I recently purchased a new Dimension One swim spa, the Aqua Pro 19, and I plan to have it installed in my backyard in the next couple weeks. I want it buried all the way into the ground, so the top lip is sitting on the decking - in other words flush with ground level. The installing contractor is recomending it be about 16 to 18 inches above the ground level, in order to make it easier to get in & out. These are steps inside the spa near one corner and I also purchased a handrail for my 72-year old mother-in-law (and maybe me too ) but I am wondering if fully in the ground might be a mistake.

Anyone have experience or opinions on this?

The single biggest problem with inground spas is what to do when (not if) you need to work on any of the equipment. Access is the key. In the ground, you don't have access. Otherwise having it up and out isn't a big deal for entry, but it is more pleasing to be sitting with your head higher than ground level.

Second that.

Never, Never, Never, Never, Never.

It is a DISASTER for repair, a maintenance nightmare, and a safety hazard for children!

I've had previous tub that was flush with the deck and then I lowered the deck about 12 inches a few years later. That was okay, but it was hard to work on and the seat skirt just wasn't high enough for it to function for much else.

Neither of those options worked without some problems, namely falling in accidentally during maintenance or finding a good position to be in while cleaning the above water edges. Also, the top lip of the tub managed to attract a high degree of abuse over time. (I did not have a hard cover for the old tub)

With my current tub, I too wrestled with how high or low did I want it to be. Most units are sitting directly on the floor, +/- 36"? I measured my wife's inseam and tried to find a number that would allow her a graceful entry and minimize the need for steps. I ended up having to add a 7" step for her. The top of the tub is 31.5" from the deck. The factor that determined this number was a point just below the hip where, if a person were to lean against the tub, they wouldn't fall in or be too tempted to sit on it facing away from the tub. With the cover on, add the 3 or 4 inches to the over all height.

Another issue would be lifting the cover off & on. If you have it too low, you may get an undesired workout lifting it off.

I would have sunk my tub about 4" deeper than I did, but I wanted to remove the temptation for other to sit on the edge or the cover and minimize the chance for me or others from falling in during maintenance or casually walking by.

I thought I was the only one to ever have lost sleep with this question.

Thanks for all the tips and advice!

The project started yesterday morning - three workers are digging a 12' by 24' hole by hand. They are using jackhammers, of course, to get through the first couple feet of extremely hard soil called caliche or calcrete but the rest is all shovels and then wheelbarrows to get the dirt out to the street where it will be picked up.
The swim spa measures 19' by 8' so this hole will give me some room to work on it when maintenance is needed. At the rear of the spa, where the mechanicals are located, I'll have about four feet of access space and around the sides, about 1 1/2 feet. The rim of the spa should end up being about 18 to 24 inches above the decking which my wife and I feel is a good compromise. At least we won't need a ladder to get in!

We are taking photos of the progress, so when it is finished I'll post a link.

be sure to dig down around the swimspa and locate drain tile and pea gravel so you don't end up with a pool around the spa, destroying it.

You mean in case we ever see rain again here? It has been so long since I've seen rain in Phoenix, I don't even recall what month it was - probably last July or something like that. If the weather doesn't hurry up and get serious about giving us relief in the next couple weeks, we'll have the driest year out of the last four: a little more than half of normal. That is one of the main reasons these poor construction guys had to use jackhammers for the entire four foot depth of this spa "pit".

To take care of any water in the bottom, the contarctor is installing a sump pump. I hope it is legal to dump the sump water into the wash just beyond the view fence.

Here are some early photos of digging progress and the concrete floor.













The plan is to have the spa sit up above the decking level about 18 to 22 inches. It took four days for the concrete to cure enough for the wall construction to begin. I hope to post photos of the walls later this week. I also hope to create a slideshow of the whole operation.
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Instead of posting a bunch of thumbnails, I created a slideshow on ImageShack --

http://img155.imageshack.us/slideshow/p ... 48qa7.smil

If this slideshow works, I'll add more for the walls, decking, craning the spa over the house, etc.