Hot tub anyone? | Page 7 | GTAMotorcycle.com

Hot tub anyone?

does anybody make a small (just two people + leg room) tub that would fit through a 34" doorway?
Since I saw your 34" space, I was wondering because mine fit thru the gate, but my bbq didn't.
I just ran the tape measure on it.
7x7. 42 jets. 6 person with lounge. 220V.
California Cooperage by Maxx is the make / brand.
It's EXACTLY 33.5" top to bottom without the lid.
Enjoy the crane money savings!
 
Since I saw your 34" space, I was wondering because mine fit thru the gate, but my bbq didn't.
I just ran the tape measure on it.
7x7. 42 jets. 6 person with lounge. 220V.
California Cooperage by Maxx is the make / brand.
It's EXACTLY 33.5" top to bottom without the lid.
Enjoy the crane money savings!
While it may fit, that is going to be a tight squeeze. Especially if he doesn't have a straight hall from the front door to the back door. Now if he can get a smaller version (like 5x5) that moves through the house much more easily. It's good to know that some hard tubs are available that can possibly travel through a house.
 
There seems to be a lot of different ways to build a base, my last was sod removed, about 4" of limestone screenings , leveled and compacted with a home depot rental plate compactor ($47.00 for 4hrs) , patio stones on top, no wood framing just let the screenings be about 6-8" outside the patio stones. Total cost for the base was about $150 and took a morning. Did not shift at all in 6yrs

There are a lot of free patio stones on Craigslist. I will likely have some next spring. Screenings at a builders supply are about half the price of the big box stores.
 
Since I saw your 34" space, I was wondering because mine fit thru the gate, but my bbq didn't.
I just ran the tape measure on it.
7x7. 42 jets. 6 person with lounge. 220V.
California Cooperage by Maxx is the make / brand.
It's EXACTLY 33.5" top to bottom without the lid.
Enjoy the crane money savings!

Ours is a Maax Mirage with similar specs and same height. I was nervous about getting to the back yard but the fella was a pro moving it.


However, it just had to make it through a gate, not a door jam.


There maybe other spas that lower out there.


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Hey don't knock townhouses. Even in the suburbs there are lots that have cracked seven figures. Craziness.


The place getting the hot tub is indeed an inside freehold townhouse, but I can see the lake and its in Oakville, so sadly yes I paid over seven figures. And indeed crazy. Its where I live in the summer now.
Spoke with a hot tub guy when I saw under 34" could be had, he came and looked at the install, up 5 stairs, up 3 stairs, through house, out back and tight right down 7 stairs. His suggestion was a crane was way safer and easier. Back to plan B
 
The place getting the hot tub is indeed an inside freehold townhouse, but I can see the lake and its in Oakville, so sadly yes I paid over seven figures. And indeed crazy. Its where I live in the summer now.
Spoke with a hot tub guy when I saw under 34" could be had, he came and looked at the install, up 5 stairs, up 3 stairs, through house, out back and tight right down 7 stairs. His suggestion was a crane was way safer and easier. Back to plan B
Talk to the neighbours. See if they want to get in on a group hot tub and crane buy. You may move enough that your swing is free :)
 
I am still on the hunt here. I had a used one I really wanted that was convertible (110 or 220) but I took too long getting my capital together.

Still looking at that option and there are inexpensive new options. Wonder what you all think? Beachcomber Hamilton have these tubs from Quebec.


They have 2 in the showroom to look at. One model is available in about 6 weeks; the smaller one is about 13 weeks out. Like the RV industry hot tubs apparently are gong crazy due to Covid. Wild...

At any rate these tubs use Balboa components which means that parts availability is not a problem. They are made like Arctic or Maxx in that they do not do full foam insulation. My concern is that due to the lighter grade of plastic used and the cheaper price that perhaps the plumbing will be more prone to leaks and without foam in place perhaps this tub may be a money pit to keep heated. Price point is decent for a new tubs though and we could be soaking in no time.


