Used Calspas Hot Tub

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Rocketfish

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Jun 6, 2016
102
Orange County, CA
Hey everyone. A friend of mine wants to donate his 6 person hot tub to me. He bought it for around $11k ten years ago and has hardly used it outside. It needs a new cover.

What are your thoughts on this? My wife and I definitely want a jacuzzi, and this above ground version would be really nice.

I was wondering the following because I have no idea...

Do you care for the water just like the pool, using TFP methods?
Assuming the thing works nominally, does it heat itself, or do I need to somehow connect it to my existing pool heater?
How much would it cost to get a crane to lift it out of my friend's back yard and into my back yard?
How much does it cost to transport it from his house to mine (roughly 10 miles)?
If we don't use it, do we just turn it off, or does a pump need to run once a day like my swimming pool?

These are just the basic immediate questions I have. I will read up in our forum on the care and maintenance of a hot tub in the next day or so.
 
Chemistry-wise, you want to do this - How do I use Chlorine in my Spa (or pool)?

Also, since it's used and probably not cared for to the highest standards (TFP Clean), you want to get some Ahh-some (Ahh-Some Water Cleanser for Your Pool, Hut Tub, Jet Bath, Swim Spa and Washing Machine -) to purge the plumbing with.

Check the electrical specs as you will need a place to put it and you'll likely need at least a 220V breaker to hook it up with (hardwired into a breaker sub-panel). These thing don't just plug into a wall outlet. Unless you're really handy with electrical work, you'll probably want to hire an electrician to do a proper hookup

The heater is built into the system.

Normally when not in use but running, you leave the spa in Idle mode which runs the recirculation pump at timed intervals and keeps the water at a low(er) temperature, like 95F. Then, when you want to soak, you start it up and it heats the water up to a higher set point (104F is the max typically).

As for transportation, setup, etc, you might try contacting a local pool and spa supplier in your area and let them know what you're doing. They may be willing to work with you on getting it setup for a fee and may even be able to handle the transportation/relocation. Obviously they want to hook you into being a customer of theirs to sell you lots of chemicals you don't need, so there is some motivation on their part to help out if they're not too busy at the moment...

Good luck!!


PS - A spa shop might also be willing to go visit the tub and give it a once-over to see if anything needs to be fixed or replaced on it.
 
When I got my used 1996 Calspa, I was able to flip it on it's side, onto a couple of piano dollies. The frame was in bad shape but I got very lucky. It took me and a few friends to roll it along a series of plywood sheets to get it in the back yard.

Don't know if you are able to do the same thing but thought my experience might be helpful.
 
Moving a hot tub is not overly difficult. There are lots of videos on youtube that are kinda fun to watch. One guy in particular "spa guy" is pretty funny, he does several spa moves by himself ranging from fairly simple to seemingly impossible. He operates a spa store that does rent to own hot tubs around Nashville and has posted several videos of hot tub repos where he slips in and grabs his spa after they fail to pay. He's entertaining and might give you some idea what it would entail for you or someone you hire to complete your move. I bought my tub from a friend and moved it from their enclosed patio across town and onto my elevated deck. My wife, adult son and I completed the move ourselves.

If you get the tub, check out rhtubs.com for your new cover. I just received my new cover from rhtubs after finding them recommended on TFP. They were great to work with and my upgraded cover is far superior to what was on the spa. It is unbelievable how heavy the old cover had gotten as the seal had failed and it soaked up with water. I am still amazed how much nicer it is every time I open it.
 
Hey everyone, you've inspired me to think about moving this thing myself AS LONG AS IT'S PHYSICALLY POSSIBLE. The thing weighs 500 pounds and is 8 ft X 8 ft. If I recall correctly, my friend has an alley near where the spa is. I am not sure if it can be tilted on its side and fit through their gate, but if it DOES, then heck yeah! As for my house, i think it would be physically impossible without tearing down my gate, AND, the supporting fence around it. I will certainly check out those videos and see what they do. I wonder if I can partially dismantle the thing?
 
If it's at all like mine the frame is part of the support for the tub. Plus they spray foamed the whole underside/inside so there really wouldn't be any difference in the size. Maybe a few inches but not much more than that.
 
Yep, they are pretty much one big self contained unit, making it smaller is really unlikely. Removing the cover or cover lift is about the extent for size reduction. Tipping it up on it's side is probably fine as long as the wood structure is still solid enough to handle it. Tipping will usually dump a few more gallons of water from what seemed like an already empty tub, at 8 pounds per gallon every bit helps.

Pros usually have a slippery plastic sled that they can tip the tub on and slide it, also a wheeled furniture dolly or two can come in handy. It's amazing how easily you can move a heavy tub using just a few sticks of pipe, cheap pvc water line or drain pipe works well. Use a lever and fulcrum to lift the tub, then slide several sticks of pipe under and the tub will roll along like a big drawer. You can lift the tub and turn the pipes 90 degrees to go the other way or the tub will easily slide along parallel to the pipe due to the slippery nature of the pvc. Working alone I rolled my tub 12 feet across the deck and didn't even break a sweat.
 
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