Altida Crane Hire makes it easy to relocate your hot tub to your new property.
At Altida, we specialise in hot tub relocation, removal & providing a delivery service for both new and used hot tubs. We use the latest specialist equipment and fully trained engineers to give you the best possible service.
Perhaps you’ve bought a second-hand hot tub and want it delivering and installing professionally, or maybe you want to move your spa to a new home. We are the hot tub mover you can trust.
If you’re having your hot tub relocated, we can do a full commission when it reaches its destination. We’ll position the spa in its new home, connect to the electrics and fill the tub, adding chemicals and making sure it’s ready for use.
Our hot tub relocation service is efficient and precise. We want to get your hot tub moved for you as quickly and safely as possible and we maintain this standard throughout the whole process. So you know exactly what will be going on we have listed an exact breakdown of each stage below so nothing is a surprise.
First is the hot tub electrics. We disconnect the power supply and locate the breaker switch, which is inside the circuit box of the hot tub, and turn it to the off position. Turn off the hot tub as well as the breaker powering the spa on the main electrical panel. For 110v spa models, we then simply pull the plug from the wall. Note that hot tubs directly wired to the power supply will require an electrician and/or a spa service representative to safely disconnect, but with us, we already do both of these things. We then find the electrical lines connected between the hot tub and the panel. We snip the lines with wire cutters if you do not plan to reuse the hot tub spa. If you are only temporarily disconnecting the hot tub, we will use a screwdriver and pliers to unhook the electrical connections.
We have fully qualified electrical engineers that are able to carry out the full electrical supply from the main board.
Secondly is plumbing. We connect a hose to the drain valve of the hot tub. To find the drain valve, we remove the cover, and then connect one end of a garden hose to the valve and run the other end to an appropriate drainage spot. After this, we open the hot tub spa drain valve to release the water. You can allow the water to drain on its own, but that can be a slow process. We then use a submersible water pump to speed things up considerably, which should then take 10-15 minutes to drain all of the water out of the hot tub. Keep in mind that in some areas, it is illegal to dump spa water into a drain that leads to the ocean and you can be fined for doing so. We will then clean up using a wet-dry vac to clear the remaining water from the hot tub. Even when using a submersible pump, some water will puddle at the bottom of the hot tub spa and remain in the pumps and piping. So we use the vac to remove excess puddles.
We then switch the vac to push mode and place the nozzle of the vac on the drain valve to push the remaining water from the pipes out through the jets of the hot tub, and again using the vac to clear the pushed water. At this point, the hot tub should now be totally disconnected from any peripheral water and power sources. If you’re moving your tub to an environment where temps are below freezing, this step is especially important. Fully draining your spa is also a vital part of winterizing your hot tub. We will then thoroughly clean the spa and once all the water is removed, we will take the opportunity to thoroughly clean the spa and repair any surface scratches before moving it.
A large acrylic hot tub can weigh upwards of 1,000 pounds (450 kg), so it’s very important you let us do all the heavy lifting. Usually, we have 4 people lift the hot tub, and another person slide dollies under its base and help guide it. It’s essential to have enough hands on deck. You’ll need a truck if you’re moving the hot tub to a location other than elsewhere in your home, so please let us know before arrival. We will then measure your hot tub, then rent a moving truck that can accommodate it. We always go for a moving truck with a ramp, as it is difficult to lift the hot tub high off the ground. Essential equipment includes moving straps and blankets. We use at least 2 or 3 large blankets to cover the hot tub and at least 4 straps to secure to the trucks inside wall. We then use a pair of 4 wheel furniture dollies. Furniture dollies are platforms with 4 wheels and a non-slip top. You can rest the hot tub on 4 lumber boards when you slide dollies under it and when you unload it. They’ll make it easier to centre the dollies and help ensure no one gets their fingers squashed by the hot tub during unloading.
To avoid unnecessary problems, always inspect your hot tub and perform any repairs before you plan to have it transported by crane. During the inspection, you can begin by looking at all the fasteners and screws that keep the hot tub intact. Should you see any rusted fasteners on your hot tub, you want to go ahead and replace them now. In such a weakened state, the process of moving the hot tub by crane could cause further stress on the fasteners and cause them to fail when the hot tub is being lifted or installed on the surface. You should also take this time to ensure the motor and other internal compartments are securely bolted in place. Cranes are great for lifting hot tubs into tight places, onto second-story decks, or onto rooftop decks. They are equally great when access around the home is limited or encumbered. Crane costs are outside of a “normal hot tub delivery” and are passed along to the buyer, however, we provide and coordinate the crane and getting an estimate for the customer. For a hot tub delivery, most of the time, you can get away with using a 20-ton boom crane that is capable of slinging a hot tub 50-70 feet. Cranes for swim spas are typically larger and therefore more expensive. Crane costs also vary based on where you live, the number of crane companies in your area (competition), and availability.
There are some circumstances in which we would not be able to remove your hot tub with a crane. These include;
• Power lines or telephone lines – even for the shortest of crane jobs this can be a problem if you live on a street where telephone wires and power lines run right in front of your home.
• Parking – cranes are mounted on very large trucks and if the street or driveway is narrow then they may not have adequate access to set up properly to get the job done. The bigger the crane the more space it will need. Also, consider that cranes have large outriggers that extend out from the truck and position themselves against the ground to give the truck a wider stance making it capable of booming out further.
• Street Access – as referenced above some of the larger cranes can take up a substantial amount of space especially when the outriggers are deployed and if your driveway is not big enough and it requires the crane to park in the street then a road use permit may be required and a small crew may be required to re-direct traffic during the time the crane is being used. Although this type of circumstance is rare, it can be very costly by the time you add up all of the expenses.
Please contact us about any of the issues and we can try our best to resolve them. So to summarise our team of hot tub engineers will disconnect the spa, move it from one location to another, re-connect and install once the crane has moved it.
We’ll plan everything for you, including sourcing the best quote possible for the crane hire, which can vary depending on location and a number of different factors.