New hot tub delivered, worried that the spa pad isn't completely level

[kerri13]

Getting this hot tub has been the biggest headache I could have imagined. Preparing the site, working things out with the electrician, finding out it wouldn't fit through our gate and having to take part of the fence down, etc. etc. etc. one thing after another. Well, we finally got it delivered and now I'm freaking out because I'm not sure it's level enough.

Everyone that has worked with us from the place we bought it has been pretty non-chalant about everything, and we took that to mean that nothing is that big of a deal. They recommended that we use one of their spa pads, so we said okay. They said all we had to do was "clear an area and lay some sand down". When I did my own research online, I realized, okay, we need a lot of sand and it needs to be totally and completely level. After putting the sand down I realized it probably would have been better to dig first, but really that would have been next to impossible because the area was filled with rocks and had a little layer of concrete underneath. I cleared it as best as I could, and finally got a level area of sand.

When they brought the spa pad out, they guys said it looked like I did a good job leveling it. The laid out the pad, and he said "Wow you did great, I don't even need to get the level out because these all fit together perfectly". But I had a level right there so I wanted to check for myself, and go figure, it was slightly off. He said it would be fine because once the weight of the tub gets on the pads will lock together more and it will fully settle down. I trusted them, and they put the tub on top. They said it looked great, they added some sand around the edges, and ensured me that everything was fine. After they left I started looking closer, and realized that one of the pads was a little higher than the next one and that the tub wasn't completely touching in that one area. When you put a level on the actual hot tub it is almost completely level, but I just worry about putting stress on the area where it isn't touching. I added some sand under that pad and now I think it is touching, but that doesn't feel good enough. Maybe when we add water (we are still waiting on electrician) it will settle down more and be better, or maybe it will just get worse.

My husband thinks I'm crazy and thinks I need to stop worrying. But after reading too much online I've freaked myself out into thinking that if it's not perfect then we are going to have major problems in the future. He's just ready to use it and points out that there's a lifetime warranty on the shell and that they told me it was okay. Frankly I'm tired of it all too and would love to just forget it and use the thing and hope for the best. If the internet didn't exist I would be totally worry-free and most likely things will be fine.

Basically my question is, do I have reason to be as worried as I am? I don't even know what there is to do about it at this point other than move the tub and start over on the foundation. This whole experience has just been terrible, and I'm ready to just get in the tub and have it all be worth it!!!

[TwinCitiesHotSpring]

pictures would be very helpful, and maybe a few more details like how far off level is the tub? 1 inch, 3 inches? and I'm assuming the pad you laid down was an ez pad? sand underneath is fine but depending on the location of the spa you may deal with "washout" so sometimes having a frame or digging the pad down is recommended.....bottom line, try and upload some pics and there will be plenty of us to give you our opinions 

[kerri13]

Oh, a quarter to a half an inch at the most. Like I said, overall it is level, it is that some of the individual pads are about a quarter inch or so off level.







(excuse our ugly yard, fixing that up is our next project  )

[Jacuzzi Jim]

 Pretty sure you will be fine.  But like mentioned and after seeing pictures, that sand will most likely get washed out over time.. 

[Tman122]

Get some water in there and see what happens.

[bob snader]

They could have done a better job leveling but it's not too far out to be a problem The weight on the high points will level it out. I would be a bit more concerned about the lack of a border to hold the sand from washing out. One of the reasons I don't like using sand as a level is that it tends to wash out pretty easy. 1/4down makes for better leveling because it's much harder to wash.

At any rate, you need to get a good sturdy border around that pad to keep the sand in because with the way it is now, a couple of good rain storms will throw that pad right out of level.

[kurt6137]

Your ok, just monitor the tub. The sand will eventually wash out, when laying sand down, they should always use a border around it and lay down polymeric sand on top. This seals the foundation sand. I have a concrete pad and my tub is not perfectly level, but it works and is ok. Now, if your inches out, then there might be a problem. But you look ok for now.

[kerri13]

Thanks everyone! We will definitely be adding a border. Should have done that before, but again, everyone told us it wasn't necessary (my gut knew better). We will add some stones and just keep an eye on it.

[goneaway]

Full of water, this thing will weigh in at almost a ton, the sand will crush under the weight and find it's own perfect level.
When we did mine, I was placing it on a herringbone pattern block paved patio area.
It wasn't until we put the tub down that we realized that whoever laid the paving, didn't make a great job of leveling it.
We had to rip up an 8 feet square area and re-lay to try and get some sort of level.
Now imagine a hot tub on 4" x 9" block paving. Getting each and every brick perfectly level is impossible.
Mines been down since about June with no issues.

[Ken Noble]

Thanks for the pictures. . .I just wanted to correct the Brand of spa pad mentioned.  It appears you used the "Handi pad" consisting of six pieces to build your 8'x 8' spa pad.  The "EZ Pad" consists of  [4]. . . 4'x 4' modules with connectors using screws.  The uneven position of your pads and resulting gap between your modules are a common problem associated with the Handi pad connectors.  Spa manufacturers require a "solid level foundation" for spa placement.  Your installation appears adequate. . .however, without the pad properly connected you may experience some shifting on the sand base.  I thought it important to comment for the purpose of accuracy.