Installing an Outdoor Spa

[NewAtIt]

We have bought a spa from an auction. What is the process to be followed when installing an outdoor spa or the best way to go about it
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[mnorman007]

More information is required, ie. what kind of spa? what sort of heater/pump/filter?
Whether you want to install above/below ground.

What exactly do you want to know? I have just gone through this process so I can help you through the process.

cheers,
m.

[commodorenut]

Talk to your local council regarding the location (slab requirements) as well as fencing & wiring regs as well.

[Marc]

A spa, unless it is a swimming spa, is an appliance and does not require any council approval nor fencing of any sort.
Check with an electrician because some spa require 20 other even 30 amp plugs. You have to be able to drain it every month or two, usually run off the garden with a large house. Must have a lockable cover or lid.
Spa manufacturers will tell you that they do not require any extra structural support and that a standard deck will hold it. I would run two extra bearers under your existing joists with 4 new stumps or stirrups to avoid that sinking feeling... I wouldn't have a spa on a concrete slab, all manufacturers but for one, use pine frame. Unless you have a steel structure, try to have it on a deck away from moisture.

[PaulS]

Has a spa in Perth when we were there, it needed to be fenced by law.

[Marc]

If your spa does not have a cover you need to fence it yet you need no council D.A.
New Spa have a lockable cover that legally replaces a fence. Check with your local pool/spa supplier, pretend you want to buy from them and they will happily provide all you need to know. Your council will be pushing for you to provide an application and get your money for nothing. You can ask the questions to your council after you have all the answers.

I understand that all councils and states are different yet they all have one common denominator. They live off you, and want to sponge you for all you are worth. Just think in the concept of charging for a DA a percentage of the building cost and if you do it yourself, forcing you to factor in imaginary cost for labor.
In my dictionary it is called mafia protection racket.

[China]

In South Australia a spa is treated the same as a swimming pool, must be fenced etc.

[Gumby]

A spa, unless it is a swimming spa, is an appliance and does not require any council approval nor fencing of any sort. .

Too little knowledge is a dangerous thing

[NewAtIt]

Hi M,
We bought a 3-seater outdoor spa with a heater from an auction. It has a cover but not lockable. It is new. We would like to install it in a bricked corner outside but we've been told that we should install it on a concrete slab below the paving or decking as it would be easier to level it and more structurally secure. Then we would like to deck around it. We've also been told that if we have a lockable cover, we won't need to fence it. We obviously need plumbing and power so I presume we would need to speak to a sparky and lecky first before we go ahead with the concrete. I am also thinking that it may be better to just put a concrete base under the spa and pave around that to the brick walls for future underground access before we put the decking in??
Any advice would be great.
Thanks heaps.
R

[mnorman007]

Hi R,
You can buy the straps to lock the cover. I do believe you 'technically' require a license for the spa but thats a whole nother argument. We have a lockable cover that can hold 125KG so we feel like we have shown a duty of care. Lets not get bogged down in that though...
The slab is not essential, mine actually sits in the dirt as a bit of support and the frame holds the rest of the weight. Mine sits in a timber frame though so it is slightly different and the frame sits on a slab. A slab would be a good idea for the bricks though. Just try and keep it as simple as possible.
Level is important and I regret mine not being as level as it could have been.
There is no need for a plumber as it is just PVC pipes and joins that you can get from bunnings. Just make sure you used the pressure glue (green) as it will hold better and longer.
For my leccy I ran the conduit for him (after checking with him) and he just did the ends. Some are finicky though. Conduit (underground) should be at least 600mm down though (from memory) so make sure you do it properly.
Access is important, especially to the pump, filter, heater etc. so really think about how you will do that, especially when you want to brick it.
I have a frame with a lid built onto it with cladding which just looks like a bench surrounding the spa but in fact lifts up for access.
Hope that helps, feel free to ask more questions or clarification.
Cheers,
Michael

[bricks]

If the heater is gas, then the spa needs to be done by a plumber.

Plumber needs to- position air intakes safely, position pump, position heater in safe location. All relevant to where you are wanting to put it.

It needs adequate ventilation- just because its outside doesn't mean it has adequate ventilation and/or clearances.

