5 most important things to consider before buying a hot tub

If you are thinking of adding a hot tub to your home then read on to find out about the 5 most important things to consider before buying a hot tub!

You might think that the key question is how much the hot tub will cost and how many friends you can fit into your new spa, you might wonder whether it will come with a sound system or not – and those details do of course matter, but if you are thinking of investing in a hot tub for your home then you should also consider factors such as build quality, insulation, and energy efficiency as well as access requirements, which base to put down and what power supply you need.

Finally, and we cannot stress this enough, you should also do some research on the business you are going to buy your hot tub from!

So let us walk you through the most important things to consider before buying a hot tub in this handy step by step guide.

1. Who is going to use the hot tub?

Are you considering the purchase of a hot tub for yourself, for the whole family, friends or maybe even for a holiday rental? If the latter, then that is a slightly separate issue and we would invite you to take a look at our article on Patio Hot Tubs for commercial use.

If your new hot tub is intended for personal use, then the number of likely users may determine the size of hot tub best suited to your needs. You may not need to invest in a 6 person spa if you will only over enjoy it by yourself but by the same token you may not need a 10 seater spa just because there is 10 of you when your children bring their partners along for Christmas. The best way to determine the right size spa is to estimate who will use the spa most of the time – at the same time – and then find a spa that works for their height and their needs. E.g. a very deep spa might be ideal if you are tall but less so if you have young children playing in the hot tub.

2. Where is the hot tub going to go?

Your installation site might determine the type of hot tub you can choose. If access to the garden is through the house then you might have to opt for a more portable option such as a Softub hot tub or alternatively you could look into hiring a crane to lift an acrylic into situ.

If you are hoping to put your hot tub on decking, then do make sure that the decking and joists are strong enough to support the filled spa plus the weight of the people using it.

For an indoor installation you would need to ensure adequate ventilation in the room, for an outdoor installation you may want to consider who private your installation site is or whether you might need to add a gazebo for added shelter from the elements or for added privacy.

In any case your new hot tub would need to sit on a sound and level base that is strong enough to support its weight.

3.What features should I look out for when choosing my hot tub?

At this point you might be thinking LED lights, sound systems and waterfall features and all of those are of course lovely add ons (although you might find that the sound on an integrated sound system is nowhere near as good as the sound quality on your bluetooth speaker but will cost you four times as much!)

Features we would urge you to find out about are the type of acrylic (American Lucite is the best rate of acrylic and the least likely to crack, peel or fade), whether the tub comes with an ABS base (which prevents rot or rodents getting into the cabinets), whether the thermal cover is included (if it isn’t we would advise you to take your business elsewhere!) and what type of insulation, pump and heater the hot tub is equipped with.

The latter will determine how energy efficient your hot tub is and what sort of electricity bill you can expect once it is bubbling away in your garden.

4. How energy efficient is your new hot tub?

This is a question that is very much on the forefront of people’s minds these days , so much so that we have written a whole article on Hot Tubs Running Costs which we would invite you to take a look at, but in a nutshell the following rules apply. The better the insulation on your hot tub, the more energy efficient it will be. A fully foam filled hot tub will be more energy efficient than a spa that uses only foil to bounce back the heat and an inflatable hot tub has no insulation worth speaking of whatsoever.

The power consumption will also affect the running cost on your spa, a Softub that runs on 950 watts per hour and is incredibly well insulated will cost you six times less than a large acrylic that runs on a 3kw heater and two 2HP pumps.

Finally, the option to set your tub to economy mode or use other ways of programming the spa to use less energy will reduce its running costs, so do look at the different programs available on the spa you are considering.

5. Who will support you and your hot tub when you need it?

It might be tempting to grab a bargain online and with prices as low as £2000 – £3000 on some websites it is understandable that customers might consider purchasing their hot tub from an online retailer or a retailer further afield.

However, do bear in mind that a hot tub is a product that needs ongoing servicing and maintenance and that you may need product support or advice regarding water care down the line, so it might be worth buying from a reputable company that value their customers and are willing to support them when needed.

We get many a call from stressed customers who bought a hot tub online or went further afield to get a better price but are now unable to get any support because the company has either gone into liquidation or is simply not willing to travel to support the customer they were happy to supply originally.

In other scenarios the original supplier might be willing to support the customer but is quoting an unreasonably long lead time for a technician to come out or for a part to be back in stock, so it is certainly worth doing your research, reading customer reviews and finding a reliable and reputable hot tub dealer, who will not only advise you on the best hot tub to suit your needs and your budget but who will still be there for you next year or in ten years time to support you and your product!

If you have any questions for our team, would like to discuss your personal requirements or arrange a visit to our showroom in York simply get in touch here and we will be happy to help you on your journey to hot tub ownership!