Hot Tub Installation near you

The base has to be level and able to carry the tub full of water and bathers without settling, and in Canada it also has to hold up through frost. The manufacturer's installation guide states what it requires, and the installer should confirm the base meets it before delivery, since a tub on an uneven or sinking base can crack its shell and may lose its warranty coverage.

On a deck, balcony or rooftop, don't guess. A structural engineer should confirm whether the framing, footings and posts can carry the concentrated load, and design any reinforcement; the municipality may also require a permit for the deck work.

Most surprises on installation day are about access. A hot tub usually travels on its side on a dolly, so the crew needs a clear path wide and tall enough, room to turn corners and firm ground underfoot. Where there is no side path, the gate is too narrow or the tub has to go over the house or a fence, a crane or boom truck lifts it in, which means planning the truck's position, overhead wires and the neighbours.

A hot tub is wired by a licensed electrician, never by the homeowner or the delivery crew. Most tubs need a dedicated circuit from the panel, sized to the manufacturer's specifications, with the ground-fault protection the tub requires. The Electrical Safety Authority (ESA) advises contacting a Licensed Electrical Contractor before installing a hot tub, fitting outdoor outlets with ground-fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs), especially around pools and hot tubs, and respecting the minimum clearances from overhead power and communication lines.

In Ontario, ESA says almost all electrical work must be reported through a notification of work, which the Licensed Electrical Contractor files before requesting the inspection. In Quebec, electrical work done for others must be carried out by a contractor holding the appropriate licence, and the Corporation des maîtres électriciens du Québec (CMEQ) qualifies those contractors, which is why Quebecers hire a CMEQ master electrician.

A hot tub is small, but it holds enough water for a young child to drown in, and the water is hot. HealthLink BC advises covering and locking a hot tub when it isn't in use, supervising children at all times and keeping small children, especially infants, out of hot tubs. It adds that the water should never be hotter than 40°C, or 38.9°C during pregnancy.

In Quebec, the government's summary states that the Règlement sur la sécurité des piscines résidentielles does not apply to spas, except those that can hold more than 2,000 litres of water. If your spa is larger than that, ask your municipality which requirements and permits apply before installing it, since municipalities may also have their own rules. In Ontario, ask your municipality whether its pool bylaw covers hot tubs.

Warm water is why a hot tub needs more attention than a pool. The Quebec government notes that spa water temperature can promote the growth of certain bacteria, and that bathers can't rely on water clarity to judge its quality. HealthLink BC puts the responsibility on the owner to keep the tub clean and the water properly disinfected, and advises checking the disinfectant level before and after use.

The tub is also drained and scrubbed periodically, more often with heavy use and at a minimum as the manufacturer directs, and the cover is wiped down so bacteria don't grow on it. Handle sanitizers as their labels direct and store them safely, following Health Canada's advice for household chemicals.

A hot tub that stays running handles the cold well as long as it has power and a good cover. The risk is an outage or a tripped breaker during a cold spell: without heat and circulation, water in the plumbing and equipment can freeze and crack them. Know where the breaker is, check the tub regularly in severe cold, and call your installer quickly if it loses power.

If you won't use the tub over the winter, have it properly winterized: drained, with the water blown out of the lines and pumps as the manufacturer directs, and securely covered. A half-drained tub left without power is the situation to avoid.