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Is it OK to Put a Hot Tub Indoors?

Many times, hot tub owners put their hot tubs outside. However, for those with a huge luxury house or a screened-in porch, it’s not uncommon to ask, is it OK to put a hot tub indoors?

A hot tub can be placed indoors as long as the room has adequate ventilation, humidity control, and access to both a water supply and drain. However, avoid placing it on a second story or wood flooring.

But as with everything, there are things you need to consider.

So in this article, I’ll spell out exactly how to control humidity, provide ventilation, and we’ll even talk about hot tub sizes in case you’re wondering how to get it through an existing door frame.

There are other factors, such as the floor construction where you want to put your hot tub inside the house, the weight of your hot tub full, and getting it in and out of the house.

Read on to find out what the problems are and how to resolve them.

 Saturday hot tub gathering

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What is the best flooring for an indoor hot tub?

The best type of flooring for an indoor hot tub is concrete that has been made slip-resistant with grit. Alternately, vinyl or ceramic tile is also suitable. Avoid wood flooring or laminate flooring as it will not hold up well against moisture and heat.

You can go from around 900 pounds empty to well over 4,000 pounds full.

This puts a lot of strain on the floor, which can cause it to flex, so a tile is not suitable on such a floor because this flexing will cause the grouting to crack.

You don’t want to use anything that will allow water to seep through, as this will then become trapped, and trapped water can cause bad smells and rot.

It is always a good idea to incorporate a floor drain into your design to catch any spillage, but I wouldn’t recommend using this to drain water from the tub. It will take a while for the water to pass through a floor drain, and the chances are water will cover your floor and get into areas where you don’t have waterproof covering.

You may also find it is illegal to discharge your hot tub into a public drain. So a window where you can run a drain hose to a discrete part of your backyard is ideal.

Not sure what the best hot tub is for indoor use?

I wrote a recent article where I looked at the best hot tubs for indoor use. In it, I get into all the things to look for with both regular and inflatable hot tubs when you plan to use it indoors. But I also get into the 1 feature that’s a must-have for indoor hot tubs.

Just click that link to read it on my site.

Do you need ventilation for an indoor hot tub?

An indoor hot tub will need ventilation as the moisture buildup could easily lead to mold problems. If you don’t have sufficient natural ventilation, such as double French doors opening out onto a patio area, install a fan in a nearby window.

I recommend the Genesis Twin Window Fan on Amazon with 9-inch blades to boost the airflow. It will easily fit into an available window, just like a window AC unit.

With over 5,300 ratings and almost all 5-star, these are the key features:

  • 3-speed settings: low, medium, and high.
  • A built-in thermostat with 5 temperature settings ranging from 60 to 80°F and LED lights that help you visibly keep track of the temperature setting.
  • Dual motors: this innovative double fan has two 9″ fan heads with their own durable motors.
  • Extendable side panels can expand to an additional 6.5 inches on either side to fit any window.
  • Reversible airflow fan to simultaneously operate for intake or exhaust purposes.

CLICK HERE to check out the latest prices on Amazon.

Will a hot tub fit through a door? Most doors have the height, but it is the width that is critical. I wrote more about this in a recent article, and if you click on the link, you can read it here on my website.

How do you control humidity in a hot tub room? 

To control humidity for an interior room where a hot tub is located, use a dehumidifier. Dehumidifiers do need to be drained, so an available sink or floor drain is ideal to avoid having to manually drain it.

Without a dehumidifier, the heat and moisture can ruin interior walls.

To suck this out and allow the surfaces to dry out, you need a dehumidifier, and the best one for this purpose is the HOmeLabs Dehumidifier on Amazon (yes, that’s how they spell it), and it is ideal for rooms containing a hot tub.

