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By mommabuys September 13, 2007 in Portable Hot Tubs & Spas
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mommabuys
Posted September 13, 2007mommabuys
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OK, we are a day or so away from deciding on which hot tub to buy and my neighbor comes over with this crazy laser level thing and the horizontal drop from 18" from my house (where the spa will go) is 1.75", the diagonal drop is 2.0" and the vertical (front to back is .25". We are putting the spa on a previously poured concrete patio which, is obviously sloped away from the house. Is this slope too much and do we now need to have a pad built to level it out better? We are looking at either an Artesian or Jacuzzi model.
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D.P. Roberts
Posted September 13, 2007D.P. Roberts
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OK, we are a day or so away from deciding on which hot tub to buy and my neighbor comes over with this crazy laser level thing and the horizontal drop from 18" from my house (where the spa will go) is 1.75", the diagonal drop is 2.0" and the vertical (front to back is .25". We are putting the spa on a previously poured concrete patio which, is obviously sloped away from the house. Is this slope too much and do we now need to have a pad built to level it out better? We are looking at either an Artesian or Jacuzzi model.
How wide of an area are you talking about? Assuming you're talking about the 8' or so where the spa will go, that's probably fine. Most pads are poured with a slope of 1/4" per foot, so two inches over 8 feet would be about right.
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mommabuys
Posted September 13, 2007mommabuys
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OK, we are a day or so away from deciding on which hot tub to buy and my neighbor comes over with this crazy laser level thing and the horizontal drop from 18" from my house (where the spa will go) is 1.75", the diagonal drop is 2.0" and the vertical (front to back is .25". We are putting the spa on a previously poured concrete patio which, is obviously sloped away from the house. Is this slope too much and do we now need to have a pad built to level it out better? We are looking at either an Artesian or Jacuzzi model.How wide of an area are you talking about? Assuming you're talking about the 8' or so where the spa will go, that's probably fine. Most pads are poured with a slope of 1/4" per foot, so two inches over 8 feet would be about right.
Good to know that our patio doesn't REALLY look like the Titanic. The tub we are looking at is 91x91 or91x84; you don't think we need to have a pad built or anything to level it out? The scope-creep of this project is starting to rattle my brain. Speaking of...what is an acceptable rate to have the electrician put in the 60amp/disconnect box/etc. required for this size tub? We are still waiting for that bomb to drop (our electrician is calling tomorrow with the cost).
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D.P. Roberts
Posted September 13, 2007D.P. Roberts
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Speaking of...what is an acceptable rate to have the electrician put in the 60amp/disconnect box/etc. required for this size tub?
It depends - on the electrician, the cost of copper, the weather, the electrician's kid's college tuition, etc. We got two quotes - the first one was $1400 and the second one was $450. Go figure.
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mommabuys
Posted September 13, 2007mommabuys
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Speaking of...what is an acceptable rate to have the electrician put in the 60amp/disconnect box/etc. required for this size tub?It depends - on the electrician, the cost of copper, the weather, the electrician's kid's college tuition, etc. We got two quotes - the first one was $1400 and the second one was $450. Go figure.
I'm hoping for something in-between. I'll let you know.
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dave nh
Posted September 13, 2007dave nh
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Personally, an uneven water level in the tub would bother me especially if it is close to 2", the patio undoubtedly was poured properly for drainage and such. Depending on how the tub is contructed, if it were me i would look into spot leveling it under the tub somehow if possible. good luck and enjoy your new tub.
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David66
Posted September 13, 2007David66
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Personally, an uneven water level in the tub would bother me especially if it is close to 2", the patio undoubtedly was poured properly for drainage and such. Depending on how the tub is contructed, if it were me i would look into spot leveling it under the tub somehow if possible. good luck and enjoy your new tub.
I have a similar situation. The pad (bought house last Dec, old Caldera tub just removed, my tub now in place) seems to be about an inch off...one side of the tub is about an inch (maybe a bit more) lower than the other on the water line.
How does one "spot level" as you refer to it?
I thought about making a form out of wood, which was properly leveled. Then pouring concrete right on top of the current concrete pad so that it is an inch thick on one end, tapering down to nothing on the other. Would this work? Or would it just "crack up" under the duress of weight and weather? Is there mortar or leveller material I could use?
