Hot Tub Removal in Akron, Canton and Northeast Ohio
That hot tub out back stopped being worth it a while ago. Maybe it quit heating, maybe the cover gave out and it turned into a pond, or maybe you're selling the house and the buyer wants it gone. Whatever got you here, hot tub removal is one of those jobs that sounds simple until you're standing next to several hundred pounds of shell, cabinet and wiring, trying to figure out how it ever gets past the gate.
- Owner-operated
- Owner on site for the work
- Free site visit and free written estimate
- Fully insured, $2 million general liability and workers comp
The company is Zenith Excavating, out of 3397 E Waterloo Rd in Akron, and it's two people: me, Vental Waggoner, and the guy working beside me. When a hot tub comes out, I'm the one standing in your yard and running the machine. A lot of the tubs we pull are on back patios in Stow, Green and North Canton, and we cover the rest of Summit and Stark plus the five counties around them. Hauling the tub away comes with the job, and if it leaves a low spot or ruts, we backfill and finish grade that ground for the same number.
How hot tub removal works
It starts with a free site visit. I come out and look at the tub, the path from the tub to the street, the gate, any steps or deck in the way, and whatever the tub is sitting on. Then you get a free written estimate. A photo helps me get an idea, but a photo doesn't show the soft spot in the lawn or the step down off the patio, so I'd rather walk it once and give you a number that already accounts for that stuff.
On the day of the job, there are two of us. Depending on the access, we either take the tub out in one piece or cut it down into sections that fit through the gate and onto the truck. Then we load it, haul it off, and clean up the spot. If pulling the tub leaves a low area or ruts, we backfill it and finish grade it, which just means we fill the low spots with dirt and smooth the ground out so it drains and you can mow over it. That's included. You're not getting a second bill for it.
We carry $2 million of general liability coverage, and workers compensation on top of that. Whoever you hire for this, ask to see their insurance before they set foot in the yard. If they hesitate on that, it tells you what you need to know.
What hot tub removal costs
So what moves a hot tub price up or down? Size is the first thing. A little two-person tub and an eight-person tub with a lounger are not the same job, and the bigger it is, the more cutting, lifting and truck space it takes.
The second thing is how the company prices the work in the first place. Junk haulers usually charge a flat fee or charge by how much room the load takes up in the truck. Outfits that move hot tubs often bill by the hour. I give you a written number after I've seen it.
Third is access. A tub on a patio next to the driveway is one thing. A tub up on a raised deck, behind a fence with a narrow gate, at the bottom of a hill or down a set of stairs is another, and that's where the extra hours come from. I see all of that at the site visit, so it's in the estimate instead of showing up as a surprise.
Fourth is disposal. Most companies include it, but ask. With us, the haul-off is part of the price.
If you want to keep the number down, there are a few honest ways to do it. Sell or give the tub away if it still runs. Do the prep yourself (drain it, shut the power off, pull the side panels). And if you've got other stuff in the yard that needs to go, like an old deck or a shed, it's usually cheaper to have it done in one visit than two. Off-season scheduling can help with some companies, since spring and summer are when everybody wants their yard back.
Foam insulation under the shell
Here's the thing nobody thinks about until the side panels come off. A lot of hot tubs are insulated with spray foam underneath the shell, packed in around the plumbing to hold the heat. Some tubs have none. Some have a couple inches sprayed on the underside. And some are filled solid, top to bottom.
That foam matters a lot on removal day. A tub with no foam comes apart pretty fast. A tub filled solid with foam has to be cut through all of it, and it makes a mess of little foam chunks that blow around the yard if you're not careful. One remover's own numbers show a full foam fill turning about a one-hour job into three or four hours. You can't tell from the outside, so if you're able to pull one side panel off before I come out, do it and I'll see what we're dealing with.
Built-in, in-ground and indoor tubs
A tub that sits on top of a pad and a tub that's built into something are two different jobs. If your tub is set into a deck, part of the deck around it has to come apart to get it out. If it's sunk into the ground or set in concrete, the concrete around it has to be broken up and pulled out first, and that takes saws and a breaker. That's where I'm on the machine doing the breakout, and once the tub and the concrete are out, we backfill the hole and finish grade it so you're left with a flat yard instead of a crater.
If you want to keep the tile or the surround walls that frame a built-in tub, say so up front. Working carefully around what stays is slower than tearing everything out, and it costs more anywhere you go.
If the whole deck around the tub is tired and you'd rather lose both, that's its own job and it's covered on our deck removal page.
