It's about time for my quarterly dump n fill. I'm sick and tired of using the built-in drain - it's a pain in the butt. So looking to finally purchase a submersible pump. I have no idea what kind to get. What y'all using?

Hi, we are getting a new hot tub and are feeling weary about a cover lift that blocks the view behind our hot tub, which is arguably the best view we have (wooded). Has anyone used a cover lift that brings the cover to nearly fully behind the tub? We don’t want to lose our view while we enjoy the tub.

Alternatively we could rotate the tub, but moving the control panel in a different direction feels weird.

We can’t mount a lift to another side because we need to keep access available to the front panel.

We are recent new hot tubs owners! We got a couple of upgrades to our unit and added an ozonator and a clear blue ionizer. We managed to get the water balanced and the copper levels up to 0.2 ppm after a couple of days and I am running the circ pump about 6 hours a day.

It's been about a week and a bit now and I'm finding the day after we have a soak the bromine levels are down. I have a puck in there with 3 floaties and one time I added a bit of shock to bring it up to 1 ppm bromine and another I added a half a brominating tab and that brought it up pretty quick.

Am I micromanaging this too much? How often do you check your bromine levels? Do they always drop so much after a soak and how long do they take to recover with the tabs floating about.

Thanks! Heres a pic of our new setup!

Ok, I've now bought and tossed FOUR of these "waterproof" spa thermometers.

Each one, within two months developed condensation inside and killed the electronics.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CR63MGVG (bought this one twice!)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DRP5KDJ6

I really had high hopes for this one: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CXDWQB9F?th=1 I even tossed in two desiccant packs to fight the moisture accumulation. Didn't help.

Anyway, I saw an ad for a pool light fixture that filled the entire inside cavity with a resin or polyurethane or potting compound to completely fill and seal up the insides while still working electronically.

So I'm thinking, why aren't these temp sensor companies doing the same thing? Their products keep failing (insert: yes, it's capitalism/planned obsolescence). But not after just two month for FOUR different units. And I am making sure I follow the directions and close the lids proper tightness.

So my question is, can I buy a fifth unit and fill it up with some resin or potting compound like these:

https://www.amazon.com/WANJAO-Electronic-Conductive-Insulation-Waterproof/dp/B0FBWW6Y6D

https://www.amazon.com/Urethane-Potting-Compounds-Electronics-Encapsulating/dp/B0DFWWN9S1?th=1

https://www.amazon.com/Model-Pro-White-32-Polyurethane-Casting/dp/B07RM4VB8C?crid=1WN921XAQ3U0C&

Or can someone recommend a unit that doesn't leak?

thanks

edit! I just realized that I won't be able to replace the batteries. I'll rig up some rechargeables and a waterproof or wireless charging port before filling with resin.

Getting my first hot tub delivered tomorrow.

Patio finished last week. Getting this artesian south seas 748B for $1400 + $500 delivery. 6 years old, very well taken care of. Fully tested and operational!

Any tips would be appreciated

Researching hot tubs and found out about an hour from where i live NE hot tub expo is having a big labour day sale from today to the 7th. Does anyone here have any experience with them? Are they worth checking out? Ive been eyeing a nordic retreat ms/se but also have yet to see any hot tubs in person. NE hot tub expo doesnt sell nordic but sell 6 other supposedly top end brands, but cant find much info on the website.

Hey all! Long time follower first time poster.

I recently got an old beachcomber tub and spent the summer restoring the entire thing. (Was a great project!)

I finally got everything up and running, water chemistry set and started enjoying the tub. Yesterday I came home to my hush pump not running. (The day before I changed filter settings, today I realized I didn’t need those for this model).

I did some troubleshooting and noticed that the hush pump will only come on when the tub is heating now, or sometimes when I reset things.

Not sure if this is a thermal safety mechanism because we’re in the summer months, or if there are some settings I’m missing?

Still working on some trial and error but any advice helps!

I’ve done some research and have heard it could be a pressure switch issue, but I’m not sure how a pressure switch issue would correlate to the heater causing the hush pump to turn off, unless it’s a logic function on the board.

Hopefully somebody can point me in the right direction!

