Hot tubs. A discussion.

[philth]

No egg drop soup allowed in our tub...tub sex verboten. 10 years ago as a single dude .... different story. And what’s with boater chicks and hot tubs.....always nekkid.

[DougW]

I used to think hot tubs were for drunken orgies. More like trying to get the body moving in the morning or keeping it from seizing up after skiing or hiking. Although we did try to have sex in a friend's hot tub in the back yard while she was out shopping. Things were going quite well until she came back early.

are you sure you weren't with Randy??

[BobMc]

In my blue collar world I picked up one of these a few months ago, it was only $300 at the time.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Coleman-S...&wl13=&veh=sem

Best $300 I ever spent. Next long holiday camping trip with full hook ups I'm bringing it along. It's really only big enough for two people, but it works well for that.

[MontuckyFried]

I agree, marinating in people soup is disgusting.

I think that's usually only an issue at hotels. My personal hot tub stays crystal clear. It's not that hard. It's already been said here, but one of the keys is going in sans clothing. Going in clean and naked is the key. Seriously. No matter how rinsed your bathing suits are, some detergents can still remain, and that's usually what cloudies up hot tub water. Don't EVER let anybody come in with regular clothes or t-shirts either. They hold more remnant laundry soap than bathing suits and will usually necessitate a drain/refill with all the crap that comes out of that. Also, perhaps it makes me the hot tub nazi with my guests, but after a day of skiing/hiking/whatever, I won't even let them use it at all without showering off first. That's non-negotiable. People always understand and actually appreciate it.

Then once every clears out, just dump in your chlorine and shock, and run your jets for a few minutes. Boom. Tub will be good as new the next time you get in. I like to prefill a bunch of old 35mm film canisters with a premeasured amount of chlorine/shock and leave a basket full of them. That way it's dummy-proof for guests in case I'm not around.

Another thing I highly suggest is put together your own hot tub cleaning kit. I bought a couple inexpensive submersible utility pumps and some cheap garden hoses. I can seriously have my entire hot tub drained in less than 10 minutes. Clean and spray out the filter. I get in there with a bucket and a rag and wipe down the entire tub. Refilled in about 30 minutes to an hour. Easy peezy. I like to do that after we've had house guests for a while and in between seasons.

I don't know why people make such a big deal out of hot tub maintenance. I seriously find them easy and so rewarding. We use ours constantly. Oh, and I also recommend HotSpring like everybody else. They're pricier, but one of the most reputable brands for sure.

The jet debate's a funny one. Personally, my wife and I pretty much never use the jets unless trying to massage our muscles after a day of skiing. We like the peace and quiet under the stars. Seems that our jets mostly only get used when guests are there since they seem to love 'em.

[MontuckyFried]

One last pro tip:
When the snow starts flying, start shoveling all the snow to around the sides. After a couple good snows, you'll have a really nice snow bar where you can set up a full bar, selection of beers, etc. The heat is just enough to keep about an inch or two gap melted in between the snow and the tub (the walls of the bar then freeze up nicely), and it also creates a nice barrier to keep the wind off the tub so it runs more efficiently for when it gets REALLY cold. I love my awesome snow bar I create each Winter and am always a bit sad to see it go away come Spring thaw.

[Bobby Stainless]

Going to Hot Spring Spas of Music City this weekend. Time to do some dealin.

[SB]

Make sure to post up pics of your lovely wife in the tub.

[summit]

I agree, marinating in people soup is disgusting.

If you are disgusted by a hot tub, you should never go whitewater rafting or scuba diving in the ocean again.

Hot tub is pure by comparison!

With your own tub:
1. You make sure everyone showers off before getting in (I'm actually building an outdoor shower to ease this process)
2. You clean and maintain the filter
3. You shock the tub regularly (reacts with organic matter to precipitate out and be caught by the filter)
4. I change my water 4-5 times a year because the way my water is billed it doesn't cost me a dime extra except the initial heat

[MontuckyFried]

With your own tub:
1. You make sure everyone showers off before getting in (I'm actually building an outdoor shower to ease this process)

That's some pro level stuff right there!

Going to Hot Spring Spas of Music City this weekend. Time to do some dealin.

So, what did you decide on?

This beast? https://www.beauty-luxury.com/en/swi...856-p-343.html

[SB]

Checking in, just outta da tub after long day home brewin. FKNA!

[Alaskan Rover]

I miss my hot tub. Used to go out and have coffee in the morning in it before I started my day. But, alas, we built it into the deck in the old house so we couldn't take it along when we moved.

Seems like it was ~7k for a pretty full featured unit with lots of jets, led lights, and music. Be ready for the electric bill to jump a bit also. Ours cost at least an extra $75 a month to run during the winter.

I'd get another one in a heartbeat if we had a good site for it in this house.