David
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dave nh
Posted September 13, 2007dave nh
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I have a similar situation. The pad (bought house last Dec, old Caldera tub just removed, my tub now in place) seems to be about an inch off...one side of the tub is about an inch (maybe a bit more) lower than the other on the water line.
How does one "spot level" as you refer to it?
I thought about making a form out of wood, which was properly leveled. Then pouring concrete right on top of the current concrete pad so that it is an inch thick on one end, tapering down to nothing on the other. Would this work? Or would it just "crack up" under the duress of weight and weather? Is there mortar or leveller material I could use?
David
David,
That is exactly how i would spot level it. Especially if the existing patio is likely gone through some years of settlement. I would probably plan on pouring a min. of 2" every where so you would probably need to pour say 3" on the low side of the tub. Also i would extend past the base of the tub at least a couple of inches to help offset future cracking. You could use pavers to blend the resultant reveal into the existing pad. The advantage of this is your tub would be at a hight point to shed water away from the base as well, best of all even water level soaking 
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jfish
Posted September 13, 2007jfish
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My tub a HS Grandee is out of level about 1 1/2 inches. It doesn't bother me at all. As a matter of fact the few times I have had enough people to overflow the tub it was nice that the water didn't go toward the house.
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mommabuys
Posted September 13, 2007mommabuys
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My tub a HS Grandee is out of level about 1 1/2 inches. It doesn't bother me at all. As a matter of fact the few times I have had enough people to overflow the tub it was nice that the water didn't go toward the house.
Glad to know. The rep tells us they usually use 2x4's "ripped" down to level out the angle of the tub (it's a Jacuzzi model, so has a solid bottom). I don't know how many 2x4's, but they would make the tub appear to be "hovering" on the high end. My biggest concern is critters and such finding a nice warm home underneath my hot tub. A friend recommended packing gravel between the 2x4's to allow it to drain well, but not leaving enough room to make a home for anyone. Does that sound like a good plan?
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WaterMama92
Posted September 14, 2007WaterMama92
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I talked to an electrician last week. He quoted me $900 to install a 230v outlet and connect the tub or $450 for a 115v and install.
I get his name from Craig's list Seattle.
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Whatley
Posted September 14, 2007Whatley
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I talked to an electrician last week. He quoted me $900 to install a 230v outlet and connect the tub or $450 for a 115v and install.I get his name from Craig's list Seattle.
A lot of it would depend on how long the run is. For reference, about a month and a half ago I ran about 80ft of wire (3C#6) which was roughly $180 just in wire (not counting the run from the GFCI to the tub). I think it cost me around $280 by the time it was all said and done to wire the tub myself. I wouldn't reccomend that to anyone that's not pretty familiar with the NEC and standard wiring practices.
I have a Caldera Geneva that's on a sloped patio and when you're in it you can't even notice that it's sloped unless you purposely try to see the slope.
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kengorman
Posted September 14, 2007kengorman
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Speaking of...what is an acceptable rate to have the electrician put in the 60amp/disconnect box/etc. required for this size tub?It depends - on the electrician, the cost of copper, the weather, the electrician's kid's college tuition, etc. We got two quotes - the first one was $1400 and the second one was $450. Go figure.
Did they quote you over the phone or did they see where they had to run the wire? There are many variables in just the cost of materials.
Some electricians prefer to run 4 individual 6 gauge wires in 1 inch conduit both inside and outside the house. Around here, 6 gauge costs about $0.89 per foot in quantities less than 500 feet. At 500 feet, the price is about half. If you're running 4 wires (two hots, neutral, ground) and you have a long interior run, the materials alone can add up. The alternative is to run 6/3 in a jacket and skip the conduit. 6/3 is about 40% less expensive than running 4 individual condutors.
From the disconnect to the tub, you'll have to use conduit from the panel into the ground. If you use individual conductors outside, you'll require conduit again.
Since EMT isn't rated for direct burial, you can use schedule 40 PVC or rigid. Rigid costs about $24 per 10 ft. length.
Retail price for a disconnect panel and 60-amp GFCI breaker is about 125.
