Most people find out how hard it is to get rid of a hot tub on the day they try. An empty six-person spa weighs 700 to 900 pounds, it is wider than most gates, and it was usually installed before the deck, the fence and the landscaping that now box it in.
So removal is rarely a matter of carrying it away. It is a small demolition job: disconnect, drain, cut into sections, and carry the pieces out.
If it still works, try selling it first
A working spa in decent condition can sell, often to a buyer willing to arrange the move. Be upfront about its age, the condition of the cover and whether the heater and pumps work.
Expect it to take time, and set a date by which you will switch to removal. A tub that is cracked, leaking or years past working is very hard to sell.
Have an electrician disconnect it first
Most spas run on a dedicated 240-volt circuit. Disconnecting that supply is work for a licensed electrician, and it needs to be done before removal day — junk removal crews do not disconnect electrical supplies.
Ask the electrician to make the circuit safe at the panel and to cap or remove the wiring at the tub, so nothing live is left where the crew will be cutting.
Drain it a day or two ahead
A full hot tub can weigh more than 4,000 pounds, almost all of it water. Drain it completely a day or two before the appointment, and check where the water will go: many local rules ask for chemically treated water to go to a drain or sewer cleanout rather than a storm drain.
Leave the cover on or beside the tub. Covers and cover lifters go in the same visit.
What the removal involves
The crew cuts the shell and cabinet into sections that can be carried through the gate and up or down any steps, then hauls everything away, including the cover, steps, equipment pack and any surround.
Access is what makes the job predictable. Photos of the tub, the path to the street, the gate width and any deck height or stairs let the crew plan the cut and the carry before they arrive.
- Photograph the tub, the route out and where a truck can park
- Measure the narrowest point on the way out, usually the gate
- Mention whether it is on a deck, sunk into one, or on a slab
- Say if there is a gazebo or enclosure that needs to go too
