Hot tubs???

[aja8888]

Service is very, very important in that hot tubs do have problems "spring up." It's the only item in my house that service is so important and frequent.

I'm sorry, but Costco and Sam's Club just don't have servicemen where you can receive personal attention. Price is not everything, but the quality of the individual components is. Delivery and setup is also important.

Buy your tub only from someone that can give service. It's not like you can just pickup a 3,500 pound hot tub with water and take it in. Mine weighs 850 lbs. not including 350 pounds of water.

You must mean 350 gallons of water, not pounds, correct?

 

[Offgrid Organic Farmer]

We have owned three hot tubs. Some options were useless, but that is up to you. What gets me mad is how quickly they age, and how so many of the parts are specialty items. You can not fix most of them.

 

[Offgrid Organic Farmer]

For our first jaquzzi, I got my doctor to write a script. So our accountant wrote-off all the expenses, both to buy/install it, and the monthly operating expenses.

 

[MRG]

edit: Now my Mom had a round wooden tank with a woodfired snorkle stove. It got up to temperature really fast and was very cool as a toy that SOMEONE ELSE owned.

Well said. We spent $500 yearly to have a membership at the local hot springs. No maintenance and upkeep. Much more enjoyable for us. Plus we meet some very interesting people. [emoji12]

 

[greydog17]

We've had two Jacuzzi 6 person models at two houses over past 25 yrs. Both purchased from local distributors. They worked flawlessly through all seasons and we lived in areas with extreme cold weather. 1) Buy with 220 service, otherwise you cant operate jets and heat at same time. Having an ozonator is preferable as it cuts down on the need for chems. 2) Have wiring installed by professional electrician, as others have mentioned - its got to be done to code and an emergency cutoff switch in a weather proof box is required. 3) If you are installing on a wooden deck as we did or even on a concrete pad, be sure its engineered for the weight of filled tub and it's subject to local building codes/inspection. 4) Know that even if it freezes in winter (ours did once due to power outage) there are blow out plugs in the pipes which made repairs easier and lower cost than I would have guessed. 5) plan on draining, cleaning and refilling ~every 6 mos. Your local distributor will analyze your water and give you the start up chem formula for your spa.

 

[jimnjana]

I would find an independent hot tub repair shop and ask about any used ones they have for sale. Available after market parts can be problematic for some brands as they age. My Dr wrote me a prescription for mine(still couldn't itemize med costs). I went to 3 different stores featuring 4 or 5 different brands or lines. Lots of good tips above. We also considered the ongoing cost of the sanitizing system.

 

[harllee]

I have owned 2 "Soft Tubs" (brand name) in the past and really liked them. They are much cheaper and more light weight than regular hot tubs. They use much less electricity and can be plugged into a regular electric outlet. The jets are not as powerful as some more expensive hot tubs but they were fine for me and the water stayed nice and hot. When we were not going to use the soft tub for a while, we emptied it and rolled it into the garage, very light weight. When we moved it was also very easy to move. I highly recommend.