There are a lot of reasons why someone wants to dispose of a hot tub. My family’s reasoning to get rid of our hot tub was wasps. However, how much does it cost to dispose of a hot tub?
The cost to dispose of a hot tub when dumping it in a local landfill is an average of $20, depending on fees and weight costs. Used hot tubs sell at 50% of the original price depending on the condition. Upcycling costs depend on tools and project goals and can range from $0-$100+.
To find out more about disposing of a hot tub, read on!
Prepare the Hot Tub
With any sort of removal or upcycling project, you need to ensure that your hot tub is ready. For removal, you first need to disconnect the hot tub from the power supply, this way you and anyone else working on the tub won’t be zapped by electricity while removing it.
Next, drain the tub of any water. Hooking the water drain up to a hose is a good way to ensure your backyard isn’t flooded as you can direct the flow of water easier.
Once the power is disconnected and the water emptied, you can then focus on removing the tub’s pumps, heaters, power, and plumbing.
Dump
Taking a hot tub to the dump is simple if you have the right tools. When my family realized that we weren’t enjoying our old hot tub to its fullest potential and that the wasps around our home had made a decently sized home from the wood paneling around it, we decided to dump it. Selling it wasn’t something we thought we could do as our hot tub’s motor was old and the wasps had ruined the once beautiful paneling. To the dump it was.
Clear a Way
Whether you’re able to take the hot tub as a whole or if you need to attempt to disassemble it, you’re most likely going to need to clear a route from your backyard to a truck or a big rented dumpster from your local municipal waste management.
There are services you can hire to handle the removal of the hot tub if you’re unwilling to do it yourself. Their prices will vary on the companies available in your area. However, you can take a hot tub to your local dump if you have a truck and some willing help.
Take the Hot Tub Apart
Sometimes a hot tub requires a bit of extra grease to get it ready to be transported. Whether it’s because of weight or easier access to the disposal site or container, you can disassemble a hot tub and then further cut it into wedge-like shapes. This, however, requires heavier powered tools, and most hot tub removal companies recommend taking a hot tub on its side and using dollies to transport the hot tub to a truck for removal.
Landfill Policies
Make sure that your local landfill is equipped to handle a hot tub, and if they would rather you cut the hot tub up into smaller parts. Reaching out to your local municipal waste management can also give you more individualized advice on how and where you can dump your old hot tub.
Costs for dumping a hot tub at a landfill vary from site to site, however, depending on how much the hot tub weighs and what the pricing per pound is, the cost can range from $10-$20.
When my family brought our old hot tub to the dump after dismantling it and getting rid of the hardwood paneling that our unfriendly neighborhood wasp population loved so much, the total cost was $10.
Sell It
Sometimes, a hot tub can just be something you’d rather not upkeep, and selling it to another person is the perfect way to give someone else joy, especially if your hot tub is in a good condition still after use. The price is often negotiated, but a good starting place for pricing is at half of the market price of when you bought the hot tub.
When selling your tub, getting it out of your backyard is a little more delicate of a process as you want to ensure that the hot tub can be used later.
Ensure that all the essential parts are uninstalled prior to moving the tub, and make sure to move the tub with a team of people, as moving it by yourself is difficult and can be dangerous for yourself and the tub if you don’t have spotters.
Upcycle It
Sometimes, you realize that the hot tub you bought ages ago isn’t really what you want. But what can you do to make it something that you do enjoy?
Upcycling is the process of turning old things into new things, whether it’s for art or for another purpose entirely. I have a dear friend whose grandfather turned his above-ground hot tub into a pond. It has koi fish, and both her grandfather and the fish seem to be quite happy with the arrangement.
There are many different projects you can do to upcycle your old hot tub. The cost ultimately depends on what you’re willing to put down as part of your creative budget, what tools you will need, and what your goals are.
Depending on the makeup of your hot tub, there are several elements that can be either recycled, donated, or upcycled before you even get to the traditional framework inside. The PVC fittings, valves, pipes alongside the wood, and plastic outer casings can all be recycled or repurposed into something that appeals to or is useful to you.
Here are a few ideas to get you started with your upcycling project:
- Garden
- Landscape Feature
- Pond
- Dog house
- Abstract sculpture
Sometimes, it just takes a little brainstorming to figure out what you may want to create, so grabbing a pencil and some paper to jot your ideas and goals down is a great way to get started. The possibilities for upcycling are as limited as you let yourself be.
Overall, it doesn’t cost that much to dispose of a hot tub and there are other things that you can do with one that you no longer want that don’t involve disposing of it.
Related Topics:
If you like the article above, here are some other similar articles you should check out!
What Should I Do with Old Clothes
