Hot tubs???

[hblock72]

Wife and I are about to redo our back yard/patio and are considering adding a hot tub when we do. We've stopped at a couple of stores that sell them and have been casually looking, but it's somewhat confusing as to what is good and what is bad. Internet searches for reviews are so mixed it's been hard to get a feel for the quality of different brands. I'm hoping there's a few on here that are hot tub owners that might be able to offer some guidance. What brands are good? Which ones to steer clear of? What features to look for? Salt water vs. chlorine? The list seems endless. I'm not looking to buy the most expensive thing out there with all the bells and whistles, but don't want a piece of crap either. So what is the "Sea Ray" of hot tubs? Thanks in advance.

 

[Stee6043]

I bought a Bullfrog and still believe it's one of the best brands out there in terms of quality and performance. Even though I sold it two years after buying it...due to lack of use.

I had zero issues with chlorine. I bought floaty thingys that would absorb oils, cleaned it as needed, changed the water as directed. They are not a tremendous amount of maintenance but it does become one more thing you have to deal with.

Get a quality brand with good local service, and skip any kind of onboard audio system, they all fail. That's my two cents

 

[wyrman]

We bought one from Costco, it's made by Strong Spas.
It uses the Balboa spa pack, which is very common, and easy to find for when the warranty has expired.
We originally bought a Sundance, it leaked, and the dealer was a joke.
I ended up getting them to refund my money after a long battle.
We've had the Costco one for several years now and it's been great.
It does have a Bluetooth audio system in it and the speakers have finally quit because of water.
They're easy to replace, but I don't think I will.

 

[bobeast]

We've had a Caldera spa for a number of years. No problems with it. We seldom use the jets and prefer just using it as a hot tub. How you intend to use it will determine what options you need.

 

[sbw1]

You may want to reconsider buying one. The typical cycle is a lot of use for a few months and then progressively less use until no use at all after a year or two. We just watched our neighbor install one last year. He is out there once a week doing the maintenance on a tub that gets no use at all. That was our experience as well. We felt guilty sitting around doing nothing when there were plenty of things we could have been doing that were more important and needed doing. Each to their own however.

 

[Scott215]

Look up Hot springs spas they run on 110 and once they're up to temperature you don't even notice it on your electric bill they stay a hundred 103 the whole time many different models beautiful

 

[Almightys]

My advice is to get a small one. I see people buying 6 person hot tubs and then cry at the maintenance and electrical costs. I have a round 4 person Nordic. Does the trick. I don’t need lounging beds which you end up drowning in or an 8 person tub
at this pin tin my life I’m not having multi couple orgies or swinger parties lol.
you want 200v heater for sure. More Efficient but you may need a service panel upgrade if it can’t support
there are great apps like pool calculator to help balance chemicals. Also don’t by strip testers. Get a real kit from Taylor.
get your filters from eBay for fraction of price. I try to clean once and replace next time. This will depend on your bather load Or if you/spouse wear a lot of perfume, lotions, makeup etc.
lastly if using chlorine method, household bleach is cheaper on sale than going to pool store for liquid chlorine.

 

[JayhawkCurtis]

We are considering removing a wood deck that I built 25 years ago, and putting in a stamped concrete patio, wife wants a hot tub, so ill be reading this thread closely

 

[Halfhitch]

Make sure none of your loved ones have a condition related to hyper-tension. We had a hot tub years ago at a rental. We had been in the tub about 20 minutes when my wife started having real problems. I threw her in the truck and ran her to the hospital. I thought she was having a stroke. Her blood pressure was clear up over 200 and I didn't even know she was hyper-tensive. Scary. Just be sure everybody is good to go in that department.

 

[Stee6043]

Look up Hot springs spas they run on 110 and once they're up to temperature you don't even notice it on your electric bill they stay a hundred 103 the whole time many different models beautiful

Where are you located? In a northern/cold climate a 110V heater will not keep up with the cover off, jets running...

 

[Blueone]

Don’t do it….. ours was bromine….. cleaning, maintenance and cost to run in the winter was stupid for little to no use.
We have a neighbor that’s moving and trying to sell a one year old tub …. He said he paid $10k for the thing….. our price new was a third of that and it was bigger….. crazy how prices went up over the years.

If I needed water in the back yard I would put in a really small soaking pool….. gas heated….. and use it year around….. I’m over pools and hot tubs so don’t need to worry about that.

