Item 04 of 10
Pad, delivery and power
A filled swim spa puts a median 156 lb on each square foot of its pad, and up to 309 lb, across the 166 models whose makers publish a filled weight.
Before delivery you need a pad that stays flat under 20,000 pounds, a clear path for a truck or crane, and the right electrical service.
What it is
A swim spa needs three things ready before it arrives. First, a base: almost always a reinforced concrete pad, flat and level, sized to the spa. Master Spas asks for at least four inches of concrete with steel rebar; Hydropool asks for six inches over gravel. Second, a path: the spa travels flat on a trailer and is set in place by forklift or crane. Third, power: a dedicated 240-volt circuit, usually 30 to 100 amps, sometimes two circuits, wired by a licensed electrician.
Why it matters
The pad is part of the structure. Endless Pools rates its E550 at 245 pounds per square foot when filled; a deck built to the residential code minimum is designed for 40. If a pad dips, the shell bridges the low spot and water loads parts of it that were never meant to carry it. Hydropool says that ends in warping, cracking and leaks, and it won't deliver without a concrete pad; Master Spas' warranty excludes damage from uneven support.
Delivery has its own surprises. A swim spa can't be turned on its side to fit through a gate the way a hot tub can, so the way in has to be as wide as the spa itself, about 7½ to 8 feet for most. Where it isn't, a crane lifts it over the house at extra cost, and Master Spas tells buyers to measure every gate and overhead clearance first.
Electrical is the gap people miss. On Endless Pools' standard 60-amp hookup the heater switches off whenever the massage-jet pump runs; an 80-amp hookup keeps it on. Some dual-temperature models need two separate circuits, which can mean a panel upgrade before the spa runs at all.
How makers do it
Reinforced concrete pad
The good wayA flat slab with rebar or mesh, cured before delivery. Master Spas asks for 4 inches minimum; Hydropool asks for 6 over gravel.
Engineered deck or indoor floor
AcceptableA structural engineer designs framing for the load. Watkins Wellness suggests one before an Endless Pools spa goes on a raised deck.
Recessed into the ground
AcceptableThe spa sits partly or fully below grade on a slab. Master Spas' manual sets drainage rules for below-grade installs.
Pavers, gravel or an ordinary deck
AvoidCommon under hot tubs. Hydropool calls all three unacceptable for swim spas because of the weight and size.
In the showroom
Check this
- Ask for the maker's pre-delivery guide and read the pad it calls for: thickness, reinforcement, flatness.
- Read the spec sheet's electrical line: amps, number of circuits, any higher recommended hookup.
- Read the warranty for support and installation exclusions before you sign.
Ask this
- Will you walk my yard before delivery, and is a crane included in the price?
- What pad does this model's warranty require, exactly?
- What hookup lets the heater and jets run at the same time?
How each brand does it
All 17 brands publish enough to tell.
Every brand, A to Z (17)
- PartlyAmerican Whirlpool
Crane placement, a concrete pad 12 inches bigger than the spa all round, and a 30-60 A 240 V supply (two on the DM8).
- PartlyArctic Spas
Needs a concrete pad or engineered deck rated for 146 lb per sq ft, a crane, and one 240-V circuit of 40-60 A; Arctic leaves pad thickness to local contractors.
- PartlyArtesian Spas
A 6-inch reinforced slab is preferred, Dual Temp models need two circuits, and no filled weight is published.
- YesBullfrog Spas
A 4-inch reinforced slab or engineered deck, one 50-amp circuit, and usually a crane.
- PartlyCal Spas
Every Cal Spas swim spa needs a crane and a 4-6 inch slab; its 150 lb/sq ft deck figure is too low for these weights.
- PartlyCoast Spas
Plan on a reinforced concrete pad, a crane and a 40-60 A circuit. Coast won't say which amperage your model needs.
- PartlyDynasty Spas
A 5-inch rebar-reinforced pad and a dedicated 240 V 60 A GFCI circuit; the 19-footer needs two, which its product page doesn't say.
- YesEndless Pools
Endless requires a 6-inch reinforced slab or a deck rated over 250 lb/sq ft, and 60 A for E and X models, 30 A for R.
- YesHydropool
The 2024 install guide and pad article set strict rules: a mandatory reinforced concrete pad, level enough that no frame gusset needs more than a 1/8 in shim, and a 50 or 60 A GFCI circuit (two circuits on the 19DTAX). The 2025 owner's manual still allows an engineered deck.
- YesJacuzzi
Clear, detailed install guides: a 4-6 in reinforced slab on crushed stone for 250 lb/sq ft, usually a crane, and 50 or 60 A (two circuits on the J-19DT).
- PartlyLPICatalina Swim Spas, Dr. Wellness
LPI asks for a 6-8 in steel-reinforced concrete pad and a 60 A, 240 V circuit (two on dual-temps), but its own documents disagree on amps.
- PartlyMarquis
Filled weights run 9,723 to 15,669 lb. The V150s need one 240 V, 50 A circuit; ask what the V174's '50/30A' means.
- YesMaster Spas
Clearly published: a 4-inch rebar-reinforced concrete pad, 3 feet of clearance all round, and 50 to 130 amps by model.
- YesPDC Spas
A level 4-inch reinforced concrete pad rated for 26,000 lb, 3 ft of clearance all round, and one 50 A circuit (two for dual-zone).
- PartlySundance Spas
One 240 V GFCI circuit: 50 A for the Splash and Stream, 60 A for the Surf. Sundance publishes no pad spec for its swim spas.
- YesSwimEx
SwimEx publishes a full site guide for each model: a level concrete slab rated for 425 to 789 lb per sq ft, a pit or 10 ft of ceiling, a truck and forklift or crane, and a sub-panel with three breakers totaling 105 A or more.
- PartlyWellis
Concrete pad, or a 15 cm gravel bed for semi-inground installs; one 240 V circuit of 30–60 A (two on the Rio Grande).
Read nextSwim spa electrical requirementsIn-ground swim spasSwim spa sizesBest swim spasSwim spa cost
Where it gets complicated
Makers disagree on the pad itself: Master Spas asks for 4 inches of reinforced concrete, Hydropool for 6 over gravel, and Watkins Wellness suggests a structural engineer before any raised deck. Electrical advice varies as much: Wellis lists 50 amps as the minimum for its Danube and 60 as optimal, while Endless Pools' R200 runs on 30.