Pool School, Pool Lifts
What a Pool Lift Costs and Installing One Takes
The parts a pool lift order is made of, the anchor each deck takes, and the deck work, bonding and permits that come with installing one.
A pool lift purchase is the lift, an anchor for your deck, a second 24 V battery, a cover if the lift stays out, and signs at a public pool. The table above prices each part from live products. Installing it is deck work: a cored or cast anchor set in epoxy, a 24 hour cure on Aqua Creek's instructions, a bond to the pool's grid with 8 AWG solid copper, and a building permit plus a health department sign off. A battery lift needs no wiring at the pool.
How much does a pool lift cost?
| Part of the order | Price today | Read from |
|---|---|---|
| The lift Sold without an anchor. Capacity 300 to 400 lb. |
$4,23899 to $8,07499 | Aqua Creek Ranger 2, S.R. Smith aXs2, S.R. Smith Splash!, Global Legend L-325, Global R-350MTR |
| The anchor For the deck it is going into, or the fixing kit for a portable. |
$19399 to $40339 | Global tri point drop in, Global 4 point drop in, Global square sleeve, Global wood deck plate, S.R. Smith Secure-It Kit |
| A second battery So a charged one is always on the lift. |
$37299 to $47499 | S.R. Smith LiftOperator, S.R. Smith CEC, California, Global TiMotion |
| A cover For a lift that stays on the deck. |
$31400 to $73899 | Aqua Creek Pro Series, S.R. Smith Splash! and PAL, Global Deluxe |
| Signs A public pool posts where the lift is. |
$11199 | S.R. Smith Lift Available sign |
| A portable lift instead No deck work. Fixed to the deck with its kit for a public pool. |
$8,98099 | S.R. Smith PAL2 |
| Lift, anchor and a second battery together | $4,80597 to $8,95337 | The lowest and the highest of the rows above that every fixed lift needs: the lift, the anchor, a second battery. |
The prices are today's on this store, read from the products named in each row, so the table moves when they do. Freight is quoted at checkout from the pallet weight and your zip code. The deck work, the bond and the permit are priced locally and the article below says what each has to be.
What a complete pool lift purchase includes
A pool lift is rarely one line on an order. The table above prices each part; here is what each one is for.
- The lift. Every color is its own part number. A part number ending in N or NA, or a title that says no anchor, tells you to order the anchor on its own. The Aqua Creek Ranger 2, F-RNGR2 and the S.R. Smith aXs2, 310-0000N are sold that way. The Global C-375 with tri point anchor, C375TPA arrives with its anchor.
- The anchor for your deck. Cored or cast into concrete, set on a footing under pavers, bolted through a wood deck, or fitted into an old sleeve. Most lifts sell it separately, and the pool lift anchors page shows which lift takes which. The Global tri point drop in anchor, GLCDIA, for example, fits the C-375 and C-450 only.
- A second battery. Battery lifts run on a 24 V pack, and a public pool's lift has to work every hour the pool is open. A charged spare covers the gap. S.R. Smith lifts take the new style LiftOperator battery, 1001495; lifts built before January 2012 take the old style 100-2000, and California lifts take the BC version.
- A cover for any lift that stays on the deck, chosen by model and color. The Aqua Creek Pro Series cover, F-120PPC-G, fits the Admiral, the Ranger and the Portable Pro.
- Signs for a public pool. S.R. Smith makes a Lift Available sign, 900-5000, and a warning sign, 900-5100A.
- Options. Belts, a headrest, a therapy spine board attachment, a transport cart or caddy, Aqua Creek's F-045SCH solar charger and S.R. Smith's activation key.
Deck work never appears in the table. This page covers it without a figure. Labor depends on your deck and your area, no manufacturer publishes install hours, and the install costs published online come from vendor articles that contradict themselves.
