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Pacific Spa Sales
Pre-delivery
Hot Tub and Spa Site Planning Information
1. Hawaii information
2. Surface Prep
3. Spa Installation on a Deck
4. Installing down into a Deck
(scroll down
for more installation information)
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Read the Articles
Hawaii
Specific Information for Spa Installation
Spa
Specialist Recommended Wiring: You are going to need a 4
wire, #6 size copper wire, 240V wiring installed by a licensed
electrician for your spa wiring. The electrical wires are wired
directly into the spa. 60 amp or 50 amp depending on the
requirements of the spa. You also
need a GFCI spa disconnect as described
below.
The one that Spa Specialist sells is the best because it is heavy
duty and won't false trip. Spa Specialist wants you to have a
robust GFCI disconnect that will be problem free for the life of
your spa. Your electrician may insist that you don't need any of
this. They may try to explain that all you need is a GFCI breaker
in the main panel and a simple disconnect near the spa. This is the
quick and easy route for them which will save them time. It won't
save you money. These GFCI breakers don't hold up over time. Do not
let them convince you otherwise. Call me for an electrician
referral if you do not have an electrician who will work with you.
( or if they are charging too much.)
You also need adequate unobstructed space (no trees, Outdoor AC
units etc.) to move the spa from the street into the site. About
43" width with about 8 ft plus vertical clearance depending on the
dimensions of your spa. Consider a crane if ground access has too
many obstructions. A crane may allow you to consider sites that
otherwise would be unusable due to poor access.
In Hawaii there is no building permit
needed to install a spa. No permit is needed to pour a concrete
slab. However, there are specific building code requirements
regarding the hot tub electric service plus safety fencing
requirements specific to pools and spas. Your site must meet all
Hawaii code requirements. Your Homeowner's Insurance Co. will also
want to know it meets code. Do not attempt to do the electric
wiring yourself. Hire a licensed electrician who understands hot
tubs.
Click Here For Our Haven
Preferred Wiring Diagram
Feel free to call Vince or email questions. 808-230-7932
Installing a
Portable Spa or Hot Tub: Part One
Written
by Jim Arjuna, The Spa Specialist:
I receive a lot of questions about how to install a spa; what is
needed, and what may be done to prepare for the spa.
Because our spas are made in the best possible fashion, with modern
acrylic, and painstaking fiber-glassing, The spas must be placed on
a solid flat surface.
We recommend either a concrete slab, or a deck with concrete
caissons.
On
Concrete Pad
With a concrete pad it is preferred to place it on a well compacted
and level ground. We recommend at least 4 inches thick, and be
reinforced. Spas can weigh close to 5,000 pounds. The concrete
should not have any relief cuts into the surface for stress
cracking. The reason for this is so the slab will not separate
under the spa, but will work like a huge flat table if the ground
shifts. We do not want the spa the become distorted.
In some parts of the country, the ground is very stable, and you
may be able to use other support systems. I prefer to recommend the
best possible platforms, for any area of the country. Check with
your local building department for their opinion on the ground. In
Colorado, where our store is, the base has to be supported by
concrete, because the ground is an unstable mixture of soft and
hard materials.
Nearly
all spa warranties have a disclaimer for improper installations
that cause shell cracking from distorted
platforms.
It is a good idea to have a plan for how you want the spa to be
oriented, so the best seats are aligned with something you like to
look at. (I like looking up at the stars, and out towards the
mountains).
If the spa is to be out in the open, we recommend that the platform
be big enough for an extended area in front of the spa for the
steps and a place to hang your robes. If you are concerned about
the appearance of a large concrete slab, you can have the slab go
just under the spa, and place stonework around the spa, and in the
front for the entrance area. The steps we include with our spas are
23 inches out from the spa and 30 inches wide. If the spa has a
"cut corner" design with the step in at the cut corner, the slab
has to be big enough to accommodate the steps at the corner.
If you plan to have a gazebo, you may want the concrete to extend
to the outer walls of the gazebo, or place concrete "footers" where
the gazebo structural posts will go.
If you want hidden electrical conduit, you can have the electrician
bring the conduit up through the concrete, into the bottom of the
spa. With thermal pane spas, this is an easy thing to do, because
there are many places inside the spa where the electrical conduit
can be brought in. (Another reason to stay away from fully foamed
spas)
If you are planning to have a cover removal device like our
SuperLift2 or Cover Butler, plan an area behind the spa at least 15
inches of clear space for the cover to tilt off the spa. 18 inches
is even better.
Installing
A Portable Spa
Part
II
Installing On
And In Decks
No matter what is written here, the final authority on deck
construction is your local building officials.
