Preparing your Backyard for a Hot Tub
Jan 24
Hot Tub Placement and Preparations
Preparing your backyard for a hot tub is easy if you follow a few simple steps. There are basically three steps to preparing for your hot tub delivery. The first step is choosing a location, second step is preparing the required electrical components, and the last thing is preparing the ground for the hot tub.
The first thing you will want to do is chose an area in your backyard to place the hot tub. There are a few items to consider when your choosing the area of your backyard where the hot tub will go. One of the first things to consider is the focal point. Your Hot tub or spa will help define your backyard space, so make sure you take into consideration its color, texture, size, and height into your area. Next, and even more important to the placement of your hot tub or spa is the proximity to your house, back door, or walkout. There are a couple reasons you will want to consider proximity of your hot tub or spa. First, for the people in the northern parts of the country it goes without saying you don’t want to have to trek to far in the snow to get to and from your hot tub. So, general rule of thumb is to place your hot tub no more than 25 – 50 feet from the access door of your home. The second reason proximity is important and this is for everyone regardless of climate is the farther away you place your hot tub or spa, the more your electrical will cost. The wire required to operate your hot tub is usually a #6 wire and is very expensive, so you want to keep the distance down if possible. However, do not replace the perfect focal point due to cost of the wire, but balance the decision best you can. Do not worry about your water access as you only need to run a hose to the hot tub so water should not be a consideration into the placement of your hot tub or spa.
The electrical requirements are the next items to take care of in the preparation of your backyard for a hot tub or spa. The best advice I can give on this is find a buddy that is an electrician and bribe him or her with beer or weekends in your backyard as the electrical component is one that shocks most and is fairly expensive. Next to a buddy get a few quotes, and consider purchasing the parts needed such as the GFI and the wire as I mentioned earlier, it may save you some bucks to search online for the parts needed. Check with your hot tub dealer for what GFI and wire is required for your hot tub as they are all different. Most need a 40 to 60 amp GFI and use #6 wire. The cost of your electrical for your hot tub and you better sit down for this will run you $800 to $1500 depending on distance to your panel and amps your unit draws. So, after you work out who is going to do the job and you have purchased your GFI and wire it is important to run the wire to your location before preparing your ground for your hot tub or spa. You want to bury it so that it is not a hazard or an eyesore in the backyard.
Ok last item to look at is the preparation of the ground. The most important thing is that the ground be level for your hot tub or spa, the reason you need the ground level is so the water line of the hot tub runs completely level. You can have the hot tub level with the ground, or slightly or completely sunken into the ground. For access I suggest keeping the hot tub on top of the ground. So, there are a few ways to level out the ground for your hot tub or spa. The best way to prepare the ground is with a concrete pad. To pour a concrete pad take the dimensions of the hot tub and add 1 foot to the dimension of the tub on three sides, and 3 feet on the entry dimension of the tub allowing for placement of a hot tub step. Once you mark out the area, remove the sod and dig down about 4 to 6 inches. Fill the area with screening and level out the screening at about 3 to 4 inches. The next step is to prepare a 2 x 4 frame around the area to pour your concrete into. Using rebar to solidify the corners of your pad frame pour your concrete and smooth and level the pad using a troll. The other way to prepare the ground for your hot tub is with screening and patio stones. Much like you prepared for the concrete pad you will remove the sod and dig down 4 – 6 inches. Fill the area with screening and level it off at 3to 4 inches. Next place your patio stones and level as required. The last way to prepare your ground for your hot tub is a fairly new idea called hot tub pads, which are made by confer plastics in Buffalo NY. The idea of the hot tub pad is that you do not need to take as much time to prepare your ground for a hot tub or spa. The pads which are very user friendly can be found at www.spasuppliesonline.com
You can also place your hot tub on your deck, just make sure that the deck has been made to withstand the weight of your hot tub full which should be available from your hot tub supplier. Also, as stated before make sure your deck is level or that you level the spa or hot tub.
Hot Tub Pads
I hope this helps in your preparation of your backyard for your new hot tub or spa. And remember make time to jump in your hot tub every night, your body will thank you.