Which anchor your deck takes
The deck decides the anchor, and the anchor decides most of the install.
| Your deck | What it takes | Anchors the manufacturers name |
|---|---|---|
| Concrete, thick and reinforced | A cored hole or a cast in sleeve, set in epoxy | S.R. Smith LiftLock 300-6200L; Global tri point GLCTPA and tri point drop in GLCDIA; Spectrum composite 28510; Aquatic Access sockets |
| Concrete thinner than 6 in | A shallow anchor, or a stronger slab first | Aqua Creek F-77SSA |
| Pavers | A paver anchor bearing on a footing poured beneath the pavers | Aqua Creek F-808SA-10 or F-08CAJP, each with an 8 in insert |
| Wood | Bolts that pass through the joists | Spectrum 28515-00; Aqua Creek F-842SWDA or F-40220-AT1; a Global flange |
| A surface you will not cut | A surface mount | Spectrum 75521 for the Motion Trek; Aqua Creek F-035EZSM for the EZ series |
| An old lift's sleeve | An adapter, or a lift built to drop into another manufacturer's anchor | Aqua Creek F-UAPPS plate and F-824 sleeve; S.R. Smith retrofit kit; Spectrum 42661; the Global R-375 Retrofit or L-325 Retrofit; Global GLCRFA for the C series |
| No deck work at all | A portable lift | S.R. Smith PAL2 with its Secure-It Kit; Aqua Creek Portable Pro Pool 2 on a counterweight; Aqua Creek Mighty Voyager with its fixing anchor; Global C series portable kit |
A portable lift skips the coring. The S.R. Smith PAL2, 202-0000, comes with the Secure-It Kit to hold it down. Global's portable kit bolts a C series lift to a deck anchor, and the lift comes off at under 150 lb. The Portable Pro Pool 2 needs a flush deck and a 600 lb counterweight; sources disagree on whether the concrete weights are included, so confirm on your order.
What a concrete deck has to be
Each manufacturer prints its own figures. Use your lift's and never mix two sets.
- Aqua Creek retrofit anchor. A slab of 8 in or more, reinforced with number 4 bar every 10 in in both directions, and a pad of at least 60 x 60 in. The core is 4 in across and 7 in deep at minimum, because the bonding lug sticks out. Its center sits 12 to 20 in back from the wall of the pool, clear of control joints and slab edges by 6 in or more. It is set in two part epoxy, and nothing loads it for 24 hours.
- Aqua Creek Scout and Revolution stanchion anchor. A footing 3 ft 9 in square and 10 in deep, 2,500 psi concrete, number 5 bar top and bottom. The bronze anchor goes in a core 3 in wide, 6 in deep or deeper.
- S.R. Smith LiftLock, 300-6200L. 2.875 in outside, 2.75 in inside, ideally 12 to 18 in back from the edge of the pool. The slab thickness and steel are in the Splash! manual's Appendix A. The anchor carries 525 lb of vertical load and 1,820 ft lb of torque under a Splash!, and 430 lb and 1,875 ft lb under the Extended Reach.
- Global Commercial series. A setback of 12 to 17 in, with the anchor sitting as much as 8 in below the deck surface.
Give these figures to whoever cores or pours the deck. A slab thinner than your manufacturer asks for means a shallow anchor or new concrete.
Where the lift sits on the deck
The inspector measures placement, so settle it before anyone drills.
- The water at the lift is 48 in deep or less (2010 ADA Standards, 1009.2.1).
- The seat centerline is 16 in or more back from the pool edge when raised (1009.2.2).
- A clear space 36 in wide by 48 in deep sits beside the seat, on the dry side (1009.2.3).
- A helper has room: Aqua Creek's EZ manual asks for 6 ft of open deck either side.
Reach is the other half. S.R. Smith asks every buyer for a Deck Profile Sheet, then confirms the lift reaches. Aqua Creek prints an Application Graph Chart for each model, and Spectrum a setback and draft grid. Which pool lift fits your pool walks through all three.
The install day, in order
- Core the slab, or form the footing, where the anchor goes.
- Set the anchor in epoxy.
- Let the epoxy cure. Aqua Creek's instructions give it 24 hours.
- Mount the lift on the anchor.
- Bond the anchor to the pool's bonding grid.
- Charge the battery.
- Run a full test cycle, deck to water and back.
- Train the staff, including how to swap the battery.
Electrical, bonding and water supply
A battery lift needs no wiring at the pool. The charger lives indoors where it stays dry, plugged into an ordinary 110 V outlet, and never goes out on the deck.
The anchor is the electrical job. NEC 680.82 calls for it to be tied into the pool's equipotential bonding grid with solid copper no smaller than 8 AWG, and every anchor that can be bonded carries a lug for it. Some jurisdictions want a licensed electrician for it, so ask first.
Water powered lifts (Aquatic Access, Spectrum's Gallatin and Glacier) use no electricity but need 35 to 70 psi of water, by hose or plumbed in.