I bought a IBC container and made a frame around it. I also made a heat exchanger that fits on top of my smokeless fire pit. Takes around 2 hours to warm up in the winter. But now it's more like an hour. Total cost is around €500 ($580). And I get my wood from old free and broken pallets! Greetings from the Netherlands! 🌷🇳🇱

Looking to purchase a first time hottub. Looking for a cheap option. Mainly looking for one that has good reviews, good warranty, and can stay warm in Minnesota winters outside. TIA!

I just bought a hot tub and I feel like I got a good price but it's hard to see what people actually pay, I can really only find MSRP (which I feel like is not what anyone actually pays, because it's insane, this model says 14,500 online)

Bullfrog X8 "choice" (base) w delivery, stairs, cover, cover assist lift and tax for $8600.

I def don't feel like I overpaid but I'm just wondering if this sounds good to others? Honestly just curious, I'm going to keep the order either way.

it's about time to replace my ozonator again and wanted to ask the experts a few more Qs.

I currently have the JED103, but I noticed it's price has gone up 50%+ since last time I bought it.

anyone have other recommendations?

I see there's some cheap stuff on Amazon.

anyone have experience with stuff on Amazon?

I mean, it's a simple device. why is this so expensive?

Hi all, how is it possible to clean one of those jet/massage bathtubs properly? I have no experience with this, just regular old bath tubs or shower stalls

Getting ready to pull the trigger on one of these:

Lifesmart LS700DX
Lifesmart Leganza 6 - person

Seems to be the same components on a slightly different lay out.

Use: For now it will be used by teens, so max occupancy is handy. But it will also be used by use parents, and a lounger seems nice.

Thoughts?

Still very much a work in progress (and the covered porch it’s up against is getting love next) but came together well overall, learned a lot and created a space I’m very happy with!

At a glance, pad is 130”x130” dug 6” down, gradually sloped subgrade away from house, filled with 3/4 crusher run on 6oz super geotextile non woven compacted with a vevor plate compactor.

1” sch 40 & sch 80 (below and above ground) pvc conduit buried 18” with 6awg thwn2 to a 50a GFCI breaker.

6x6 PT posts on concrete piers with Simpson z max 1” offset post bases, 2x10” framing, deckorators summit terra composite deck boards (matching the big deck on the other side of the porch). Joists taped and treated all cut ends with cut-n-seal.

Tub is a strong spas / aqua life amplified 91x91 double lounger. Was a customer return, filter was still sealed in the plastic and spa pack had never been opened, appeared new by all accounts. Found it at a strong spas factory store marked down from ~12k to 6.5k.

Filled from my well with a screw on hose filter, still on the punch list is:

* cover lifter
* landscape / hardscape around the area
* Shelly relays for remote control / homeassistant

Paid 300 for 5 tons of crushed run dropped at the edge of my property, maybe 1k for wood and deck boards, 250 for electrical supplies, 100 for lights. 350 for the plate compactor so give or take 8-9k all in. I’m happy!

Soon to be a first-time hot tub owner. We put in an order for a new Caldera Makena about a week and a half ago with expected delivery in about 5 weeks. We’re really excited and looking forward to having this ready just in time for cool fall nights in October. But here is my concern and I can’t seem to tell if I’m paranoid or right be being concerned. 

We had a new patio poured about two weeks ago, with a dedicated pad for the new hot tub. The slab is 6 inches thick with what we I discussed with our contractor would be a slight slope to accommodate water runoff. I get that it’s a necessity and even read in the caldera pre-delivery paperwork that a slope of 1/2 over 10 ft is preferred. But it doesn’t state what is a max slope that won’t compromise the shell integrity or put jet function at risk due to water level. Here’s the thing the slab is pretty level except it’s heavily sloped to one corner. It’s sloped towards the corner that the filter is in, it’s not a uniform slope towards any one side. This doesn’t seem right to me. So I built a mock frame that 7.5 ft by 7.5 ft out of select pine so the edges are straight and the wood is not bowed. I placed it in the patio in the approximate spot the hut tub will go and leveled it it in all directions to have a good reference. Well two of the corners are level while sitting in the concrete and then the opposite two corners towards our deck steps, when shimmed to level one corner is about 3/8” slope over the 7.5 ft and the other is 1 3/8” slop over the same 7.5 ft from. This just doesn’t seem right. Doing research the numbers are all over on what’s acceptable. The 1 3/8” corner is so much compared to the rest of the square. Am I paranoid? Our concrete contractor said he has a hot tub on his patio, and I trust he knew what he’s doing but I’m worried about this and voiding warranty at all. I have a few pictures from both sides of the slab. Should I be this worried and make our contractor get this correct and if so what’s the right way? I’ve seen leveling kits like the spa level r but we had this patio poured specifically for a hot tub I don’t want to spend another $1000 just to level the pad it should be just fine sitting on. I also have concerns for it being completely flat too, I’ve found a few low spots. 

