OT Need hot tub info!!

I wasn't gonna say a thing. But since you started it, they don't callem hot tubs for you, they're called ponds..

Denny

As long as it is heated and my back feels better ya can call it any friggin' thing ya want!

Damn smartass rabbit.

Roy

Hot tub?? Hot Tub??? Hot Tub???? and y'all give me shit about heated leather seats?!

HA!

;^)

Mike

>

Are you talking about a hot tub (big tank of hot still water) or a spa (pumps, jets, and all of the fun stuff)./

I won't recommend brands, as they are probably different on the right coast..

Some tips we got from the guy that we bought ours from: (after talking to several places that were rip offs)

Don't buy more spa than you need... average number of people in a spa at a time (after 1st month or so) is ONE..

Get them to throw in or discount accessories like steps, side attached bar, insulated cover, etc...

They should provide you with at least a started kit of chemicals, floater, etc...

If propane is reasonably priced there, go that way if affordable, if not go 220v if possible.. Ours can be wired for 11v or 220v and we chose 110v.. should have gone 22, as it is actually a bit more economical and with 110v the heater (electric) won't run when the jets are on "high"..

We've found that after 4 years of experimenting, the less chemicals you use, the better... started out following the directions and using bromide, ph up, ph down, anti foam, shock, iron inhibitor, etc., etc... My wife read up on it and found the magic words "parts per million", the amount of anything that your spa water actually absorbs.. we weren't sitting in water, it was a chemical bath..

Now, we use a bromide floater with a few tablets in it. (it holds about a dozen) this keeps the water sanitary... Our spa is a 4 seat model and holds a little more than 300 gallons of water... WAY cheaper and better for you to use more water and less chemicals..

I ran pvc pipe from the sink in the garage to the spa, and "top it off" a lot... over flow it for 10 or 15 minutes, with hot in winter and cold in summer (we use it year round, 102 in winter, 70 in summer) When folks get into the tub, they displace water and it over flows... you top it off later, and the water stays pretty fresh and you don't have that toxic smell from all the expensive chemicals.. YMMV

We got it because we thought it would be fun to have folks over and kick back in the spa... didn't plan much use other than that.. Turns out that most folks that we know don't want to hassle with suits, towels, changing, etc... but we've been surprised at how much we use it.. during the winter, I have morning coffee in the spa to loosen up the ol' body... and it's a great way to unwind with the wife before bed... you'll love it, bro..

mac

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Why do you drop it so low in the summer? I used to lower the temp in the summer as well but only down to 98 from 101 in the winter. It really is amazing how much of a difference a few degrees make.

That is the advantage of a larger spa, it isn't so easy to overflow it but as you said, they do cost more to run and maintain.

Thanks for the info bro. The wife is into getting one, fine with me as it will probably be good for my back.

Roy

well, the pool is usually about 80 to 88 degrees, unless we drain and fill it weekly... the 100+ degree days just over heat it... It's nice to just sit in cooler water in the spa and cool off.. (I checked with my wife, she said that it was set at 78 last summer)

yeah, we figure that at a little over 300 gallons, we can drain it onto the lawn if we have to and refill it in a day, and the grass has to be watered anyway..

mac

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you'll find that you use it a lot, bro... especially on cold mornings...

I feel your pain... I have a fused disc and on those winter mornings when things like putting on socks or tying shoes is a hassle, I sit in the tub for about 10 min. and I can move pretty good.. An advantage of a 300 gal spa and available hot water is that we can set the temp to about 95 and just throw about 10 gal of hot water into it before we get in.. brings it up to about 103 or so and (on the left coast) is a lot less expensive than using electricity to keep it at 101 or so 24/7..

The advantage of propane is that you only heat it when you want to get in, unless it's a real big spa, but our only option was electric heat.. (and it's very energy efficient, which means bringing it from 70 to 100 is a 24 hour thing)

mac

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Oh yea, I forgot where you live. It still seems strange to get in the spa to "cool off", LOL.

That is what I used to do with mine (4 times a year) although at 450 gallons, it took a while to drain it. If I started early enough in the morning, I could get it drained, cleaned, refilled, and back up to temp in time to use it before going to bed. I never heard of a propane heated unit like you were talking to Roy about. They may just not be available in the north east due to the cold winters. I must say that I miss mine now that I moved and am looking foward to getting a new one, hopefully by the fall.

yeah, it's that or turn it off and drain it for the summer... when it's 75 degrees out at 10 pm, you don't have a lot of folks climbing into 102 degree water.. lol

It works great, since we have our entertainment center on the patio, and you can see and hear the tv from the spa..

