HOT TUBS

[kincanucks]

My wife and I are currently looking at buying a hot tub and we have looked at the Arctic Spa and Beachcomber line.  Both are very expensive with different features.  Just wondering if anyone has bought a hot tub lately and what is it that they like and don't like about it.  Of course the tub I choose has to be able to survive our winters.  Thanks in anticipation of any input.  Cheers.

 

[Sea Dragon]

My parents have a Softub model at their cottage in near north Ontario.  It is much more stripped down, but they've had it out during the winter (brought it home to Whitby), and it's reasonably portable as well.  It won't have all the features of the built-ins, but it is much less expensive.  I think it's softub.com, but google reveals all.

 

[exgunnertdo]

We had a Beachcomber in our back yard in Manitoba, as do my in-laws (bought after trying ours).  Held up great in the winter, we ran it all year.  The thing with the Beachcomber was the motor and such being located outside the housing for the tub - gives you more insulation around the tub. 

As for cost - we paid about $9,000, delivered and installed, with a good warranty, from a store that specializes in hot tubs/spas.  We got great service, including water testing, advice, etc.  They recognized us and greeted us by name when we walked in the store to purchase our chemicals!  You don't get that when you buy the special from Home Depot.  We did end up with a small leak once and it was fixed, quickly and with no problems or cost to us.  We moved from that house almost two years ago, and sold the tub with the house  :'(  so I can't say how it's doing now, but I miss my hot tub!  My inlaws still have theirs and are still very happy with it.

Hint - if you do plan on running it all year, buy a cover lifter and make sure you situate the tub so that the cover, when held up by the lifter, shelters you from whatever direction the wind comes from in your back yard.  Our mistake - we built the deck too high/too close to the tub on two sides and couldn't use a cover lifter.

 

[Gunner]

I bought a beachcomber about 10 years ago and it is still going strong and survives Alberta winters fine.  A couple of suggestions:

a.  hot tubbing is a lifestyle choice.  It is expensive to buy and maintain (adds approximately $50/month to your electricity bill).  Your family needs to use it at least a couple of times a week to make it worthwhile having;
b.  weekly maintanence is fairly minor but you need to be consistent in the application of chemicals;
c.  bromine is my chemical of choice vice chlorine (I use the old water on the grass or for trees in my back yard...not sure if you can do this with Chlorine);
d.  I built my deck around the hot tub for ease of ingress and egress;
e.  I usually change the water every six months (Spring/Fall).  It all depends on how much you are using the hot tub and the amount of chemicals you are using.  Aim to refill the hot tub just before the temperatures consistently are below freezing;
f.  if you are going to leave it for a period of time, drain it, vacuum out the hoses, etc and cover it with a weather proof cover.  Not vacuuming out the lines was an expensive mistake on my part when I did back to back tours to Sierra Leone/Afghanistan from 03-05 and Beachcomber needed to take the tub into the shop to repair leaks.  Having said that, the equipment is pretty durable;
g.  don't be afraid to roll in the snow half way through a session...it's part of the experience!

It was a large purchase for me but I absolutely love my Saturday morning soak in winter, reading the newspaper and watching the world walk by in the ravine behind my house.

PM me if you have any specific questions.

 

[kincanucks]

Thanks for the input thus far.  I appreciated it.

 

[midget-boyd91]

The new house we've moved into has a jacuzzie tub. I know it's not the same as a hot tub, but I do know that regular bubble bath mix will hurt the pipes inside of the tub, and there is a special kind of mix that you can find. I don't know if this is the same for hot tubs, but I though I would give a heads up just in case. Have fun.

 

[geo]

Am presently looking at resistance pools  instead of the hot tub.

Looking at building a solarium / greenhouse for the darned thing.