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  1. #1
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    Default talk to me about hot tubs

    I've never been that interested in a hot tub, but wife and kids really want one.

    What do I need to know? Are there low end shitty brands, and high end good brands?

    What do they cost in general?

    Are there big ones? Small ones?

    Are there better/worse ways to keep them clean?

    Do you run electrical under the ground to them?

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    Are there low end shitty brands, and high end good brands? Yes

    What do they cost in general? At least $6K. +$50/mth in electricity.

    Are there big ones? Small ones? Yes.

    Are there better/worse ways to keep them clean? Add chlorine at least 2X a week. Might have to adjust pH but Calgary's water is actually at the perfect pH (most are too acidic). I like to use "spa shock" as it turns bound chloramines into gas. There's other stuff but it's mostly useless. Foam remover is useful sometimes. Change water 2X year at least. Some people like bromine but I find it pointless.

    Do you run electrical under the ground to them? Yes they need a dedicated circuit. A permit is required.

    If you're putting one on a deck, deck must also be able to support the weight.

    One of my PIL's back neighbours have a hottub, they go nude in it. I've seen the mom naked too many times.
    Last edited by suntan; 06-03-2021 at 02:23 PM.

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    I can’t find the paperwork but I think ours was around 10k for a middle of the road tub.

    We bought a hot spring brand ( limelight aria ) from Rocky Mountain pools and spas. We are happy with it.

    We splurged on the “salt water” system which is a bit less chemically. Probably need to do a water change soon but it’s only been used 4-5 times since we haven’t been out at the lake much since the baby was born.
    Originally posted by Thales of Miletus

    If you think I have been trying to present myself as intellectually superior, then you truly are a dimwit.
    Originally posted by Toma
    fact.
    Quote Originally Posted by Yolobimmer View Post
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    guessing who I might be, psychologizing me with your non existent degree.

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    Quote Originally Posted by killramos View Post
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    I can’t find the paperwork but I think ours was around 10k for a middle of the road tub.

    We bought a hot spring brand ( limelight aria ) from Rocky Mountain pools and spas. We are happy with it.

    We splurged on the “salt water” system which is a bit less chemically. Probably need to do a water change soon but it’s only been used 4-5 times since we haven’t been out at the lake much since the baby was born.
    is Hot Spring middle of the road?

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    “Limelight” is their middle of the road tub, they have a higher end and a lower end version with different features.

    I won’t lie I did not put that much effort into the whole process and just went to one place when they were having a “sale”.

    I think I undersold you on price, ours was actually a little closer to $20k all said and done with install and all the extras.
    Last edited by killramos; 06-03-2021 at 02:53 PM.
    Originally posted by Thales of Miletus

    If you think I have been trying to present myself as intellectually superior, then you truly are a dimwit.
    Originally posted by Toma
    fact.
    Quote Originally Posted by Yolobimmer View Post
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    guessing who I might be, psychologizing me with your non existent degree.

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    Mechanically they are very simple. A water pump, air pump and heater.

    I have a Jacuzzi, they're very nice, I bought though mainly because it was smaller.

    There's plenty of choices, I think there's somebody here that has a brand that they hate though.

    Salt water systems are just more expensive chlorine.

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    Hot tubs are like buying boats, there is almost nothing to them and yet their cost can be astronomical haha.

    We paid about ~$12K for ours many years ago (apparently discounted from $15K or so), we used it a lot at first and then as the novelty wore off it barely got used so we sold it probably 4-5 years later after it mostly just sat around unused. Ours was made by Artesian. If I had to do it again I would buy a smaller and cheaper tub (probably whatever Costco carries for $5-6K tops) because other than lights, fountains, waterfalls and all that shit, they're all pretty much the same aside from the ultra low-end. Just don't buy one that has difficult access to the electronics/pumps in case something goes wrong. Also if I had to do it again I wouldn't buy the fancy stereo, I'd just take a Bluetooth speaker outside, and you probably aren't going to be pumping the tunes anyway assuming you want to talk to the other person(s) in the tub. Just another thing that can break.

