Should you sink that new spa into your deck or not?

Rick the Spa Guy

Should you sink that new spa into your deck or not?


Lately several potential spa customers have told me they plan on sinking their new spa into their deck, while I agree this look is very nice it does present it's own set of important issues.

Photo courtesy of Sundance Spas

1. First and foremost "How will the spa get serviced"? There isn't a spa manufacturer out there that makes a perfect spa. You can expect to need a service call within the first two years of spa ownership, usually it is very simple like a loose fitting that needs tightening or a blown fuse but you will still need to access the front panel and have room to work.
2. Will the spa company that services your spa climb under a deck to do warranty service repairs. They are not required to do so by the contract from the manufacturer, it is the owners responsibility to provide access to the spa for all needed repairs.
3. In the event that your spa has a leak, a service company may need to remove all the panels around the spa to search for where the leak is coming from this will entail that the spa be removed from the deck and refilled and powered up while up on top of the deck so that the leak can be found, all of the expense to remove the spa and re-direct the electric will fall on the homeowner.

With these issues being considered does it still make sense to drop your new spa into the deck? That is a question only you can answer but I will tell you that about 30% of owners that drop the spa into the deck regret it after needing service a couple of times.

Photo Courtesy of Sundance Spas

What's the solution? Have the area within 2 feet of the spa removable, create trap doors that can be lifted out to access the spa cabinetry. A good contractor can do this and make it look like the trap doors are not even there. I feel the expense for this is FAR less than the expense of removing the spa from the deck for service and you only need to do it once. So please plan out your deck ahead of time.


FYI... Six more weeks of winter according to "PHIL" ...


Until Next Time....