This dehumidifier scores almost a perfect 5-star rating from over 27,500 ratings, and these are the features they love:

  • It comes in 5 sizes to suit the size of your room: 1,500, 3,000, 3,500, 4,000, and 4,500 square feet. The 4,000 and 4,500 sf models also have an optional pump to get rid of the water without having to remove the tank.
  • The tank has a generous 1 to 1.6-gallon capacity, and the dehumidifier removes between 22 and 50 pints of water from the air each day, depending on the size.
  • Its simple yet attractive design blends in with any surroundings.
  • With its built-in wheels and handles, it’s easy to maneuver around the room. 
  • The fan is incredibly quiet, so it won’t spoil your hot tub experience.
  • Adjust to your ideal moisture setting, then let it run its continuous 24-hour cycle until the tank is full, at which point it will automatically shut off. There is also a drain hose outlet for continuous draining via a garden hose.
  • The turbo mode increases the fan speed from 165 to 188 cubic feet per minute.
  • Easy to Clean: This dehumidifier with pump and drain hose can be cleaned easily. It has a check filter feature that will light up to indicate that the filter needs cleaning. The filter may be cleaned with potable water. Cleaning of the dehumidifier and water bucket may be done with water and a mild detergent.

CLICK HERE to check out the latest prices on Amazon.

How easy is it to put a hot tub inside?

It is not easy to move a hot tub indoors into an existing home as most hot tubs will be larger than the door frame and require removing a portion of the door frame and wall. An inflatable hot tub, however, is ideal for indoor use.

If you’re thinking of making structural alterations anyway – maybe installing French doors – then this isn’t so much of a problem, but depending on your hot tub size, you’re going to need a clear opening of 80” x 33”.

The next thing you need to consider is how much your hot tub will weigh when full and whether your floor will take this weight.

I wrote about this in another recent article, and you can see that here on my site by clicking on the link.

Floors are designed to take a certain load depending on the use, which is the weight of the furniture and people who will be using the room.

If your hot tub is going downstairs and the floor is concrete, you’ll be golden.

Most timber floors in a house are designed to take a load of 30 – 40 pounds per square foot (psf). Exceeding this won’t always result in collapse, but it will cause excessive damage. In other words, it will cause the floor to bend.

If it is on the ground floor, this is not so critical, but on an upper floor, it will cause the ceiling to crack. Excessive cracking also puts a greater strain on the ends where these are attached to walls, so this is what you have to avoid.

Take an average-sized hot tub, say 7’ x 7’ x 3’, holding 400 gallons of water. This would weigh around 4,200 pounds full, imposing a load of almost 86psf, which is more than double the design load.

This will put a massive strain on your floor, so don’t risk it. Get an engineer in to look at it and design a support system for you.

What is the best inflatable hot tub for indoor use?

The best inflatable hot tub, which is ideal for easily moving indoors, is the Intex PureSpa Plus. It has the best reviews, is the most durable, and is easy to set up, fill up, maintain, and take down.

CLICK HERE to see it on Amazon.

You won’t have any trouble installing an inflatable tub. Just check out the weight issue first. Although these are lighter by comparison, it’s the water weight and people’s weight that matter most.

The good news is it’s easy to bring it inside anywhere deflated and then inflate it exactly where you want it.

Here’s what I love about my Intex PureSpa:

  • The pump and heater are both efficient and quiet. 
  • The hard water treatment system keeps the equipment in top condition for longer, helping to keep the noise down. This also slows down limescale build-up on the heating elements meaning it stays trouble-free for longer.
  • The walls are sturdy enough to sit on, thanks to the Fibre-Tech structural support system.
  • The control panel is easy to use, which means that anyone can operate the jets.
  • The control panel is also removable, so you can set it next to the hot tub to easily turn the jets on or off.
  • Over 1,500 ratings and almost all 5-star means they have a lot of happy customers.

CLICK HERE to see it on Amazon.

Still not convinced? I bought one last fall to bring with me in my RV, and it’s great. So I wrote a review of Intex spas in a recent article, based on my experience. So if you want a comprehensive look at them from top to bottom, it’s well worth checking out.

Just click that link to read it on my site.

Final Thoughts

I hope this gives you the information you need to decide whether you can install your hot tub inside your home.

The first thing to figure out is where will it go and can it fit through the door. But the primary consideration is the weight. You will also have to get rid of the steam somehow – a fan and dehumidifier should do the trick if you don’t have natural ventilation.

If you need any more advice, just reach out to me – I’d be glad to help. And don’t forget to click on those links to read other associated articles here on my site.


Photo which requires attribution:

Saturday hot tub gathering by Ryan McFarland is licensed under CC2.0

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Jeff Campbell