Hooking up a 220 line? HOW?

[dc dalton]

I have done just about every home repair you can think of except one, hooking up a 220 line and low and behold I have to do it next week.

Done hundreds of 110 lines, installed new breakers in the box for them etc etc BUT a 220 line (for the new hot tub) is a mystery for me.

So, I know a 220 line is two hot lines of 110 and (I think) one ground BUT how do you do this in your breaker box? Is it two breakers, each one line of 110 and then one ground ... as you can tell on this one home repair I'm lost!

[fingers80002]

I have done just about every home repair you can think of except one, hooking up a 220 line and low and behold I have to do it next week.

Done hundreds of 110 lines, installed new breakers in the box for them etc etc BUT a 220 line (for the new hot tub) is a mystery for me.

So, I know a 220 line is two hot lines of 110 and (I think) one ground BUT how do you do this in your breaker box? Is it two breakers, each one line of 110 and then one ground ... as you can tell on this one home repair I'm lost!

Do I have to do everything for you..........

[CarolinaGuy]

On my dryer, to be up to code, it is 4 prong.
Double breaker.
2- 110s (red/black)
1-ground
1-neutral.

Prior, the neutral and ground were piggybacked.

[bgeddes]

In your breaker box, there are two bus bars running down the back. Each to the neutral measures 120vac, from bus to bus it is 220vac. Your double breaker (you did get a double breaker right?) connects to both bus bars. One hot wire into each side of the double breaker, neutral, and ground and you are in the money.

Now look at your new double breaker. If it is NOT a GFCI I would urge you to save it for some other project. A GFCI breaker is a very good idea on your hot tub.

[markheck1]

I have done just about every home repair you can think of except one, hooking up a 220 line and low and behold I have to do it next week.

Done hundreds of 110 lines, installed new breakers in the box for them etc etc BUT a 220 line (for the new hot tub) is a mystery for me.

So, I know a 220 line is two hot lines of 110 and (I think) one ground BUT how do you do this in your breaker box? Is it two breakers, each one line of 110 and then one ground ... as you can tell on this one home repair I'm lost!

Basically yeah, the strips in the box alternate legs, so when you put a double breaker( you are using a double breaker?) each leg of the double breaker is a 110 just on a different leg. They alternate opposite each other so when one is +110 the other is -110 making 220. Be very careful because that's 2 25 amp circuits hooked together, that's where the power comes from is Amps, not volts....make sure the wire is large enough for the draw and distance.

Hope this helps, and when doing electrical it's never a bad idea to ask someone who has done it to help, and yes any advice you take is AT YOUR OWN RISK, just had to put that in there, LOL

[matty70]

On my dryer, to be up to code, it is 4 prong.
Double breaker.
2- 110s (red/black)
1-ground
1-neutral.

Prior, the neutral and ground were piggybacked.

That's code now? Seems like overkill to me, I'm not an electrician but as I remember the last time I did this (and I've done it a few times now-once was a 220 outlet for AC, another was electric baseboard heat) and both times used 12-2 wire, black was hot, white was hot and ground was neutral. Again I'm not an electrician but I don't see a need for a neutral any how as it is grounded in the panel box the same as the ground. Maybe Sparky can explain this to me, and better explain the whole 220 thing to OP.

[-JD-]

I have done just about every home repair you can think of except one, hooking up a 220 line and low and behold I have to do it next week.

Done hundreds of 110 lines, installed new breakers in the box for them etc etc BUT a 220 line (for the new hot tub) is a mystery for me.

So, I know a 220 line is two hot lines of 110 and (I think) one ground BUT how do you do this in your breaker box? Is it two breakers, each one line of 110 and then one ground ... as you can tell on this one home repair I'm lost!

You need a single-lever or joined-2-lever, 2-pole breaker which connects to 2 adjacent spaces on the panel. In the case of a hot tub, I think code requires a ground-fault breaker also a disconnect (second regular breaker or pull-out) at the hookup location of the tub itself. The hot tub may also use both 110 and 220 in which case you'll need 3-cond + ground cable.

Panel Hookup:
White pigtail from GFI breaker to NEUTRAL bus-bar in panel which may or may not also be ground.
Red and Black wires in the cable to the two hot terminals on the breaker.
White wire in the cable to the neutral terminal on the GFI breaker.
Bare or green wire in the cable to the GROUND bus-bar in the panel.

The electrical guys at Lowes/HD are frequently moonlighting electricians so you might want to enlist their assistance as you pick up your stuff.

Sorry I'm not available to help with the move Son's soccer and other family commitments.

[markheck1]

I KNOW for a fact my tub uses 110 for everything but the heater, but it's old. GFCI breaker is pretty much a must for tubs, I think.....

[Dredly]

I have done just about every home repair you can think of except one, hooking up a 220 line and low and behold I have to do it next week.

Done hundreds of 110 lines, installed new breakers in the box for them etc etc BUT a 220 line (for the new hot tub) is a mystery for me.

So, I know a 220 line is two hot lines of 110 and (I think) one ground BUT how do you do this in your breaker box? Is it two breakers, each one line of 110 and then one ground ... as you can tell on this one home repair I'm lost!

Wonder what you'll look like with all that hair sticking out in different directions? :P

[RaisedByWolves]

Be safe, get professional help with this one.