hot tubs 3 4 person image
l_m_roach
I would like to find a hot tub that fits 4 adults comfortably with a few kids thrown in every now and then. I live in the northeast and expect to use it all year long. It will be placed on an existing deck that has 2X6 planks on 2X10 joists. The joists run every 16 inches.
Answer
As far as support, you will need to be able to hold 125lbs per square foot. That includes up to a 1000lb hot tub, water and people. Most construction should be able to support that, unless there is rot or some other hindrance.
As far as picking the actual tub
1) Choose a reputable dealer & brand. Look for brands that have 10+ years of sucess.
2) Be cautious when buying from "Big Box" stores. You may get what looks like a bargain, and actually is a nightmare. Consider how long you expect your "investment" to last. Many times spa sold in big box stores offer little to no warranty. Also they are ill-equipped to handle your spa. Should something go wrong, you no local dealer support, only an 800 number. If you are planning on having the spa for up to about 5 years and possibly paying a spa dealer to service it, go ahead and save money by buying at a big box store. If you expect at least 5 years virtually worry free and a total life of 15-20 years, buy a reputable brand from a spa store.
3)Wet Test! Don't buy it until you try it. You wouldn't buy a car without a test drive, and in all reality a good spa will last longer than your car.
4) Price-wise: if it sounds too good to be true, it is. I've seen people on here saying a 5-6 person spa costs around $3300, that makes me suspicious right off the bat. YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!
As far as support, you will need to be able to hold 125lbs per square foot. That includes up to a 1000lb hot tub, water and people. Most construction should be able to support that, unless there is rot or some other hindrance.
As far as picking the actual tub
1) Choose a reputable dealer & brand. Look for brands that have 10+ years of sucess.
2) Be cautious when buying from "Big Box" stores. You may get what looks like a bargain, and actually is a nightmare. Consider how long you expect your "investment" to last. Many times spa sold in big box stores offer little to no warranty. Also they are ill-equipped to handle your spa. Should something go wrong, you no local dealer support, only an 800 number. If you are planning on having the spa for up to about 5 years and possibly paying a spa dealer to service it, go ahead and save money by buying at a big box store. If you expect at least 5 years virtually worry free and a total life of 15-20 years, buy a reputable brand from a spa store.
3)Wet Test! Don't buy it until you try it. You wouldn't buy a car without a test drive, and in all reality a good spa will last longer than your car.
4) Price-wise: if it sounds too good to be true, it is. I've seen people on here saying a 5-6 person spa costs around $3300, that makes me suspicious right off the bat. YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!
Will my deck be able to adequately support a hot tub I just ordered?
Ben
I just ordered a hot tub that is approx 6'x6' and I'm curious if I should worry about my deck being able to handle the load. My deck is small - 18x8 and roughly 4' above grade. The deck has 6 footings approx 40" deep. I have double 2x12 girders with 2x8 joists. I'm not a contractor so my description may be confusing - I apologize in advance, but essentially my deck is two sections that are both 9x8. The first section of my deck, where you exit the house, is 12'oc and the furthest section that has the stairs to my backyard is 16"oc. When the deck was built we didn't box out the framing for a hot tube with independent footings/4x4s. I'm planning on sitting the hot tub on the back left corner of my deck, so basically the the back edge of the hot tube will be over the rear girder and 12"oc section of the deck. Its only a small 3 person hot tube that holds approx 250 gallons of water and the tub itself is 300lbs. Oh, and the joists are sitting on top of the girders and secured with hurricane clips.
My friend who helped me build the deck swears that the 2x12 girders and 12" oc joists will provide enough support and I dont need to worry that we didnt add additional footings for the 6x6 area of the hot tub. Is this true - will the hot tub be well supported?
Answer
every deck I have built was always beefed up for the hot tub area
12" diameter concrete footings belled at the bottom below the frost line
6 x 6 posts that were notched for the beams so they had direct bearing as opposed to all the weight just hanging on a couple of bolts
tripled 2 x 12 beams - what you are calling girders -one assembly at each end of the tub
doubled up floor joists in that area - 16" on center
so it was always a total of four concrete footings, two tripled beams and doubled joists holding the tub
you didn't give any idea of how its attached to the house if its properly bolted to the framework or not but even these bolted connections are not designed to handle that much weight
your tub filled with water and people is about 2800 pounds, you deck sounds like it does exceed the minimum of a 20 pound per square foot dead load and 40 pound per square foot live load where the 12" centers are but still falls short of the tubs weight load (dead load) your tub will have a dead load rating of 66 pounds per square foot and thats without people sitting in it - basically you are parking a small car there
a dead load is non moving weight that will bear on the structure
a live load is the force, or moving weight (people) that will bear on the structure
If it were mine I would beef it up, since you can do the work it would only be a couple hundred in materials and a couple days of your time
every deck I have built was always beefed up for the hot tub area
12" diameter concrete footings belled at the bottom below the frost line
6 x 6 posts that were notched for the beams so they had direct bearing as opposed to all the weight just hanging on a couple of bolts
tripled 2 x 12 beams - what you are calling girders -one assembly at each end of the tub
doubled up floor joists in that area - 16" on center
so it was always a total of four concrete footings, two tripled beams and doubled joists holding the tub
you didn't give any idea of how its attached to the house if its properly bolted to the framework or not but even these bolted connections are not designed to handle that much weight
your tub filled with water and people is about 2800 pounds, you deck sounds like it does exceed the minimum of a 20 pound per square foot dead load and 40 pound per square foot live load where the 12" centers are but still falls short of the tubs weight load (dead load) your tub will have a dead load rating of 66 pounds per square foot and thats without people sitting in it - basically you are parking a small car there
a dead load is non moving weight that will bear on the structure
a live load is the force, or moving weight (people) that will bear on the structure
If it were mine I would beef it up, since you can do the work it would only be a couple hundred in materials and a couple days of your time
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Title Post: I want to buy a hot tub (4 adults). What should I look for and what do I need to do to reinforce my deck?
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Rating: 92% based on 9172 ratings. 4,3 user reviews.
Author: Unknown
Thanks For Coming To My Blog
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