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School me on spa/hot tubs

Climber said:
We're looking to get a hot tub/spa, it looks like there is a wide price variation among them and even on the same brands but there are perks that come with the higher price that aren't entirely obvious in their value.

Any brands that are better than others?

Which brand is the best value for what you get?

What do you want to avoid?

It seems that wiring for a 220 circuit could cost $1k extra, is it worth it or 110 (plug and play) is good enough.
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we loved ours the first 10-15 times we used it. after that we got religious about checking the water quality. holy shit that thing was like a petri dish on steroids (take sloughed off organic material, add moisture and heat, sit back and be totally fucking amazed at what grows lol). takes a shit ton of chemicals to kill all that - resulting in bathing in a chemical soup. no thanks.
 
Electrical service aside, what's the low - mid - high price, installed, for a 2/4 person tub in the Bay Area these days?
 
littlebeast said:
we loved ours the first 10-15 times we used it. after that we got religious about checking the water quality. holy shit that thing was like a petri dish on steroids (take sloughed off organic material, add moisture and heat, sit back and be totally fucking amazed at what grows lol). takes a shit ton of chemicals to kill all that - resulting in bathing in a chemical soup. no thanks.
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now apply that to public facilities, hotels, gyms etc. most i'll ever do is put my feet in and that's only when i'm feeling sexy
 
littlebeast said:
we loved ours the first 10-15 times we used it. after that we got religious about checking the water quality. holy shit that thing was like a petri dish on steroids (take sloughed off organic material, add moisture and heat, sit back and be totally fucking amazed at what grows lol). takes a shit ton of chemicals to kill all that - resulting in bathing in a chemical soup. no thanks.
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It depends on what chemical system you use. I use the Baquacil system. It's a sanitizer similar to hydrogen peroxide. It doesn't leave a chemically smell on your skin like bromine or chlorine. Very easy to use. Have you ever put ocean/lake/stream water under a microscope and seen what you're swimming in?
I'm pretty sure all hot tubs come with 2 speed pumps.
Because ours is on 115, the heater doesn't run when the high speed pump is on but I've never felt that this was an issue. I generally only run the high speed pump for a few minutes at a time and then turn it off. I like the quiet serenity of staring at the stars while sitting in hot water.
 
I was wondering about the back and leg jets that many of these boast.

My past experience with hot tubs is that sitting in front of the jets quickly becomes uncomfortable, I always got itchy after a few minutes.

I like the water movement, but direct impact has never been enjoyable for me.
 
Climber said:
I was wondering about the back and leg jets that many of these boast.

My past experience with hot tubs is that sitting in front of the jets quickly becomes uncomfortable, I always got itchy after a few minutes.

I like the water movement, but direct impact has never been enjoyable for me.
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I like to run the jets up and down my back when it's feeling cranky but I don't sit there with them running for any length of time. My hot tub has one jet on the opposite side for the bottom of your feet. Now that one would be my next wife if it let me.
 
dravnx said:
I like to run the jets up and down my back when it's feeling cranky but I don't sit there with them running for any length of time. My hot tub has one jet on the opposite side for the bottom of your feet. Now that one would be my next wife if it let me.
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Just the right size, huh? :laughing :twofinger
 
Climber said:
I was wondering about the back and leg jets that many of these boast.

My past experience with hot tubs is that sitting in front of the jets quickly becomes uncomfortable, I always got itchy after a few minutes.

I like the water movement, but direct impact has never been enjoyable for me.
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Usually, the leg jets are on a lay down seat. They make it really hard to relax as the leg ones blow up. Well, that will push your body up towards the surface of the water (making you float). Once you are floating, there is nothing keeping you in place. So, you need to physically hold yourself in place.

There are spas that have diverter valves. These valves (controllable from inside the spa) allow you "control" the amount of water that is going to some of the jets, lowering the impact. Also, there are jets that are adjustable that wil limit the amount of air intake to the water, also lowering the impact.
 
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