If you decide to install your spa on a wooden deck (or a trex
deck), the structural integrity of the platform is very important
to insure a long and enjoyable spa experience. There are only a
handful of cheaply made spas that can sit on the bare ground. Those
are usually made of Centrex or Rovel ( co-extruded thermoplastic)
as it is sometimes called.
INSTALLING
ON A DECK:
Because modern acrylic backed by structural fiberglass is the best
known material to make a spa that will last, the shell must not be
flexed as the spa is sitting on the deck. Thousands of pounds of
water on a weak platform will stress the shell and cause cracks. I
once took in a used spa that was sitting on top of a floor drain in
a basement. The spa worked fine, but it had cracks all around the
upper lip of the shell. As the spa sat there it sank in the middle
around the foot-well and put a lot of pressure on the walls of the
shell. This also greatly lowered the value of the spa.
According to the Deck contractors I have talked with and building
inspectors the minimum for a spa deck structure is 2 X 12 framing,
usually pressure treated fir on 15 inch centers or 2 X 10 on 12
inch centers. The end plates where the floor framing joists are
attached should be double 2 x 12 or triple 2 x 10 for structural
integrity. The whole frame should be on top of five concrete
pillars about 18 inches square by 24 inches deep, or 12 inch round
by 48 inches deep; with the top of the concrete at ground level.
Place 4x4 vertical structural supports on top of the pillars. At
the center 4x4 support attach a 2X10 under at 90 degrees to the
floor joist across the entire spa.
The average spa weighs over 4000 Lb. full of water. The standard is
about 80 pounds per square foot.
There is some controversy here among deck builders, partially, I
believe, due to the type of woods being used. If you use redwood
for the frame, it is not quite as strong as the pressure treated
fir. The spa will also be sitting there for a long time, so some of
the weaker constructs that seem OK now will start to sag with
time.
So far I have never heard a building inspector say that the deck
needs to be fixed because it is too strong.
INSTALLING
DOWN IN A DECK; See
Part 3 Below for more detailed
Instructions.
One
of my favorite ways to install a spa is to put the spa on a
concrete slab, or on a strong sub decking and build up decking
around the spa's skirt. Because of the inefficiency of taking a spa
shell without the insulated skirt and placing it down in a deck, it
is not recommend except in only very warm climates. There is just
too much wasted energy doing it that way. I have seen many older
spa installations built this way, and they all are expensive to
operate, even the ones with three inches of foam sprayed on the
outer wall of the shell. Some of the customers tell me horror
stories of $150 per month or more in the winter.
Even though the deck level spa lip looks very nice, I do not
recommend placing the spa all the way down to the level of the deck
for several user friendly ( ergonomic) reasons. I recommend placing
the spa about 10 or 12 inches above the decking, and using a spa
with a step in area or a high seat. Placing the spa at a height so
that the step in is level with the decking makes for the easiest
entry and exit. When people soak in hot water to relax, they
usually don't like having to "do push-ups" or climb stairs to get
out. Also, exiting the spa so you wind up with your butt on the
ground is not very ergonomic. It is simply much better to step out
over the lip of the spa at ground level, with very little height
difference from one foot to the other.
Some people, for aesthetics, will put the spa in the ground, or
fully down in the deck. In that case, you must have a spa with
steps or a high seat. Many people are now learning the hard way
that their step-less spa is hard to get in or out of after spending
tens of thousands to get it constructed that way!
There are some rather clever designed spas with a high seat that is
a great step for entering the spa. You be the judge if it will work
in a deck.
Placing the spa at 10 or 12 inches above the deck also has other
advantages. It is much easier to get water samples for testing if
you do not have to get down on your knees, bending down to get the
elbow length dip, necessary for proper testing. With the spa
slightly above the floor level, you can sit on the edge and not get
your knees in the snow, dirt, concrete or hard decking. Isn't the
whole idea of a spa "comfort and relaxation", not more work!
Removing the cover is a lot easier if you do not have to bend down
to ground level. I had a hot tub that was totally in the ground.
Getting the cover off was a pain. A cover remover would have made
it easier, but it was still too low.
Having the ability to attach the cover straps straight down to the
side of the cabinet also has two other advantages. It allows a much
stronger hold on the cover by the straps or tie-downs. When the
tie-downs are at 90 degrees of angle to the top of the cover it is
a much stronger hold against wind than having the straps stretched
out and away from the cover. The other advantage is the cover skirt
can be much better put to use in keeping dirt out of the spa. I
have opened up many spas with the straps stretched out on the deck
and found lots of dirt blown in under the cover. In high wind areas
it gets really bad.
