How Do You Build A Base For A Hot Tub?
Putting up a hot tub platform is the first step to installing a hot tub in your backyard or area of choice.
Having it built by oneself is the most preferred method since outsourcing a company to do it for you will be expensive.
By building the base by yourself, you get to determine the quality and type of materials to be used in building up the base for the hot tub.
We will now get into the steps one should follow when building a base for their hot tub.
Decide on the location you would like the tub to be. This is a very crucial step since you need to choose a place where it can easily be accessed throughout the existence of the tub.
So basically, this should be somewhere close to the house or within your compound premises.
When deciding on the tub’s location, you should make sure there will be enough room for you to service it, open and shut the lid.
The surrounding of the hot tub should have a proper drainage system to prevent stagnating water around it and prevent things like stepping in mud before getting in the tub.
Dig out the area in which the base should be built to a depth of 18 inches past the sod, undisturbed soil.
The tub base should have a larger surface area than the hot tub itself. For instance, if the tub if 5 by 5 feet, you can consider making the base 7 by 7 feet or more.
Next, you will fill the first 12 inches of the excavated area with medium-grade gravel.
After pouring the gravel, put sand on top of it to a level of 4 inches more and level it to have a flat surface. You will then tamp down the sand, so it holds in firmly.
After you have laid a good foundation, it is now time to build a strong and firm deck that will support the weight of the hot tub filled with water and the maximum number of people it can hold.
With the base constructed and done with, you can now place your tub into position and enjoy the comfort it comes with.
What Is The Best Base To Put A Hot Tub On?
As we are well informed that hot tubs are heavy, especially when filled with water and people, so it is advised to build a solid base to support the weight.
Concrete base. This is not only the most recommended, but it also has a long-lasting lifespan.
Building a concrete base for a hot tub is not expensive; it is solid and quite easy to lay.
You can as well add a deck trim to hide any visible part of concrete that you might find unpleasant to sight.
Decking. This is the most popular option used worldwide. It has a nice look, especially with the surroundings, as it blends in perfectly.
It is also a nice underfoot for the bathers while getting in and out of the hot tub.
When it comes to drawbacks for using a deck, it does have a short lifespan, but with the emerging new composites in the market, the longevity issue will be fixed.
Another setback for decking is the noise and vibration caused by the hot tub’s pump. When installing a tub on the decking, you must know how much weight the decking will handle.
The decking should have more joists to support the hot tub’s weight compared to a normal deck. The foundation of the decking must be solid, whether concrete or of another form.
Patio. Most patios or any existing stone surface are always reinforced already and ready to use for a hot tub.
If one is not sure of the solidarity of the surface or if the surface is leveled, they should consult an expert in that area.
The paves will be required to have a good drainage system since no one would want to have water logging underneath their hot tub.
In addition to this, one can use any surface of their choice as long as it has a nice drainage system, is solid and level, and will take the full weight of the hot tub.
Do Hot Tub Pads Work?
Yes, hot tub pads or spa pads, as they are commonly known, do work, and not only that, they can also be moved when the owner wants to relocate their hot tub.
Spa pads are used in place of pavers and concrete bases. To install it, you will need to level the ground first, add fine sand or gravel to level it out completely then put the hot tub pads on top.
Spa pads are 15 pounds each, pads made of plastic, and can take on the full weight of a hot tub.
To form a complete base for a hot tub, you will have to get a number of the spa pads like 4 to 6, depending on the hot tub’s surface area, and interlock them to form one big hot tub pad.
Can A Hot Tub Be Placed Directly On The Ground?
A hot tub can be placed directly on the ground, but before that, there are things to be considered when weighing on the option.
Earth sinks in after a while of being waterlogged, which will make the tub sink in as well, and this will cause damages to the hot tub after a while.
So, you will need to reinforce the ground to make it firm to avoid a shift in the position of the hot tub.
This can be done by clearing the ground and adding medium-level gravel, which is also a good drainage option.
How Do You Level A Hot Tub On An Uneven Concrete Slab?
Leveling a hot tub on an uneven slab that is an inch or less is simple since you will use simple shims, unlike for steeper slopes.
It will need a lot of involvement and might even need one to build a new concrete slab.
Before using the simple shims, always read the manufacturer’s manual to be well acquainted with how to use the shims safely.
