Can You Sink A Hot Tub Into The Ground?

[Winters in Holland]

Hi all. Great board here.

My wife and I have owned a simple Great Lakes Trident spa for a few years, but it's been dormant in our garage for the past year while we moved into a new house. I'm building what I'm dubbing a "raised Earth" patio in the backyard off my sunporch: retaining wall to raise to the level of the house, then fill in with gravel for drainage, then dirt, then grass on top, etc.

I think my tub will look a bit imposing if I sit it right on top of the ground on this already raised patio. *Ideally*, I would like to dig down 1.5-2 feet, pour a 4" concrete base, then sink the tub down into that, so it is closer to ground level.

I can't really find much information online about it, but in looking through Great Lakes' manuals online, they recommend sitting the tub on a concrete platform above ground, so that water does not drain into the equipment.

I'm probably leaning towards keeping it above ground, just because I don't want to risk ruining my tub for aesthetics. But before I do, I just wanted to see if any of you have had any experience- good or bad- with sinking a tub down into the ground. Could I make it work if I put lots of gravel between the tub walls and surrounding Earth, or is it not worth even attempting?

Thanks,

.WiH.

[Winters in Holland]

http://www.contractortalk.com/f50/design-s...-hot-tub-39455/

Seems like a found a nice discussion of it here on a contractors' message board. These guys seem to think it's a bad idea to sink a tub, let alone into ground like I was considering.

Agree? Disagree?

.WiH.

[n1oty]

http://www.contractortalk.com/f50/design-s...-hot-tub-39455/

Seems like a found a nice discussion of it here on a contractors' message board. These guys seem to think it's a bad idea to sink a tub, let alone into ground like I was considering.

Agree? Disagree?

.WiH.

Put me in the "I agree with the contractor's" category.

John

[Peteyboy]

We've had people do it the right way and the wrong way. Most use a concrete vault. The problem the run into is drainage, they don't allow for water runoff and/or a very good drain. We've had them fill up with water and the customer paying for all new equipment. One guy did it very well by opening a hole in the ground and lining it with 4x4 lumber. Also 4x4 for a base structure with thick gravel. It drained very well and has never had a problem.

We have only sunk HotSpring spas in holes. I don't know about doing it with other brands.

[Winters in Holland]

Thanks a bunch for the advice. The 4 x 4 idea sounds cool, but it also sounds like an epic project. I'll probably play it safe and just sit the tub on top of a 5" slab.

Thanks a bunch,

.WiH.

[petertheplumber]

Hi,

I have installed a few spas in the ground, And I have not had any problems. A few things to take into consideration are drainage, servicing and access. Remember also that warm and wet areas are nice places for rats who chew the insulation.

For drainaige i normally install 100mm diameter pipe into the concrete base and then out of the sides and enclosed area, this collects rain water and any spillage. I would recomend 75cm - 100cm access on all sides of the spa should you need to get in and change any pumps or parts.

Here are a couple of examples, I have loads more ideas if you need some inspiration

http://www.chaletcraft.com/Gallery/Spas.html

Good luck