How much does a Hot Tub Weigh?

If you are thinking about upgrading to a larger hot tub the first thing you should think about is its weight. The deck you place your hot tub on can only support a limited amount of weight. So, unless you have the budget for fully reconstructing your deck, you need to buy a hot tub that fits within its weight capacity. And it's not just the tub's weight, you also have to consider the weight of the water and the users too.

A hot tub can weigh anywhere between 100 pounds to 1000 pounds. But on average, it will weigh 500 pounds without adding water. When you add water, the weight rises to about 2500-4300 pounds. Then with people in it, the weight of the hot tub will increase up to 6000 pounds if you use the larger ones.

In this article, I will discuss typically how much a hot tub weighs and demonstrate how it can increase drastically when you fill it up and have people using it. These pieces of information are essential when you are thinking of upgrading or relocating your hot tub.

When Would You Need to Know the Weight of Your Hot Tub?

Here are some scenarios when you might need to consider the total weight of your hot tub. Let’s take a look at them first.

Moving A Hot Tub

The weight of a hot tub can be quite a handful, and you will know it when you are about to move the tub from one place to another.

So, it will be trouble-free for you if you know the total weight of your tub, and then you can estimate how many people you would need to move it.

Installing A New Hot Tub

When you are about to get a new hot tub in your backyard for fun and relaxation, you need to install it first. But without knowing its weight, you may break the tub or your deck or get injured while installing the tub.

Therefore, learn the weight of your tub based on how many people are going to enjoy it at a time. And you will be able to complete the installation without cracking or breaking it.

Renovating Your Home

Suppose you are going to renovate your home and you need to replace or re-organize all the furniture to a new place. So, your hot tub may create problems if you don’t know its weight. And you can’t just move it alone or bring a crane if it is too heavy.

You have to make other arrangements to place the tub in a new place. So, knowing the weight of your tub is a matter of concern.

Upgrading

I’ve already discussed that when upgrading to a higher capacity hot tub, knowing your total hot tub weight during use is essential. Usually, the deck on which you hot tub is placed has a certain weight capacity.

And going over that can cause serious accidents. But, if you know the capacity of you deck and the weight of your hot tub, that issue can be easily avoided.

Weight Of An Empty Hot Tub

Let’s see how much an empty hot tub can weigh based on a person’s weight and get a rough idea of the hot tub’s weight. The weight of an empty hot tub without any water or people in it is often referred to as the dry weight.

Small (2 Person)

The small hot tubs are semi-compact and mainly made for two persons. Its dry weight range is 200 pounds to 400 pounds on average.

Medium (3-5 Person)

It’s a compact hot tub for 3 to 5 people. The average dry weight of a medium tub is about 600 pounds and can increase up to 750 pounds. The weight can vary based on build materials and their composition.

Large (More Than 6 Person)

These hot tubs are mainly for five to six people or more. So, it can weigh up to 1000 pounds. But the larger ones need to be durable and robust. That’s why they are made from heavy composites, and it increases the total weight of the tub.

Weight Of A Full Hot Tub

It’s also helpful if you know how much water your tub can hold and what the total weight is with just water or with water and people in it.

Weight with Just Water

A small tub can contain 1400 pounds (170 gallons) of water. So, the total weight will be around 1600 to 1800 pounds.

A medium hot tub can hold 1800 pounds (220 gallons) of water. Then, the total weight of it will be 2400 to 2550 pounds.

The large hot tubs usually have a limit of 2700 pounds (325 gallons) of water. And the total weight of a large tub is about 3700 pounds or even more.

Weight with People in Hot Tub

If you are counting the total weight of your tub while people are in it, you should consider the average weight of those people as well.

Therefore, a small hot tub can weigh up to 3000 pounds. A medium one can weigh up to 4500 pounds because of the 3 to 5 people capacity.

And lastly, the weight of large hot tubs can start from 5000 pounds and increase up to about 6000 pounds with people in it.

Hot Tub Weight Chart [Comparison Table]

Take a glance at our two types of comparison tables for a quick overview of the information.

1.     Dry weight, water, and people capacity

2.     Build materials

This table is to understand how much weight difference the build materials can make.

Material vs Weight of a Hot Tub

Different types of materials are used to make hot tubs. The type of material directly affects the weight of the hot tub. Let's take a look at some commonly used hot tub materials and their weight:

1.     Acrylic

Acrylic is the most durable material to build hot tubs. It is also the most common material to make hot tubs these days.

They give the hot tub durability and longevity. The only downside is that it is heavier than most materials for making hot tubs. The price is also higher. The empty weight of acrylic tubs is about 450 pounds.

2.     Wood

Back in the day, wood was the most used material for hot tubs. Wooden hot tubs are still available today because of the sheer aesthetic and elegance they offer. Commonly used woods are redwood and cedar. Wooden hot tubs have a more natural appearance than acrylic tubs.

They are also as heavy as acrylic hot tubs, heavier in some cases. Wooden hot tubs usually weigh between 330 to 375 pounds but can go as high as 600 pounds. The problem with wooden hot tubs is they don't retain heat efficiently, resulting in higher electricity bills.

3.     Vinyl

Vinyl hot tubs are not something you would usually desire, but they are great for people with low budgets.

You won't get the pleasure of using a high-quality hot tub, but you will get the experience nonetheless. They are lightweight and not durable. Vinyl hot tubs are prone to crack. However, you can repair them.

4.     Rotomolded Plastic

Rotomolded plastic is a highly affordable and lightest material for hot tubs. A form of powdered plastics is spread over a mold and heat cured until the entire mold is evenly covered.

Rotomolded plastic gives a matte finish with satisfactory aesthetics. The weight of rotomolded plastic hot tubs is 300 pounds.