This guy is $6900 plus tax and that is delivered, steps, cover, chemicals, "spa school" etc... It is available and I could be tubbing it up at the end of October...










This one is $6100 and same spiel. Everything to my place except for electric and pad. Available more like January...









The other alternative is to go the used tub route. Having the 220 V hook up makes more sense because most tubs on the used market are larger, 220 V tubs. The electrician that wired up our shed last year is coming on Thursday to give us an estimate. Depending on pricing I may go ahead and get the pad done and the electric sorted and then it is a matter of finding a good used tub to get delivered. My old Buddy lives up in York and he bought a used Arctic tub that he has had years of reliable service from for less than the cost of an entry level tub,

The other concern is that if we go the 110 route for now they seem to come with 12 ft cords. As you can see from my site pic 12 ft is barely going to cut it.




If we do the pad ourselves most pavers seem to be 24" x 24" so I would go 8' x 10' (8 ft deep by 10 ft wide). If we get the company to come out and do the work I will probably go 8' x 9'. The "dream" spot... This is as a "marked" 8' x 9'. Close to the basement door and even the sliders are just at the top of the deck.




Thoughts?
 
A few thoughts.
1) Lounge seat. Apparently popular with first time buyer, not popular once you have it. I haven't tried one.
2) Make sure you have a system to deal with the lid. They are big, awkward and not light. Taking it off and leaning it against the fence is not nearly as easy in the middle of winter. Choose your poison, there are a number of systems (tilt (with or without shock, stays high like a privacy screen or drops to edge of tub, etc), slide, etc).
3) I assume that 110V tubs have gfci built into the head of the plug? I never have luck with those lasting (and GFCI receptacles used constantly outdoors aren't much better).
4) Be really careful with the retaining wall for your stairs. You are adding a huge weight surcharge that was probably not designed in. Worst case scenario, the wall collapses into the stairs and dumps your tub into the basement. You may have to put the tub further into the yard to lessen the load on that retaining wall. You may be ok as it is L shaped and supported by the stairs, but have someone that understands look at it carefully.
5) 12' cord probably won't cut it. Most tubs I've seen have the electric hookup on a side and not through the front panel. A tight cord is just asking for a trip injury and damage to the cord/receptacle at the same time.
6) The tubs shown don't have many jets. I know someone made a comment before to look for 40+ jets. I have no idea if that is critical or just nice. The tub that came with our house has 10+ jets per seat.
 
A few thoughts.
1) Lounge seat. Apparently popular with first time buyer, not popular once you have it. I haven't tried one.
2) Make sure you have a system to deal with the lid. They are big, awkward and not light. Taking it off and leaning it against the fence is not nearly as easy in the middle of winter. Choose your poison, there are a number of systems (tilt (with or without shock, stays high like a privacy screen or drops to edge of tub, etc), slide, etc).
3) I assume that 110V tubs have gfci built into the head of the plug? I never have luck with those lasting (and GFCI receptacles used constantly outdoors aren't much better).
4) Be really careful with the retaining wall for your stairs. You are adding a huge weight surcharge that was probably not designed in. Worst case scenario, the wall collapses into the stairs and dumps your tub into the basement. You may have to put the tub further into the yard to lessen the load on that retaining wall. You may be ok as it is L shaped and supported by the stairs, but have someone that understands look at it carefully.
5) 12' cord probably won't cut it. Most tubs I've seen have the electric hookup on a side and not through the front panel. A tight cord is just asking for a trip injury and damage to the cord/receptacle at the same time.
6) The tubs shown don't have many jets. I know someone made a comment before to look for 40+ jets. I have no idea if that is critical or just nice. The tub that came with our house has 10+ jets per seat.

