How to Move a Hot Tub by Yourself: Complete Instructions

Few things will bring more relaxation and enjoyment than hopping into a hot tub after a busy and rather tiring day at work.

Few things will bring more fun and excitement than having a private party in your home spa with a handful of close friends.

Few things will bring more stress than wondering what to do with your considerable investment when the time comes for you to move to another home.

How has the ultimate de-stressor become the ultimate stressor in a matter of days? Well, the extreme weight, huge size, and irregular shape of your Jacuzzi hot tub have surely something to do with it all.

How to move a hot tub by yourself?

Can you move a hot tub to a new house without professional help?

Should you even attempt to complete that seemingly impossible task in the first place?

As always, we’ve got all the answers for you.

Moving a hot tub to a new home – Options

It must feel great to be the proud and lucky owner of a Jacuzzi hot tub.

However, whenever a residential move comes around the corner, looking for you, you’ll have to decide what to do with your prized possessions which have surely been a considerable investment.

Basically, you’ll have the following 3 options when it comes down to moving a hot tub from one house to another:

Option 1. Don’t move your hot tub

If you’re looking for the easiest way to move a hot tub, then you just found it – don’t move it. Needless to say, it won’t be easy to part with that ultimate source of entertainment and relaxation but you’ll have to do the math before you can actually work out the best course of action in your individual case.

• Moving cost. Depending on how much you paid for the luxury of owning a mini spa pool in your own home, the thought of not taking the tub with you may have not even crossed your mind. Still, you can’t just ignore the money you’ll pay for its transportation. How much does it cost to move a hot tub? Unless you request an accurate quote from specialized hot tub movers, it’ll be next to impossible to calculate the exact cost to move a hot tub if you’re planning on doing it on your own.
• Lost time. It’s important to know that preparing your hot tub for a move can eat up an extraordinary amount of time, and that time depends on the type of your home spa and your previous experience. Don’t forget to factor in the actual time needed for its loading, transporting, unloading, and final post-move positioning and fixing (re-assembly).
• Dangers. Take a good look at your hot tub – do you think it’s something you can simply wrap up and take with you to your new home? The weight alone can easily make you reconsider. How much do hot tubs weigh? A standard one can weigh around 800 pounds! In other words, one wrong step or move on your part can lead to costly damage to the Jacuzzi hot tub itself, or worse – it can lead to personal injuries to the people involved in the move – an unfortunate scenario that must be avoided at all costs.

Taking into account the costs, time, and risks of moving a hot tub to another home, sometimes it’s better to simply try to sell the one you own now and purchase a new one after the household move is complete. In any case, this is the option that will often make the most sense.

If you’re selling the house too, then maybe the best option is to add the price of the home spa to the overall sale price of the property. If that is not a viable option, then see if somebody will be interested in purchasing the Jacuzzi separately – this way, you’ll transfer to the new owner the worries about how to transport it safely to their home.

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Option 2. Hire hot tub movers

If parting with your favorite fun and relaxation hub is out of the question, then the real question is, “What is the best way to move a hot tub?”

Without a doubt, hiring the services of a top-rated moving company that has vast experience in transporting hot tubs between people’s homes is the right solution under almost any circumstances. And in doing so, not only will your back and knees thank you later, but you can also be sure that your home spa won’t be damaged during the transportation process.

It’s normal to be a bit worried about how much the pros will charge you for the job – after all, you don’t want to spend a fortune on transportation costs. Due to the large number of factors that will influence how much you pay professionals to have your spa moved to your new home, you’ll just need to call up a few reputable hot tub movers and have them visit your home in person for a visual inspection and price estimation.

In addition to the years of relocation experience, the professionals will also have the right equipment to move a hot tub safely and quickly – exactly what you’re looking for, right?

Option 3. Move your hot tub by yourself

Ultimately, it comes down to weighing carefully your hot tub moving options.

Paying professionals to do that dangerous and risky job for you still remains the most sensible out there. And yet, under specific circumstances, you may be able to pull it off by yourself and a few trusted friends.

Here’s what you will need to move a hot tub by yourself without costly damage to the therapeutic tub itself and without costlier personal injuries of any kind:

• Proper equipment. The basic equipment needed to move a hot tub to another location: a couple of 4-wheeled furniture dollies, one appliance dolly, 4×4 wood pieces, and moving straps.
• Enough manpower. At least 4 people will be needed for completing that challenging task without professional help of any type. If you can’t secure the assistance of at least 3 friends (2 might also do the trick), then don’t hesitate to contact the pros.
• Basic knowledge and experience. You can’t move a hot tub to another house without any initial preparation and planning, so if you have no idea how your home Jacuzzi works and you find the manufacturer’s instructions to be too complicated, then it’s best to chuck that bold idea and do what’s best for everyone.

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Moving a hot tub by yourself – Steps

Remember that safety is a big issue when transporting something as heavy and enormous as a hot tub.

