Cheap but good hot tub

awalsh911

I'm trying to find a hot tub, preferably made out of decent wood like cedar or teak, but is around 2 grand.

I can only find nasty inflatable tubs and pines tubs.

I want a tub that looks decent, doesn't cost the earth to buy and run, and lasts a few years. Am I just setting myself up for a wild goose chase, or does anyone know where I might get such a thing from.

Thanks in Advance,

A

jimexbox

I was interested in a hot tub until I realised the cost of running it. Around 3 years ago before our huge rise in energy costs, a 4/5 person one I was looking at had a rough running cost of £1 a day.

I didn't buy one.

kaya

£1 a day is economic, mates got one, takes so long to heat up is no practical to use unless you have it on 24/7, leccy bills around £1k pcm

sad_dog_lady

i agree they are energy hungry and if you want it warmer than a certain temp you also run the risk of legoinairs disease , nasty.

totalsolutions

There was one free on freecycle a couple of weeks ago. Wonder why they gave it away?

flowerspirit

I don't know where you can get them from, but I have heard that you can buy hot tubs that are heated with a wood stove. They are supposed to be quick to heat, and maybe very cheap if you burn old pallets etc.

Doozergirl

I'd look on ebay for one second hand. They seem to lose their appeal to most people after a while. I'd be more than happy with a beautiful bath.

flowerspirit

I've found a website that sells reasonably priced hot tubs heated by wood fires. It's at rustictubs.com, they might be able to sort something out for you.

richardw

Perhaps http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/3652132/Trail/searchtext%3ESWIM.htm

chateauneufdupape

I have a cheap hot tub that I bought from e-bay. I have had nothing but problems with it. The cheap ones are imported from China and can often go wrong within months. Regarding electricity costs, I can not believe the £1kpcm, it would not even be that per year. Below is a reply that I made to another poster some time ago.

Difficult to say what the running costs are accurately as it depends on how big it is, how hot you like it, how quickly it heats up, how well it retains the heat, how often you use it, its location and the weather. However, I guess it costs me about 50p/day. It is a large tub that I use once or twice per week. A good article can be found at:-

http://www.splashandrelax.co.uk/arti...ing-costs.html

You then also have to add in the cost of chemicals, again this depends on size and usage, but I probably spend about £10/month. You need ph strips, oxidiser/chlorine, ph balancer (acid or alkali), spa sparkle, filter cleaner and eventually new filters. I probably spend about 1 hour / week cleaning it, adding chemicals etc.

The newness has worn off a bit after 2 years, but we still use it regularly when it is working! I have two kids who love to use it with their friends. My 13 yr old just had a Jacuzzi party which was great fun. Some of our friends love it, others just don't like the idea.

If you are not sure about getting one, consider hiring one for a few weeks to see how it goes. It would cost you a few hundred quid, but could save you thousands.

If you do decide to buy one, do your research very carefully. I bought mine from the internet, it is a 7 seater and cost me £3,000, and I thought I was getting a bargain. However, this was not a wise choice.

The tub is Chinese and of low quality. The instructions are minimal and are in pigeon English. Very quickly, the chrome on the jets started to peel off and quickly all turned white. They still worked but did not look so good. Also 1 of the jets did not work properly and I had a problem with the underwater light. About a year in, it started to struggle to keep its temperature. After about 4 months of discussion with the supplier and threatening to take them to court, they eventually replaced the circuit board. Next, the DVD player stopped working, which I replaced myself.

I now have the same problem with it not heating properly and the supplier seems to have gone out of business. Additionally, the tub had a leak around one of the jets. I have managed to repair this myself, but can not find a supplier for a replacement part.

I have struggled to find someone to repair the heat problem. A guy from www.spa4u.co.uk has had a look at it and is looking for a new board which he hopes will fix the problem. However, this will probably cost me about £500.

He has been called out to Chinese and American tubs that are only months old. They are low quality and parts can be difficult to find.

My advice to you is you get what you pay for.

Overall, it has not been a good buy. I am considering scrapping it and buying a better one. If I do this I would do the following:-

1) Buy from a local supplier who is well established. If I have problems, I know where I can get them sorted. Also, they can advise you on maintenance / service etc.

2) Try it in the showroom before I buy it. There are different depths, mine is medium and I would prefer it deeper. I also find the lounger section uncomfortable. It suits some, but not me.

3) I would buy an English tub from a well known name. When you eventually need to replace something, you will be able to get parts and people to help you.

4) I would not buy one with a TV/DVD on it. Because of the TV, you need two people to take the cover off. This is a right pain at times.

5) I would consider getting it installed and set up by the supplier. At least then, you now what you should be doing, how it all works and how to deal with the chemicals, filters etc.

6) Find out the details of the heaters. How powerful they are determines how quickly it heats up and if it will keep it fully to temperature when in use. I find mine on a cold day does not stay hot after about an hour of being open. This is OK normally, but if you are having a party which goes on for several hours, it is disappointing when you have to shut it down for an hour or more.

7) Check out the insulation. There are different forms and levels of insulation. The more insulated it is, the better. This saves on running costs and helps it to retain temperature and heats up more quickly.

8) Do a search for buying guides and think carefully about what they say.

I hope I haven't put you off too much. We enjoy our tub greatly. I just don't want you to go through the problems that I have had.

Happychappy

I am selling a vintage enamel luxury hot tub which is heated by wood fire, very reasonable and very fashionable, I think Rooney and whatshername have one.

Luxury hot tubs.co.uk

Otherwise I know someone who bought one from this company ? East Mids Spa they are considerably better than the first one ; )