Thx for the input. My take...
1. Seeing as this is our first tub I can go either way. Just the same I have heard that before given the choice would probably go without one. Frankly, I prefer the smaller model. $800 extra gives more seats, a second filter, and the quicker delivery timeframe which makes it a viable option should you want one ASAP.
2. A lid lifter is a way to go for sure. On the used route many already come with this system or are ready to accept one. Not sure if a lid lifter would be a viable option with either of these tubs. If so I would invest in it. I agree that easier is always better and keeping the lid off the ground may help extend its life as well. My wife has M.S. so if a lid lifter makes it easier to use then she would more likely use the tub when I am not around.
3. Yes, GFCI in the plug. Disadvantage for sure. Something to think about; especially since at this pricepoint there are viable used tubs which are decent.
4. This advice is especially appreciated. I mentioned it to my wife and we are open to other locations for the pad of moving the pad over 2 to 4 feet. Not sure at which point the weight is less of an issue. 4 ft okay? 6? How far away can the tub be?
5. Another reason this option may not be good. Their user manual states that the cord is 12' long...
6. Agreed. Any lower end tub equals less jets and complexities. Lots of nice used tubs available from $2000 to $8000; depending on age. Even the older less expensive ones were upwards of $10000 new and have tons of yets and options. Hydropool, Beachcomber, Maax etc. So long as everything works and there is no leaks then I will just have things repaired as needed.

I will see what my electrician says. That will give me a benchmark to start from. If we wanted to try a soft tub 300 then that would be an easy interim step. Could go onto the deck and plug right in. Even these are sold out until the spring. Like the RV industry these this industry has gone nuts. Glad we already had our little travel trailer. Being able to get away for a few little trips brought a ton of happiness to me.
 
Thx for the input. My take...
1. Seeing as this is our first tub I can go either way. Just the same I have heard that before given the choice would probably go without one. Frankly, I prefer the smaller model. $800 extra gives more seats, a second filter, and the quicker delivery timeframe which makes it a viable option should you want one ASAP.
2. A lid lifter is a way to go for sure. On the used route many already come with this system or are ready to accept one. Not sure if a lid lifter would be a viable option with either of these tubs. If so I would invest in it. I agree that easier is always better and keeping the lid off the ground may help extend its life as well. My wife has M.S. so if a lid lifter makes it easier to use then she would more likely use the tub when I am not around.
3. Yes, GFCI in the plug. Disadvantage for sure. Something to think about; especially since at this pricepoint there are viable used tubs which are decent.
4. This advice is especially appreciated. I mentioned it to my wife and we are open to other locations for the pad of moving the pad over 2 to 4 feet. Not sure at which point the weight is less of an issue. 4 ft okay? 6? How far away can the tub be?
5. Another reason this option may not be good. Their user manual states that the cord is 12' long...
6. Agreed. Any lower end tub equals less jets and complexities. Lots of nice used tubs available from $2000 to $8000; depending on age. Even the older less expensive ones were upwards of $10000 new and have tons of yets and options. Hydropool, Beachcomber, Maax etc. So long as everything works and there is no leaks then I will just have things repaired as needed.

I will see what my electrician says. That will give me a benchmark to start from. If we wanted to try a soft tub 300 then that would be an easy interim step. Could go onto the deck and plug right in. Even these are sold out until the spring. Like the RV industry these this industry has gone nuts. Glad we already had our little travel trailer. Being able to get away for a few little trips brought a ton of happiness to me.
3. GFCI in the plug may also defeat your weather resistant when closed box as the GFCI may be too large.
4. This is very far from my area of expertise and do not take my word to mean much. My feeling is if the edge of the tub is set back from the wall by the depth of the wall, you should be ok. Again, I am not qualified to provide the correct answer, I just know enough to ask the question. Some engineers would know (but may be hard to get an answer out of), landscapers that build retaining walls really should know (but may not have a clue).
 
Not sure where you are located, but these guys have a few locations, maybe worth checking them out


.
Interesting. As my hot tub spends 99% of it's life covered, I have no use for the skimmer. When leaves fall in the tub, that means it is open and somebody is in it so they can just be tossed out. As for the bottom cleaning, I get some sand in the tub (interlock patio) that settles into seats and the floor that my tub filtration will never remove. I bought a little vacuum on a pole (lots of options out there, mine you push under water and then remove your thumb from the end of the pole to allow water and sand to rush in and then pull vac out and it dumps water back into the tub through a filter). I probably need to do that two minutes every few weeks (less in the winter because snow covers the interlock).