If you’re still confident that you can manage the heavy job of moving a hot tub to another house after the risk assessment is complete, then let’s continue with what steps you have to follow in order to keep things running smoothly from start to finish.

• Step 1. Initial measurements. Measure the dimension of the Jacuzzi to make sure it will fit into the back of the truck, either vertically on one of its sides or horizontally on its bottom base (its usual position).
• Step 2. Moving truck. Secure a suitable moving vehicle for the actual hot tub transportation – a medium-sized rental truck is your best bet. Don’t start the hot tub moving operation if the initial measurements show that your tub won’t fit into the truck no matter how you position it. If that’s the case, contact a professional moving company for assistance.
• Step 3. Exit way inspection. Inspect carefully the path to the moving vehicle – it should be perfectly clear of any obstacles or dangerous spots. Also, check to see whether all openings along the way are wide enough for the tub to fit safely.
• Step 4. Power disconnection. Disconnect your home spa from the electric network, coil the power cable, wrap it in plastic wrap, and place it inside its storage enclosure on the side panel. You don’t want any electric cords to be dangling around while the hot tub is on the move – remember that safety is of paramount importance here.
• Step 5. Water drainage. Using the side panel, close off the water supply line and drain the entire tub. If you’re not sure how to drain a hot tub, consult the specific instructions provided by the manufacturer. You may let the water drain straight into the garden if your spa is conveniently located outside, or preferably use a long hose if it’s inside your home.
• Step 6. Thorough drying. Close the drain cap securely and dry off any remaining water inside the tub with the help of bath towels. Once you’ve made sure everything is as dry as it can be, you can move on to the next step of moving a hot tub to a new home.
• Step 7. Hot tub cover. If your portable spa has a cover, it’s best to remove it now and re-attach it later than to risk damaging it during the haul. If you need to unscrew that cover, keep the screws in a safe place, preferably into a plastic bag.

Step 8. The real “fun”. Now it’s time for the toughest part of the job – the actual transportation of your hot tub towards the parked moving van. Have the 4 pieces of wood (approximate size of 4’’ x 4’’) ready. Gather your helpers and instruct them what each one of them should do as a team so that the job gets done more quickly, safely, and easily.

Step 9. Wood pieces. Lift (you and your pals) each corner of the heavy Jacuzzi and insert one wooden piece underneath the tub base to elevate the entire structure off the ground. Once you’re done, your hot tub should be around 4 inches off the ground but well-secured on the 4 pieces of lumber nonetheless. In case you’re wondering, this very action will facilitate the placement of the furniture dollies in the next step.

Step 10. Two furniture dollies. In the best case scenario, you won’t have to turn the heavy and bulky structure on its side – this is only possible when you have fairly flat and wide surface all the way to the moving truck. Slide one furniture dolly under the front part of the tub, and then to the same with the other dolly at the back. The moment the entire Jacuzzi base rents on the two dollies, secure the load to the furniture dollies with the help of straps (if at all possible).

Step 11. One appliance dolly. Moving a hot tub with a dolly is a very dangerous step so you shouldn’t do it unless you know you can handle it. If the path to the moving truck is not as even as you would like it to be, or if there are a few small steps, then the hot tub transportation method, described in the previous step, may not work well. In such cases, consider moving the hot tub on its side. Can you move a hot tub on its side? Absolutely. Have your friends lift the structure on one of its sides (the side panel cannot stay below for fear of damage) and then slide the appliance dolly (the 2-wheeler) under it. IMPORTANT: Fasten the tub to the dolly really well via straps and encourage your helpers to use their hands to keep it steady until the truck is reached.

Step 12. Safety, safety, safety. This step is all about being extremely careful until you reach the moving vehicle. The straps should keep the entire structure of your Jacuzzi stable enough so that any chances of accidents are swiftly prevented. Go very slowly, have all the manpower you’ve got to support the strapped-up tub and make your way to the truck to begin the loading operation.

• Step 13. Loading operation. Again, much caution should be exercised by everyone while you’re loading the hot tub into the moving truck. Go up the loading ramp, slowly but surely, and once inside, leave the wheeled equipment underneath the structure. Next, tie securely the Jacuzzi to the side of the truck to avoid any movement on the road, and cover it with several moving blankets for extra protection.

Needless to say, once you reach your new home, the above steps should be, more or less, repeated in reverse order – the hot tub will need to be unloaded, wheeled to its new location, positioned correctly, and hooked up to water and electricity supplies before it can be enjoyed once more.

Is it hard to move a hot tub?

Moving a hot tub yourself is a serious business that should be undertaken only if all other options have been exhausted. Did we forget to mention risky and dangerous too?

If you’re really serious about moving one of the most difficult items found in a home without professional assistance, then you’d better assess properly the risks and dangers of handling that relocation challenge without the pros.

Get price estimates from a few top-rated specialty movers before you decide to risk your money, time, and most importantly – your health. Who knows, you may find out that the price and conditions that experienced hot tub movers will offer you are not as bad as you first thought.

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