We tore out the tub when we remodeled
But I like a soak. I’d like a small 2-person tub for my back porch. Anything to look out for? Do I want an ionizer??
What about an inflatable hot tub?
When I was taking apart my old hot tub, to dispose of it, I found that for a a good handful of years field mice burrowed into it and had a warm winter residence. My biggest problem with the hot tub has been figuring out how to get rid of the damn thing now that I don’t want it anymore. So I bought a sawzall.
I’m not trying to discourage you. Sitting outside in the hot tub with a beer as the snow fell around me was a pretty cool experience.
Would my cats use it for a scratching post???
If it’s going on a wooden porch be aware of it’s weight when full of water. I’ve seen new condos with outside hot tubs and they are build on the ground with the deck around them.
Really? I suspect whether or not you “really” want one depends mostly on what you want it “for.” Soaking with a beer is one thing as mentioned, but physical therapy is quite another. Sort of a needs vs. wants kind of thing. Wants come and go, hot tubs are big, heavy and expensive. Good therapy tubs are not cheap, and their effects (high intensity pumpage) won’t be found in lesser machines, inflatable or otherwise.
Ours, which we never use anymore, is outside on a small concrete slab.
We got it because it seemed cool and because our kids wanted it to use with their friends. And we used it for five years or so, and my father-in-law loved it as physical therapy. But it costs a ton of money to run, and if you turn off the heat to save money and keep it off for any amount of time you have to drain it and clean it - no fun.
I have no idea if the thing even works anymore.
I’ve often thought I’d want one, but I imagine its much like a pool table. Fun for a while, then its just a place for laundry and junk to stack up on, in the way and hard to get rid of.
One of those inflatable ones look kinda cool. We had an inflatable swimming pool when the kid was young, and it wasn’t TOO bad. A pain the ass for me, but he enjoyed it.
My personal vote is a resounding “Yes!” But I use mine frequently and have learned the chemicals and maintenance so well it’s very little effort.
I’m not sure, but I believe ours is a 5 or 6 person Morgan, with a bazillion jets and a two-speed pump. At the high setting, it can enthusiastically massage your back. On low, it just kind of nudges you gently. I’ve learned the mineral and bromine system well enough that I rarely need to adjust or test it. As of now, it’s just over 15 years old. So far I’ve only had to replace the pump and the cover, and that was easy-peasy, just a few clicks on Amazon. If memory serves, we paid around 5K for it with delivery and “installation”.
I mounted it on concrete footings, and built a covered deck around it (attached to the house). The deck is about 2 feet above the ground, which makes the spa itself “lowered” and easier to enter. I built a privacy lattice work around it, and a slot to slide the cover off (with a folding rack to hold it). Anyone wishing to soak just slides the cover onto the rack out over the yard, then pulls it back into place upon exiting. The easier it is to use, the more you’ll use and enjoy it.
Since we’re in Texas, no one really wants a hot tub in the summer. So we drain it each spring and refill each fall. This requires a couple of hours each time, but is easy once you’ve been through the process. I don’t empty the lines each time, preferring to rely on a small infrared heater I installed beneath it. I flip this on in the rare event it’s “drained” and the weather forecast is below freezing.
Sorry about the length, but I’m still enthused about mine. If it’s mounted under a roof and out of the sun, with proper wiring and lighting, it will be a fun, long-lasting addition to your house. I’ll be glad to answer any other questions you have, although a lot of info will be dated.
Best of luck!
We bought an inflatable hot tub three years ago and it is in regular use. We probably have it out for 8 months of the year. Often on an evening us and the kids will lounge out there watching the TV or listening to music or chatting.
It has worked fine. You have to get used to the chemical side of it and there is always the expense of heating and sundries but overall we think it costs us about £25 a month to run and use and we think it is worth it.
The tub itself was £450 to buy and is big enough for six but the 4 of us like the space, it is deep enough, warm enough and bubbles on command so it is all good.
The cons? it doesn’t look as good as a built in one and there is the minor faff of storing and set-up but seeing as a built-in one would set me back a good £5-6k I’m not complaining.
Why do you think it costs a ton of money to run? That may have been true 30 years ago but the newer ones are very well insulated and energy efficient.
We recently bought one for our cabin and are awaiting delivery. I found this site somewhat helpful: https://hottubuniversity.com/
Ours is 25 years old, and California energy prices are pretty high. High back then, higher now.
It was nothing that would have broken the bank, but was not worth keeping on if we were using it once a week or less.
Mine is fourteen years old and I live in Santa Barbara. It’s heated with gas. During the summer when I don’t use the heater, my gas bill is around $14/month. I also use gas on the stove top and oven. The pump is electric and my electric bill is typically around $65/month. My guess is that a relatively small percentage is used on the hot tub pump as opposed to appliances. I certainly haven’t taken real measurements but I’d be surprised if I was spending even $10/month on the tub.
Energy consumption is not an issue for any decent quality tub built in the last 10-15 years. Modern insulation, materials and construction makes them fairly efficient and bulletproof with minimal maintenance. But like anything else, you get what you pay for in most cases. Being a fairly well crippled nerve damage and osteoarthritis victim, mine is an indispensable, essential part of physical therapy. YMMV.
Like most things on the SDMB, you’ll get a lot of variation on this topic.
One data point: We have one on the deck outside our bedroom. It’s private and has a stunning view of part of Puget Sound. My wife and I go in 3 to 4 days mornings per week in the summer, and many weekend mornings year round. Coffee in the morning, or a glass of wine in the evening. It’s been there for about 15 years, and our usage hasn’t changed. Although we could live without it if we had to, we enjoy it immensely.
I love my hot tub and use it 2-3 days a week, year round. The ozonator has made the chemical balance much easier to maintain.
The one thing that surprised me is that I rarely drink alcohol while I am in the tub. Since my body temp is up when I am in the tub, drinking makes me feel ill.
We’ve had a Softub (https://softub.com/) since 1996, and we love it. No plumbing, no special electrical hardware needed besides a heavy duty extension cord. Once a week I check the pH and bromine level, etc, add bromine tablets into the floating dispenser if needed, add alkalinizer if needed, and add a dose of Spaperfect enzymes. It keeps it sparkling and easy to manage. We use it year round regularly. We’ve the 6 person one, but they make 2 and 4 person models.
that’s my two cents, anyway