What are the costs associated with purchasing a hot tub?

Indoors or outdoors?

Free-standing "portable" or built-in?

120 volt or 240 volt?

What size?

 

Also, if it's an outdoor, you (may) need to get a city permit.

 

My good, but not at all high-end unit (Caldera) ran about $6k brand new including add-on ozonator, the top and flipper bar, filters and chems, plus as I recall ~$500 for install (240v with breaker box and shutoff) with the slab already in place.

Operational costs for mine have been negligible. I didn't really track the change, but maybe $20/month for electricity, chems run $60-100 every six months or so. It's the cleaning that sucks, not the costs.

IMO, they're worth every penny, but then mine was just an unexpected bonus check one month, so that may color my view a bit... well, that and the fact that my wife's friends are all hotties!

-Tad

 

The cost to run the damn thing.

 

My big house has two tubs. One off the kichen in the spa room that is sunk into the floor and is gas fired, 220V. The other is an electric portable type* that sits on a deck outside. Duing active months of using both tubs, my power bill saw spikes of around $60.00. For installation of the tub on the deck, I needed a crane with a 50' reach to drop it (Had to be lifted between the house and a large cedar tree). It was funny when I got the tub to the house (Moved it from a prior residence). Since we wheeled it out on a flat move from the back yard to the truck, it was easy. When I got it to the house, I realized how damn heavy it was and there was no way I was going to get it up 10 steps!

As for cleaning, it's no big deal. Drain, clean with 409 and polish with a fine compound made for acrylic surfaces, about an hour per tub. I'd drain and refiill each tub after about 15 uses. Drain and clean after about 25 uses. Chemicals were cheap and I used test pad strips to measure the levels of chem's I needed. Also, about once a year, I would replace the filters, about $60 each.

With LOTS of people losing there homes or jobs and having to relocate, I have to think that you can find some great deals right now on a seldom used, like-new condition tub at half the price (or less).

*I think the word 'Portable' for spa's is a joke. A tub for four our more people is a very heavy. Have one fall on you while moving and you could get quite the headache.......or worse!

 

National Electric code requires the tub ( or a pool's) water surface to be more than 10' from any overhead service (electrical), low voltage (phone) or co-ax (cable) line.

I actually had to do a little extension on my deck for the outside tub because our elctrical feed for the house came in overhead and would have been directly over the proposed postion of the tub.

Not a big deal for our application, but something to keep in mind.

P.S. do not skimp on feed wires for the tubs motor or heater.

 

Well, I paid about $2m for mine at the Mt House.

But for a store bought I would say the instillation would be free for delivery and maybe $100 for an electrician. Operation will VASTLY depend on where you are and how you operate it.

I operate my store bought all year long and the cost is about $50 a month. (North Carolina.)

 

If it's outdoors you may be required to have a childproof fence (or gazebo).

 

My hot tub has four filter elements that are ridiculously expensive, something like $45 each.

I had a pump failure that was fortunately covered by warranty. My ozone generator failed and it was impossible to get a new "bulb" for it, and a new unit was about $250, IIRC.

I have a leaking pipe fitting in a location that is just about impossible to reach, so I have to add water every two weeks or so.

I'm on my second cover, and I really need yet another one, because the foam inside gets water logged and can't be dried out.

Over the last three years I've had a problem with carpenter ants coming out of the nearby woods to nest inside the tub housing. I find little piles of the insulation where they have been chewing. Not amusing. They're persistant little sh!ts.

I've had a few of the jets fall off. The "pillow" split a seam and had to be replaced.

This was a spendy "Hot Springs" spa, over $8000 installed.

 

That will run up your costs exponentially: booze & antibiotics!

 

We took an older Beachcomber from a house we turned into a rental for our outdoor tub. The beachcombers are well thought out and simple to work on and service wiht all the controls and pumps outside the unit in a incorporated step.

We had a hot springs many years ago, and had several problems and everythign was so cramped, it was hard to deal with.

 

I bought a used "Gerico" 4-person for $150. The hard part was getting it out of their house and onto a trailer. I've replaced the heater and controls and put a new seal in the pump (starting to leak again). I had a new cover made for it (SpaDepot.com). I had it outside on my deck and used it at least once a week (even when it was below zero). Three years ago I moved it inside into it's own room, it's only been used a couple times since. It just isn't as much fun anymore.

 

I have a Caldera too, this is right about what it cost for mine as well. One additional thought - don't know where you're putting it, but if its on an elevated deck, make sure that the deck is able to take the additional weight. I seem to recall that they recommended, at a minimum, 120 pds/square foot for mine, but now that I think about it even that sounds light. Whatever it was, I had to install some 2 x 12 joists under there to augment the standard 2 x 6's. The tub manufacturer should be able to tell you.