EZ pad

[newguy35]

i am a soon-to-be first time hot tub owner (i've narrowed my choices to the caldera martinique and limelight flair).  i was wondering about what to do about the foundation. i haven't priced out poured concrete pads, but i'm sure it will be an expensive route to go down.  i came across the EZ pad.  does anyone have any knowledge of/experience with these?  they are affordable (about $365 i believe) and seem really easy to work with.  they are 8'x8' in size.  i would hate to make such a large investment in a tub, only to mess up the foundation.  are these pads legit?  will they void the tub's warranty?  any and all feedback would be greatly appreciated!!!!!!



p.s.: feel free to offer your opinion on the martinique and flair

[Chas]

Prices vary across the country, but right now I could get a slab poured for less than that if I did most of the prep work. That means operating a shovel, something I'm not unfamiliar with. Or, it could mean hiring a handyman, gardener, nephew, brother-in-law who owes you money, etc.

The slab would be far more stable, and is NOT that tough to remove if it comes to it down the road. (I have taken out lots of them over the years: to replace with a better one, with a larger one, one which doesn't face the sunset every night, one on the OTHER side of the yard, or just because the tub was going away, period.

You will have to do prep work for the EZ pad, and that's something I think gets overlooked - it's really not that much harder to prep for a slab, IMO.

 

[rick_in_cleveland]

I have used an EZ pad for 6 years with no problem.  There is prep with it  and getting the sand level (construction not play sand) and then getting the pad on it without screwing up the grade takes some doing.  Over the six years one side has dropped about 1 inch but most of the weight is on the bottom of the tub so my dealer says its not a problem.

[vangoghsear]

We used EZ Pads.  The prep work is making sure the location is level.  I cleared off the grass in a fairly level spot about 8'-6" square, then built a 2x4x8'-1" (clear dimension) wooden sand form which I hoed a hole to allow it to drop down 1" on the 4" side.  I filled the next 1.5" with about 15 bags of sand, leveled the sand, leaving 1" to place the EZ Pad so it sticks up above the wood about 1". 

I was given a quote of $800 to pour a pad, not sure who was doing the prep work for that price.  If they did all the prep work for it, it may have been worth it.  As it is, I saved close to $400.  Doing the EZ Pad.

You may need a bonding ring in either case.  The rebar has to bonded in the concrete, and the ground 3' around the EZ Pad has to be bonded even if it is just grass around it (if you have a wooden deck around it I do not think it requires a bonding ring, but let the electrician decide what the code requires).  In the case of the concrete, your electrician will probably have to come out twice to bond the concrete rebar, then to come finish the wiring once the tub is in place.  In the case of the EZ Pad, the bonding ring is added after the EZ Pad is down, so it's just one trip.  The EZ Pad itself does not require bonding.

Overall, it's okay.  I have a 6' round tub that sits about 6" from one side of the 8' EZ Pad so that the steps can sit on the pad on the other side.  With one end of the tub being 1.5' from the edge, that side not under the tub sticks up a bit from not having the tub centered, but the tub itself is secure and level.  If the tub was a rectangle, close to the size of the EZ Pad, I imagine it would work much better.

[manwgoldengun]

EZ Pads are great.  I installed one for a friend of mine.  No problems whatsoever.  Highly recommend

[Chas]

We used EZ Pads.  The prep work is making sure the location is level.  I cleared off the grass in a fairly level spot about 8'-6" square, then built a 2x4x8'-1" (clear dimension) wooden sand form which I hoed a hole to allow it to drop down 1" on the 4" side.  I filled the next 1.5" with about 15 bags of sand, leveled the sand, leaving 1" to place the EZ Pad so it sticks up above the wood about 1". 

I was given a quote of $800 to pour a pad, not sure who was doing the prep work for that price.  If they did all the prep work for it, it may have been worth it.  As it is, I saved close to $400.  Doing the EZ Pad.

"Doing the EZ pad" is an accurate description - you didn't actually save $400, you did $400 worth of hard labor. You just didn't pay yourself...

With stories of settling, and the amount of work the prep takes, I would say we have a good case being made for a slab. Even if you want to do that much work - and some are very willing to do so - you can still hire a concrete finisher to help you pour a load of U-Cart or just have a gardener come and pour and finish it.

Not knocking anybody, I just don't see why you would do that much labor only to put down a piece of plastic when you can do LESS work and pour concrete, and end up with a more permanent footing for your new tub. By "less work," I mean that you generally don't have to work so hard at leveling the sand base for a slab: just dig it out close to level, rake out some sand and you have it. Rebar is optional, but a good idea - four bends and some tie-wire and you have that.

What am I missing here?

 

[vangoghsear]

Also, not every brand will warranty their equipment if installed on an EZ Pad base.  You need to check with your dealer about that.  Ours said it was okay and they actually would have sold us the pads. for about $500 in the store.  I ordered them online much cheaper.

Chas, I was almost going to go with the concrete, but at the time, we were only going to wire up a 110 circuit. until we decided if we liked it there.  Turns out we went with the 230V circuit anyway, so it's staying where it is.  I also didn't mind scraping a few inches of rock hard dirt (it had been really dry where I am) as opposed to 8"-12" deep required for concrete.  If the prep work was included, then that would be no big deal, but it was too hot to fight through that ground by myself (I'm getting too old for that type of thing  ).  I still am not sure if the quote included prep work.  The EZ Pad required the least ground work of the options I considered. 

I agree though, concrete would have been the best option as far as final product.

[rick_in_cleveland]

I went with the EZ pad because of my city.  We are allowed only 25% of the lot as permanent structures and a concrete pad was considered permanent ...The EZ pad was considered portable by the city

[TLWR]

also in many areas because they are considered permanent, concrete pads require permits and with that, it increases land improvements which means more in property tax

[manwgoldengun]

EZ pads are great!  I have used 2.  No issues to report

[Chas]

also in many areas because they are considered permanent, concrete pads require permits

Wow! And I thought CA was bad! We can do patio covers w/o permit if it is free standing (and doesn't encroach on the property lines) and pads. We usually get permits for wiring tubs, so the inspector is on the site, but no permits for a slab.