I’m the latter. Currently I’m having to use an inflatable bath in my wet room which can only be emptied via a powerdrill-powered water pump into a hose pipe and into the toilet. It’s not ideal, ha
Yeah, I feel like hot tubs are great only if someone else is maintaining it for you. So either go somewhere and pay to use it, or own one and pay someone to keep it running well.
shoot for repairability. the ones that drown all the components in styrofoam so you cant replace any pieces are not worth having. thermospa brand have the components all repairable. also the closer it is to your house the more you will use it. if you contact the manufacturer and ask what cancelled orders they have sitting around you can get a major discount like 30%+
I have a styrofoam filled hot tub I bought for $100. I had to put $3000 in to in parts and fixed several leaks. It’s not unrepairable, just not as straight forward. It was easy to find some of the leaks because the spray foam would be saturated with water so I just pulled out the wet foam and followed it to the leak. And when I was done I just put in some of the pink fiberglass insulation in it’s place, but even that isn’t necessary.
The answer is: it depends. Before purchasing a hot tub take a water sample from the faucet you’ll use to fill it. Take it to a pool/spa store and ask them what type of chemicals and maintenance you’ll need to do. If your pH is aligned then you’ll be in good shape. If it’s not you will be fighting it forever.
That isn’t true at all. The pH will needs adjusting from the tap and will need periodic adjusting during use, but that all depends on how often you use it and if you spill and drinks in to during use. I check my mine from weekly to monthly depending on how often I use it. Usually every 5-10 uses. The manufacturers of hot tubs and chemicals say after every use but that is way over doing and wastes testing strips.
Basically the pH needs to be adjusted so the chlorine can do it’s job. That’s the jyst. There are extra chemicals beyond that but those will be used on a anually or semi-anually basis.
Be sure to use some sort of insect repellent around it. My coworker got one 3-4 years ago and within a year or two, ants began building a colony in the insulation inside the shell. The colony really thrived in the heat, and it became a huge issue.
I used to remove them from customers homes. It was a very similar story each time. They loved it for a little while then it sat for 5 plus years used as a big outdoor table to hold other stuff on top the cover. It also is a bit pricey and a hassle to get rid of them. Most of the time I would have to cut it into 4 pieces to move the thing. I think they are a bit of a waste for most people. Mosquitos love them though.
If you’re going to get one, highly recommend getting 240V instead of 110v/plug and play type. 240V are the only ones that can really keep up with the heat and give you that real jet feel in the tub.
If possible, keep it somewhere covered. We have it in our covered patio, which allows us to get use of it in any kind of weather and prevents mosquitos/other bugs coming around.
Chemical balancing can be pretty tough, we mostly keep a steady supply of bleach around to make sure it’s staying clean. One issue we had was the test strips never seemed to say the water was hard enough so we kept adding calcium hardner, but it ended up precipitating and making a rough coating on the seats (eventually we were able to clean it off). Ended up deciding it wasn’t a big deal if some values are out of range on the test strips as long as the stuff to keep people safe is balanced (ie chlorine)
For the cost of heating you can pay for a lot of gym membership. And if you don't use the gym cancle (gyms are notorious for being hard to cancle so read the fane print)
I got a Caldera spa in their mid range line. It is 240V, 5 person, with a salt system and a cover lifter. It cost about $12k USD all told. I love it, but DEFINITELY get the salt system for chlorinating. It would be much more of a pain in the ass without it. As it is, I still love the thing and use it regularly. I check the water chemistry about every five days and it’s super simple to maintain. If I have a party and we are in for extended periods I have to add chlorine daily for a few days but that’s it.
Hot tub chemical stores always tell you to use bromine instead of chlorine. They claim chlorine will destroy your tub. I have been using chlorine for 20+ years on 3 different tubs. Never had a problem. I suspect they recommend bromine only because it’s more expensive.
Bromine has a higher boiling point than chlorine, which allows it to stay in the hot water longer. You can use chlorine in a hot tub, but you have to add it more frequently to achieve the proper level of sanitization.
It’s a matter of long-term economic effect. Both work, but one is cheaper in the long-term because bromide sanitizers for longer at higher temperatures, such as those which exist in hot tubs. That’s the point they were making.
Chlorine also works fine, but because of the higher temperatures, you have to use more, which cost more.
My parents owned one when I was young. I remember it working only a few times and almost never getting used. They spent thousands to repair it to only use it a few times before it broke again.
One of the highlights of their life was getting rid of it and reusing the space.
I would argue that prepubescent kids are not as greasy and oily as adults are, and although EVERYONE should shower before getting into jacuzzi, practically NOBODY does unless they are forced to do so and/or extremely fastidious about it.
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