Vacation home hot tub

[rbstern]

My wife has wanted a hot tub for a long time.  We've got a vacation home that we will be retiring to in a few years, and I was thinking about surprising her with a hot tub on her next birthday.

The house is in northeast GA, which means hot summers and relatively mild winters.  I have two potential locations for the tub:  Existing concrete pad behind the house (walkout basement), or build a deck extension off the side of the house.  Neither presents any real logistical problems; plenty of room in both places, no zoning or privacy issues.  110v power is already in both locations.  220v would have to be run to either location, but is doable without having to do any majory surgery to the home.

During the summer, we are at the home an average of three days a week.  In the winter, perhaps four or five days a month.

My concerns:

1) Energy use.  Since we won't be there much of the time, can I operate the tub effectively without wasting electricity?

2) Along the same lines: Sizing the tub.  Most of the time, the tub would be used by 2 to 3 people.  Occassionally, when family visits, we could have 5 or 6 wanting to use the tub.  I would like it to be roomy enough for that peak use but, again, don't want to waste a lot of energy heating and filtering a lot of water when the tub is not in use.

3) Do I take advantage of 110v power and just deal with the slower heat up times, or does our mode of use (arriving after not being there for a few days or a couple of weeks) suggest it would be better to have the tub be able to heat up quickly.

4) Buying new vs. used.  Better to spend on a higher end used model, rather than a low or mid-tier model?

I'm sure I'll think of other issues, but that's it for now.  Thanks in advance for any advice.  Glad to have a resource like this.

[Spatech_tuo]

If you can find a good used that that you can get for a good price AND you are able to see it running then you can get a good deal but you have to be very picky with used spas (again, you must see it fully operational). Its really hit and miss to find the used gems because they're outnumbered 20:1 with used spas that you best avoid. Otherwise go to the websites of the spa manufacturers and see who is local to you. Go 220v and just get a quality made spa form a reputable dealer carrying a reputable brand that is well insulated such as Caldera, D1, Hot spring, Jacuzzi and Sundance. Take your time, do some research and wet test.

[TwinCitiesHotSpring]

My wife has wanted a hot tub for a long time.  We've got a vacation home that we will be retiring to in a few years, and I was thinking about surprising her with a hot tub on her next birthday.

The house is in northeast GA, which means hot summers and relatively mild winters.  I have two potential locations for the tub:  Existing concrete pad behind the house (walkout basement), or build a deck extension off the side of the house.  Neither presents any real logistical problems; plenty of room in both places, no zoning or privacy issues.  110v power is already in both locations.  220v would have to be run to either location, but is doable without having to do any majory surgery to the home.

During the summer, we are at the home an average of three days a week.  In the winter, perhaps four or five days a month.

My concerns:

1) Energy use.  Since we won't be there much of the time, can I operate the tub effectively without wasting electricity? Absolutely, I'll give an example: I'm monitoring power on a Hot Spring model "Envoy" (5 person, 450gal. spa) right now and with just the circulation pump operating it is currently costing 0.6 cents per hour to filter the water and maintain temperature @ 8 cents per kwh which is what we pay here...with that said the spa is in a showroom (cover open) with an ambient air temp of 70-72 degrees so we're not exactly replicating an "outdoor" spa but the moral of the story is it's not expensive in the grand scheme of things

2) Along the same lines: Sizing the tub.  Most of the time, the tub would be used by 2 to 3 people.  Occassionally, when family visits, we could have 5 or 6 wanting to use the tub.  I would like it to be roomy enough for that peak use but, again, don't want to waste a lot of energy heating and filtering a lot of water when the tub is not in use.   I always believe in buying whats best for you situation, don't worry about neighbors, friends, etc so much because at the end of the day you and your family will be using the spa 90% of the time

3) Do I take advantage of 110v power and just deal with the slower heat up times, or does our mode of use (arriving after not being there for a few days or a couple of weeks) suggest it would be better to have the tub be able to heat up quickly. Even in a warmer climate such as Georgia I still recommend 220v power, "cleaner" power, faster heat up times, and you can run your heater and jet pump at the same time on those chilly nights

4) Buying new vs. used.  Better to spend on a higher end used model, rather than a low or mid-tier model?   If your willing to look at used I would recommend something that is high end...your not taking the "retail hit" and sometimes people will sell them dirt cheap just because they want it out of there yard, a divorce, bought a new house and don't want the spa that came with it, etc....but use the advice posted above: make sure it is up to temperature and that everything works before you buy it.

I'm sure I'll think of other issues, but that's it for now.  Thanks in advance for any advice.  Glad to have a resource like this.

[rbstern]

Thanks for the replies. 

Are there solutions for keeping the power use down when the tub won't be in use for extended periods, like a couple of weeks?

[Chas]

It varies by location, but there is a break-even point. What i mean is: there is a point at which it will cost you about the same whether you keep the tub at temp vs. let it drop and reheat upon arrival. It seems to be about two weeks here in So Cal with our mild climate, but in cool climes it could be as little as a week or even a few days. Hot climates: you could leave the thing hot for weeks for the cost of just catching it back up again.

Also: many will hold temperature without the heat. HotSpring and other Watkins products are so well insulated that simply running the circ pump will keep them in the mid eighties to mid nineties depending upon the ambient temp. Our tubs have a low setting of 80 degrees, but they will hold a higher temp even if you set it there, and then 'lock out' the heater by simply shutting off the one breaker which feeds the heater only. The reason this is so: good heat retention and a tiny amount of heat given off by the constantly running circ pump. This is all benefit: you get to keep the water clean and clear, if the ozone system is doing it's job you will have that working to keep the water sanitized (at least enough for a tub not being used) and you don't have to go screaming up to your vacation home if a sudden freeze overtakes the place.

Given that our tubs hold in the mid-nineties, you will only have to reset the tub to your desired temp (or turn the heater breaker back on) and within an hour, you have hot, fresh water ready to use for the remainder of your stay. That is based on a 220 tub which can heat at close to 10 degrees an hour. If the water temp drops to the 60s or 70s, the heat rate slows to less than that, but it is still generally over 5 degrees an hour. A 110v spa is lucky to heat at 3 degrees an hour when cold and then perhaps slightly higher than three degrees as it gets close to 100 degrees. Your results will vary depending upon the brand and the design of the heater. I have found that tubs with the small circ pumps tend to get the most efficient use of the heaters due to the slower rate of water flow past the heating elements.

As to design: you should go wet test some tubs. I know you say you like the simpler, open designs, but take some time in a tub such as a Grandee or Vanguard, and you might be won over by their open seating concept with some contour to the various seats - and jets? Most people who say, "I'm not too worried about jets, we didn't use them in our last tub" are quick to get excited with the newer jets available. And even though I am a big fan of the 'Moto Massage,' it's not just in HotSpring tubs: most new tubs have adjustable jets which can go from fixed to spinner, or can be fitted with closed-faced spinners or other ways which suddenly make the jets comfortable for extended relaxation. No more 15 seconds and then dancing around trying to scratch the itch on your back!

HTH

 

One more note: a hot tub set for the mid to upper nineties is actually very refreshing when the weather turns hot. You don't want to try to sit in 75 degree water - some folks are surprised when they try to set a tub at temperatures associated with a swimming pool only to find that it seems like ice as soon as you settle down for a few minutes. You SWIM in a pool, you just sit in a tub. So any temp which is even slightly below body temperature will draw the heat out of you and feel very nice during hot weather.