 

[Scott215]

Just Google Hot Springs spas they are in my opinion the best there is ,fully insulated
Just talk to them

 

[JayhawkCurtis]

Don’t do it….. ours was bromine….. cleaning, maintenance and cost to run in the winter was stupid for little to no use.
We have a neighbor that’s moving and trying to sell a one year old tub …. He said he paid $10k for the thing….. our price new was a third of that and it was bigger….. crazy how prices went up over the years.

If I needed water in the back yard I would put in a really small soaking pool….. gas heated….. and use it year around….. I’m over pools and hot tubs so don’t need to worry about that.

You may be right, when we rent a cabin in the mountains, a hot tub is a must. Probably won’t be the same vibe in the armpit of Oklahoma.

 

[Great Lakes]

We've had a Caldera spa for a number of years. No problems with it. We seldom use the jets and prefer just using it as a hot tub. How you intend to use it will determine what options you need.

We currently have a Caldera Hottub too. Bought it in 2011. We switch it from bromine to chlorine since bromine sucks. We’ve had to change two pumps but other than that, she runs great. We drain it in the Spring and refill it in the fall. I think the general rule of thumb is $1/day to run it. We do have a rule though. Less than 20* with wind and it’s too cold. Probably utilize it once a week or two.

 

[Maggieiscrazy]

I bought a nice Marquis spa from neighbor at a great price. I thought we would use it all the time. We never did. Thankfully I sold it at a nice profit.

 

[Skybolt]

I have had pools and hot tubs my whole adult life, along with a some sort of weekender boat. Bitched about the pool night and day, never really used it. Hot tub was useless just didn't have the time to take care of both and the boat.

Moved to a bit warmer climate and no pool, put in a hot tub though. We use it all of the time now. Less to take care of. Still use the boat every weekend. In the warmer summer time I lower the temp to 90 and sit in it with the pump on low and watch a race or football. Fall hit's back to 100. I won't go over that, it's too hot and also not good for you.

As mentioned stay away from audio systems. Also only basic lighting. A couple of RGB leds in the tub wall is more then enough. I've had mine for 5yrs now and still use it as much as when new. If you tend to go out a lot you might want to re-consider getting one.

After doing some research I found that most hot tubs all use the same controllers. There are a few different flavors but basically the same. The name brand changes to match the options.

I got this one from amazon in 2019 for 4K delivered. Figured I couldn't loose. But it's a great spa, I wouldn't spend much more then that. I don't see the need for it. This is the one I have, branded differently. I added a 2bd led light to the existing controller. No sound system, but a BT speaker or Alexa close by. I use the later, works great for the patio.

https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/c/hot-tubs-pools-saunas/hot-tubs?t=31258&featuredproduct=14341185&featuredoption=23847704&ci_sku=20918594-000-000&cnc=US&cid=323907&type=pla&targetid=&track=pspla&utm_source=google&utm_medium=pspla&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAr8eqBhD3ARIsAIe-buNUQnqFwNtJCv5gwjhX986TUtl_mn_DE-VfHnPWDH6Bs9ahJ0tE3XgaAoRMEALw_wcB

 

[markrsimon]

I'm on my 2nd Sundance Spa, over the course of 15+ years -- and I've bought both of them used. Parts are readily available and I prefer their control pack / design over the others.

If your going to buy one (a 6-8 person), make sure it has two pumps, plus a separate circulating pump. How do you know? Look at the schematic/parts list in the owners manual. If it doesn't have the separate circulating pump, it will run one of the main pumps on low speed while heating (higher cost to run a main pump, and more wear/tear on a main pump). If it doesn't have two pumps -- you wont be happy with the overall jet flow. You will need to replace the circ pump every 2-3 years - given it runs 24x7.

It will also need a 220v 60amp circuit installed -- to run both pumps and the heater at the same time. There are options to run it using less amps, but then the heater does not run while the pumps are running, or you cant run the second pump on high speed while the first pump is running (gives/takes). You will most likely need 200amp service into your house. Factor in needing electric installed from the panel to wherever you want the tub. If your on a concrete patio, see if you can bury the line along side the patio (or if you have to, underneath it). You will also need a disconnect somewhere close to the hut tub (~5+ feet away) that contains the GFCI.

