Don't hit the install wall: five key spa installation questions that will keep you out of hot water - Close Up Spas

Pool & Spa News, July 25, 2003 by Lisa Lieberman

For portable spa experts, selling the tub is sometimes only the first step. It's at the installation stage that real challenges can begin.

While most homeowners are excited about owning a new hot tub, not all buyers take into consideration the variables--or added costs--necessary to make the spa fit into, and function in, their yards.

"All too often, when the customer gets the spa home, they're not ready for the extra expenses if they find it's not going to fit, or they're going to need a crane to get it over the house, or that they don't have the proper surface for it," says Doug Seapara, part-owner of Spa World in Los Angeles.

That's why it's so important to learn as much about the site as possible, either from your customer or, ideally, through a pre-site evaluation. During this process, installers must answer five critical questions:

* Where is the electricity for the spa located?

* Has a deck already been built for the spa, and is it suitable?

* Will the spa fit into the space where the customer wants it?

* Does the customer want the spa sunk into a deck or the ground?

* Is the site easily accessible for installation?

Following is a look at each point in more detail.

1 WHERE IS THE ELECTRICITY LOCATED? It's important for technicians to evaluate the location of electrical outlets before installing the hot tub.

"What you're looking for is, how far away from the spa is the house panel? There's a new rule in California that says if you're not in the sight line of the house panel, then you need something such as a GFCI breaker and disconnect," Seapara says.

"GFCI" stands for ground-fault circuit interrupter. If there's a short in the electrical line from the house panel to the spa, the GFCI will trip, protecting the people in the spa, as well as the spa itself.

Installers and homeowners need to take into account other factors when it comes to electricity as well.

One of the easiest things to overlook is installing the wrong size wire for an electrical run. For instance, one homeowner's electrician installed a No. 10 or No. 12 wire on an 80-foot run, says Seapara. "But that was too small. It wouldn't have carried enough electricity. Anytime you're doing something over 25 feet, you need No. 6 wires for more efficiency," he says.

Even if a homeowner has had a hot tub before and has all the electrical wiring set up for it, the new unit may not have the same electrical requirements as the old one.

"It's important to understand the electrical requirements of any hot tub before you install it," Seapara says.

2 HAS A DECK ALREADY BEEN BUILT FOR THE SPA, AND IS IT SUITABLE? In their excitement to get a spa, many homeowners will start building a deck for it before they even go out shopping.

"What I tell people is to buy the spa first, and then build the deck," says Michael Payne, owner of Classic Spas & Hot Tubs, Monroeville, Pa.

Building the deck first often costs the customer much more money in the long run, says Payne.

"We had one customer build the deck before the spa," he relates. "The problem was that he fell in love with this particular spa, which was 6 inches too long for the deck. The customer had to have his contractor move back the steps to accommodate the spa."

Homeowners who want to build decks for their spas also need to take other factors into consideration before starting construction, including making sure the deck is built to code.

"The deck has to hold 75 or 76 pounds per square foot," Payne says. "We generally try to work with architects and builders to design a deck or a room around a spa right from the beginning."

3 WILL THE SPA FIT INTO THE SPACE WHERE THE CUSTOMER WANTS IT? One of the most common mistakes homeowners make when purchasing a spa is to buy it before they settle on a location for placement, says Payne.

A customer may see a spa he likes, but it may not look the same once he gets it home, adds Payne.

An installer with a trained eye can help consumers decide which spas will best fit their needs. It's far easier to choose a spa that will fit a certain location than trying to alter the location to fit the spa.

4 DOES THE CUSTOMER WANT THEIR SPA TO BE SUNKEN? It's just as important to work with a professional when customers want to sink their spas into the ground. In fact, sunken hot tubs can be far more problematic than aboveground spas, some experts say.

When installing a spa into the soil, it's important to be sure the basics, such as proper drainage or a retaining wall, are in place.

Service access to inground spas can be troublesome because it's difficult to take the hot tub in and out of the hole for routine repairs and maintenance.

For consumers who want an inground look, there are "tricks" installers can use. "You can take a portable spa and sink it into a hole in a deck where it's easy to get to and easy to drain," Payne says. "You can make the spa the centerpiece of the yard by framing and tiling it, or using other materials to highlight it."

5 IS THE SITE EASILY ACCESSIBLE FOR INSTALLATION? Regardless of the type of portable spa a consumer chooses, site accessibility always is an issue.