Spa Air Button location?

[robininni]

I just assumed the spa air button would be located on the coping of the spa as this is the only place I have ever seen them and it would seem this is the only handy place to have it (unless your spa height is flush with the decking) so that you can turn the spa jets on and off comfortably while remaining in the spa. That being said, ours was put on the decking outside the spa.

So when I noticed this pipe sticking up out of the ground before the decking was poured near the spa and ask what it was the PB told me it was for the spa jets. When I asked why it wasn't on the spa coping, the PB said that he always had trouble with ones placed in the spa coping--the coping cracking around it and/or water got in the button so that it quit working and to fix it they always had to go back and put a bigger airline in it or something along those lines--so now he puts them next to the spa and he hasn't had any problems. He said he will make it flush with the decking once the decking is finished.

I'm just not sure I buy all that. It seems a more rational explanation is they forgot to run the plumbing for this before gunite so that it now had to be located through the decking. Does what he said make any sense? Is placement on the decking near the spa a common way of doing this? I just think it is not very convenient like this and will be sort of tacky even when flush. I can imagine friends and family wondering why we/they have to stand and stretch over the spa coping to press the button to turn the jets on and off.

Here's a photo of how it looks now (supposed to be shortened at some point):

 

[mas985]

I agree that probably won't last very long without breaking at some point.

Will you be installing a controller? Most support wireless remotes which I think is a better solution anyway because it allows you to control more functions.

 

[robininni]

No, we chose not to the do controller package and will do everything manually. Like I said, the 'stalk' is supposed to be reduced down to be flush with the concrete deck (somehow) but it just seems this is an odd location for the air button and it should have been put in the spa wall and come out on the shelf (coping) of the spa. That's the way I've always seen it done and I have trouble believing the way mine was installed was intentional. It seems more likely it was done this way to rectify a mistake (forgetting to put in the piping for the air tube during the plumbing phase before gunite so it could come up through the spa wall. Has anyone seen a raised spa intentionally built with the button on the decking next to the spa rather than on the spa?