Installing a Hot Tub

Who doesn't want to have a hot tub around their home? After all, these wonderful items can help you relax and add a fun and festive atmosphere. However, before you can enjoy one, you need to install it. While you could hire someone to do the work for you, installing a hot tub is something that just about any home owner can do. Here is how you would go about installing your own, above-ground hot tub.

1. Choose the location. The very first step in installing a hot tub is choosing the perfect location. To choose the perfect location, you need to pick a spot that can withstand a lot of weight and is fairly close to your home. The reason that you want the spot close to your home is that it will require less effort to connect the tub to your gas, electrical, and water lines than if it was across the yard. Likewise, you need to select a location that can hold a lot of weight since a hot tub is very heavy when filled up.
2. Extend connections. Extend your utility connections to the proposed spot. Your best bet would be to hire a professional electrician and plumber to do most of the work for you to ensure that it is done the right way. You definitely want to contact your gas company to extend that heating line, if you have gas heat in your home.
3. Choose the tub. Once you have prepared your site, it is time to choose your tub. While it would be nice to pick one that looks like it came straight from the movies, they are pretty expensive. Rather choose one that will fit your needs (or at the very least will fit your wants). Make sure that your tub will have a pump and a heater unit that is integral to the tub.
4. Assemble the tub. After you have chose your hot tub, take it home and assemble it according to the manufacturer's directions. Before you begin to assemble it though, make sure that you have read through the directions at least two times to familiarize yourself with what you need to do. As you assemble the hot tub, make sure that you carefully follow the directions and double check your work at least two times before proceeding to the next step.
5. Connect everything. As you assembled the hut tub, chances are you noticed a schematic that came with it. This would be a schematic of where all the plumbing fixtures go and what you should connect to each fixture. Follow these directions carefully as you connect everything. If you are hesitant about doing this part of the work yourself, hire a professional to do it for you.
6. Test all connections. After you connect everything it is time to test all the connections. This means that you need to test the gas lines and plumbing lines before you actually fill it up. Unless you know how to test for any gas leaks or faulty wiring, it is best to hire a professional to do this work for you.

Once you have finally tested everything, the last thing that you need to do is fill the hot tub. Then you can change into your swimming suit, sit back, and enjoy the wonderful feeling of relaxation that only comes with a hot tub.