Definitely get a lounger. Figure out which way you want the tub facing. Then which side the control pack (panel/heater) are on. Make sure you can pull that panel off as needed. If your on a concrete patio, not as much of a deal. If your sinking it into a deck - need to ensure you have 'working space' on that side. For our deck, that panel is facing the center of the deck, and has 2 steps up to the spa on that side. The steps slide out of the way, we remove the 2x10 joist that the steps were sitting on (joist slides up out of the joist brackets), and that gives us 2'-3' to remove the side panel and work on the spa - basically, get creative if you need to.

Nothing wrong with bromine, or test strips. You will need a good set of chems to start with (bromine tablets, PH increase/decrease, Alkaline increase/decrease) -- but ongoing chems (mainly bromine tablets) aren't bad from a cost perspective. If you have a well, a water softener is almost a requirement. If you have hard water, or high iron content -- neither is good. You could get water delivered if required. If there is an option for an ozone generator - I would get one (google it).

Dont count on using the built in drain -- it typically requires removing a side panel and drains really slow. A 110v submersible pump with garden hose adapter (harbor freight $99) goes a long way. You still end up with some water in the bottom -- wet dry vac works to get that out, along with sucking water out of the jets before you refill. Count on 2-4 hours to drain/refill, and 24hrs to fully reheat. How often you change water depends on how often you use. I try to do a change before it gets really cold, a change mid-winter, then one in spring. During the summer, I keep the heat low, and its still enjoyable.

Spend the $150 or so for a cover lift (reference: CoverMate I Eco) - and figure out which way you arrange the cover, given the orientation of the spa -- ensuring there is room on the 'back side' for the cover to go. The cover lift can't bolt to the side panel that has the control pack, so in some sense you are limited.

If you live in a rural area, mice like to take up shelter. Depending on the construction, there are cutouts along the bottom where the side panels attach -- just enough for mice to get through. Perhaps newer models have metal mesh in place. While they take up residency - I have yet to have one cause any damage. They just slowly eat/scratch away at the foam insulation. Most of the current models have plastic/composite side panels (older models where wood). Still though, the frame itself is wood.

Average costs for winter time in Cleveland Ohio are ~$50/month. Summertime - negligible.

Depending on your DIY, you can get a used one at a pretty penny (~$1000), but you have to move it on your which comes with its own challenges. They are heavy, but more challenging large and heavy. Be wary of ones with leaks unless you really like a challenge -- everything is PVC which is easy to fix, but the entire thing is spray foamed -- so you spend hours filling/emptying/digging out foam to try and find where a fitting is cracked. Not worth re-foaming ($$$), just stuff regular insulation back in there. The most common failure, and one you will eventually get on a brand new one, is a bad heating element. Eventually, the heating element wears out (~5 years) due to slight PH imbalances. It shorts out, trips the GFCI, and usually fries the traces on the circuit board in the control pack. New circuit boards are ~$500, plus the cost of a new heating element. I haven't heard of anyone regularly replacing the heater, although that would be a smart idea. You will see alot of these (heater stopped working!) out there as well. If you (or anyone else) goes the used route - you will most likely need a new cover (~$500+).

 

[Scott215]

Before we bought are hotspring the salesman said come in and try it, so I did

 

[northshore]

Before we bought are hotspring the salesman said come in and try it, so I did

Did the Hotspring as well and the salesman gave us the same offer and my wife took him up on it! Theoretically a 5 person spa but you had better be really good friends-the reality is 3/4. Has a salt/chlorine generator system that works great once you get the phosphates under control. Bought it just before the covid festival and I use it as much today (quite a bit) as I did when we first got it. Only had one problem to date - weak breaker in the Hotspring supplied disconnect/breaker box. If this tub dropped dead today, I'd be at the store tomorrow looking at another one. The thing is just a great way to relax IMHO. I have jacked up knees and a back that is far from perfect and the tub helps.

Just about done building a little deck around it to make using it a bit more convenient when the weather is not perfect.

Add-ons:
The canopy (great escape) over the top is great if you need a bit less sun or it is snowing or raining lightly.
Single person operable lid makes opening and closing it easy.
Retractable shades (Cool-A-Roo) all the way around for privacy and sun blocking.
Towel heater.
Neighbors cat - optional.

 

[Richard Carlisle]

Wife had to have a hot tub, so we got a Hot Spring. It got used a few times after we bought it, then crickets. It became another chore added to my list, so I drained it last year and there it sits. Every now and then I lift the cover and make sure nothing is living in it.