If the spa has approximately 3 inch rise on the acrylic above the
deck, you can make a cut-out in the decking where the tie-downs
attach and the cover skirt can be tucked down along the side of the
spa. You can also attach grommets to the skirt, anything to keep
the dirt out.
IMPORTANT
In order to install a spa in a deck, the spa must NOT be sealed up
so that the spa is not repairable. It is not good to place decking
right up to the spa and leave no access. (I do not like spas with
no removable panels for access all the way around the spa. I would
never consider owning one because that is just too stupid!) I once
went out on a custom installed jetted bath, in which the equipment
was sealed inside a tiled structure with no access. As far as I
know the tub is still not working. I would have had to destroy an
expensive and beautiful bathroom in order to fix the pump. Just
recently, we had a customer with an indoor spa all sealed up in
tile; leaking through to the carpet. I told them to hire a
contractor to cut an access so we could work on it. The spa now
just sits there empty.
There is not one single spa warranty that covers removing the spa
for repairs. If there is no access to the equipment, you will have
to pay extra to make the spa accessible. I have been involved with
a repair where the spa was leaking, and had to be extracted by
eight strong guys lifting it out, at a cost of over $400 to remove
and replace it for a warranty repair job.
If you place a spa below the deck, the best way to allow access is
with removable decking pieces. I have seen this many times and it
works very well.
The decking can be supported by removable floor joists, that are
not nailed in place, but are just sitting in a support. It is
recommended to have access all the way around, or at least on two
sides. If the spa has a problem on either of the other sides, it
can be slid over in the hole created by removing the decking.
Another way to install the spa is up against an existing deck. This
works quite well, and even better if the spa is 10 or 12 inches
above the deck.
The cover lifter or cover remover is a great thing to have. The
most popular are ones that keep the cover down and below so the
cover is not an obstruction to the view. In order to achieve this
some planning is important.
Your spa can be a real pleasure if the cover is easy to operate. If
the cover is in the view, it is not the best. Our favorite cover
lifter is the Super Lift2 by Ideal Cover company. It allows the
easiest removal, and has a lifetime warranty.
There are many ways to install a spa. The common problems with spa
installation is just plain lack of forethought.
When you plan for the cover removal device and intend to put the
spa in a deck, you can allow cut-outs for the actuating arms on the
side of the spa. We have helped customers set a spa this way. The
cover can fit down into a recessed area, beside the back of the
spa. These spas are usually set on or close to the end of the deck.
The cover can actually be mounted so it sits below the top lip of
the spa.
The spas mounted in a deck with no possibility of using a
SuperLift, can use a Cover Lift or other type of cover remover that
lifts the spa cover, folded in half, straight up at a 90 degree
angle from the top of the spa.
Any time you can use a cover lifter, you add ease to your spa use,
and help the cover last much longer. The constant scuffing and
rubbing caused by putting a loose cover on and off the spa, will
wear through the cover's plastic seal over the foam core. Once the
core is open to the spas water, is starts to become saturated by
water. Once the core is soaked, it becomes worthless for
insulation, and very heavy. The shortest life on a spa cover is
guaranteed if a small person is putting a large cover on the spa
and struggling with it. The cover gets abused quickly this
way.
Part
III
Installing
an energy efficient spa hot tub in the
ground.
No matter what
is written here, the final authority on construction is your local
building officials.
Many people want their hot tub down in the ground, sort of like a
natural hot spring.
There are several problems with the old standard way of installing
spas in the ground. That is why I do not recommend it.
The old way is to dig a hole in the ground, place the plumbed
shell (with a layer of foam) directly in the hole, and backfill it
with sand.
The problems with it are lack of energy efficiency, and extremely
difficult plumbing repairs. The spa tends to float out of the
ground after a few years. This style of spa is usually a custom
made hot tub, and is much more expensive per feature than a factory
made portable spa.
Because of the moisture in the ground, eventually the (insulation)
foam becomes wet, and is useless for insulation. The heat gets
rapidly drawn out of the spa hot tub vessel.
Any plumbing problems require that the spa hot tub, be
extracted from the ground and this is an all day job for two or
three people.
The best way, that I know of, is to install the spa hot tub in a
vault. This is simply an underground room that is easy to build. It
does require a little extra digging and some basic concrete,
plumbing, and masonry skills.
You have to plan for drainage inside the vault, similar to the
drainage system used in basements.
