moving a hot tub

[grumpy]

What is the best way to move a tub? I have furniture dollies, ramps and plenty of help. I have to flip it on its side, do I flip it on the pump side?

[Guzz]

Do not flip it on the pump side, generally that is it's weakest point. Most well built spas will not suffer any damage if you flip it on the opposite side, note I said most, some spas you cannot flip on any side.

[grumpy]

It would be a Tiger River Bengal. You reccommend the opposite side from the pump?

[Guzz]

Manufacturer recomends the opposite side to the motor compartment,they don't want you putting a single dollie under the compartment door, you could do it motor side down with 2 dollies, one either side of the compatrment door, this makes it a little easier to lower back down as you have the heavier motor side on the bottom. Either way, make sure you put some cardboard on the down side to protect the cabinet from getting scratched up.

[jonnyn]

I was told that you don't want to put the tub on the motor side because if there is any residual water in the air system, that water will end up in the blower motor and potentially cause a problem with it.

[imp etc]

When I had my J-220 delivered last week, there was a label on the wrapping indicating only one side was safe to rest on.

This caused a problem as the dimensions of the tub are 78" by 84", with the equipment bay on one of the 84" sides.

I had an old tub that had a lip-mounted gazebo that I had detached and jacked up on blocks so the new tub could pass under.

The site inspector and I had planned on having the delivery crew use the 84" side opposite the equipment bay, but the label was on one of the 78" sides, which meant the tub would be 84" high going under, and I had not raised up the gazebo sufficiently for the tub to pass through.

This delayed installation by a day while I got the gazebo jacked up more to allow for the extra clearance. In the end, they had to lay it flat on its bottom and slide under the rails (a mere 38" above the deck surface!!) - just barely clearing the rails and the blocks that were holding up the corners. That was a tense moment . . .  

Moral of the story - be sure your site inspector has checked and knows precisely which side(s) are OK to rest on!!

The good news is we finished building the new base for the gazebo yesterday, and it looks great! Let's hope this tub lasts a good long while, though, as it would be a royal pain to remove/replace.