Hot Tub Question

[tghoul]

We are thinking about having a hot tub installed in our new home. Is there a lot of upkeep, surprise expenses?

[benj]

I don't know for sure if florida and Colorado are the same but I've had hot tubs for over 20 years, I don't know how people get along without one. The easiest way to keep one clean and fresh smelling is to get one that has air bubbles option. Then it will only take you around 20 minutes a week to do maintenance. This is adding the chemicals and changing the filter and scooping off the foam that holds all the dirt and body oils etc. Her is the strange part, these rules apply if you go in naked. If you go in with body oils, makeup,or swim suits your going to turn it into a washing machine before the last rinse. If you have guests who go in with their suits on and you also are in with them with suits on you can pretty much figure on changing the whole tub of water out. Just take something you have just washed in your washing machine to the sink, fill the sink and put the washed garment in the sink and stur and you will see what I mean.
As for costs. It costs me around fifty bucks a month to keep mine at 102 about ten bucks for chemicals and another ten for yearly repairs(pump, jets, lights etc). Don't get to weird on me I go out after dark and where I live there is privacy.

[samhass]

Benj, I think you'd be amazed at the number of nude swimmers/tubbers in TV. :duck:

[Russ_Boston]

Benj - I think you may be going about the maintenance all wrong on the hot tub if you are emptying out the tub more than every 2 months or so. When I was talked into using the whole line of chemicals from Bacqacil from my dealer (you know the non-chlorine ones) I had foam on my tub when i used it and I had trouble keeping it clear and there was something to put in almost every day.

I switched to using a Nature 2 stick in my filter and just a very small of amount of Di-Chlor in my pool after each use. It stays sparkling clear with little no to no residue. I go in with my suit every time as do others who use it. Change the water every 2 months with heavy use and 3 months with light use.

PM for more info if you'd like to.

Russ

[graciegirl]

For some reason, I don't like hot tubs. It is sorta like reusing bath water. I am wierd, I know. :dontknow:

[renielarson]

We've thought about adding a hot tub but when thinking harder we're not sure we'd really get our money's worth out of one.

The ones I've been in are nice for a while...then I get HOT! Way too hot!

Someone told me to just turn the heater off...this now gives me food for thought cause I'd never thought about that! :dontknow:

[nONIE]

For some reason, I don't like hot tubs. It is sorta like reusing bath water. I am wierd, I know. :dontknow:

Gracie, just a teenie weenie hijack,

Can you imagine what it was like in "the old days" when they started with the man of the house and worked their way down to the baby all in the same bath water??? Yiiiiiiik!!! :barf:

[renielarson]

OMG Nonie...I am laughing so hard....

I remember my mother doing that with us 3 sisters....LOLOLOL

Brrrr...I was the youngest so my bath water was cold!

[nONIE]

Now Bright,

I refuse to believe that you lived in "the old days"!

[sschuler1]

I love our hot tub and don't know how I will get along without it once we get to TV. I'll be talking my husband into getting one once we get down there. You can get an additive for your water to take the foam down if you have guests that go into the tub with their swimsuits. We change our water 3 times a year, and use the tub at least 4 times a week. We use a chlorine and a shock treatment weekly, and also a water clarifier once a month. We figure it adds about $30 a month to our electric bill. The only other expense to be aware of is for your cover. The covers tend to get water logged after 3 to 4 years. You will need to replace it, and they run around $300 - $400.

[travelstiles]

Bright -
I have 3 sisters and we had the same bathtub routine. Luckily I was #2 so it wasn't so bad.
This thread also reminds me of something else "from the good old days" - dunking for apples at Halloween. Funny, we never worried about the germs from the dunkers ahead of us.
Travel

[renielarson]

Dunking for apples brings back happy memories....

Wouldn't it be fun to have a party with all the old games we used to play...well...spin the bottle may be out.... ;D

[homey]

When I was talked into using the whole line of chemicals from Bacqacil from my dealer (you know the non-chlorine ones) I had foam on my tub when i used it and I had trouble keeping it clear and there was something to put in almost every day.

I switched to using a Nature 2 stick in my filter and just a very small of amount of Di-Chlor in my pool after each use. It stays sparkling clear with little no to no residue.


Like you was talked into whole line of those chemicals, simple factt is they DO not mix with pool water, and before the pool I could not keep the Ph right no matter what I did, gave off very toxic oder at one point.

I too switched to Nature 2 changed water every 3 months and NEVER had a problem.

Standard rule we had and have had, "If you MUST wear a suit, Please try to not get it wet" = must be why they call it Nature 2 .... LOL

[rshoffer]

Who sells the best hot tobs in the area/ We want to get one. We had one up North and really miss it.