I use a "clear water pump" from Harbor freight... drains it pretty low in about

45 minutes..

Most of the larger spa here and all of the commercial ones (resorts, hotels, etc.) are propane or natural gas... have to be fuel oil on the right coast, I guess..

We've been shopping for a spa for the house we're building in Baja.. best deal yet is about 250 gallons and propane fired... has to be fairly light because it's going on the roof.. the contractor will be running water to the roof plus propane bibs for the spa and bbq..

mac

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I would suspect not. I set mine down to around 98 in the summer because I still prefer it warm over cold. I just bring plenty to drink with me when I get in.

My spa had a built in stereo with a CD player. As for the TV, I could see one through the kitchen window but couldn't hear it when the spa was running. I was going to wire sound for it out to the tub from the TV but we moved before I got the chance. Just as well, I can get rather addicted to TV during the winter and if I could watch and hear it from the tub, I would never get out, lol.

The newer tubs that I have been looking at deliver sound through the tub wall rather than the external marine speakers that mine had. This looks like a great idea since it appears to keep the music in the tub, especially if you want to use it late at night like I do. Sound carries very well at night.

That sounds like a great idea. I will have to look into that when I get the next one.

I have no idea what the commercial ones use, I would suspect NG but most of the private ones that I looked at use electric heat at 220V.

My last tub was 1000 lb empty and held 450 gallons of water so it would not be a good candidate for your application unless you didn't mind it moving itself into the basement :-) I am looking for a similar size again or maybe slightly smaller. Since it will be on the ground, I am not all that worried about the weight. I will also go with 220V electric again because it is just easier and electric rates are pretty good here.

I would also suggest to anyone looking to buy one, if you can, try it before you buy it. Unless you get in it, preferably while it has water in it, you have no idea how comfortable the different seating positions or jets will be. I bought my first one without getting in it wet and although I did enjoy it, the lounge position which was the reason I bought that particular model, turned out to be the least comfortable position in the tub (too flat and poor jet placement) and I almost never used that position. The same model without it would have give me an extra seating position and saved me some money as well. Next time I will know better.

We both smoke, and about 5 or 6 years ago we decided not to smoke in the house anymore.. we figured that we'd smoke less that way.. Within 2 months, the entertainment center had moved from a wall to inside the patio doors, then turned TOWARD the patio doors, and finally into an outdoor one on wheels with a 34" screen, dvd with surround, etc... we pretty much moved the whole living room out onto the front patio, and between the pool, spa and all, it' and the shop have become the neighborhood coffee stops..

No, the builder would probably add several thousand bucks worth of support beams.. *sigh*

EXACTLY!! we almost bought the one that was just 2 lounges, but ended up with 3 "seats" and a lounge... it never gets used because everyone is either too tall to be comfortable or too light to lay in it and not get blown off on high jets... no lounger in the next one... very good point, T..

mac

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Also don't forget the wine :) dale

with Roy, it might be whine, Dale.. *eg*

mac

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LOL, I used to think that as well but all it really did was keep me outside more which is not a whole lot of fun in the winter. Fortunately a past Governor in NJ put a steep tax on cigarettes which gave me the $$$$$ motivation I needed to quit.

That sounds great. Consider yourself lucky to live in that kind of neighborhood as they are getting very rare, at least here on the east coast. Then again, it seems that you are the catalyst creating that type of friendly environment so perhaps it is the neighborhood who is lucky.

Thanks, even I am capable of learning something :-) I did see one that had a lounger that was more of a cross between a lounger and a conventional seat. Your upper body is more upright to keep you from being blown out of it and it has enough length for taller people. Being of average height, the length is not as important. I still want to see it operating so that I will know what the jets will do. One thing that I want this time is fully independently controlled pumps. The last one I had you could not start pump

2 without starting pump 1 and even then, pump 2 was a single speed pump that could not be started unless you had pump 1 running on high. I suspect that it was done that way because it didn't have a separate circulation pump and used pump 1 for that. Since I don't plan on buying on until at least the fall, I still have plenty of time to look and get it right.

coffee stops..

yeah, the neighborhood is great... we would have moved years ago, but we really like living in the neighborhood.. I haven't seen this kind of neighborhood since I was a kid... everyone on the block knows everyone else (very rare in Calif.), raises/yells at the kids on the block, loans tools around, etc.. On most evenings, you can find a group on lawn chairs in someone's driveway.. kind of like I remember folks on front porches when I was a kid.. it's pretty cool..

mac

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