Lighting for Hot Tub Steps

Hot Tub Steps

• Hot tub steps are key pieces of equipment for accessibility and safety for aboveground hot tubs. While it's fairly easy to step down into an in-ground hot tub or one sitting inside a deck, climbing in and out of an aboveground hot tub can be a challenge. This is especially true when your muscles are loose and relaxed after being bathed in 104-degree Fahrenheit water. Wide steps with a nonslip tread on them are safest. Lighting hot tub steps makes them more usable after dark.

Lighting Importance

• Stairs need lighting for safety, especially for use outdoors at night. The steps leading to your hot tub can be cast in deep shadows. The last thing you or your guests need to do is feel your way up or down them. Even steps covered in nonslip material can be trip hazards if you misjudge one because you can't see. If you're lucky, you'll bruise yourself stumbling down the steps. In a worst case scenario, you might hit your head before falling back into the hot tub, putting you at risk for drowning.

Options

• For a hot tub close to your house, install floodlights on your house directed toward the hot tub steps. Turn them on any time you plan to use the tub in dim light or if no light spills over the stairs. For a hot tub located further away, purchased lights that can be inset in the stair risers, showing you where it's safe to step. For more a energy-efficient option, install solar-powered lights beside each step to light the way at night.

Considerations

• Consider installing a light switch beside the hot tub. That way, if someone inside the house turns off the lights, a person inside the hot tub can easily switch them back on. Because city and municipal codes govern the installation of electric lights and wiring, you may want to hire a professional electrician to make your new hot tub lights are in compliance.