Mine definitely does not filter 100% of the water it is pumping. The two filters are in parallel and then before each pump, two unfiltered water intakes are in parallel with the filtered water. This is both good and bad. You don't burn up pumps if you are lazy about filter cleaning but you can also be lazy about filter cleaning with no outward signs of trouble (if you go too long, you will probably go cloudy).
 
3. GFCI in the plug may also defeat your weather resistant when closed box as the GFCI may be too large.
4. This is very far from my area of expertise and do not take my word to mean much. My feeling is if the edge of the tub is set back from the wall by the depth of the wall, you should be ok. Again, I am not qualified to provide the correct answer, I just know enough to ask the question. Some engineers would know (but may be hard to get an answer out of), landscapers that build retaining walls really should know (but may not have a clue).
Again thanks. We need to put some thought into this.

Will know more once our electrician gives us his 2 cents. If we go 220 then we just get it wired by him with the length of cord it needs.

We have a lot of places to put the tub but I also do not want to put it too close to the pool as well for the same reason. Perhaps if we move the tub further from the wall it might work.

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Interesting. As my hot tub spends 99% of it's life covered, I have no use for the skimmer. When leaves fall in the tub, that means it is open and somebody is in it so they can just be tossed out. As for the bottom cleaning, I get some sand in the tub (interlock patio) that settles into seats and the floor that my tub filtration will never remove. I bought a little vacuum on a pole (lots of options out there, mine you push under water and then remove your thumb from the end of the pole to allow water and sand to rush in and then pull vac out and it dumps water back into the tub through a filter). I probably need to do that two minutes every few weeks (less in the winter because snow covers the interlock).

Mine definitely does not filter 100% of the water it is pumping. The two filters are in parallel and then before each pump, two unfiltered water intakes are in parallel with the filtered water. This is both good and bad. You don't burn up pumps if you are lazy about filter cleaning but you can also be lazy about filter cleaning with no outward signs of trouble (if you go too long, you will probably go cloudy).
Interesting... All the big hot tub brands have their own tech of features which they hail as the be all and end all. Hydropool are supposed to be a quality tub and there is a used one in the wild so I hit some youtube videos to show my wife how their system works. Very cool to hear some feedback from an owner and not a salesperson.

I showed my wife one of those vacs as there is one for sale on kijjiji. She thought I was nuts. I said I need to vaccum out pool regulalrly either manually or with our Zodiac vac. It makes sense that some dirt or sand is going to get in and end up lower in the tub and not make it to the filter.

The floor and side skimmer seem like a cool idea just the same. Not sure whag difference that makes in filter life or ease of use.



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Interesting... All the big hot tub brands have their own tech of features which they hail as the be all and end all. Hydropool are supposed to be a quality tub and there is a used one in the wild so I hit some youtube videos to show my wife how their system works. Very cool to hear some feedback from an owner and not a salesperson.

I showed my wife one of those vacs as there is one for sale on kijjiji. She thought I was nuts. I said I need to vaccum out pool regulalrly either manually or with our Zodiac vac. It makes sense that some dirt or sand is going to get in and end up lower in the tub and not make it to the filter.

The floor and side skimmer seem like a cool idea just the same. Not sure whag difference that makes in filter life or ease of use.



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Mine has a skimmer, just not that return in the floor. My returns are in the side of the footwell so they collect nothing (which is probably good because it would just go through the pump and then get spit out a jet). My skimmer has a door like a pool skimmer. That is definitely not my favorite implementation. If you are sitting out for a quiet night with the pumps off, if you move the skimmer door bangs open and closed. Obviously it's not loud, but for something that has very little benefit to me, even a minor detriment is annoying. At some point I may get annoyed enough to take that door off.
 

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