Hot tubs. A discussion.

[SumJongGuy]

Still not big on sitting in Human Dirt Soup but don't let me stop you.

The water you drink is nothing but filtered and chlorinated every animal "dirt soup".

[Name Redacted]

Sauna >> hot tub

Not even close IMO.

We already have a sauna. I want both.

[Peruvian]

We have a Jacuzzi brand and it’s been fine. The head rests require replacement every 5 or so years and we’ve only had minimal issues.

Either go to the local hot tub shop and ask what they sell and recommend as well as what is easier to work on or buy one used for super cheap and assume you will drop some coin into it.

What I can say is that 90% of the time only one person is in ours, so the 8 person size my wife insisted on, wasn’t necessary.

[Name Redacted]

What I can say is that 90% of the time only one person is in ours, so the 8 person size my wife insisted on, wasn’t necessary.

Yeah, I'm thinking we could probably get away with a 4 seater, but 6 could be nice for when we invite the swedish women's ski team over after practice.
Also deciding on whether to put it on the deck closer to the house, or a patio that is yet to be built below the deck.

[SB]

You will need to take in to account for the deck to be engineered to hold up the weight of the tub, water and occupants.

Much simpler to put it on a concrete pad.

Even though I am the sole user of my tub any more having the different seating and lounger locations with separate and unique jet arrangements is very nice. Mine has seats for 6 and each does different muscle groups to include the legs and feet/ankles.

I get into each seat, stay a while and move to the next. Do about 10 minutes at each.

[plugboots]

We have a Jacuzzi brand and it’s been fine. The head rests require replacement every 5 or so years and we’ve only had minimal issues.

Either go to the local hot tub shop and ask what they sell and recommend as well as what is easier to work on or buy one used for super cheap and assume you will drop some coin into it.

What I can say is that 90% of the time only one person is in ours, so the 8 person size my wife insisted on, wasn’t necessary.

Agree on this stuff, except our unit has not needed any repairs, (but we don't use it a lot). But we bought it from a local shop in case we needed those parts/repairs.
We put it as close to the house as possible, on the deck, near a shower, and with a window next to it. We figured the window was a good idea when our daughter was in high school. Also, the dogs like to have us throw the ball from the tub, so location played a part in that.

[MiddleOfNight]

You will need to take in to account for the deck to be engineered to hold up the weight of the tub, water and occupants.

Much simpler to put it on a concrete pad.

Even though I am the sole user of my tub any more having the different seating and lounger locations with separate and unique jet arrangements is very nice. Mine has seats for 6 and each does different muscle groups to include the legs and feet/ankles.

I get into each seat, stay a while and move to the next. Do about 10 minutes at each.

+1 to all this.

I poured slab close to house, built patio around it.
Dry place to hang robe. Getting to/from in deep snow, and when snowing/blowing like all h*ck. Closer to power source. Easier install. More convenient for maintenance. Access to refills.

In my case that still allowed for open sky and views - which was also important.

[Name Redacted]

Yeah, engineering the deck to hold the tub is definitely a consideration. Might put it on the ground to start and then move it to the deck once we rebuild it. Definitely not lacking the views no matter where we put it. Still want to make sure it is accessible for repairs if we counter sink it too.

[Flyoverland Captive]

Any of you tub owners ever calculate how much your electric bill went up after installing one? I know power use varies with the environment, but I'm curious what the real-world experience has been.

[MontuckyFried]

Any of you tub owners ever calculate how much your electric bill went up after installing one? I know power use varies with the environment, but I'm curious what the real-world experience has been.

Pretty minimal in my experience, and that was in Big Sky which can get pretty frigid at times. At my condo, I had a newer, smaller (4-person) hot tub and it maybe added $10/month to my electric bill. At my house I acquired an old used one from a friend that was a good size (like a 6-7 person) and it might've added about $20-30/month at the very most and that wasn't nearly as well insulated or efficient as the newer one. We kept them pretty toasty at 102 to 105 depending on my mood or the weather. I've had 4 hot tubs over the years and never found them to be nearly the PITA that many people make them out to be. TOTALLY worth it.

[Flyoverland Captive]

Thanks; considering getting one. Hmm...

[MiddleOfNight]

The Hot Springs is about 20/month, keep it at 103 and I probably use it 2X/day.

As for panel/service access .. I only countersunk the slab 4" under finished elevation of the patio. Set the tub, built the patio, then made a double brick liner around the slab. This hid the power, and just unstack a couple bricks to access drain and panel. Works out pretty nice.

[muted]

103? That's a bathtub.

[m2711c]

It's also the perfect temperature for the breeding of bacteria of all sorts..... proper chemical balance is key, and hard to achieve in such a small volume of water at that temperature.

[summit]

Is not hard to balance and also use an ozonator

[Tippster]

I'd love an old-school wood fired cedar tub.

[thefrush]

^^ Likewise.

[Name Redacted]

I'd love an old-school wood fired cedar tub.

Those are the telemark skiing of hot tubs.

[SB]

you wood guys should read this

https://www.spadepot.com/spacycloped...d-hot-tubs.htm

[Sirshredalot]

I'd love an old-school wood fired cedar tub.

I've hung out in those before, though I haven't owned one. They take forEVER to come up to temp and getting the wood to swell to a mostly-watertight state on initial setup is even more painful.

But it is chill once it's working: it's dead quiet except for a little crackle from the firebox. You don't realize how noisy a conventional tub is until you've hung out in one.

[thefrush]

you wood guys should read this

https://www.spadepot.com/spacycloped...d-hot-tubs.htm

Bummer.

[2FUNKY]

you wood guys should read this

https://www.spadepot.com/spacycloped...d-hot-tubs.htm

Exactly. A couple buddies had to have one. Each one removed them after half a winter and replaced it with with a modern hot tub. Wood heat/build spas sound great but man do they suck.

[Tippster]

But it is chill once it's working: it's dead quiet except for a little crackle from the firebox. You don't realize how noisy a conventional tub is until you've hung out in one.

I do. I have. Like I meant - if I was to get a hot tub it would be one of those, not a glorified foot massager. I hate Acrylic spas. The're like a fleshlight.

[iceman]

The water you drink is nothing but filtered and chlorinated every animal "dirt soup".

way to think it through, Frank.

[ghosthop]

Still not big on sitting in Human Dirt Soup but don't let me stop you.

A friend has a setup that is a metal feeder trough with offset copper pipes that go into the top and bottom of a copper coil.

Small enough to drain after every use so you're not soaking in a bacteria soup.