What hottub!?

[Troubleatmill]

JonV8V said:

[quote=Troubleatmill
I now have lots of of plastic jets bobbing around the hot tub.

At £20 a pop for the small ones.... and I have 12 of those to replace.
And a few of the bigger jets have gone also.


It is adding up to a notable bill.
If I end up replacing every jet.... I'll be close to £1000.

I had that but bought replacement plastic bits (the bit that you can't see) and swapped over the fronts - think they were about £2 each on ebay

Got a link for these. Canadian Spa are quite pricey.

[JonV8V]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/400652896876

This type of thing... £4 not £2 but still a lot cheaper. I warmed them with hot/boiling water to help force them over the lugs

[eliot]

AndyTR said:

We've just bought a Jacuzzi J-335. Looked at lots of models and reviews and this was the one we preferred. It's got a separate 1hp pump for circulation, so it's not using the main pumps all the time. Good warranty and managed to get a decent discount. The J-235 is very good, but we went up a model, you should be able to get a J-225 for £5.5k (6799 list) and a J-335 for about £8k (10799 list).

Recirc pumps are usually 1/4 or 1/3 hp - certainly not 1 hp - as the main pumps are around that sort of power.
Look inside - the recirc should be noticeably smaller.

[Byff]

We've had our hot tub for about 12-13 years.

Note to the OP: Don't bury it in the ground, you'll need to access the panels where the heater module is and to get access to the pumps. Our's sit's on a concrete base with decking around it which is easily removable. Ideally, position the tub, then build the decking to suit, we went the whole hog and put a thatched roof canopy over ours so we can use it in the rain.

I've so far had to replace the heater and re-circ pump. The re-circ pump's shaft had worn down that much water was seeping through the pump seals. I've also replaced the jets housings as the plastic will perish but they're available fairly cheap.

Avoid any hot tub that uses the chinese pumps, cost a fortune to replace if they go.

[ILoveMondeo]

Sex pond!

I think Costco have a fancy looking one for under £5k at the moment, had a brief look at it yesterday, I'd get one if I could afford it..

[PushedDover]

AndyTR said:

We've just bought a Jacuzzi J-335. Looked at lots of models and reviews and this was the one we preferred. It's got a separate 1hp pump for circulation, so it's not using the main pumps all the time. Good warranty and managed to get a decent discount. The J-235 is very good, but we went up a model, you should be able to get a J-225 for £5.5k (6799 list) and a J-335 for about £8k (10799 list).

Bump ! or giggedity ?

Any updates on What Hiot tub and specifically the J-235i.
I know like puppies (bought two this year) and EBikes (bought two last year) they have flown off the shelves, but are the discounts mentioned above real?

Is the Jacuzzi 'the brand'? Is the 235i sufficient for 2+ occasionally?

Is an ex-Demo at £7k delivered decent value for money (they say RRP is £7,899 plus delivery & installation £500 = £8,399)

[Nickyboy]

PushedDover said:

Bump ! or giggedity ?

Any updates on What Hiot tub and specifically the J-235i.
I know like puppies (bought two this year) and EBikes (bought two last year) they have flown off the shelves, but are the discounts mentioned above real?

Is the Jacuzzi 'the brand'? Is the 235i sufficient for 2+ occasionally?

Is an ex-Demo at £7k delivered decent value for money (they say RRP is £7,899 plus delivery & installation £500 = £8,399)

There is no "brand" as such, nearly every dealer sells something different.

Our local dealer sells Marqui and American Whirlpool, they both seem very good and made in America, most of the cheaper ones are made in China and have cheaper pumps, heaters etc. Tbh unless you pay £15k + they're all a bit of muchness

[PushedDover]

15k.... is rather punchy.

It does seem a lot available at £3-4k, then we are in to £7-10k, and then .........

Does the J-235IP or J335IP seem decent ? or style over substance and st VFM I guess ?

[boyse7en]

I've got a Marquis Reward which I bought in 2006-ish.
Pretty much any of the US or Canadian brands are good, and means you can get parts for them.

Don't get carried away with "stuff" on them (TV, stereo etc), it's just more to go wrong or more to clean and replace (built in cushions, headrests and fountains). You don't need hundreds of jets, a few more powerful jets give better results.

[PushedDover]

boyse7en said:

Don't get carried away with "stuff" on them (TV, stereo etc), it's just more to go wrong or more to clean and replace (built in cushions, headrests and fountains). You don't need hundreds of jets, a few more powerful jets give better results.