I did all the work myself and purchased my materials at a local electric supply house and at Home Depot. My materials cost alone was around $425. Total distance from main panel to tub was about 80 feet. I used jacketed 6/3 indoors, four 6 AWG conductors outside, and PVC conduit outdoors. I added a 60-amp breaker inside and have a 60-amp GFCI breaker in the disconnect panel.
Regards,
Ken
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poolguy101
Posted September 16, 2007poolguy101
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Personally, an uneven water level in the tub would bother me especially if it is close to 2", the patio undoubtedly was poured properly for drainage and such. Depending on how the tub is contructed, if it were me i would look into spot leveling it under the tub somehow if possible. good luck and enjoy your new tub.
I'd check with the manufacturer first. Some will void the warranty on the tub if it is put on anything other than a flat surface. Not even shims can be used for some.
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poolguy101
Posted September 16, 2007poolguy101
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Personally, an uneven water level in the tub would bother me especially if it is close to 2", the patio undoubtedly was poured properly for drainage and such. Depending on how the tub is contructed, if it were me i would look into spot leveling it under the tub somehow if possible. good luck and enjoy your new tub.I have a similar situation. The pad (bought house last Dec, old Caldera tub just removed, my tub now in place) seems to be about an inch off...one side of the tub is about an inch (maybe a bit more) lower than the other on the water line.
How does one "spot level" as you refer to it?
I thought about making a form out of wood, which was properly leveled. Then pouring concrete right on top of the current concrete pad so that it is an inch thick on one end, tapering down to nothing on the other. Would this work? Or would it just "crack up" under the duress of weight and weather? Is there mortar or leveller material I could use?
David
Check with the manufacturer before you do anything. Some will void your warranty if you shim or attempt to level out the tub by any other means than ensuring the entire base it sits on is flat and level.
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- 2 weeks later...
172pilot
Posted September 28, 2007172pilot
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I've got this SAME situation, but perhaps a little more extreme... I got an 8'x8' tub delivered today, and not only is there a 4" difference over that distance, but the pad isn't even flat - The tub rocks back and forth when you lean on it.
So...
What to do?? Wood form of 2x6" wood in an 8' square and dump in a bunch of self-leveling cement? Try to build a level frame of 2x4 wood and try to level it myself? This sounds less desirable to me, since it's going to be hard to get the top of the form level all around..
OR - Do I build a little 8x8 deck, on top of a bunch of 6x6 "feet" that I can make different heights to make it level? Has anyone ever done any of this? Any recommendations?
I've been waiting for this thing, now I have to look at it in the back yard dry 'till I get this figured out and solved!! :-)
-Steve
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In The Bubble
Posted September 28, 2007In The Bubble
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I've been waiting for this thing, now I have to look at it in the back yard dry 'till I get this figured out and solved!! :-)-Steve
Now THAT Sucks! 
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Mike T
Posted September 30, 2007Mike T
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Speaking of...what is an acceptable rate to have the electrician put in the 60amp/disconnect box/etc. required for this size tub?It depends - on the electrician, the cost of copper, the weather, the electrician's kid's college tuition, etc. We got two quotes - the first one was $1400 and the second one was $450. Go figure.
I'm hoping for something in-between. I'll let you know.
My electrican is charging me $1050 for a 240 V 50 map service.
Mike T
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- 2 weeks later...
Brock
Posted October 15, 2007Brock
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I had a run of nearly 100 feet from breaker in garage to end of patio where spa now sits. For new GFI breaker, 4 wire 6gauge, conduit, etc......cost me $450 but average I found was from $500-700.
Get more than one estimate but if you work with one that does the work for a local spa dealer he will be experienced with what is needed more than a general electrician off Craigs List or somewhere else....as I found most of the spa companies around here use one or two all the time....and the electricians do it as side jobs in addition to their regular work.
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RickJ
Posted October 22, 2007RickJ
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To level your patio, one thing you could investigate is mudjacking. They can come out to your house, drill a hole in your concrete, and then inject a concrete grout under the slab to lift it. It's usually used for lifting concrete that has sunk. But it might work to level out a patio. If you went this route, i would have them cut that portion of the patio away from the rest of the patio. That way, the pad under your tub would be level, but the rest of the patio would have the proper slope. You want the patio to slope away from your house for drainage purposes.
Another option might be having the concrete ground down to make it level.
I have no idea what any of this would cost.
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