[Ooper]

We bought our hot tub from Spa Kingdom down on Rt 442 south of TV in Fruitland Park. Had it for about 8 years and costs about $1/day for the electric. Still has the same cover, never had any problems with it other than replacing some clips on a couple of the jets. We have found, however, that we don't use it as much as the hot tub we had in NY. It gets too warm in the summer down here. To compensate, I pretty much turn the temp down to about 98. Turn it back up to 102-103 in the winter.

[cologal]

Being from Colorado and having bad knees a hot tub was just about the first thing I bought. Got mine at Spa Kingdom mainly because they had been there for years and I have seen to many spa places come and go. Mine is a small 3 person unit which sits in my front lanai...installed shades for privacy..no suit here. My neighbors are still trying to catch me in the tub.

My tub has a sleep feature which keeps the tub clean but not heated when I am away. Being a snow bird I have the tub drained and cleaned before I leave for home.

Can't live without one... One in Colorado and the other in TV.

And I am glad to hear I not the only dipper in TV.

[homey]

And I am glad to hear I not the only dipper in TV.

We been dippers for long time, ANYONE else, only way to Hot Tub, alway looking for other dippers.. :beer3:

Got our last tub from Pinch a Penny http://www.solanaspas.com/showroom_sx.html

was a great four person spa and not a real big footprint, run on 110 so cost was not anything we ever noticed, alway drained and clean tun in April and closed up till fall, but we had a pool.

Best to stay away from REC Warehouse and low end spas, heaters do not last and they run the electric up, and totally recommend the Nature 2 system, also MAKE sure you can get it in where ever you are going to put it.

Happy Tubbing, sure could use one now brrrrrr :shrug:

[SpartanFan]

Does anyone have first-hand experience with Cal Spa hot tubs and the Tri-County dealership on 441? I am having a really tough time deciding what brand of hot tub to buy.

[l2ridehd]

In Virginia I have a Gulf Coast Spa (from Tampa, out of business now) that uses an ozonetator and bactisill (sp on both) to keep it clean. Does a great job with very minimal maintenance. Change the water every 3 or 4 months depending on usage, change the special filter every 3 months and add a tablet once a week. Keep it at 104 degrees year round and the cost is about a $1 a day. I also have replaced the cover twice now because it gets water logged and very heavy. About every 4 years it needs a new cover. When I first got the tub, we used it every day. Now maybe once or twice a week. More in the winter then summer. So my plan is to wait and see if we really miss it before getting one in TV. Also in VA, we live on 3 acres of woods with no close neighbors, so naked is easy. Not so sure that would be the case in TV. And who wants to tub with a suit on.

[mrdills]

Rshoffer, if you are looking for a used Hot Tub, I have a 220V, PM me and I will tell you all about it.

[cappyjon431]

Are there any restrictions in TV about size, location, etc.? I certainly wouldn't put one in the front yard, but I'm not so sure I want to put one in the lanai either.

My wife and I had a great tub in North Carolina and now that we are considering moving to TV we were just talking about getting one once we move.

[k2at]

If u suffer from aches and pains after playing pickleball or golf, a hot tub is indespensible. I cannot go to sleep at night unless i go in the hot tub first. It really relaxes the muscles.

[kandj]

Benj - I think you may be going about the maintenance all wrong on the hot tub if you are emptying out the tub more than every 2 months or so. When I was talked into using the whole line of chemicals from Bacqacil from my dealer (you know the non-chlorine ones) I had foam on my tub when i used it and I had trouble keeping it clear and there was something to put in almost every day.

I switched to using a Nature 2 stick in my filter and just a very small of amount of Di-Chlor in my pool after each use. It stays sparkling clear with little no to no residue. I go in with my suit every time as do others who use it. Change the water every 2 months with heavy use and 3 months with light use.

PM for more info if you'd like to.

Russ

I have been using Bacqua Spa chemicals for about 13 years (before that we had a pool when we lived in MA and used Bacquacil for that). Once a week you need to check with their test strips and add whatever chemicals are needed. The ONLY times we have had problems with foaming is when we had visitors that wore swimsuits. We have been mostly "lint free", at those times we have had no problems. I will also add that the water we use in NH is NOT chlorinated and is from a private well that is not inundated with "regulated" chemicals. We currently change the water out about every 3-4 months. We also "winterize" the tub from late November until late winter/early spring. This winter who knows when that will happen with all the snow we have had. We can't even locate the top of the tub!

Once we finally get settled in TV and get a hot tub/spa set up I will be able to provide more info about any problems encountered there.

[Army Guy]

Great thread, as we are going to add a hot tub this summer when we become fulltime TV'ers.

I thought that was one of the reason's why those of us who bought CYVs got them, so we would have the walls to run around naked!!:pepper2:

Army Guy

[LI SNOWBIRD]

OMG Nonie...I am laughing so hard....

I remember my mother doing that with us 3 sisters....LOLOLOL

Brrrr...I was the youngest so my bath water was cold!

Yup my family did that too following the dad to youngest hierarchy. yuck!
:sing: