Support Frame Material...

[drb]

OK, in looking under spas, I've seen 2x4 construction, 2x2 construction, 1x3 boards, and metal.

Has anybody ever actually had a frame problem, like where it let the tub down and cracked something, or are they all pretty much OK?

[Spa_Tech]

No- you cant just make a spa base out of just anything.

When lumber that isnt pressure treated for ground contact, it leaves a door open for a number of problems.

Dry rot and insect infestation pose real problems over the lifetime of a spa.

In my business I am often asked to move spas and render salvage removal and some early Cal Spas and Pacific Marquis were built without pressure treated lumber- On more than a few occasions there wasnt a bottom to the spa or structural support for the cabinet.

Once the base is gone, it makes it incredibly difficult to move and certainly poses a problem in restoring the cabinet.

Id recommend seeking out tubs that were built with 2X4 pressure treated ground contact lumber and better yet, bottom clad in an ABS sheet.