[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.

[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]

Originally Posted by graciegirl

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!!! ::

[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]

Originally Posted by Russ_Boston

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.