Permits and paperwork
Expect two approvals: a building permit and the health department's sign off. Some places add an electrical permit for the bond. You file them. The seller provides the documents a reviewer asks for: the spec sheet, the owner's manual, the anchor drawing and the manufacturer's ADA statement.
A business removing a barrier may be able to claim the Section 44 disabled access credit, if it is small, or the Section 190 deduction. Neither covers new construction, and an accountant should confirm either. ADA pool lift requirements explains both.
What arrives, and checking it
A lift is a pallet or several heavy boxes, and it is handled from where it is set down, not from the pool deck. The manufacturers' figures:
| Lift | What arrives |
|---|---|
| S.R. Smith Splash! | 280 lb on a 40 x 48 x 60 in pallet |
| S.R. Smith aXs2 | Three boxes of 102, 36 and 50 lb |
| S.R. Smith multiLift2 | Two boxes of 100 and 40 lb |
| Aqua Creek Ranger 2 | 160 lb |
| Spectrum Traveler BP500 | 280 lb |
| Spectrum Glacier WP 600 | 860 lb |
Open everything and look for damage before you sign for it, and write any you find on the delivery receipt. Spectrum's warranty, for one, leaves out damage in transit.
Who installs a pool lift, and pricing the work
The manufacturers write their instructions for someone experienced with pool deck equipment. Dealers recommend a professional. Regional installer networks exist, but our research turned up no national pool lift install service.
So price the job from the deck. Bring the anchor drawing and your manufacturer's slab figures, and ask for each piece by name: coring or a footing, the anchor set in epoxy, the bond, and the permits. Those, not the lift, set the labor.
Products in this guide
Questions
What does it cost to have a pool lift installed?
It depends on your deck, not the lift, which is why this page gives no labor figure: no manufacturer publishes install hours. A cored hole in a thick, reinforced slab is the plain case. A thin slab that needs a shallow anchor or new concrete, pavers that need a footing, a wood deck, a bond your jurisdiction reserves for a licensed electrician, and the permits all add work. A portable lift avoids most of it. Get quotes with your anchor drawing in hand.
Can I install a pool lift myself?
The manufacturers write their instructions for someone experienced with pool deck equipment, and dealers recommend a professional. The skilled steps are coring the slab to your manufacturer's depth, setting the anchor in epoxy, and bonding it to the pool's grid with 8 AWG copper, which some jurisdictions leave to a licensed electrician. A portable lift such as the S.R. Smith PAL2, held by its Secure-It Kit, is the nearest thing to a do it yourself install.
Do I need a permit to put in a pool lift?
Usually two: a building permit and the health department's sign off, plus an electrical permit for the anchor bond in some places. The buyer files them. Ask the seller for the spec sheet, the owner's manual, the anchor drawing and the manufacturer's ADA statement, the documents reviewers ask to see.
How soon can a new pool lift be used?
Aqua Creek's instructions give the epoxy around a retrofit anchor 24 hours to cure before the lift goes on. Then the lift is mounted, the anchor bonded, the battery charged and a test cycle run. Charging differs by manufacturer: S.R. Smith says up to 12 hours, and Spectrum asks for 12 hours on the first charge. Schedule the install so the lift is ready before the pool opens.
Can you rent a pool lift instead of buying one?
A rental can cover a single event. For a pool that opens every day, the lift has to be in place and working every hour the water is open, fixed to the deck where that is readily achievable, so a rented lift only helps for as long as it stays. Compare the rental against a portable lift such as the S.R. Smith PAL2: no deck work, a Secure-It Kit to fix it down, and it can move between a pool and an event. Either way the entry has to be there whenever the pool is open.
Who installs pool lifts near me?
A contractor who sets pool deck equipment, which is how the manufacturers describe the installer in their manuals. Installer networks exist region by region and some mobility dealers install lifts; nobody runs a nationwide pool lift installation service that we could find. The work is coring the slab, setting the anchor in epoxy and bonding it to the pool's grid, and in some places a licensed electrician has to do the bond. Ask your pool builder or a deck contractor first, with the anchor drawing in hand, and the health department for who signs it off.
Can a pool lift go on a paver deck?
Yes, with a paver anchor on a footing poured beneath the pavers. Aqua Creek names two paver anchors, the F-808SA-10 and the F-08CAJP, each with an 8 in insert. Where no deck work is possible, a portable lift or a surface mount avoids the footing: Spectrum 75521 for the Motion Trek, Aqua Creek F-035EZSM for the EZ series.