Does the thought of moving your hot tub give you a goosebump? Due to their heavy weights and irregular shapes, moving a hot tub can really be an arduous task. Even professional movers find hot tubs challenging to move, which explains why they charge heavily to get it done.
If expert movers find moving a hot tub tasking, you should expect to find it even more difficult when you decide to relocate your hot tub yourself. However, with our DIY guide, you will learn different techniques on how to move a hot tub without overstressing yourself.
The Two Phases in Moving a Hot Tub
There are two principal phases involved in the movement of a hot tub. You should follow these stages successively to avoid unnecessary difficulties which are never in short supply when moving hot tubs. The two phases are:
- Planning Phase: In this phase, you map out the schedule of activities for the movement from start to finish.
- Execution Phase: In this phase, you follow the plan one after the order.
Planning Phase
You need to plan appropriately for the relocation of your hot tub when you are finally sure you have to move it. The best hot tubs are expensive, as you would know, since you have one, and you wouldn’t want to damage such a costly luxury while moving it to a new location.
Hot tubs are also large and too heavy for you alone to move successfully without putting yourself or the appliance in harm’s way. For this reason, you need to have a solid plan before you engage in this.
Planning to move your hot tub involves assembling the right materials and mobilizing a sufficient workforce. There will be heavy lifting and grunts-accompanied carrying engaged in this process. Get people to help you with this aspect of moving your hot tub. Even a professional mover does not move hot tubs all by himself.
Required Equipment
- Blankets: In the course of moving the hot tub, there is a high likelihood of the hot tub sustaining scratches or even breaking some of its delicate parts during transportation. To stop any of this from happening, we advise that you use as many blankets as possible to cover the hot tub. These blankets will cushion the contacts between the hot tub and other surfaces that may rub on it in the course of transit. Truck rental companies also rent blankets. You may need a minimum of four sheets to wrap your hot tub adequately for this movement.
- Moving Straps: It is necessary to ensure that your hot tub remains stationary as much as is possible in a moving truck. To do this, you need to get moving straps to hold it in place inside the vehicle. Strapping the tub will prevent it from jerking back and forth and possibly hitting any surface that may scratch or damage some of its parts. I am sure you do not want to reach your destination only to start picking out what was lefty of a once-functional hot tub. Straps are also available for rent at truck rental companies.
- Four-Wheel Furniture Dolly: It is way simpler to roll the hot tub to the truck with the use of a four-wheel furniture dolly, instead of carrying it to the vehicle and risking the accident of dropping it and damaging the delicate parts or squashing four pairs of feet underneath. Dollies, too, could be rented or purchased at local home improvement stores.
- A Pair of 4” by 4” Lumber Boards: To easily slide a dolly under the hot tub, you should rest it on the lumber to create enough room under it for dolly. Without the help of the lumber, you will have to struggle with sliding the dolly under the hot tub while holding it. This risk is unnecessary and avoidable. Lumber boards are also available for sale at local home improvement stores.
- Hand Truck: This truck is also known as appliance dolly. You will likely need this kind of dolly in the movement of your hot tub if its current installation point is upstairs, and the action involves bringing it down through the stairs. It is excellent for sliding down the stairs, unlike the four-wheel furniture dolly, which functions best on level ground. You can rent a hand truck from a truck rental company or any home improvement stores near you.
- A Truck: This is particularly necessary if you are moving the hot tub to an entirely new location and not just some other corner of your home. Rent a truck big enough to contain the hot tub. Measure the hot tub before you choose a vehicle. This measurement will ensure you rent a motortruck that can hold your hot tub properly and prevent it from crashing out of the truck unto the road.
Required Manpower
We have said earlier that hot tubs are bulky. The average weight of a regular hot tub begins from 1,000 pounds. Some hot tubs weigh a lot higher than that, depending on the materials the manufacturer used.
These weights are not what a single person can handle. You need to recruit a minimum of four people to help you with the lifting, carrying, and pushing involved in moving your hot tub.
Execution Phase
When you have successfully recruited the needed workforce and obtained every equipment and supplies you need, your schedule of activity for the movement of your hot tub should include the following steps:
Step 1: Drain the Hot Tub
As you cannot move the hot tub with the water in it, the very first step in the execution stage will be to drain it of all the water it contains. Remove the cover as you may need to use a submersible pump to drain the tub much faster. The best hot tub covers are entirely detachable.
Draining the hot tub is a simple task that involves disconnecting the power source and taking out the drain plug at the base of the hot tub to allow the water to leak out. Remember to put these drain plugs in a safe place to avoid losing them in the process.
Secure the power cable of the hot tub and put it in the compartment provided, if any. You can detach it entirely from the hot tub if it is the type that is detachable. The reason is so that you or your helpers do not have to risk stepping on it while it dangles to the new destination.
Step 2: Lift the Hot Tub to the Dollies
With each of your helpers at the four edges, lift the hot tub high enough to slide the lumber boards under it. Once the hot tub rests solidly on the 4″ by 4″ lumber boards, there will be room left for the dollies to go under it.
Ensure to spaced out the dollies to allow the tub to have a stable balance on them. Remove the lumber boards once you have rolled the dollies under the hot tub.
For purposes of more stability, you can secure the hot tub to the dollies with straps. Push the hot tub gently to the waiting truck. Always watch out to ensure the dollies do not slide out of proper position.
In a situation where you need to travel downstairs in the movement of your hot tub, you should make use of an appliance dolly, which can easily glide down the stairs.
Your helpers should help you lift the hot tub and stand it on its side. Check to ensure that the part of the hot tub you intend to turn over does not have any control panels.
The weight of the hot tub can damage such a control panel. Secure the hot tub on the appliance dolly with two members of your team at each end of the dolly to guide it down the stairs one step at a time.
Step 3: Push the Hot Tub up the Truck’s Ramp
Once you have successfully rolled up the hot tub to the waiting truck, lower the ramps and with the help of the dollies still, roll it into the motortruck. You should ensure to have two people in your team on either side of the hot tub to ensure it does not tip over the ramps.
Step 4: Cover the Hot Tub with Moving Blankets and Secure it with Straps
Use the blankets you have procured to wrap the hot tub. Secure the hot tub to one side of the truck to prevent it from jerking back and forth on transit.
Step 5: Unload the Hot Tub
When you arrive at the new destination for your hot tub, loosen the straps and removes the moving blankets. Use the dollies once again to roll it down the truck’s ramp and to the very spot you wish to install it.
At every point, have two people on either side of the hot tub to guide it from tipping over to one side, especially if this new location involves going upstairs.
Always take the hot tub up, one step at a time. Use the lumber boards once again to hold the hot tub before you roll out the dollies from under it.
Step 6: Reinstall the Hot Tub
Once you have successfully secured the hot tub in its new location, do a thorough cleaning of the filters and blow out the internal plumbing pipes.
Put back all the drain plugs and fill the tub with water. Add the necessary purification chemical and connect the hot tub to a power source.
Find out more about how to move a hot tub here.
Conclusion
Primarily, we advise in this article that you should not move your hot tub if there is no absolute need to do so. However, in a situation where you must do so, you should know that the two phases involved are:
- Planning phase
- Execution phase
We have tried to present an exhaustive detail on each of these phases to help you move your hot tub to your desired location. It will excite us to know what you think about the article. We will be excited too to have your questions and do well to share within your network.