++ For the ones built into the deck. I'm playing around with sinking a very small lap pool into the deck. Been looking for a rectangular fiberglass lap pool about 8 ft wide and 12 ft long, 52" deep. At one end I'm thinking of setting in whirlpool nozzles and seats.. and also at that end the big water jet for the lap swimming. It would be GREAT to be able to heat the water up so that that end could be used as a hot tub as well as a whirlpool....but heating up that much water to hot tub temps would be untenable.....unless some sort of divider could come up from the floor with the push of a button - James Bond-like ( ) ...but that could/would leak eventually. But being able to heat up the lap pool water even a marginal amount over ambient would still feel nice, though!! 😌😌😎😎



This one looks tile and cement...but once it was set into the deck, I think a fiberglass unit would look similar to this:

[whipski]

I went with Cal Spa's economy line Sunstar. $5K. Opted for plastic jets instead of metal cause previously they attracted bromine deposits. The plastic one degraded in about 3 years and fell out. $8.50 a piece to replace. I'm in the no jets camps so didn't bother. As far as maintenance I fill a bromine floater every saturday. Add a 1/2 cup of baking soda every 1st of the month. I change the water every spring and fall. Stays crystal clear. Apre ski I hobble out to the tub but dance back to the house. Can't live without one.

[muted]

Going to Hot Spring Spas of Music City this weekend. Time to do some dealin.

I've never seen one with a bidet before, never mind a three-stream bidet.

[GeezerSteve]

that could be Wooley's brother

[iceclimb]

We are in the midst of putting one in. Went with WindRiver out of Denver, got a pretty good deal from our local installer. Probably about 10K with electric and stuff. Electric is the trick up in the mountains... tough to find people who can do this relatively rapidly.. probably all working tons till the snow flys.

Now... on the hill above the house we have elk and lion prints.... I hope the lions hunt the elk and don't go looking at the hot tub as ready made soup. I'll post pics if they do.

[Bobby Stainless]

So, what did you decide on?

This beast? https://www.beauty-luxury.com/en/swi...856-p-343.html

That one doesnt have the TV.

[Flexon Phil]

• Installation..make it convenient, not too far from house.
• 220...221...whatever it takes. 110 just can't cut it
• We like bromine over chlorine, less smell easier to balance
• Use it...a hot tub that is used regularly adjusts to body chemistry.
• No glass, plastic or cans for beverages, one broken glass, you are draining the tub
• "The hot tub is never a bad idea"
• Underated times to use the tub: summer evenings and early morning coffee

[Sandbox]

That one doesnt have the TV.

haha that dude at the far left of the pic.... obviously just got into a fight with his chick and she now wants to join the "lower tub" and in protest i believe he pissed asparagus pee in the top pool, look how green the water is!

[Sandbox]

As far as chemicals.... are there any that are salt water yet? I'm allergic to something in hot tubs (i'm assuming chlorine or bromine) and i'll usually get a rash if i'm in a tub too long which has obviously put me off of buying one. Is there anyway to not use such harsh chemicals and still keep it clean?

[MontuckyFried]

As far as chemicals.... are there any that are salt water yet? I'm allergic to something in hot tubs (i'm assuming chlorine or bromine) and i'll usually get a rash if i'm in a tub too long which has obviously put me off of buying one. Is there anyway to not use such harsh chemicals and still keep it clean?

That actually may be due to major pH imbalances. Pretty easy to resolve with pH up and down products. That or you've been marinating in some nasty public tubs.

Also, when you use a hot tub or pool and the chlorine smell is strong, that usually means that the water is nasty and the chlorine is in the middle of doings its job, where it ends up releasing that noxious chlorine gas smell. When everything is clean and balanced, you should have pretty much no odor whatsoever.

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[bagtagley]

I agree, marinating in people soup is disgusting.

Elderly neighbors used to HT every day, year-round. They’d be in it for hours, drinking. Wife made the mistake of asking about bathroom trips. They pointed out the bucket in the corner. Really killed hot tubs for her. I’ll never forget her reaction when our daughter snuck over and got in with them.

IMO, bucket beats marinating in piss. She died and he can’t get in/out anymore. This thread inspired me to ask if we can use it, which is fine with him as long as I do upkeep. Woot!

[bagtagley]

Also, this

[reckless toboggan]

I've never seen one with a bidet before, never mind a three-stream bidet.

[nobueno]

If you haven't bought yours yet I'd vote for Arctic Spas. They're extremely well insulated and well-built. It came with the house we bought 3 years ago. It was full of leaves and shit and had frozen over the winter. No pipes broke, I cleaned it out and it worked like a charm. Just recently the original pump went out (after 11 years) so it's been relatively maintenance free for us.

[Shredhead]

Storms coming in!