Photos of installing spa on roof!

[dude]

I had to install my spa on the roof of a building using a crane!  I made a photo album to show some friends, and thought I would show you all as well.    

Take a look at this link to see the photos:

http://www.cartagenapenthouse.com/spa

[Drewski]

NOW THAT'S A STORY!

Congratulations!

Any pictures of the girls?

Drewski

[Chas]

Sure hope he got the right voltage and hertz......

Should be a fairly good view from the tub.

[Lori]

And I thought MY crane story was a wild one!

[dude]

No a different note, my spa did not come with a GFCI.  Is this really a big deal?  I cannot find one where I live and it will take at least a month to get one.  In the mean time, it is wired using brand new cables and breakers.  Will this do?

[spatexport]

A GFCI breaker will trip with 5 milliamps of electrical current to ground.  That would feel sort of like a mosquito bite.  

A standard breaker will trip from a current draw above its rating (i.e. 50 Amps).  It could feel more like a red-hot iron being pressed through your hand on that nerve between your thumb and your forefinger.  Electric currents at higher levels could also start fires and melt metals.

The spa will function without a GFCI, but the spa and the bathers may be at risk.  On the other hand, many non-GFCI protected spas run for years without incident.

It is also required by code in most areas that hot tubs have GFI protection.  A GFCI breaker should be available nearly anywhere next day.  Could the cause of the delay be from a lack of quallified installers?

Good luck.  

..until I read your story!!  You probably know all this and even used the tactic...

I lived in Honduras for a year.  I have helped "export" buses through from the USA to Honduras.  When in C.A. do as they do.  In order to get something, you give something.  Money works well.  We call it "bribery", south of the border it's called "propina".  The word translates "tip", but it means PAY-OFF.  At border-crossings, we were able to avoid search and mucho delay by tipping the correct officials and "un-officials".  

!Buen historia y buena suerte!  Como dicen, "Vaya con dios".  Except Columbians speak three times faster than other Spanish speakers, so it sounds like "Vacodio".

[hottubber]

dude,

WOW, very impressive,...until the crane couldn't reach

over the edge of the building. What did the manpower

cost you, maybe a case of Cervesa?

Nice job..

[Mendocino101]

I have to ask....(great pictures by the way).....but for all the trouble you went though.....what made you want a spa so bad....is it to help out those poor girls on the beach..... ....what made you decide to do so much work.....

[dude]

spatexport  -Getting the GFCI is not an issue of bribing anyone, they simply do not sell them in the city where I am.  I am going to have a friend from the US bring one down on his next trip but it could be a couple of months.  We used all new cables from the breaker box to the tub so I am hoping all will be ok until it gets here.  I understand what you mean though about the propina but that is impossible with large items here.  Believe it or not, but Colombia has very strict Customs these days.

hottubber -Manpower was about $5 each.    But the crain was a lot of money.

Mendocino101 -Yes to help the poor girls.    Is there a better reason?    They all seem to like to sit directly over the air jets!  

But more seriously, I had no idea it would have been like this when I ordered it.  The shipping company said it would be here in 7-10 days, and I figured they would import it.  My workers said they would pull it up on the roof with ropes.  However, it turned out the shipping company took weeks and I ended up doing all the importation work (idiots), and then my workers could not pull it up.  I also figured I could get the taxes greatly reduced but that also did not happen.  So the $4500 tub cost $10,000 by the time I sat in it, and took about 4-months, and MANY headeaches.  Anyway, it is all done now and really is quit nice.....

[Spatech_tuo]

Great story, especially the ending!!

[Nhbeacon]

Dude,
Thank you for the slide show, that has to be one of the most unique installation story that I have seen on this site. So you must be the coolest dude in your town with the only hot tub.
Jan

[Chas]

One thing many folks overlook in special installations such as yours is electrical bonding.

Any metal objects in the near area of the tub must be connected together with what looks and acts like a ground wire. This means a wire needs to go to such things as handrails, light posts, planters, metal caps on top of walls, rain gutters and spouts, anyting metal in the area of the tub.

This is very important, but more so if you will be running the tub w/out GFI protection for a short period of time.

Be careful up there !

[spahappy]

Dude,

Great story! Wonderful veiw! As far as the girls go, well I guess thats just another benifit of spa ownership I doubt that would work as well in the states.


Spahappy

[dude]

The terrace (indeed the building) is one giant piece of concrete.  Nothing metal to touch.

One thing many folks overlook in special installations such as yours is electrical bonding.

Any metal objects in the near area of the tub must be connected together with what looks and acts like a ground wire. This means a wire needs to go to such things as handrails, light posts, planters, metal caps on top of walls, rain gutters and spouts, anyting metal in the area of the tub.

This is very important, but more so if you will be running the tub w/out GFI protection for a short period of time.

Be careful up there !

[dude]

Dude,

Great story! Wonderful veiw! As far as the girls go, well I guess thats just another benifit of spa ownership I doubt that would work as well in the states.

Oh I am sure it would not work in the states unless I wanted to get arrested!!  

Yesterday, I am walking along the beach and I spotted two girls who looked just like Shakira.  (Incidently, Shakira was born not far from where I am living now.)  So, I invited them back to the apartment for a dip in the tub.  Now, I would like to tell everyone how this finished (indeed I have photos!) but unfortunately it would not be proper for this website.  

But I can say all the work paid off!