Discussions

Hi, newbie here about hot tub. I was considering having a hot tub in my back yard. Have some questions.  
 
1. Will the company deliver and install the hot tub into a deck? Haven't built the deck yet but it's what I envisioned.  
2. Should I have the deck built first and i:nclude a pergola so that I can install a screen to block off the wind? I've attached a sample picture of a hot tub in a sunken deck.  
3. Do I need a fence built? Not sure if this is a by-law.  
4. How much maintenance does the tub needs?  
5. Can I use it in the summer months when it is very hot out, for example, turn the water temperature down.  
6. Is there any difference in maintenance and installation wise if I go with a swim spa instead of a hot tub?  
7. Is having the hot tub located about 15 feet away considered far? I'm thinking if it is very cold in the winter.  
 
Thanks.  
 
Edited by Fondue, 2020-04-25 22:20:37

We bought one when we lived in the city. It was right next to our deck, about 6 seps from the door. We used it often. We had to have all electrical installed and then they delivered.  
 
We used it often. Fairly easy to maintain but definitely work almost daily- checking levels, taking filter in for cleaning, constantly buying chemicals.  
 
Moved to the country, built a deck beside hot tub, put up fence panels to keep wind off. It was also 6 steps out our bedroom door. It wasn’t long until we quit using it.  
 
Only part I liked was summer. Turned the temperature down a bit and used more like a pool. Spring and fall were ok too but I hated winter lol. It’s fine to go in but the dreaded 6 steps when it’s time to get out!!  
 
We ended up selling it.  
 
It was fun for about 2 years but after that the novelty wore off and it was too much work and cost. We wouldn’t buy another

Have had one for over 5 years now. We love it. I don’t agree with the other reply that it’s lots of work. Yes you have to do weekly maintenance but It’s easy and as long as you keep the chlorine up, it can last for almost the whole winter without a water change.  
 
We bought it at Creasey’s and they are excellent! They will clean your filters for you and test your water to tell you exactly what to put in. Call them and they will come and give you a site inspection too.  
 
You will need to get electrical installed though but worth it! 15 feet though is a long distance on the colder days.  
We have ours 5 feet from our back door. In the summer we use it even when it’s hot. You just turn it down to your liking.  
 
Good luck!

I've had mine for a few years now and love it, i still use it almost daily, unless its below -25 or so, then i don't feel like trekking the 8' to get in and out lol.  
 
Chemical maintenance is a once a week affair that takes maybe 5 minutes, I change the filters once a month or so and drop them off at creasy's and pick the clean ones up a day or two later.  
 
I would highly recommend creasy's, chemical costs aren't that bad and creasy's cleans your filters for free.  
 
In summer I crank the temp down to just about body temperature, maybe a few ticks below and it makes for a nice cool but not ice cold experience, after I got central air I find I don't use it in summer as much as I did the first year without central air but it's still nice to hop in on +30 day.  
 
Prior to buying you should setup a consultation with whichever tub shop you decided to go with, that way you would get tub weight spec, size and clearances for service, saving you from having to modify a new deck to fit it after wards.

had a tub for over 25 years. our first one was mounted in the deck with a privacy fence about 12 feet from the door. It was colder getting to the tub than from the tub to the house.  
In our new house the tub is mounted beside the deck with a locked cover and is about 10 feet from the door.  
We don't go to the tub when it is colder than -20 and pull the water out for the summer as we are away a lot.  
Once you get the hang of keeping the water balanced, it is easy. Once the new water is balanced, I check ours once a week if it is just us. More often if others are using it.  
Things that will upset the balance are. swim suits that have been laundered, (when we wear suits, ours have only been in the tub and never been thru the laundry, just rinsed and hung to dry) body oils etc, soaps, any kind of debris that gets tracked in.  
After 25 years we still use ours a couple of times a week.  
I installed both of our tubs and had an electrician do the wiring.  
 
Edited by floyd2, 2020-04-26 01:08:55

That's what I'm afraid of. That after a year or two, I won't use it much. A hot tub is not cheap, even for a refurbished one.  
So I'll need to modify or add an extension to my current deck. Will it increase my property tax and if so, a lot?

People like going in the tub to ease arthritic pain. As for myself we bought a house with a hot tub indoors thinking it was a great idea and literally never used it. It has been empty now for 13 years and I can’t even sell it because the room was built around it lol. It just collects dust. Wish I had never seen the thing, that’s just me though.

I've never understood the idea of the indoor hot tub, i think its just asking for mold or moisture issues in the house.  
 
For me, most of the enjoyment of my outdoor hot tub is sitting outdoors late at night when the city is quiet and listening to the sounds and staring up at the stars, satellites and or planes blinking in the night sky.  
 
