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Planning For A Spa

When you have finally made the decision to get a spa it is an exciting time. There are a few things that need to be decided when planning for a spa. Some of these things include:

Where will I put it?
How will I get it home?
What type of utilities are needed to get the spa operating?
Will you need any permits from your town in order to get it installed?

Let’s make sure you will be prepared for your spa and take a few minutes to make this an easy transition.

Where are you going to put your spa?
The first thing that needs to be decided when planning for a spa is where it is going. Everyone’s yard is unique and different so there is not a specific answer for this. With that being said there are a few things that need to be kept in mind when making this decision. The first thing to keep in mind is the surface that the spa is going to sit on. A spa must sit on a firm, level surface. This includes a 4 inch cement slab (manufacturer recommended), deck, paver stones, brick patio, or a prefab surface that can be purchased from American Sale. For all of these surface options you need to make sure that they are properly installed, level and can hold the weight of the spa, water and the people in it. Gazebos and enclosures are also available for privacy.

Next thing is the view. When deciding where the spa is going to sit in the backyard, walk around the yard with one or a couple folding chairs with your family or friends and position them as if you are sitting in a spa. Now every spas layout is different but until you decide on a specific model place the chairs in a U shape to get the feeling of where it is going to be. Sit in each chair and imagine sitting in the spa. What are your views? Does anyone have a good view of you? While doing this you can also get a good idea of what size spa you want. Another thing to keep in mind is whether or not a service technician can get to all four sides of the spa and work on it comfortably. Most technicians will need 2 to 3 feet of space to work on your spa. 95% of the time, any service work that would take place is from the front panel of the spa.
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How are you going to get the spa in your yard?
When purchasing a spa from American Sale we will get the spa to your chosen area. We will just need a little help from you to get the area ready for us to transport it from the unloading site to the final destination. We will bring the spa to your home on a flat bed truck. When we take the spa off the truck it will be tipped on its side onto a cart that has wheels that can safely role through your lawn without causing any damage.

Your responsibility is to provide us with a level, unobstructed pathway from the unloading site to the spas final resting spot. Therefore make sure all debris, gates, fences, door, windows are cleared or removed for the spa to be able to fit through any tight areas. Now if your final destination spot for the spa is an elevated deck or partition over 30 feet, you may need to consider renting a crane. American Sale can send one of our delivery professionals out to your home to determine if that will be necessary. In most cases we can make due with what is given, but you may need to supply some extra manual labor. We are also very experienced in working with the crane company of your choice to make sure everything goes smooth.
Once we get through any obstacles that may be in our way, we place your spa on the level surface you have supplied us and hook up any accessories that you may have received with the spa. So you are only responsible for filling it up with water and have a certified electrician hook it up according to your spas owners’ manual. That’s it!
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What types of utilities are needed to get a spa operating and functional?
All of the spas that American Sale sells only require an electrical hook up. Many people believe that a spa needs a water line, that is not true. All of the spas that we carry are self contained and can be filled up with a garden hose. When filling your spa you need to place the garden hose in a specific filter inside the filter compartment on the spa. Our delivery professionals will point out to you which filter that one is when they delivery your spa. The reason for this is to prevent any air locks in your equipment. By filling it from the filter, the spa is filled from the inside out and that will not allow any air bubbles to get stuck in your heater or circulation pump.

    The electric hook up on your spa depends on what brand and model you have. Most of our spas require a 230V 50 AMP service dedicated for the spa. This is a hardwired directly into the spa. So you need to make sure that you have 50 AMP’s available in the main electric panel in your home that can be dedicated to the spa. Then, once your spa is delivered and filled with water, a certified electrician can run the electric from your main panel in your home to a sub panel. The sub panel can be purchased from American Sale. This sub panel has a GFCI 50 AMP breaker inside of it. It is to be placed at least 5 feet from your spa, but still within viewing distance of the spa. This sub panel is needed for a few reasons. First it is needed for any electric surges from your spa. It also serves as a quick disconnect for any emergency issues that may occur where you might need to shut the power off to the spa. And last it allows our service team to shut the power off to the spa from the outside so they can service the spa and you won’t even have to be home for it. Please refer to your spa owners’ manual for more specific details.
     Hot Spring spas electrical service to your spa is a little different. Most still require a 230V 50 AMP service, but they hook up a little different. Instead of having a 50 AMP GFCI breaker inside of the sub panel they split it up. There is one 30 AMP GFCI breaker and one 20 AMP GFCI breaker. This requires a six wire hook up from the sub panel to the spa instead of the traditional 4 wire hook up. It is not a lot of extra work for the electrician and it gives your spa much more protection. By splitting the service panel up it allows them to run the heater on the 30 AMP breaker and the circulation pump on the 20 AMP breaker. The reason for that is because the number one failure on a spa is the heater. So if the heater goes out that will cause the GFCI breaker to trip, and if it is only 10 degrees outside and your spa does not have power it will eventually freeze and crack the shell and pipes in the spa. Well if you have a Hot Spring spa only the 30 AMP breaker will trip and the 20 AMP breaker is still running the circulation pump which runs 24 hours a day and will keep the water moving and prevent any chance of the spa freezing over.
     There are also spas that plug in and only use 120V. These spas need a GFCI plug that has a dedicated 20 AMP’s going to it. Keep in mind that some of these plugs are 20 AMP plugs which may require a different receptacle than what you may already have outside. Some of these spas have the option to be hooked up 230V or 120V. There is only one advantage to do the 230V over the 110V. Many people think that it is because the 230V will be less expensive to run. That is technically true, but it is only pennies difference. The major difference is that when you have 230V going to the spa it is pulling 30-50 AMP’s, depending on the model, and it can support running the jet motors and the heater at the same time. When a spa is running off of 120V and is only pulling 15-20 AMP’s and that is not enough to run the jet motors and the heater at the same time. So if you are in the spa with the jets on for more than 30 minutes, the water will start cooling down at a noticeable difference.
     American Sale recommends to get electrical work done after the spa is delivered and in place. Then the electrician will have the owners’ manual available to answer any questions they may have. It could also be an expensive mistake if the electric was short and the electrician had to re-wire everything. It just makes the most sense for it to all be done after the spa is delivered.
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Do you need to get any permits?

The buyer shall be responsible for any permits required by your town pertaining to the purchase of a spa. If your town does require any type of permit they usually request that it is to have a GFCI protected power source, that the spa is UL or ETL rated, and that the spas cover has the ability to lock. Most spas fill all of these requirements. Any other requirements for a permit would be for a separate issue that pertains to the project for building a deck or patio.
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