    Chemicals weren't too bad, we used an enzyme system and a tiny bit of chlorine, but there are lots of ways to go about it including salt water now (when we bought ours most salt water systems were for pools only). Filter replacements were a bit expensive and ours had 3 filters. You should drain/clean/refill the whole tub every 3-4 months but that depends on usage as well. How often you need to clean it will depend on usage and how diligent you are at staying on top of chemicals.

    We ran electrical under patio bricks to the tub, and monthly running cost was around $30-50 but that will obviously depend on use, outside temperature, and the size of your tub. It also sat on the patio bricks, so we built a base out of 4X4 treated wood to level it.

    Size wise we had a 9 person but you can buy everything from 2 person inflatables to giant rectangles that seat 20 people. They are kind of like tents - you can subtract 1-2 from however many people it can hold if you want to be comfortable with lots of room.

    Cushions, jet nozzles, and the cover are the things that will start to break and look bad over time as the chemicals slowly destroy them. We ran into one issue trying to find a replacement cushion because our tub model wasn't made anymore. Anything 'fancy' that pops up or similar is also a common failure point. If you buy a tub with 100 jets or whatever, expect to always have a nozzle or two that needs replacing or that doesn't work quite right. I would recommend a cover with struts that help you lift it, especially if your wife/kids might use it on their own as the covers are really heavy and soak up some moisture.

    I'm not as up to date on the brands available these days but I think you'll find they are all pretty similar within any given price range. Going to "hot tub alley" on center street and dealing with the used-car-style sales experience was the worst part of the process unless you buy from Costco or something (Costco carries BeachComber and Evolution). At dedicated hot tub stores, they are usually offered at huge discounts from prices nobody has ever paid, so it's difficult to figure out exactly what kind of 'deal' you're getting.

    A good sized hot tub is usually around 600-800lbs + 2,000-3,000lbs of water so make sure wherever you are putting it is plenty solid. Depending on your yard/fence you will probably either need a crane to get it installed or to temporarily dismantle part of your fence.

    Unless you think it will get a lot of use over a long period of time I wouldn't recommend it, but of course there are also some people who love hot tubs and use them several times a week year round. We used ours the most in the Winter and barely ever in the summer because if it was, say, 20C in the evening, we didn't want to go sit in hot water. I guess it's hard to tell before you get one whether or not the novelty will wear off. I grew up with lots of friends whose families had hot tubs that virtually never got used, and we turned into one of those families too after not too long. It's basically just a fun place to drink for a while haha - I don't think many people actually use them for hydrotherapy.

    Not sure what COVID has done to hot tub stock but I imagine they are a bit harder to get now as well.
    Last edited by Mitsu3000gt; 06-03-2021 at 03:05 PM.

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    Quote Originally Posted by suntan View Post
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    Are there low end shitty brands, and high end good brands? Yes

    What do they cost in general? At least $6K. +$50/mth in electricity.

    Are there big ones? Small ones? Yes.

    Are there better/worse ways to keep them clean? Add chlorine at least 2X a week. Might have to adjust pH but Calgary's water is actually at the perfect pH (most are too acidic). I like to use "spa shock" as it turns bound chloramines into gas. There's other stuff but it's mostly useless. Foam remover is useful sometimes. Change water 2X year at least. Some people like bromine but I find it pointless.

    Do you run electrical under the ground to them? Yes they need a dedicated circuit. A permit is required.

    If you're putting one on a deck, deck must also be able to support the weight.

    One of my PIL's back neighbours have a hottub, they go nude in it. I've seen the mom naked too many times.
    And is it true you can’t get someone pregnant having intercourse in hot tub, cause heat of the water kills the sperm? Asking for a friend, I mean asking for @ExtraSlow

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    I think the quality often has more to do with the frame construction, Steel vs wood and longevity.
    We went with a Vita Spa (MAXX Spa in Canada) Grand. Happy with it overall - chemicals are pretty easy to figure out as mentioned above. Good service from RNR Hot tubs, including their 'spa school' for chemicals.