Thanks and agree - akin to 'tech' in cars, it outdates quickly. I'm not bothered about speakers etc.
Just for 'a bath' its a chunky number and an error if the spec of the Jacuzzi 235 is 'wrong' IYKWIM

[8bit]

I came in this section to post asking about this very thing and - spooky - here's a thread already. We've been talking lately about getting one of these and wondering what's good, what's not, what we'd need to know in practical terms etc. Probably looking for a relatively small one, 4-seat max I think.

We have a section of our patio (wooden decking, built on hard core) where there are some wide stairs (about 3m) where we've wondered if we could partially sink one in so it's flush with the top step, such that the remaining width of the steps descends either side of the tub. Am I right in thinking (from a previous post) that you need to leave the sides unobstructed for maintenance, does that mean all sides? Does this go for essentally all products on the market?

The Costco ones look like good value, are they decent quality, reliable, easy to maintain etc.?

Power shouldn't be a problem to sort out, what about water - do they require a dedicated clean water supply or can they be filled from a hose?

What about delivery and installation, do they have to be moved into place right way up or can they be tipped over to get through a door? This might be what kills it in practical terms, the only access to the rear garden is via the main garage door and then a regular sized rear door and down a set of steps.

[CAPP0]

tomsugden said:

That company will also ............give you full training if needed.

Do they use your missus or bring their own?

[Heres Johnny]

I don't know if its still a consideration, but we found the power supply and how many things the tub could do simultaneously was a consideration. For instance when ours was first installed the heater would turn off when the blowers turned on as it could only support a couple of functions at the same time. We'd actually had a 32A supply fitted and found it could be programmed to keep the heater on as a result. I assume if you a 3 pin plug type one then you're somewhat limited. The world may have moved on, we bought ours 10 years ago.

[Rampant Golf]

Have you considered a wood-burning hot tub?

We bought one last summer and we love it - we refill it every week which takes about an hour and it only takes 2-3 hours to get the water up to temperature (mid 30's) from a standing start.

We use a chlorine tablet to keep the water fresh as there are no filters but as we empty it once a week it's not a problem.

The hot tub has led lights and an air pump so it only needs 13amp plug rather than a 32amp dedicated supply.

We bought one of these - https://www.auldtonstoves.co.uk/product/deluxe-woo...

[boyse7en]

8bit said:

I came in this section to post asking about this very thing and - spooky - here's a thread already. We've been talking lately about getting one of these and wondering what's good, what's not, what we'd need to know in practical terms etc. Probably looking for a relatively small one, 4-seat max I think.

We have a section of our patio (wooden decking, built on hard core) where there are some wide stairs (about 3m) where we've wondered if we could partially sink one in so it's flush with the top step, such that the remaining width of the steps descends either side of the tub. Am I right in thinking (from a previous post) that you need to leave the sides unobstructed for maintenance, does that mean all sides? Does this go for essentally all products on the market?

The Costco ones look like good value, are they decent quality, reliable, easy to maintain etc.?

Power shouldn't be a problem to sort out, what about water - do they require a dedicated clean water supply or can they be filled from a hose?

What about delivery and installation, do they have to be moved into place right way up or can they be tipped over to get through a door? This might be what kills it in practical terms, the only access to the rear garden is via the main garage door and then a regular sized rear door and down a set of steps.

You will need access to one side as this will be a door, behind which are the control system, pumps and valves.
You can fill with a hose. I'm in a soft water area so don't filter it, if you are in a very hard water area you might want to get an inline filter.
They can be moved on their edge. That's how they are stored and put in the lorries for shipping. They are heavy, so you need plenty of manpower to shift them about. Mine needed eight of us to carry it.

[AndyTR]

We moved house just before covid and our tub has been sitting in storage for a year. We're just getting around to having a base installed, along with a new gazebo, 32A supply and I'm spending the weekend sorting out the tub ready to install it. We've all really missed it and can't wait to get it back up and running...hopefully we don't have any issues. Will post an update once it's all sorted.

[TTmonkey]

boyse7en said:

8bit said:

I came in this section to post asking about this very thing and - spooky - here's a thread already. We've been talking lately about getting one of these and wondering what's good, what's not, what we'd need to know in practical terms etc. Probably looking for a relatively small one, 4-seat max I think.

We have a section of our patio (wooden decking, built on hard core) where there are some wide stairs (about 3m) where we've wondered if we could partially sink one in so it's flush with the top step, such that the remaining width of the steps descends either side of the tub. Am I right in thinking (from a previous post) that you need to leave the sides unobstructed for maintenance, does that mean all sides? Does this go for essentally all products on the market?

The Costco ones look like good value, are they decent quality, reliable, easy to maintain etc.?

