Site Preparation - Hot Tubs

Deliveries requiring lifting equipment

If lifting equipment of any kind is required, this is the responsibility of the customer to organise a suitable crane or lifting equipment. When the tub is being lifted the responsibility for safety and any damage which occurs to the tub or property is the responsibility of the crane or lift operator.

Location of hot tub

Whether you’ve chosen to have your hot tub indoors or outdoors, on a patio or on a deck just make sure you check the following:

• Always put your spa on a structurally sound, level surface. A filled spa can weigh a great deal. Make certain that the location you choose can support the weight of your filled spa.
• Locate your equipment compartment, which houses all of the electrical components, in a place where water will drain away from it. Allowing water into the equipment compartment can damage the electronics, or may result in tripping your house’s circuit breaker or RCD.
• Leave yourself easy access to all circuit breakers and RCD’s.
• Leave access to at least the entire front of the spa (the removable panels provide access to the spa’s equipment) for periodic spa care and maintenance.

Outdoor and patio installation

No matter where you install your new spa, it’s important that you have a solid foundation to support it. Structural damage to the spa resulting from incorrect installation or placement on an inadequate foundation is not covered under the spa’s limited warranty.

If you install the spa outdoors, a reinforced concrete pad at least four inches thick is recommended for your hot tub. If you place the spa on the ground, even temporarily, place stepping stones under the levelling areas. The stones should be at least two inches thick and twelve inches square. Even with stones in place, the spa will inevitably settle and become unlevel. Plus, a spa surrounded by dirt or grass will soon be filled with dirt or grass from users feet; therefore, it is important to get it onto a solid foundation as soon as possible.

We will not fully install a Spa on a sub standard temporary surface.

Decking

To be certain your deck can support your spa, you must know the deck’s maximum load capacity. Consult a qualified building contractor or structural engineer before you place the spa on an elevated deck or indoors. To find the weight of your spa, its contents and occupants, please contact us. This weight per square foot must not exceed the structure’s rated capacity, or serious structural damage could result.

If you intend install a tub and surround it with decking, please bear in mind that you will need to install access panels to allow access to the sides of the tub for maintenance and any remedial repairs that may be required in years to come. These access panels should be large enough to allow an engineer access to the side panels of the tub and should allow enough room for the engineer to remove the screws in the side panel. This is also the requirement for tubs that are sunken into a pit or are indoors.

IF YOU INTEND TO SINK YOUR TUB INTO DECKING:

WE RECOMMEND THAT YOU BUILD A BASE FIRST, HAVE YOUR HOT TUB POSITIONED ON THE BASE, AND THEN BUILD THE DECKING AROUND IT ONCE INSTALLED. IF OUR DELIVERY TEAMS ARRIVE TO A FULL DECKING WITH A HOLE FOR THE HOT TUB, WE CAN NOT GUARANTEE INSTALLATION. FOR ADVICE ON YOUR DECKING AND INSTALLATION, PLEASE CALL CUSTOMER SERVICES TO DISCUSS.

If you have your tub surrounded by decking that needs to be removed before work (either warranty work or otherwise) can be carried out, this must be removed by yourself prior to our engineer arriving at your property as we cannot be held responsible for any damage that may occur to your decking or tub surround when it is removed for repair or maintenance purposes.

Bear in mind also that decking will vibrate and can have the effect of amplifying the sound from the pumps with its vibration.

Delivery methods & access

First, obtain the dimensions of the hot tub you have ordered from us. You will need to consider the Spa will be delivered on its side on a special hot tub trolley system.

The minimum width of a pathway that is needed is 1.1Metres to enable us to deliver a tub on it’s side without damage to either the property or to the tub.

Height can also be an issue, 350mm must be added to the longest dimension. If your hot tub is 2,100mm x 2,100mm, when it is on it’s side on the trolley it may stand 2,450mm high. Any obstructions will have to be removed to allow access

Also you must consider that the trolley is not flexible and will need a wide turning area to negotiate any corners.

Steps can also be an issue as hot tubs are heavy bulky items that can be very difficult to transport up steps.

For any access queries you have, please email us some images of the site so we can advise before placing your order.

Indoor Installation

Be aware of some special requirements if you place your spa indoors. Water will accumulate around the spa, so flooring materials must provide a good grip when wet. Proper drainage is essential to prevent a build-up of water around the spa. When building a new room for the spa, it is recommended that a floor drain be installed.

The humidity will naturally increase with the spa installed. Water may get into woodwork and produce dry-rot, mildew, or other problems. Check for airborne moisture’s effects on exposed wood, paper, etc. in the room. To minimise these effects, it is best to provide plenty of ventilation to the spa area. An architect can help to determine if more ventilation must be installed.

Electrical Information

Any electrical supply for a hot tub outdoors should be installed by a competent, certified electrician.

All works must be certificated to part P of the building regs. Electrical installation work should always conform to BS:7671 17th edition of the wiring regulations.

Electrical requirements:

Most, if not all domestic Hot Tubs are designed for single phase 230v ac operation

We will tell you the total load the Hot Tub will draw at full operation. Your certified electrician will then be able to work out what size of cabling is required. Even the smallest Hot Tub would usually require at least a 16 amp supply. Bigger Hot Tubs, with 3 pumps or more, generally require a 32 amp supply but this is a guide only.

ALL outside electrical supplies must have mechanical protection, this is either in the form of steel wire armoured cable (SWA) or suitable conduit.

Depending on the wider environment of where your hot tub is being installed, the electrical installation may require an earthing plate or an earthing rod to be installed. Your electrician will be able to advise you on this subject.

The Hot Tub MUST have its own dedicated circuit with correct size fuse breaker and RCD protection. See tub specifics for further details.

A rotary isolator switch, no closer than 2 meters to the Hot Tub, is required so that the Hot Tub can be isolated from the main supply quickly and efficiently

We generally ask for a coil of cable to be left immediately next to the Hot Tub base so that we have enough to wire it in whichever final position the customer chooses.

GFD Homes specific requirements for circuit breakers:

Almost all GFD hot tubs require a 32 Amp RCD protected circuit breaker fitted to your consumer unit. From the consumer unit you should have suitable armoured cable or cable protected by a suitable conduit to a suitable waterproof outdoor isolator switch 2 or 3 metres from the tub. Please consult your electrician for cable thicknesses.

From the isolator switch there needs to be enough cable left to reach the furthest away corner of hot tub so that our engineer can connect the tub to the electrical supply.

If you have purchased one of our 13Amp rated tubs, you will need still to supply a cable from the electrical supply that is long enough to reach around your tub to the position you require the control panel to be. If you are siting one of the 13Amp tubs outside then you will require an ip65 waterproof socket and you will still need to supply either armoured cable or a rotective metal conduit for the cable to be protected from garden tools, animals etc.