How to Wire a 220V Spa Pump

There's nothing like taking a relaxing soak in a hot tub. The warm water and pulsing jets are the perfect remedy for sore muscles, bad backs and other maladies. What do you do when the hot tub's spa pump decides to go bad? Calling a professional hot tub repairman can cost you a pretty penny, but replacing the spa pump really isn't that difficult to do.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Screwdriver
• Channellocks
• Wire strippers

Removal of the Existing Spa Pump

1. Turn off the power to the hot tub at the main electrical panel. If there is a disconnect switch for the hot tub, turn it off as well for added safety.

2. Remove the access panel on the side of the hot tub where the motor and the pump are located. If your hot tub has gate or slice valves on either side of the pump, close them off before you attempt to remove the pump. This will stop the water from leaking out of the tub. If no gate or slice valves are present, you will have to drain the hot tub prior to removing the spa pump.

3. Look at the spa pump and you should see a bare copper bonding wire that connects to its ground screw. Loosen the screw and remove the bonding wire.

4. There is a union on each end of the pump. Unscrew each union. Be aware that some residual water left in the pipes will leak out when you do this.

5. Remove the screws that are securing the mounting bracket to the floor. The spa pump is held in place by a mounting bracket that is screwed into the floor of the hot tub's frame.

6. Lift the spa pump out of the hot tub equipment chamber. The power cable is still connected. You will see the cable where it enters the spa pump's terminal box.

7. Remove the access door that covers the terminal box and loosen the screws on the clamp that holds the power cable in place.

8. Write on a piece of paper the wire color and the terminals they are connected to. Remove the wires and check them to make sure they are still in good condition. If they are not in good shape, use the wire strippers to trim away the bad part and strip a fresh lead.

Wiring the 220V Spa Pump

9. Take your replacement pump and remove the terminal box cover and the knockout for the power cable. Take the power cable clamp from the old pump and install it on the new pump.

10. Insert the power cable through the clamp and secure it in place by tightening the two clamp screws.

11. Connect the ground wire to the green-colored grounding screw.

12. Inside the terminal box, you will see three terminals. Before you make the connections, always double check the wiring diagram that came with your new pump and check it against the diagram that recorded from the original pump. Most 220V spa pumps are wired in this manner: connect the white wire to the left terminal,
    connect the black wire to the middle terminal and connect the red wire to the right terminal

13. Reinstall the terminal box cover and mount the new pump to the hot tub using the mounting screws you removed earlier.

14. Connect the unions to the new spa pump and open up the gate or slice valves if your hot tub has them. If it does, check for leaks before you turn the power back on. If you had to drain your tub, fill it and check for leaks before turning the power back on.

15. Once the tub is filled and there are no leaks, re-install the access hatch and turn the main breaker back on followed by the disconnect switch.

16. Start your hot tub to test out your newly installed spa pump.

Tips & Warnings

• Always turn the power off to any electrical circuit before working on it!

References

• Wiring diagram