School me on spa/hot tubs

[Climber]

We're looking to get a hot tub/spa, it looks like there is a wide price variation among them and even on the same brands but there are perks that come with the higher price that aren't entirely obvious in their value.

Any brands that are better than others?

Which brand is the best value for what you get?

What do you want to avoid?

It seems that wiring for a 220 circuit could cost $1k extra, is it worth it or 110 (plug and play) is good enough.

 

[afm199]

Three things I can say. I used to build and install Redwood Hot Tubs.

1. You will pay for the heat. That's what hot tubs provide. Figure on a minimum of $50-$100 a month for the heat. Gas or electric.

2. Get quality. Get an insulated tub, and use insulated covers. A tank of hot water sitting in the back yard ( or house) loses heat incredibly quickly.

3. Remember that you will have to check Ph and treat the water regularly. They are not maintenance free.

As to 110, it takes forever to heat the tub. Once you get it hot, it will keep it there, probably. Probably because climate plays a huge part. The jets won't be strong, and if that's one of the things you want, go 220.

Hot tubs are loverly, but they do have problems that you should be aware of.

 

[dravnx]

Get the smallest hot tub you can find
We bought a small 2 person hot springs a few years ago after I got tired of keeping our 20 yo hot springs going
Our 110 costs us about $20 per mo to run
My days of hot tub parties are long gone
I use the bacqua system
I like it because it doesn’t smell like chlorine

 

[dravnx]

Get the smallest hot tub you can find
We bought a small 2 person hot springs a few years ago after I got tired of keeping our 20 yo hot springs going
Our 110 costs us about $20 per mo to run
My days of hot tub parties are long gone
I use the bacqua system
I like it because it doesn’t smell like chlorine

 

[afm199]

Get the smallest hot tub you can find
We bought a small 2 person hot springs a few years ago after I got tired of keeping our 20 yo hot springs going
Our 110 costs us about $20 per mo to run
My days of hot tub parties are long gone
I use the bacqua system
I like it because it doesn’t smell like chlorine

LMAO, O I do remember filling up a tub with bodies and booze and lechery. Today it's like, get the fuck away from me and my jet.

 

[Climber]

LMAO, O I do remember filling up a tub with bodies and booze and lechery. Today it's like, get the fuck away from me and my jet.

:laughing We aren't planning on having any OFG type parties. :laughing

My wife doesn't want to get the really small ones, but also not the really large ones.

We like the CalSpas, but I'm kind of put out that they don't come standard with insulation and they want to charge $500 to add it in. I'm thinking that I can get a few cans and do it myself, is this feasible?

 

[greenmonster]

Also, how often will you really use it to justify the cost? I assume this would be an outside tub which isn’t going to be used on rainy days/nights, and if you’re working full time it won’t be used during working hours, or when you go out or just want to sit in the couch and watch TV, plus I think the novelty tends to wear off after a while. All the while you still need to maintain it. Just my 2 cents, I’m sure you’ve already gone through that thought process.

 

[bikeama]

LMAO, O I do remember filling up a tub with bodies and booze and lechery. Today it's like, get the fuck away from me and my jet.

BB&L that was my 6 ft mahogany tub 40 years ago. Had a glass panel solar heater on it and a small gas back up. Good memories. New house has an inground spa next to the pool. 400,000 BTU gas heater. I measured it and it is just about $6.00 per hour to heat the spa. Depending on time of the year 30 to 70 minutes to heat. I just figure it is $10.00 if I want to use the spa. Well worth it in the winter a few times a month. Chemical with he pool so stays ready.

Turn on the sound to here the money flowing.

youtu.be/hghjtTFkSQ0

 

[KWeezyXB12]

might be back ordered for a while depending on what you get. friend of mine wanted to get one and theyre 8mos back ordered

 

[afm199]

I'd love to have one now.

 

[Dubbington]

Lots and lots of cheap and often free ( you haul) spas and hot tubs on CL and FB.

Might be a route to look into if transportation isnt hard. Obviously make sure there isn't a pump or leak issue.

 

[mikev]

hella expensive.

maintenance is required.

beneficial if you actually use the hell out of it.

look into solar heating options. pay more up front and less monthly that way.

 

[auntiebling]

They're a liability to get rid of when you're done with it.

 

[afm199]

hella expensive.

maintenance is required.

beneficial if you actually use the hell out of it.

look into solar heating options. pay more up front and less monthly that way.

We did one in Mill Valley in the seventies. The damn thing was super insulated, lots of rooftop passive solar, and underground insulated heat storage in a large tank. It worked ok, but I doubt it ever amortized itself.

 

[Akira-R]

See if there are ones where you can start heating it remotely (wifi). I remember having one back in the day, and it would take about 3-4 hours to get decently hot. It would have been great to be able to start heating it before I left work so it wouldn't be midnight before i could enjoy it.

bikeama had the right setup. 1 hr to heat is awesome. With my 3-4 hour times, there was no such thing as spontaneous enjoyment.

 

[greenmonster]

They're a liability to get rid of when you're done with it.

We had to pay several hundred dollars to have one removed when we bought our house a few years ago. My wife runs a daycare so it had to go. The workers had to cut it up to get it through the side yard - it wasn’t easy. It had sat dormant for who knows how long. Glad to see go though.
I guess personally they aren’t worth the hassle and expense to me to just sit in it for 15-20 minutes at a time a couple of times a week. One more thing to maintain.

 

[Climber]

Another factor. We have a large solar array on our house, in the summer months it runs the AC (3 months of mostly 100+ degrees) and the pool pump with no money owed to PG&E for electricity.

Since this will be used in the months when it's cooler outside, it won't be competing with the AC for power.

It probably will be used even while raining, we have a huge cantilever umbrella that will be over it.

For the Cal Spa's, the wait time is Feb if ordered now. Kind of a pain.

As to getting a used one, there appears to be a bunch of reasons not to get used, it's like buying a used car, at some point repair costs exceed the difference from new.

 

[madsen203]

Sundance spa at a minimum. I bought a 7 year old used tub. Works great. Wire 220v. They take a ton of energy. Average 8-12kWh/day. We bought solar just because keeping the tub powered was so expensive.

 

[greenmonster]

Sounds like you have the heating cost covered, that’s a biggee. As for getting a used one I’m not sure why it would be a good idea other than cost and fast availability. Just like I wouldn’t want to buy a used tub or toilet, unknown bodily fluids have been in there, I don’t how much sanitizing you do, it’s just the idea...

 

[Climber]

The quoted numbers for heating with 110 vs 220 was quite different, clearly 220 will warm up the tub much faster. Unfortunately, we were given a quote of $9/foot and the distance would be at least 100 feet to put in 220v. I already have a line run out to the location for lighting for 110 v, and yeah it's fully sufficient gauge to handle the load.