Power shouldn't be a problem to sort out, what about water - do they require a dedicated clean water supply or can they be filled from a hose?

What about delivery and installation, do they have to be moved into place right way up or can they be tipped over to get through a door? This might be what kills it in practical terms, the only access to the rear garden is via the main garage door and then a regular sized rear door and down a set of steps.

You will need access to one side as this will be a door, behind which are the control system, pumps and valves.
You can fill with a hose. I'm in a soft water area so don't filter it, if you are in a very hard water area you might want to get an inline filter.
They can be moved on their edge. That's how they are stored and put in the lorries for shipping. They are heavy, so you need plenty of manpower to shift them about. Mine needed eight of us to carry it.

Yes the smaller ones are delivered vertically on a trolly. They should fit through a standard sized gate opening. However, through a door? Doubtful. Too high. Measure twice before buying, remember the trolley has to go through too unless you have a local rugby team available to man handle it.. supplier will send two people and they probably won’t want to break their backs because of your access issues.....

I pulled out a fence panel to get mine in.

Larger ones usually require a crane if access to the site is limited or complex. But you said a four position one? Ours was 4 seated + 1 lying on about 7 foot square. Look up the weight... probably in the region of 300 kilos for a small one.

Very heavy, you can just about move it a few inches on your own before it’s set up. But to get it to location you will likely need four strong guys if the trolley cannot access.

One side will need access to the access panel. Don’t know how people do ‘sunken’ tubs.

Dedicated power supply is a must, three pin plug supply is only suitable for blow up tubs.

On that subject, if you are unsure about purchase, buy the four hundred quid blow up ones first for a year use. You might find the novelty wears off fast.

Disposal of old tubs is a nightmare. House move nightmare.

[JimmyCauty]

We are now on our third spa since buying the first one almost 14 years ago. Always had Canadian Spa, and have found their after-sales service (via Canadian Spa directly) to be faultless.

A few suggestions based on experience and previous mistakes:

• Buy a tub with the most powerful pumps you can afford. The first 2 models we had came with a single 3 HP pump. The current model (Canadian Spa Kingston) has 2 x 5 HP pumps which really move the water around. The difference is amazing, and it really makes a huge difference to the user experience.
• Maintain plenty of easy access to the panels around the unit. Most repairs are fairly straightforward, and if you can whip the panels off easily, it'll make your life so much easier a few years down the line.
• Every sound system built into the units has been woeful. I haven't even popped the speakers up once on the current spa. Far better with an outdoor speaker & Sonos type set-up (if the location is suitable).
• To empty the tub - which you'll maybe do 3 or 4 times per year - you will need a cheap submersible pump and a wet/dry vac. Will get rid of every drop of water in no time, becuase refilling it seems to take forever!
• Finally - don't let anyone in the water who is wearing fake tan. It's categorically the arch enemy of hot tubs, and it's usually you who is then left to empty/clean/refill and change filters the next day!

JC

[TTmonkey]

JimmyCauty said:

We are now on our third spa since buying the first one almost 14 years ago. Always had Canadian Spa, and have found their after-sales service (via Canadian Spa directly) to be faultless.

A few suggestions based on experience and previous mistakes:

• Buy a tub with the most powerful pumps you can afford. The first 2 models we had came with a single 3 HP pump. The current model (Canadian Spa Kingston) has 2 x 5 HP pumps which really move the water around. The difference is amazing, and it really makes a huge difference to the user experience.
• Maintain plenty of easy access to the panels around the unit. Most repairs are fairly straightforward, and if you can whip the panels off easily, it'll make your life so much easier a few years down the line.
• Every sound system built into the units has been woeful. I haven't even popped the speakers up once on the current spa. Far better with an outdoor speaker & Sonos type set-up (if the location is suitable).
• To empty the tub - which you'll maybe do 3 or 4 times per year - you will need a cheap submersible pump and a wet/dry vac. Will get rid of every drop of water in no time, becuase refilling it seems to take forever!
• Finally - don't let anyone in the water who is wearing fake tan. It's categorically the arch enemy of hot tubs, and it's usually you who is then left to empty/clean/refill and change filters the next day!

JC

You shouldn’t need a submersible pump although I can see why it would be nice to have. Every one I’ve seen has a divert valve /spigot inline to the pump which you attach a hose to. Ok it might take a bit longer but as long at your drain is below the level of the hot tub it should empty pretty quick.

However, remember, you need to chemically shock clean the pipes and tubes before you drain the water.

[anonymous-user]

bayleaf said:

Genuine question - what's the appeal of sitting in a warm bath of chemicals?

The appeal for me is that a dip in a hot tub gives the wife the raging horn.