Daytime is nice too, watching the birds flying around, listening to the mourning dove sing its song, woo, hoo, hoo, hoo

You could be right about mould risk etc, you would sure want to make sure you had good ventilation in that area. Our tub might be made into a potato store or something useful, maybe a giant indoor planter, stupid thing.

They are expensive. We lost a lot of money. We are busy people and I just found it to be too much work. And if you don’t check it enough you have a big issue and a lot of chemicals to fix it.  
 
Then the added cost of electricity, always having to make sure you shovel snow quickly around it hot tub so when you use it your don’t have to go through snow. Then wind/hail damage on the lid- they are pricy to replace btw. Then repairs - we had to replace a few jets, repair the pump a couple times. Luckily hubby is handy and could take things apart to take in.  
 
We have seen many others buy hot tubs to only end up selling them a couple years later.  
 
For us it was a waste. I miss it the odd time. Saw Walmart has a portable hot tub for $600. That might be more up my alley. Use it and then store it the half of the year I wouldn’t use it.

Is a hot tub noisy? I don't want to be a bad neighbour.

We put our tub in 11 years ago and use it fairly regularly, winter and summer. We went with a Beachcomber. We sat in all the ones that were available in Brandon at that time and felt it had the best feel and most leg room. We had the electrical part installed and they installed the tub and got it up and running.  
If you can afford to buy a tub you can afford the electricity for it.  
We built a screened in room right on the house to enable it to be in sort of indoors so you can go from inside your house to the tub without going outside. We use it even when it is 35 below out in the winter. This way the wind and debris and bugs don't bother you while you are in it. We cover the screens with plastic for the winter and open a door for ventilation. In the summer we turn the temp down to 100 and it is nice.  
Check the chemical level every three or four days in the winter when the temperature is higher and maybe once a week in the summer.  
We set it right on the ground and climb into it instead of putting it in a deck and going down into it. This way it is easier to check the chemical levels as you get older.

I purchased my 3rd hot tub from Creasy's over a year ago, started fairly small and made first trade up 2 years in when we realized we were not going to get sick of it. The staff at Creasy's and Devon have been fantastic. We have had one for at least 6 or 7 years now, so long I have lost count. I too was worried the novelty would wear off. NOT! We live out in the country by Clear Lake, run the tub all year round, go out to it when it's minus 30 with our toques on. I go daily, and it's a rare day I don't. Morning coffee before work. Relax after work, and sometimes right before bed if sore and tired from yard work etc. Hubby not so much anymore but he still comes in about 4 times a week, he's not as heat tolerant as I am lol. Right now the tub is 30 feet away on the north side of the house. Not a problem. Get a big fuzzy bathrobe. We used to have to walk all the way around the house until we put a patio door on the bedroom. I too was worried about chemicals and how much work. I agree with another poster, keep your chlorine pucks good, change your filters regularly and have a good mat or patio around the tub so you don't track in dirt. I don't spend much on chemicals anymore. You get used to what your water is like and how much to put in after a while. I got to the point about a year into the first tub I could tell just by the scent if the water was off a bit. Washing the dinner dishes every day feels like way more work. Test frequently at Creasy's at the start until you get to know your tub. Hydro is really not bad, our EPP didn't go up by much these Jacuzzi tubs are so well insulated. One thing I have to add, if you ever suffer from sunless days in the winter or dreary days otherwise, the hot tub is a perfect way to beat that. Going out in there for 10 min is like a mini vacation on a crappy sunless day, so if you are prone to winter depression, I find this to be a great mood lifter. Oh I forgot to add, if you get a tub, get the lifter arm, so easy to open and close by yourself.  
 
Edited by Country, 2020-04-27 21:08:22

I can't speak for other makes or models but my jacuzzi J-315 is quiet, with the lid closed I can barely hear the jets running, sitting in it with jets on you could converse fine to the person next to you so I doubt neighbors could hear anything.  
 
One other thing I would highly recommend if you get one, either wear a slip on shoe or sandal or make sure you put some slip resistant material on any floors and stairs on your path in and out.  
 
About 2 months in, I finished soaking and walked into the house, in my case I have to go up 2 stairs to get from the back door to the main level, for whatever reason I slipped that day and landed on the stairs, luckily my back broke the fall lol, bruise was about 20" diameter, luckily no broken bones or muscles torn, after that I have mats to dry feet and rubber stair treads.  
 
The only time I regretted getting the hot tub was as I was laying there cursing to high heaven on those stairs, a week or so later as I soaked the stiffness away it was a godsend lol  
 
Edited by hutchster, 2020-04-27 21:23:23

You say you have never used the hot tub, so I would dismantle it, and move it outside. You would then have use of that room in your house, as well as gain some knowledge about, and use of hot tubs. If you have not done this in thirteen years, it can't bother you that much.

