Getting a spa is a huge deal. Congratulations. You have put in the hard yards and considered your personal needs and picked a design that you like. You have chosen the shell, cabinet and hardcover colour that you like too. While you waited for your spa to be made especially for you by Sapphire Spa’s Melbourne factory, you have prepared for the installation of your spa. You have an installation site planned, a concrete slab poured, electricity arranged and all the permits you require. You have just had the exciting call from your local dealer and they have confirmed your spa delivery date. There are a few things you can do to make sure the delivery day goes off without a hitch.
You have ensured that you can legally have a spa at your residence. You have relevant permits for your spa, your concrete pad or deck is legally constructed and you know the post-installation certification with your local council. Note that some councils may allow you to operate the spa while awaiting final inspection and some may not and it is important to know your council’s requirements.
Spas are very heavy once filled with water (and occupants). It is important that they are installed and supported correctly for user safety and to ensure the longevity of your spa. While Sapphire Spas builds Australia’s toughest spas, to Australian standards and for Australia’s harsh conditions, we cannot be held responsible if you install it on a substandard footing.
For a spa pool, you generally should have a 100mm thick reinforced concrete slab and for swim spas, it should be 200mm thick. It is good practice to check with a structural engineer that this is adequate for your soil conditions. For wooden decks, you must have an engineer inspect and certify that the installationsite is adequate for your chosen spa model.
It is very difficult to have electricity routed to a spa once it is in place. The electrical conduit should be pre-routed to one of your spa’s electrical accesses point before installation. This means when designing your concrete slab, plan where the corners of your spa will sit and have your electrician run their cables beforehand. Make sure your electrician is aware of the spa model you have chosen and wires a circuit that meets the recommended power supply. Also, book your electrician to come and complete wiring it in on the day you expect it to be delivered.
In most states and territories, it is a legal requirement that you have a fence installed around your spa. This is to keep everyone safe as there are many hazards associated with spas. Choosing the right type of fence and materials will also ensure your spa has a long life. In most states, the minimum height for a pool fence is 1300mm high with no climbable objects within 1m of the outside of the fence. This is a regulation you should confirm with your local planning office before installation of a spa or purchasing or installation of a pool fence.
Before the installation day, confirm that your retailer has checked your site and is certain that the delivery truck can reach your property. This includes verifying how the spa will be moved from the truck to the installation site on your property. If the location is difficult to access other plans may have to be made, such as the use of a crane truck, provision of an external crane or in extreme cases additional manpower to carry the spa by hand.
Despite being a compact spa, it includes a full recliner even suited to tall people as well as two additional seating areas with a selection of targeted massage jets in each. Developed by our design team is the undercut footwell, providing additional space to stretch your legs into the unused space underneath the recliner.
When expecting work or deliveries that may draw attention or create additional noise or road congestion it is polite to notify neighbours ahead of time. Let them know the date and the time of day they may be impacted. Tell them if there is a plan to use a crane or other heavy machinery so they can keep their children and pets out of the way. Also, try to warn them if there is an expectation that the delivery truck might make road access difficult that day.
On the delivery date, before the arrival of the delivery truck do a final site walk. This involves walking from the road where the truck will arrive, along the expected delivery path. Make sure there are no obstacles, dirt, debris, trip hazards, fallen trees or anything else that will obstruct smooth operations.
You will no doubt be eager to start your spa as soon as possible. There are a few things required for this, aside from electricity as discussed, is water and spa chemicals.
Your spa supplier will be able to set you up with the best chemicals to run your spa. Often the initial setup and treatment are different from than ongoing operation so make sure you know which is which. Make sure you have a supply of the chemicals needed to begin the operation of your spa, but also prepare with a supply of the ongoing maintenance chemicals.
It may sound obvious, but access to water for your spa is easy to overlook. In some council areas and regions, you will require a permit or prior notice to fill a pool or spa due to the volume of water used. In some cases you may have to book a water cartage truck privately, this is especially true if you rely on tank water. Regardless, make sure you have a hose that is long enough to reach your spa installation location too. If you are impatient, access to a hydrant or water cartage truck will greatly expedite this process.
Many new spa owners do not take the time to read their spa operation manual. The operation manual and user guide contain important operation, safety, maintenance, and warranty information. Failure to comply with certain requirements may void your spa warranty or reduce the quality of your user experience, so it is important to read them. It is great if you read these before you receive your spa so that you won’t be distracted from it or tempted to gloss over important details.
Getting a spa is a huge event for the whole family, no doubt your children will be particularly excited. It is important to know that even though the delivery is exciting, it can also be dangerous. Spas are heavy, your electrical wiring will be temporarily exposed during the final install by your electrician and there are large volumes of water and spa chemicals present. Therefore it is important to have plans to keep children out of the way. Let them know where they can and cannot go on the day of delivery, or arrange for them to visit friends or family to be out of the way.
Once your spa is delivered your children will be ecstatic. It is nearly impossible to explain anything important or boring to an excited child. For this reason, take the time to sit your children down before your spa is delivered. Explain to them how to behave safely and responsibly around your new spa and what the expectations are for them and their friends.
The safety concerns for pets are similar to those for children. Because pets can’t follow rules, make sure they are tied up, locked away or taken by a pet sitter for the delivery day. Also, spas often have rounded edges for comfort, this is great for users who can climb up the stairs, but for pets, it can be a hazard. Make sure you have a plan for how you will keep your pets away from your spa as it may present a drowning hazard, plus spa filters are not designed for pet hair.
A spa likely features prominently in your backyard use and design. If your yard has already been landscaped, have you considered how your spa will fit in? Particularly if the delivery or installation may damage some existing design features, tear up grass or damage fences or footpaths? If so, make sure you have planned to minimise these issues and/or have pans to repair fences if they need to be broken for the installation.
A spa is great on its own, but there are many things to consider or add-on that will really set off the entire experience.
The first to consider is access to your spa, there are a variety of steps available from single steps to triple steps to suit everything from small spa pools up to our largest swim spas.
Second, a spa cover, included with every sap helps keep your spa clean and the water temperature constant, plus they reduce maintenance costs. But they can be a bit cumbersome to move, consider a spa cover lifter with your purchase. They come in options from simple lever-assist designs to premium gas-strut models and they make handling your spa cover a breeze.
Finally, make your spa an all-year affair. Two things can get in the way of year-round spa use. Hot weather and cold weather. Australia is famous for the harsh heat of the Australian summer, while a spa can take relieve the warmth of the day, it can’t do much about the power of the sun’s rays. Fortunately, there are spa un shades available to provide shelter from the sun. They are roll-out, roll-in models, so you can enjoy the sun on temperate days and block it out at the height of summer.
Another great add-on is a heat and cool pump for your spa. All our spas come with energy smart water heaters, but heat and cool pumps can deliver more heat faster and with greater efficiency. They can pump up the heat much more in winter or keep the temperature at a perfect refreshing temperature all summer long.
By following these steps you can make sure that the delivery of your spa goes smoothly. It will reduce delays for electricity, water, power or permits and make sure that your spa is ready to go as quickly as possible. Contact Sapphire Spas today to discuss how one of our spas can change your life today.