Spa pump lines either need to have fall to the spa inlet or fall away from the spa inlet- depends on pump type eg self priming, heater unit, uv, distance, drain location etc. Check the installation instructions they should tell you.

You do need a lockable cover, and water proof electrical connections aswell. With the powerpoint a certain distance from the spa too.

If draining into sewer then you need to get a plumber to do the whole install.

And yes it needs to be installed on a good stable sub base eg _ compacted dirt or paving, and should be level. Concrete bases tend to crack if not prepared with a spa load in mind. Paving is the normal way i've done it/ seen it done.

If you don't have a C.O.C then your warranty is void.

[mnorman007]

Mines an electric heater, never thought about gas.
Yeah, get a plumber for that.

[thebuildingsurv]

In vic a spa over 30cm needs a fence and a building permit. I am aware the some parts of NSW do allow lockable covers. In Vic it is state wide they are not allowed. The biggest problem with pool / spa fencing is that the average person has no clues in terms of making the fence fully comply. They often abut the fence up to climbable objects like taps and spa pumps and heaters, which make the fence climable and more important dangerous to young kids.

When a kid drowns they often blame the guy who sold it to them or the local council for not telling them whats required. You can potentially viod your house insurance if you dont have the right approvals and something does happen.

Some poeople like Marc probably couldnt give a F**K about pool fencing, but having been involved in 2 drownings (as a consultant) I would not want to see anyone go through what these families did.

[pharmaboy2]

wow, you victorians are living in the police state arent you! Thrown in jail for doing 61kmh in a 60 zone, no water on your gardens and now no spa unless its behind stalag 13 type barriers (without the tunnels though!)

Victorians of course do have a way - if the spa sits on a block wall base 200mm high, then as long as there are no footholds and your spa is 1m high then it fulfills the 1.2m non climmable barrier test - personally what i would do rather than having an ugly fence around the spa.

Incidentally, i have a 6 yr old, and we dont lock the spa, but he cannot get in himself without our help, as the lid is way too heavy to remove on his own, and thats with the steps in place - imagine without them how he'd fair! Fortunately we live in NSW so common sense seems to rule for once LOL!

[thebuildingsurv]

So every time you leave the spa even to answer the phone or have a (assuming you dont in the spa) you put the lid on? You have a party every time someone leaves the spa do u put it on then ? Many kids have drowned at someone elses house when adults are drinking so while your kid might not be able to open it others mayand they might get in there and not get out.

I used to think the pool fencing laws were a crock too, but if you talk to parents who have had kids that have drowned and the sadness in their eyes im sure you'll change ur attitude. Whats worse a dead kid (think of it if it was your six year old) or a so called ugly fence. What would you want to do to someone if they were looking after your child and he drowned at their property and the only reason you could give them was you didnt want to look at an ugly fence. Well i can bet a dead child thats turned blue looks much uglier.

A fence wont stop many kids but it will slow them down.

Have a read of this, this is real stuuf

Incident 10

Everyone was watching her over the course of the weekend and at different
stages different people would grab her and stop her getting into mischief.
They weren't asked in particular to watch her but everyone was just being
helpful. … When we arrived home FAMILY FRIEND and their kids were in
the spa. I went out there with DECEASED to say hello and they were just
hopping out. DECEASED of course, wanted to go in but I wouldn't let her. I
asked FATHER if he would take her in but he didn't want to as it was too
cold. ... DECEASED had been wandering from room to room but at that
time I thought she was waiting to have a go on 'the wobbler'. I went to the
lounge room and DECEASED wasn't there. I asked AUNT where she was
and she told me she had been there a second ago and was next on the
machine. ... I was wanting to give DECEASED a bath. I noticed the study
door open a little bit and this door is normally closed. I then opened the
door and realised the glass sliding door that leads out onto the courtyard
where the spa is, was open about 10cm. These doors are normally closed.
The sliding door was always locked and dad was always telling everyone to
lock it. ... I know that you shouldn't assume that someone is looking out for
her but because there was so many adults there and because they'd helped
out during the weekend, I thought that she would be with someone.

[Mother's statement - 1267/2000 - 20 months female]