Never went in the thing even once. To get it out we would have to cut it up, only way to get it out of the door, it makes such a nice place to put indoor plants on top of where it sits.

if you hate when you have to scrub and clean a regular bathtub at least once a week or clean toilets, then this is not for you...hot tub is basically a big toilet (for kids) and the dead skin cells and that froth in a hot tub is the grossest stuff like EVER! It's a novelty and it will wear thin and on the expensive side if pump craps out, chemicals, water changing, cleaning and the smell of chlorine on your skin.

I usually wipe down the inside of my tub after draining it every 2 or 3 months spring to fall, once it's empty i climb inside, makes it easy to get all the nooks and cranny's.  
 
The only way it becomes a toilet is if you let it become one, its not a toy, kids shouldn't be playing in it especially unsupervised, and if they are supervised they should be taught not to crap in the thing, but atleast a hot tub is only 1000 or so liters to drain unlike a pool, i wonder what gets drained more often.  
 
My water has never gotten a froth to it, skin cells collect in the filter, hence why you change the filter once a month or sooner if you feel the need.  
 
As to parts breaking, welcome to owning anything mechanical ever made why buy a microwave it might break down and need fixing, who needs a toilet, they're super expensive to fix anyways.  
 
Call me crazy but I kind of like the mild scent of chlorine, it has a connotation of cleanliness to it, kind of like pledge or pinesol

There won't be any kids. So which one would be better to go with? Beachcombers or Jacuzzi brand? Probably a 6 seater.

As I was just out soaking and listening to the relaxing sound of rain falling I got to thinking more about this topic, I think there's one big question you need to ask yourself.  
 
What is your intended purpose of the hot tub, is it going to be for relaxation or is it going to be a party tub., or combination of both ?  
 
In my case my tub is strictly for relaxation, I bought it with that idea in mind and by happenstance it is only rated for 3 people, but in reality it's a 2 person tub and those 2 people better be comfortable sitting close to each other, so there's no partying going on here lol  
 
If it's going to be a party tub, ie kids climbing in and out all the time, family or friends getting together or on the weird spectrum, swinging lol (just kidding) your probably going to want to buy one rated for 2 or3 more people than the manufacturer recommends, ie you figure 6 people will use it at once, buy something rated for 8 -10 people otherwise everyone will be rubbing shoulders and playing footsie, unless of course that's the intended purpose, then buy one rated for less people lol  
 
Also bare in mind if its a party tub, it will be hard to control other people and outside contamination, whether it be dirt or grass from feet, alcohol or food spills, cigarette butts or simply people that don't feel the need to respect your property and as other people have said, treat it like a toilet by not getting out to pee.  
 
My personal #1 rule is always respect the water, i specifically keep a pair of shorts separate for use in the tub, I don't wash them with soap or dry them with fabric softener as soaps lead to excessive foaming of the tub water when the jets are activated.  
 
If you can't enforce the water respect rule to your guests or family you will probably end up with a frothy pee mix as karen64 mentioned, and those contaminants might lead to early pump or motor failure if things end up getting lodged where they shouldn't.  
 
Just some things to ponder

You must of had some real bad experiences with a hot tub. After having a tub at home we do not go into hotel hot tubs due to not being sure how clean they are. we have had a tub at home for for over 25 years, for the first couple of years we would get froth when kids where in and out and out of it. Just pulled the plug and refilled, not a big deal.  
Now it gets scrubbed down every 2-3 months when the water gets changed. We never go in the tub when sweaty , dirty or covered in lotion, bug spray etc. Also if any suits go in the tub they have not been washed with soap. We never have froth in our tub now. We also use bromine in a floater which has several advantages over chlorine. Including low odor. As for the novelty wearing off, we used our tub everyday at first, now use it a couple of times a week. As for repairs, in 25 plus years we have bought 2 new covers, resealed one pump, replaced a few rotating jets (until we learned to shut them off when not in the tub) and replaced 1 set gaskets in the hoses.

When I moved here I bought a house with a Hot tub, admittedly it wad broken. I repaired it. When I could afford it I bought a new hot tub. Creaseys. NEVER regretted it. 1. The staff at Creaseys have been wonderful.  
 
Maintenance: simple. running cost low. Relaxation Value immense.  
 
My Jacuzzi broke 18 months ago. I went to use it and found an ice cube!  
 
Obvously it was going to be an expensive repair. I decided to go with a Round Nordic Tub from Creaseys. Best decision ever. Usually only one or two in it at a time.  
 
My advise do not hesitate just do it, I do not think that you will regret it.

The novelty quickly wore off and now it sits unused. It came with the house when we bought it so we didn’t spend money on it. I really need to clean it out and sell it.