How to Find the Weight of a Hot Tub?

Now you know when the weight information will be needed, but how will you find it? You can’t just throw it on top of a weight machine and see the numbers. Fortunately, there are other ways to learn the weight of a hot tub.

Manufacturer’s Website

Every manufacturing company puts their product information on their websites. You just simply log in to their website and search the data according to your model number. Hopefully, they have a download option of the user manual so that you don’t have to log in repeatedly.

Hopefully, you will find all the information related to your tub like weight, dimension, water capacity, person capacity, etcetera.

Instruction Booklet

You can avoid the trouble of searching the information on websites if you have the pre-packed instruction manual or booklet with you. It contains all the information about dimensions and usage instructions for your hot tub.

So, don’t lose the instruction manual just because it doesn’t come in handy right away.

Inside Pump Compartment

You will also find some specs inside the pump compartment. When you bring the hot tub to your backyard or move around to another place, you may notice some stickers beside the pump compartment or inside it.

You can check some of the specs like weight & capacity from the sticker or find the data engraved somewhere on the tub’s body.

Manual Calculation

If you don’t have any instruction booklet or no way to look into the website, you can just calculate the weight of your tub manually. Measure the dimensions of your tub and the dry weight. Then calculate how much water it can hold and the people’s weight.

It won’t provide exact info about the weight, but you will get some approximate answers. That will hopefully be enough to get the job done.

Checking If Your Deck Can Support Your Hot Tub Weight

If you are worried about whether your deck can hold the weight of your hot tub, here are some tips to figure that out.

General Rule

The general rule about deck weight support is that if your deck is placed less than 2 feet from the ground, you won’t need any additional support to hold the weight of your hot tub. There’s no reason to worry when the deck is grounded or just a little higher from the ground.

Additional Support

When your deck is raised more than 2 feet from the ground, it will need additional support within every 6 feet. But the problem increases with smaller ones because they put relatively a lot of weight in a small concentrated area. So, installing a support every 6 feet may not always be enough.

If you place your deck high enough to reach under, you can use beams and posts as additional supports. You have to use a minimum of 7 or 8 posts (4 in corners, 2 in the middle, and the rest on the sides) to support your large hot tub.

Calculating The Capacity

If you divide the total weight of the tub (With water and maximum number of people) by the total square feet of your deck, you will get how much weight your deck can handle per square foot.

On average, a large hot tub (7-8 persons) can weigh more than 100 pounds, but your deck can take only 100 pounds per square foot. 

Can You Place a Hot Tub Inside Your House?

You might think of placing your hot tub indoors and that's an okay idea. You can place it in your basement without any issues, or on the first floor in case you don't have a basement. The problem arises when you want to put your hot tub on the second story of your house. You can do that as long as the floor can support the weight, which it doesn't.

As you want to place a hot tub indoors, let's assume it's a small size hot tub which weighs 400 pounds when empty and 3000 pounds when full of people and water. Standard small-sized hot tubs range 6 to 7 feet in length and 5 to 6 feet in width. So the average area is 30 to 42 square feet. Let's say the area is 35 square feet.

The 35 square feet area bears a total weight of 3000 pounds, which is 85 square feet per foot. The common rating for residential floors is 40 pounds per square foot. It is less than half the weight the hot tub shall inflict. The floor is highly likely to break and cause serious injuries. You will also face legal troubles for violation of laws.

So don't put your hot tub on the second floor of your beloved house. You will face a lot of things starting from fatal injuries to medical bills and repair costs. Not worth it.

What are the Best Types of Foundation for Hot Tubs?

Hot tubs weigh a lot. So the foundation you are putting in the hot tub is important because different materials can bear various degrees of weight. Selecting a proper foundation shall prevent damage to the ground and keep your hot tub in place. Let's take a look at some foundation materials:

1.     Concrete

Concrete can be the best choice for the foundation of hot tubs. It has a compressive strength of about 17 MPa and is the material of choice for any type of construction work. So it only makes sense that it will be able to hold the weight of a hot tub with your buddies in it.

The ideal thickness for a concrete slab is four inches for hot tubs. If you plan to put anything besides the hot tub, the thickness should increase. Let your contractor know beforehand. There also must be six inches of base material beneath the concrete.

2.   Decking

Decking can be an excellent option if you want aesthetics. Deck materials are usually timbers so they will not be as strong as concrete. However, there is a certain weight limit you can put on a decking. You can't randomly put a bigger-sized hot tub than what was originally intended.

Decks are built higher from the ground, usually two feet. The higher the deck, the more reinforcement it needs. Make sure you consult a professional and don't forget to mention your requirements so he can make adjustments accordingly.

3.   Pavers

Paver or paver bricks can be a great alternative to concrete. People extensively use pavers to build paths leading to a house, shop, market, etc. Paver bricks are different from regular construction bricks. They require less maintenance and last longer.

Similar to concrete, you need six inches of base material under the pavers for additional support. Crushed rocks, sand, gravel etc are the most common materials for making base materials. You can also place your hot tub directly over the base material without the paver bricks.

4.   Spa Pad

Spa pads are more of a plug-and-play option for hot tub owners. They are made of interlocking plastics and can support up to 100 pounds per square foot. Spa pads are readily available in shops that sell hot tubs. If you want to skip the hassle, spa pads are a great option for you.

In a hot tub, you can let go of your stress and relax. But it can be stressful when you break or crack the tub during installation or renovation. So, it’s essential to know the exact weight of your hot tub to move it successfully.

If you are not sure about it, then this article on how much does a hot tub weigh will tell you what you are trying to find. The best thing would be to consult a professional as they will provide you the most accurate details and advice.