The procedure goes like this:
1/ Dig out a vaulted room in the ground, make it at least six
inches deeper than the height required for the hot tub, (this is
for the thickness of the concrete floor), and at least 48 inches
bigger than the sides of the hot tub. If you have a 91 inches by 91
inches by 38 inches high spa,.the hole would be 139 inches by 139
inches by 44 inches deep, figuring on a six inch acrylic rise out
of the ground with a six inch concrete floor. The thickness
of the concrete or block on the wall needs to be added to finish at
24 inches all the way around. There are variations on this, so
consult us or a local engineer for any problems with
space. If you get a lot of rain, you may need to have a
rock base under the concrete for drainage under the tub.
2/ Dig out and install the drainage system, either attach it to the
house sewer system (if above the sewer level), or create a drainage
system similar to the leaching field used in septic systems. You
may need to put in a plastic drainage bucket in one corner and a
submersible pump to catch the water and pump it out ( easiest to
do). You will need some expert help designing it. Call your
building department. Different soils require different length of
piping and different sizes of pipe and different leach field
requirements. The point is to never allow water to build up inside
the vault. Put the plumbing for the drain in the corner of the
vault. I recommend that the center be perfectly flat
where the hot tub sits, and the perimeter 24 inches be sloped into
the drain. The drain can be a plastic 10-20 gallon bucket
with an automatic sump pump (the simplest and easiest to do).
3/ Dig out for the electrical to be installed, either under the hot
tub or just outside the spa perimeter. Install the conduit, just
above the level of the floor about 6 inches. All conduit must be
water proof for underground service.
4/ Place a retaining wall made from concrete reinforced blocks
(cinder blocks). Use rebar inside the blocks tied to the floor.
Because the blocks are 8 inches thick, the room now is 139 inches
square. This is 48 inches bigger than the outside of the spa. This
allows 24 inches all around the hot tub for access to the equipment
and plumbing. This is the best for working on the hot tub and
or moving the spa in and out without a crane. It can be
ramped into the hole. If the hole is too small, you will
still have to raise the spa for any service to the sides with space
limitations.
5/ Using the retaining wall as a concrete form, mark the exact
depth of the floor concrete on the wall all the way around the
room. Use a laser level or a transit or a hose level to get it
perfect. The floor must be level in the center, 91 inches square
for a Fallsburg, as an example.
6/ Place the drain in position about 2 inches below the level of
the hot tub's level floor.
7/ Install a string layout the exact size of the spa at the exact
level of the floor, using the concrete wall with anchors to hold
the string.
8/ Pour the concrete starting in the center making the area of the
spa perfectly level, and the area outside the hot tub run into the
drain, with a 1/4 inch per foot run-off. (If necessary make two
forms and pour in two concrete sections. One form for the spa area
in the center, and another for the drain area.
9/ After the concrete is cured, place the hot tub in the
vault and have your electricity hooked up. A crane or boom truck
works well for lowering the hot tub in place if the space
does not allow.
10/ Now build a removable ground level floor decking out of
pressure treated and redwood. If you want a planted area around the
hot tub's top, you use a 6 inch planters with a plastic liner
and place it on a six inch lower decking. Make sure the decking can
support the dirt. You can be creative with this. Make it so the
planters can be lifted out without harming the plants.
Make an easily accessible door for access to the equipment side of
the hot tub.
11/ If the spa is a high performance model, such as the
Vista, SE or Paramount, or SC you need to have air ducted into the
space. If there is decking as in the photo, just the 1/4 inch
spaces between the deck board is enough air.
By installing your spa this way, you will have a very efficient and
much easier to live with spa. If the spa ever has a problem it can
be repaired with ease, and without the tremendous effort of the old
style. The spa will have more efficiency than an above the
ground spa. The vault creates another level of insulation, and
keeps water off the spas insulation. This is the best value
for in-ground hot tub installation I know of.
Plumbing
Considerations
Portable spas do
not need any connections to either water or drain. They
simply fill with a garden hose and drain with a garden hose.
You can also us a sump pump for quick draining. Using Instant
Ions or Eco One allows you to drain the spa directly on the ground
and the water can be used to water plants.
If you are installing a potable spa in a room, it needs a water
proof floor, a drain and the fixtures in the room must be water/
steam proof, like in a locker shower room.
Electrical
Considerations.
I worked as an
electrician ( as well as an electronics technician) for years,
before getting into the spa business, so I understand the
installation procedures from both the electrician's and the spa
installers viewpoints. There are many electricians, who do not
fully understand the operation of spas, and how a spa has a
different need than say and electric clothes dryer.
