gcgalt Posted August 28, 2006 Report Share Posted August 28, 2006 I was just wondering if a hot tub has to be 100% level. I have an existing patio that has a slight grade to it to allow drainage away from the house. By slight I mean when I put a level on the patio it is only about a cm off of being perfectly level. If not would it be ok to just shim the one side up with some wood? Any suggestions would be appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rolexor Posted August 28, 2006 Report Share Posted August 28, 2006 I was just wondering if a hot tub has to be 100% level. I have an existing patio that has a slight grade to it to allow drainage away from the house. By slight I mean when I put a level on the patio it is only about a cm off of being perfectly level. If not would it be ok to just shim the one side up with some wood? Any suggestions would be appreciated. That will be fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hot H2o Posted August 28, 2006 Report Share Posted August 28, 2006 That will be fine. Never, never shim a spa. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Altazi Posted August 29, 2006 Report Share Posted August 29, 2006 Great question! I'd like to put a bit of spin on it: what are the maximum deviations from "perfectly level" AND "perfectly flat" that are still acceptable for spa installation? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grahamtasia Posted August 29, 2006 Report Share Posted August 29, 2006 Never, never shim a spa. Why? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Spa Posted August 29, 2006 Report Share Posted August 29, 2006 Typically the outside edge of a spa frame is not where the bulk of the weight is. It's towards the center of the spa. If you shim the edge, the center will sag and possibly eventually crack. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grahamtasia Posted August 29, 2006 Report Share Posted August 29, 2006 Typically the outside edge of a spa frame is not where the bulk of the weight is. It's towards the center of the spa. If you shim the edge, the center will sag and possibly eventually crack. I dont know if that would happen with all spa's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amanda Posted August 29, 2006 Report Share Posted August 29, 2006 I believe it is possible to shim a spa if it is done correctly. An even shim accross the entire length of the spa... not a "frame" around the edge just to level it where it would leave an area under the spa that isn't supported potentially leaving the spa to sag in the middle and cause problems. Level is one thing... completely flat is another. If you are able to shim it to a level position with the shim entirely flat accross the full length of the spa, it should be ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chas Posted August 29, 2006 Report Share Posted August 29, 2006 I believe it is possible to shim a spa if it is done correctly. An even shim accross the entire length of the spa... not a "frame" around the edge just to level it where it would leave an area under the spa that isn't supported potentially leaving the spa to sag in the middle and cause problems. Level is one thing... completely flat is another. If you are able to shim it to a level position with the shim entirely flat accross the full length of the spa, it should be ok. Let me address this issue as it pertains to the brands I sell: HotSpring - You can shim all but the Grandee and Vista. Tiger River - You can shim all three models. HotSpot - best if not shimmed, other than to pick up low spots of dips in the concrete Solana - You can shim all three models. Caldera - Should sit in contact with the slab as much as possible. If you have to level, you should build a deck, use custom cut wedges (lots of them) and/or create a level surface somehow. As far as the Watkins products go, they have a note in the "Predelivery Instruction" booklet about it, and they say that sitting firmly on a slab with a slight slope for water runoff is best. There ya go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim_The_Jim Posted August 29, 2006 Report Share Posted August 29, 2006 I was just wondering if a hot tub has to be 100% level. I have an existing patio that has a slight grade to it to allow drainage away from the house. By slight I mean when I put a level on the patio it is only about a cm off of being perfectly level. If not would it be ok to just shim the one side up with some wood? Any suggestions would be appreciated. The only shimming recomended by the good spa manufactures is to shim on the edge as long as the footwell is fully supported. This happens when the concrete is crowned in the middle or has dips along the perimeter of the spa. If the concrete has extreme slope beyond 1 to 2 inches you need to build a sub-platform on level to put it on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deestruhart Posted August 31, 2006 Report Share Posted August 31, 2006 The only shimming recomended by the good spa manufactures is to shim on the edge as long as the footwell is fully supported. This happens when the concrete is crowned in the middle or has dips along the perimeter of the spa. If the concrete has extreme slope beyond 1 to 2 inches you need to build a sub-platform on level to put it on. By the way Jim, What Spas do you reccomend to consumers? Hi everyone, I'm glad some one mentioned this. We sat a Spa down on a customers slab and could see a slight gap in the front. We asked someone to go out and take a look. I was told because it was a solid flat foundation supporting the middle it was ok! They had a slight dip in the cement in the front so they stuck some wood in the gap in the front and left it. Is this right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chas Posted August 31, 2006 Report Share Posted August 31, 2006 different tubs, from different makers have different requirements. I think it is unwise to make blanket statements. That's why, if you noticed my post above, I specified which tubs I know about for sure. I also mentioned that for those tubs you can go to the website and download a document showing all the details on leveling these spas. So to answer your question, we would need to know the exact make and model, and then I would hope the appropriate dealer would respond. If not, a call to the factory with as much detail as possible would be your best bet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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