Indoor tubs, in a sunroom or a basement, are possible but slower. Doorways, stairs and finished floors all have to be protected, and sometimes the only way out is through a window.
The concrete pad under the tub
Most above-ground tubs sit on a concrete pad, and once the tub is gone, you've got a square of concrete in the yard with nothing on it. You can keep it. Some people put a grill or a shed on it and call it good. Or you can have it broken out, and then we haul the concrete off, backfill the spot and finish grade it so it blends back into the yard. If the pad is part of a bigger patio or you've got more concrete that needs to go, look at our concrete removal page.
Getting the tub ready: power, water and access
Before we show up, the tub needs to be drained and the power needs to be off. Hot tubs usually run on a 240-volt circuit, which is the heavy-duty kind like a dryer or a range uses, and that wiring needs to be disconnected and made safe before anybody starts cutting. A lot of removal companies have an electrician handle that part, and it's a separate fee.
Then there's the question of what happens to that circuit once the tub is gone. The breaker is still in your panel and the wire still runs out to where the tub was. Somebody has to either take it out or cap it off so it isn't a live wire sitting in the yard. That's electrician work, not demolition work, and I'd rather tell you that straight than leave you wondering.
As far as prep goes, drain the tub ahead of time, shut off the power at the breaker, pull the skirting or side panels if you can, and clear a path from the tub to the driveway. Move patio furniture, unlock the gate and tell me about anything in the way.
Where the old tub goes
A hot tub isn't one material. The pumps, motors, heater and any metal frame can be recycled. The acrylic shell usually can't, and it often ends up in the landfill. Motors and chemically treated wood from the cabinet may have their own disposal rules, so check with the county if you're doing any of this yourself.
Remove it, sell it, or move it
People get rid of hot tubs for all kinds of reasons. It's broken and not worth fixing. It's taking up half the patio. The house is going on the market. There are little kids or a dog around now. Or it just costs too much to keep running for how often anybody gets in it.
If the tub still works, try to sell it or give it away before you pay anybody to haul it. List it on Facebook Marketplace, tell friends, or try a Habitat ReStore. Fair warning, a lot of nonprofits won't take hot tubs, but somebody handy often will, even a broken one. I'll tell you that at the site visit if I think it's the better move for you.
Keep in mind that taking a tub out in one piece so it can be sold or reused is slower, careful work, and it costs more than tearing it down for disposal. And if you've got a big indoor tub with one bad part, a repair might cost less than removing it and putting in a new one.
Zenith removes and demolishes. We don't relocate tubs to another yard or hook them back up.
Questions People Ask
Do I need a permit to remove a hot tub?
Usually not for a tub that just sits on a pad, but it can come into play for a built-in or in-ground tub, or anything with wiring or plumbing changes. Check with your city or township building department before the work starts.
How heavy is a hot tub?
Heavier than it looks. A typical tub runs several hundred pounds empty, and the big ones push past a thousand. That's why "a couple of buddies and a truck" doesn't work as often as people hope, especially when foam or a deck is involved.
How long does it take?
A freestanding tub with easy access is usually a few hours of work. A built-in tub, a foam-filled tub or a tub sitting in concrete takes longer.
How soon can it come out?
We work Monday through Friday, 7 to 5, and Saturdays by appointment. Spring and summer fill up because that's when everybody wants their yard back, so it pays to reach out early.
Will your equipment tear up my lawn or crack my driveway getting to the backyard?
Fair question, because the tub's usually behind the house. I look at the route at the site visit, and any ruts in the yard from the job get backfilled and finish graded as part of the price.
Where can I drain the water?
Hot tub water has chlorine or bromine in it, which can burn the grass, and some cities have rules about what goes down a storm drain. Check with your city or township before you drain it toward the street.
Can you take a tub out in the winter?
It can be done, but winter changes the job. Snow and frozen ground change how we get from the street to the backyard, water left in the lines can freeze, and a tub that's iced over has to be dealt with before anybody can cut it. All of that gets talked through at the site visit.
Who fixes the hole in the deck after a built-in tub comes out?
I'll be straight with you on this one. Pulling the tub leaves an opening in the deck, and framing it back in is carpentry. If you'd rather lose the whole deck, see deck removal.
Request a Free Estimate
Got a tub you're done with? Fill out the form, tell me what kind of tub it is and where it sits, and press Send My Request. Calling works just as well at (330) 690-6842. Either way, what comes next is a free site visit where I look at the tub and the path out.
Back to Zenith Excavating home.