One of the main concerns with a spa is the power requirements for
water pumps. Because water pumps have a rather heavy current draw
during the motor starting, it is recommended to use a larger wire,
than is commonly used. I have seen many newly constructed custom
houses with too small wire for the powerful two and three pump spas
being offered today. We recommend using Number 6 copper wire for
your spa. If you look inside the control box of most modern spas,
they are built with lugs for number 6 copper wire. Even if the
electrical requirements for the spa you get now is for a smaller
wire, you may consider trading up to a more powerful spa in the
future.
The other concern is the length of run. With water pumps the wire
size gets larger with distance, more so than with any resistive
load. I can recall installing a 240 volt irrigation pump with
number 6 copper for a 100 foot run; even thought the breaker size
was 20 Amps. The nature of the reactive rating on the pump motor
called for a large wire to allow full energy to the motor.
Too small of a wire, can cause the motors to have a lower voltage
at starting, and shorten the life of the motors. In spa wiring, if
you use a sheathed cable (romex) the wire size must be increased
one size. The heat retention of a closed cable cause more heat
build up.
Ground
Fault Safety considerations:
A Ground Fault
Circuit Interrupter, GFCI, is an electrical safety device required
by the National Electrical Code to be installed on all spas after
January 1,1994. It basically senses an electrical current going
straight to ground, often indicating electricity in the water.
These GFCI's are set to a very low amount of electrical current. I
don't believe I could feel 0.5 MA of electricity, but that is how
sensitive they are. The concept is to stop even the slightest
possibility of getting electricity touching your body. A good
concept!
We have found that two pole GFCI breakers, the standard types used
inside load centers (main panels and sub panels) do not work very
well on spas. There is a phenomenon called "false tripping", that
drives spa repair people and spa electricians crazy.
I have (as an experiment) replaced an entire spa equipment package,
in order to prove that the false tripping GFCI breaker was the
problem. The electrician (who had not installed many spas) told me
that the breaker was tripping because of a problem in the spa. The
funny thing is we have many of the same equipped spas that do not
have a false tripping problem on a GFCI disconnect. I have heard of
things such as garage door openers that cause the spa's GFCI
breaker to trip. (That must have been a time waster to
locate!!)
Because of the reactive loads that spas present, and the fact that
parts of the spa run on 115 volts, the GFCI breakers "think" that a
normal spa condition is a ground fault and trip for no measurable
reason. The breakers also go bad with time. It seems that spas are
rough on these GFCI Breakers.
This is not a fun thing to deal with! In the winter it can lead to
frozen spas!
I know that it took a long time to develop GFCI breakers and they
barely work on spas. I personally do not think it is possible to
make one, because no one has (Still in 2005) made one that works
for a long time on a high performance spa. It seems that unless the
spa has no 115 volt components, and the spa has less than two
pumps, the odds of the GFCI breaker false tripping in time are
100%. I have seen capacitors applied to stop the back feed of
electricity to the chassis of motors, so the GFCI doesn't "think"
the magnetic lines of flux crossing the metal frame are not a
ground fault.
There is an answer. It is called the GFCI disconnect. This device
is not a "breaker". It does not trip because of an over-current. It
is strictly a ground fault detector. It consists of a high current
GFCI that drives a three pole contactor. If there is a ground
fault, it turns off the contactor and disconnects all three lines.
The two "hots" and the neutral. It is UL listed, and comes with its
own outdoor box. If you can't find one, we distribute them.
The best way to install them is this way. Place a standard 50 or 60
amp two pole breaker in the house load center. Run conduit out to
the GFCI, then conduit to the spa. The GFCI needs to be available
to the spa, and not locked in another room. Ask the building
department in your area about placement. The electricians like
them, and I like them. They are easy to install, with lots of room
for the number 6 wires to bend.
So far, I have not seen one "false trip". I have seen them trip and
shut off power with reason; usually water in the ozonator.
(We finally had one in 2003!. that is one out of approximately 2400
we have sold.)
When ever I have the chance to talk with my customer's electrician,
I talk them out of using a GFCI breaker and into using a GFCI
disconnect. I simply say: "If the breaker trips, you will be the
first person to go out and waste your time." If the GFCI disconnect
trips, then I'll be the first to send someone out." The worst case
so far was $577 paid to a spa repair service company to fix a spa
under warranty that was not defective. If the spa is fine, there is
no warranty. The GFCI breaker was the problem, but the
electrician insisted there was nothing wrong with the
breaker. So, eventually we got another electrician out to fix
the problem by removing the faulty GFCI breaker and replacing
it. The customer also had to pay the electrician. That
is an expensive lesson that I do not want to put on my
customers.
Vince Bergan/Pacific Spa
Sales
Hot Tubs
Oahu 808-247-4114
Call
808-247-4114
email:
vince@pacificspasales.com 