Installing your whirlpool spa tub

Positioning your spa tub

Once you have selected the required area in which to place your spa, prepare and clear the area. Ensure that the area is level in the case of an above-ground installation. Should you wish to sink your spa (in-ground installation), you will have to excavate a hole large enough in which to place and level the spa, whilst also allowing 300–500mm of space surrounding the spa on all sides.

Your spa should always be placed or rested on a level bed of river sand and cement. This will provide support for the base or footwell of the spa. The power unit, or pump system, is to be placed no more than a three-meter distance from the spa, and should be below the water level of the spa where possible.

Electrical requirements

The Power Unit or Pump System of the spa requires an electrical connection to the household Distribution Board. A thirty Amperage (30 Amp) Circuit Breaker must be installed to the household Distribution Board, with four millimetre (4mm) cabling connected to the Distribution Board of the Pump System of the spa. The length of the 4mm cable should never exceed twenty meters (20m). 

The electrical cabling must be connected to the Pump System Distribution Box via the PVC Gland situated on the side of the Box, as indicated in the diagram below. All exposed electrical cabling and tubing should be protected by encasing it in polycop pipe or in twenty millimetre (20mm) conduit piping.

Diagram 1: Open View of Pump System / Power Unit Distribution Box

Pipe connections

When connecting the pipes between the Spa and the Pump System, please take note of the following:

• The Pump Systems should not be placed more than three meters away from the Spa
• The pipe that runs between the Spa and Pump should be as straight as possible
• Avoid using plumbing fittings for the pipe connections since they do not withstand high pressure for long periods
• For the pipe connections, use Tangit High Pressure Glue
• Allow twenty-four hours for the Tangit High Pressure Glue to set and seal.
  
  
  

 Connection procedure

Refer to Diagrams 2 and 3 below for the connection procedure.                                          

Diagram 2: Single pump system – rear view

Diagram 3: Underside view of spa

Diagram 4 : Single pump system – front view

Once all connections have been securely completed, we advise that the spa now be tested. Support the edge of the spa, as best you can, and fill the spa with water for testing. Use a hosepipe to fill the spa with water to the required level, being thirty millimetres (30mm) above the highest level of the jets. Check the Pump System and all the pipes for any leaks or possible problems. Once you are satisfied that all is working correctly, you can proceed in enclosing the spa.

 Enclosing your whirlpool tub

We recommend that all spas be supported at the base of the footwell. Unless the spa is a portable model, enclosed in a wooden surround, the spa should also be supported at the lip on all sides of the spa shell.

Lay concrete foundations around the perimeter of the spa, to secure the positioning. Ensure that the spa is filled with water, since this acts as a levelling weight.  Build up a brick wall, to the level of the lip of the spa, ensuring even support on all sides. Backfill the cavity within the walls, surrounding the spa shell with clean river sand. This sand should be dampened for improved compaction. Ensure that no rocks or obstacles are allowed to bed against the underside of the spa.