What To Consider Before Installing An Inground Spa
Interested in installing an inground spa in your home? Great news! No doubt you'll have a few questions on your mind before pulling the trigger on this aquatic home improvement. In this post, we'll cover a bunch of the most common things our customers want to know (and some of the things they wish they had known) before finally deciding to go ahead with the spa project. Enjoy!
To start with, let's play devil's advocate. If you've mentioned to friends or family about getting a spa there tends to be two kinds of reactions; those that say 'brilliant, can't wait!' and those with the more reserved 'mmm, but have you considered...'. Maybe even you aren't 100% sure and still have some concerns to be alleviated. So let's talk about some of those common concerns.
Spa Maintenance
'Doesn't having a spa require a lot of upkeep?' We've all heard this one before. The short answer is no. You will of course need to put some effort into keeping your spa and its surrounding area clean. But remember, it's a spa, not a pool. So naturally, with it being a much smaller aquatic space then there's going to be a lot less upkeep, and the process itself is actually pretty simple.
Unlike with a pool, if your spa's water is dirty and needs to be cleaned then you can easily just drain it and refill it! But in the interest of saving water and by extension saving money on your water bill, keeping the water in the spa to be used over multiple sessions is a great option too. To do this, we recommend getting hold of a pH water testing kit. These are inexpensive and are used just to make sure that the water won't cause any skin irritation from being too acidic or alkaline. If the water falls outside of the range of around 7.2-7.8 on the pH scale then it can easily be rectified by adding sodium carbonate to raise the pH or adding sodium bisulphate to lower the pH. All of these are readily available at any pool store.
Where to Put Your Inground Spa
The next thing to think about is where you should put it. The great news is that inground spas are pretty versatile and can be placed almost anywhere in your backyard. But there are still a few things to consider before finalizing the location. Firstly, you'll want to make sure that wherever you put it will have easy access to an electrical outlet to power the spa's jets and massage pumps. If you're planning on putting your spa under a patio or deck then you'll need to factor in the cost of having an electrician come out and run a line underground. And secondly, try to avoid putting your spa too close to trees or shrubs. This is because leaves and debris can easily blow into the water and dirty it up, meaning more work for you in terms of cleaning. However, investing in a spa cover is a great way to offset this little annoyance.
Choosing Your Spa Material
Another common question that comes up is what material should be chosen for the construction of the inground spa. The main two options for this are concrete and fibreglass. Each one has its own features and benefits. For example, concrete spas are usually custom built which means that you can really make them your own in terms of shape and size. But this also means that they're generally a slightly more expensive option than their fibreglass counterparts.
Fibreglass spas are less expensive and tend to be a bit easier to install. But because they come in pre-moulded shapes, you may be limited by what pre-moulded shapes you are able to find, rather than having a customised solution.
Additionally, it won't come as a big surprise to know that concrete can take a good while longer to install than fibreglass. This is in part because the concrete will need time to cure and set properly before the spa can be used or have additional finishes added to it. Whereas with fibreglass, once it's in place, it only needs to be hooked up to water and power and it's ready for use!
Hopefully by now, we've helped to ease some of your concerns about installing an inground spa in your home. It's a big decision but if you take the time to do your research then we're confident that you'll absolutely love it! Thanks for reading and happy relaxing!