Thinking about a hot tub

[brewerrob]

Hello all, I have ran across an ad on cl, of course, a guy is getting rid of a 8 by 8 sundance hot tub. Says it has a recent pinnacle heater system with thermostat, hasnt been used in about a year. has the wood veneer sides cover and all for FREE. I have never owned a hot tub, have a rent house. What does it taked to install one, i have a back wood patio but would rather have it on the ground, what would i need for a base? How much, approx. do they weigh?would the big blocks work or do you have to pour concrete? I have a electrician friend who i am gonna have come out to look to see if i can wire it in. What is it gonna do to my electric bill? what are chemicals gonna run? It would be amazing to have a hot tub at my bachelor pad, but wanna kinda know what im getting into. Thanks, i appreciate any input.

Rob

 

[BC]

Welcome,
I poured a concrete slab (make sure its level and stable). Also had to put in a 60 amp breaker with ground fault protector. Two people can move it with a dolly. Depending how old it is and the move, I would check for leaks before filling it all the way. Chemicals are relatively cheap - I may pay $60/year. Basic chems are Chlorine shock, Bleach, dry acid (PH down)....You can use baking soda to adjust TA and borax (20 mule team) to adjust PH. Depending on the insulation, my heater really may kick on once or twice/day depending on your temp settings. Mine's at 100 during summer and 101-2 during winter so I estimate it effects my electric bill maybe $15 a month on average. Get a good test kit (Taylor). I would also buy a spare filter cartridge that I swap out every other water change - they'll last a long time. Mine is a Sundance as well (vintage 2007 model) have no issues but bought it new.
Barry

 

[geekgranny]

I would reinforce the wood cabinet while moving it. Also, you can move it to the location, once on the ground by putting 1.2" PVC pipes under it and rolling it over them. The one or two that come out the backside are then placed in the front and so forth. I move a lot of heavy things like that myself. If you have to go over rocks or soft ground you can put down a tarp or lay 2 X 4s to roll across. You could also use larger PVC. I just happen to keep 1.5" for jobs such as that.

gg=alice

 

[meatloaf]

My Hot Tub is small (250 gallons) and I keep the temp @ 102*. The electric costs me about $5.00 per month during the winter months, but I have my tub well insulated.

 

[Richard320]

I'd check to see if the tub will clear the gate, or will you have to tear down a section of fence?

Also get approval from the landlord. Sometimes they get picky about killing sections of lawn. And if you move and leave the tub, he's got to deal with it.

 

[PaulR]

Regarding water maintenance, the basics are handled in this post:
how-do-i-use-chlorine-in-my-spa-or-pool-t10095.html
I find it works really well.
--paulr

 

[cobra46]

I have an 8 x 8 Cal Spas tub and it weighs 1000 pounds empty and 4600 pounds full. The huge Samoan guys that moved it used a dolly. Check out the link in my signature to see a few shots of them moving it.

Most tubs require only a 50A circuit. Material alone for this hookup can be a bit spendy can run into the hundreds.