]

Sorry, I read economical and auto-switch to alu  [scared]

and yes you have to use nalox grease on all connectors. Another thing to keep in mind when installing a new panel and especially with alu wires is to re-visit your connection after 12 months. Shut down the main power and tighten the connectors screws. It's unbelievable what tiny vibrations can do to your connections. I use to do annual shut down on facilities and those maintenance fix a lot of problems like flickering lights.