    I add chlorine after use, test the water weekly and do a small shock. Rarely have to adjust pH, and I clean filters / swap with a second set every 2 weeks. Foam remover now and then and change water every 6 months.
    Electrical, I had a box added when I build the house on a back patio. Tub is right beside the box, so was no need to run any wiring...

    Took down part of the fence (corner lot) to get it in the yard.
    Last edited by CLiVE; 06-03-2021 at 03:10 PM.

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    I have an ASTM-standard width backyard door, no problems with delivery as a result.

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    So Arctic Spa seems the be the gold standard, everyone that has one seems happy with em, my parent’s has been bulletproof... so when I was shopping I was talked into a coyote spa, same, same as Arctic they said... sure whatever. I buy it, and it’s just been a fucking lemon, cannot recommend

    But if you get one that doesn’t constantly piss you off with BS problems...

    The more you use it the more chemicals, not much cost; you get a lifetime discount if you purchase your tub from paradise bay, electricity isn’t much. Overall pretty easy if you don’t obsess over test strip results. Shock it after sex orgies or whatever you lake front people are into and it’s good to go

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    Hot tubs are the RHD cars of water holders.

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    Quote Originally Posted by ercchry View Post
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    So Arctic Spa seems the be the gold standard, everyone that has one seems happy with em,
    Fuck no!
    Our first Arctic spa had a minor leak, then the shell started blistering. Paradise Bay tech came out, took pictures, talked to Arctic, and Arctic agreed to replace it under warranty.
    Took months of reminders, and finally Mrs. Penguin got pissed off and called Arctic directly who finally got Paradise to bring the new one. New one was 2 inches taller wouldn't fit through the gate, had to use neighbours gate, and open a section of fence.

    The new one had a bunch of minor jet problems, they replaced them with a better design. Then a minor leak. After the warranty expired pump 2 died.
    Took it apart and replaced the impeller. A while later pump 2 motor not starting. Fuse blown. I checked, and the start capacitor was bad. New fuse, new cap, all good for a while. Then another leak (shutoff valve) hired a guy to deal with replacing it with the odd-sized hose.
    A few years later pump 1 started cutting out, probably the motor overheating. Arctic used to use these weird motors from Italy, hard to get repaired.
    I replaced the motor and wet end with an industry standard unit. Mounting was different so the intake hose wouldn't reach. Paid a guy to fight with the odd-sized intake hose and extend it.
    The pump works great, now no heat.
    Went to replace the heater element, it was actually a standard size. I opened up the plastic cover to unscrew the terminals. Totally sealed with epoxy.
    Ordered the whole heat tube. It arrived yesterday, so this weekend maybe I'll get it in.
    Oh and this one is blistering worse than the original.

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    Haha, well that makes me feel better about my coyote, perhaps it’s a vintage issue? Mine was late 2015 I think? Parent’s is a 2006, zero issues

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    Hot tubs good. That's all I know.
    Quote Originally Posted by killramos View Post
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    You realize you are talking to the guy who made his own furniture out of salad bowls right?

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    Quote Originally Posted by TomcoPDR View Post
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    And is it true you can’t get someone pregnant having intercourse in hot tub, cause heat of the water kills the sperm? Asking for a friend, I mean asking for @ExtraSlow
    False.
    Quote Originally Posted by killramos View Post
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    You realize you are talking to the guy who made his own furniture out of salad bowls right?

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    Beachcomber makes good hot tubs.

    Recommend bromine over chlorine, it's not nearly as harsh on skin or smelly as chlorine is. Still smelly though.

    Fun fact that I expect no one will care about, my grandparents opened the first hot tub store on the corner at Centre St south

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    I thought bromine was done?

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    Quote Originally Posted by ercchry View Post
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    I thought bromine was done?
    my parents still use it in theirs. Maybe my dad just hoarded 500lb of it.

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    Quote Originally Posted by cjblair View Post
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    my parents still use it in theirs. Maybe my dad just hoarded 500lb of it.
    I want to blame @Tik-Tok for this vicious rumour

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