How do I remove an electrical breaker box from my yard?

Question

I'm buying a house with a hot tub that sits in a sort of portable gazebo about 50 ft from the house. Right now we're negotiating who gets the hot tub.

There is a breaker box outside the gazebo that attaches the electricity to the hot tub and a ceiling fan. If they take the hot tub, what can I do about the breaker box that's just sticking up in the yard? Any ideas of cost to remove? I may tell them to pay it.

Answer 1

I think you should leave the breaker box in it's place. Are you afraid of getting electrocuted? It's no more dangerous than any other outlet.
If I was buying that house, I wouldn't want the hot tub, but I would use the breaker box to power my tools, and create a little workshop shed.
The you will have a good power source in your shed. You can plug in a heater in the shed and work on hobby projects in the shed , even in the winter.
You will also have a good place to plug in electric hedge trimmers.
It would also be a good place to charge an electric motorcycle, or electric garden tractor.

Answer 2

Hot Tub Breaker Box

Answer 3

Hot Tub Electrical Box

Answer 4

If I were in a situation like that? I'd probably
- shut the power at the main box in the house and remove the relevant breaker feeding the sub panel,
- remove the wires from inside the main box and cut at exit point, probably a hole in the wall..
- disconnect and remove the sub panel and discard or reuse elsewhere,
- dig out pole
- trim the wires as far below the surface of the ground as possible
- fill the hole and resod or grasspatch.

-- leave the leftover old wires in the ground, they go down at least 18" depending on your "code". They won't bother anyone and besides they are disconnected from the main panel. Otherwise if you want, you can dig those suckers out with a shovel but why?

Answer 5

Find the breaker that turns off power to hot tub box...Turn main power off and remove wires from breaker and remove them from breaker box....put a tag on them to let you know what they where for.. tape them up .....leave old breaker in box.....remove wires from box outside and dig out the elbow thats there...if it can be removed,remove it ....bend the wire double and push it back inside conduit ...buy a cap if it is pvc conduit or get a metal cap if it is metal conduit...cover this part back up .....if you do it this way and save all the fittings... if for any reason you want to put box back to reconnect a hot tub in future you can easily do it....

Answer 6

Once you have isolated which breaker in your main box controls the 'sub-panel' you can turn off the main box and disengage the line to the hot tub. Once you disengage it you can just cut it out/off and discard it.

That will leave you with an extra breaker in your main box.
or
You can use the available sub-panel power to add accent or outdoor lighting or a water feature w/pump.

Be creative, it's spring!

Answer 7

the box is vaualble like the GFI breaker in it costs $100 the box should go along with the hot tub

you need to turn off the breaker in the house panel then you can remove the panel at the gazabo and burry the wire you might want to keep the ceiling fan though

Answer 8

Ideally, the owners should pay to have the sub panel removed when they remove the hot tub.

Disconnect the wires from the circuit breaker that feeds the sub panel and also from the wires inside the sub panel. If the wire is in conduit, you should be able to pull the wires through the conduit. If it uses under ground feeder cable, remove the cable from the main circuit panel and cut the cable where it exits the building.

Then you can remove the sub panel and cut the conduit/cable just below grade level.

Answer 9

You're right. Winner take all, or in this case, if they want the tub, they'll have to remove the box and related wiring. If you really want the tub, it's a permanent fixture and they'll have to include it in the sale.

Answer 10

Disconnect it from the main breaker box. Make sure it is "dead" and remove it.