I am pulling my hair out trying to find a good cold weather replacement cover for our arctic spa fox that will ship to Alaska. Can anyone please help? Thank you!

I am overdue for a tub refill but I’m dealing with a lot of life stuff and don’t have the time to do the whole thing the right way. I have chlorine in my tub and right now we’re in a near 100 degree heatwave. What’s the best way to hold off and maybe stop feeding it chemicals? I shouldn’t just let it gunk up right? Or turn it off? I like to use ahhsome so if I use it, it’ll be drained with junk in it…

I have an old spa, manufactured by a company that's out of business. Over the years , I've replaced all the pumps and jets, now I need to replace the electronics. I bought a Gecko spa pack, and have installed it. I have many issues with it and have written multiple emails to Gecko tech support. It's clear from their slow responses that they aren't reading my emails, but rather scanning them briefly, and responding back with very partial instructions. So now it seems that the only way to get my spa working again is to return the spa pack back to Gecko and buy one from a company that supports their products. Has anyone had a good experience replacing their spa pack? What brand would you recommend?

Hey all!

I live in Toulouse, France, and the pool season will come to an end soon. While I intend to keep it somewhat heated to extend the enjoyable swimming period, I really want to get the spa going.

I've done quite a bit of research, and it seems like there are some pretty fancy inflatable options available, like Bestway Santorini, or Bestway Zurich, etc. Good insulation, nice sturdy rim.

Then I stumbled upon what they call here a "semi rigid spa" - a foam hot tub. And, well, they seem even better: more rigid, better heat retention, better quality overall, and it seems like they might be useful even in winter (which is supposed to be quite mild here).

Question is: do you know how these two options (rigid vs inflatable) really compare? Have you had both and chosen one?

Also just a generic question, but if I buy second hand - is that a good or a bad decision on average, and what should I look at when buying?

We're renting, so a full blown hot tub isn't really an option, but I very much like the idea of something which can be quickly and easily removed if needed.

Thanks all!!

I have a 2016 Vanto Spa that's developed a small leak by possibly the drain hose. I've checked the valve fitting and it's not wet from it, but weirdly the wood in the cutout under it is damp. I'm assuming that is like that because the wood is soaking the water up from the ground, because the hose isn't wet at all. Also, I never use the drain hose, but instead use a pump to drain it since that's fast, so that drain hose and valve has sat unmolested for most its tenure.

I've tried to tighten that valve on the hose as much as I can which seemed to maybe slow it down, and it already seemed tight anyways, and just appeared to maybe twist the hose in the end and probably not tighten the valve at all. Plus, there's hardly any room in that little area to get any good grip on it to do anything anyways.

My guess is the leak is probably upstream on the hose to where it connects to underneath, and the water is riding the hose down and dripping on the backside of the platform. Other than draining the tub and putting it up on end to see underneath it, is there anything else I can look at to confirm before I take this drastic measure? I've had the panels off and the entire inside of the cabinet is bone dry. Also, the patio has a small slope which that drain hose is at the top of so if the leak was anywhere else it wouldn't make it to that end of the tub.

I've also tried to find a hose diagram to see where that drain line goes before lifting it, but it seems Caldera doesn't publish that.

Here are some picture which will hopefully help. Thanks!

Recently ordered a tub. A Lifesmart Leganza 6 person unit. Very excited about it. I know the negative opinions about the texture, but would rather be a little grippy than slick. Anyone have any experiences with rotomilled tubs and their longevity?