Some manufacturers do not allow the use of shims to level your hot tub on an uneven concrete slab, and defying that may lead to an interference with your hot tub warranty.
Do You Have To Keep A Hot Tub Plugged In All The Time?
Yes, you need to leave your hot tub plugged in at all times except for when planning to go away for a long while or when winterizing the hot tub.
Constantly changing the tub’s temperature, lowering and raising it by turning it on and off, sure does mess up with the electricity bills.
It is more convenient to leave the tub on at all times to maintain the temperature than turning it on and heating the cold water.
This will make the electricity bills shoot higher than when the hot tub is constantly on.
Do Inflatable Hot Tubs Use A Lot Of Electricity?
Inflatable hot tubs use a little more electricity compared to normal hot tubs.
The reason why they use high power are; it takes time to heat the water to the required temperature, how frequent the tub is used, the climate of the location, and the time of the year.
During summer, the water temperature used to fill up the inflated hot tub is usually high, so it takes a short time to heat it, but this is not the same case during the winter season.
During winter, the temperatures drop, and so does the temperature of the water used to fill up the inflatable hot tub, so this causes a slow heat up hence using more power.
What Is The Cheapest Way To Run A Hot Tub?
Running a hot tub can mean to be quite expensive, especially during the winter seasons. To help save on the costs of running a hot tub, here are some of the things one should do.
Most tubs run 38 to 40 degrees Celsius to maintain the temperature and always have the hot tub ready for use at any time.
This can mean to be costly during cold seasons since the hot tub will need to use extra energy than normal to heat the water.
You will need to reduce the temperature of the hot tub to a moderate temperature to save on electricity costs, especially when not using the hot tub.
The hot tub cover should always be checked on a regular to ensure it is at its best.
A good hot tub cover is always well insulated since 60% of the heat escapes through the surface of the hot tub.
Replacing a worn-out cover and adding a cover lift will make it easier to lift and keep it in a mint condition for a long while.
Insulate the hot tub cabinet. This will prevent more heat from escaping the hot tub. The insulation is mostly done when purchasing the hot tub at the factory.
If the tub is already installed, but without the insulation agent, you can perform DIY insulation in the comfort of your backyard.
Purchase a spray foam insulation or standard wall insulation and fit it inside the hot tub cabinet to hold the hot tub heat in, stopping it from escaping.
This will help reduce the cost of running the hot tub.
Always keep the air jets closed when not using the hot tub.
Air jets do bring in cold air into the tub, and this makes the hot tub work more to maintain the water temperature since the cold air being let intends to cool down the water at some point.
So, when not using the hot tub, it is advisable that your keep the air jets closed to reduce the amount of power being used by the hot tub to heat the water and save on electricity bills.
To sum it up, high electricity bills make most hot tub owners opt to sell their hot tubs or keep them shut off, which might cause damage to the hot hence more cost in repairing it.
Doing the above will help you as a hot tub owner save more on costs and enjoy the luxury of your tub.
Should I Insulate Under My Hot Tub?
This entirely depends on the type of hot tub one will purchase. Most modern hot tubs come already insulated by the manufacture.
For example, if you have an inflatable hot tub, you will need to insulate it to prevent it from damaging and also prevent heat from escaping through the ground.
Are Saltwater Hot Tubs Better?
Saltwater tubs are the most preferred worldwide.
Saltwater hot tubs are normal hot tubs, but instead of using the regular chlorine-based water, they are fitted with a salt-chlorine generator that adds salt in the hot tub water.
Saltwater is much preferred because it has a parallel level of sanitation to chlorine to maintain the tidiness of the hot tub.
Saltwater keeps the tub clean without the use of harsh chemicals.
The pros of using saltwater in a hot tub are; the water is gentle on the skin, makes it easy to maintain the hot tub, and has no foul smell produced by chlorine, making the spa more enjoyable to use.
Saltwater hot tubs are also water conservative since the spa is clean most of the time, unlike regular hot tubs that have to be cleaned, the water, after every 3 to 4 months in a year.
After installing the salt chlorine generator, you will use test strips every 10 days to check the water ph.
Level and know the amount of chemicals needed for cleaning the water. This helps the water stay clean for a long period hence little use of water.
Another advantage of using saltwater is that the water does not dry on your skin when you get out of the tub.
In reference to chlorine water, salt water is gentler to the eyes, making it a better option and gives a whole level of therapeutic experience to the bathers.
