Hot tubs are always great, and they are relatively easy to take care of and maintain, however when it comes to hot tub installation there are many things that you need to know. While some people go the easy route and hire a contractor to complete their hot tub installation, many people enjoy the satisfaction of installing it themselves.
If you are planning on completing the hot tub installation on your own, there are a few steps that are going to be involved here. First you need to determine where you actually want to have the tub, namely indoors or outdoors.
Then you have to locate the equipment, and there are a few important notes to make here, including: if the pump is located above the tubs water level, it could lose its prime causing water circulation to stop and possible pump damage to occur, with a long pipe run there tends to be quite a bit of water in the pipes so try for a shorter pipe run, and the filter in a standard hot tub system requires a minimum vertical height of 50Ħħ for basic maintenance.
The Installation Process
Now is the time for the actual hot tub installation process. The three main requirements that you need for a basic hot tub installation are: an electrical circuit, a gas line, and a pad for the tub to sit on.
Two foundations or concrete pads are needed for the basic hot tub system, and if you choose to put the tub in a smaller area, it is best to wait until you have the equipment in hand and can lay it out before you actually decide how small of an area you are going to be able to get by with.
You can install the tub on top of an existing deck if you wish, or even on a second story deck, but in this case an engineer will probably be required as they will have to design additional support in order to accommodate the added weight of the hot tub.
When it comes to actually installing the tub, the steps are going to vary depending on the particular model and make you purchased, but some of the basics will remain the same, including the assembling of the base.
You need to slide the two bottom halves together, pushing them as tight as possible to one another, and after the bottom is in place, put the two plywood strips about 3Ħħ in from either end of the perimeter of the tub. Then use the screws to secure each strip, and remove these strips once you have the entire tub assembled.
Always make sure that everything is correct as you are going along, so that if you do make a mistake, you will just have to go back one or two steps rather than having to take the entire hot tub apart and reassemble it.
