We did have an electrician come out and wire it into the fusebox, it's 120 although we were wondering if changing to 220 would provide better heat. I really wasn't sure what the cost was going to be to run it, so until we got our electrical bill, we figured we'd just turn it on through the day. It's spray foamed underneath, with cedar walls around the frame holding the tub and we do have a lid. Frustratingly our suv was stolen 2 weeks ago and so my husband and I are sharing the truck and we've been meaning to take a water sample in but between our schedules and the kids and the spa place being way across town, we just can't seem to make it in there.
The guys at the spa place told us to fill the hot tub, start with the bromine floater, and once we have been using the tub for a while or we're not happy with the feel of the water, we can bring in some water to get sampled and they'll see if we need to play around with the ph levels. It's not necessary, but it makes the water more comfortable.
Now my husband says the water feels slimy, so I'm thinking we need to drain it, clean it and refill it...but will this happen again if we turn the tub off for a few days? If we're going away for a week, do we need to turn it off and drain it? How often should we drain it? Is there a "Hot Tub Guide for Dummies" or something that will give basic need to know instructions to get started?