Inflatable hot tubs

CruisnGrrl

CruisnGrrl

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Anyone have any experience with those inflatable hot tubs sold at ct? I tried to price out the bathtub spa/hot tubs and found they cost as much as a regular hot tub. Not sure I have the space inside for a regular one and if inside it would be very humid in summer, outside it would be a pain in winter. The inflatable ones are significantly cheaper so I'm wondering if they are worth even looking at.
 
I can't imagine heating an inflatable one in the winter, the bill would be horrendous (unless you built an insulated enclosure around it which would negate most of the initial price difference). For the price, if you only filled it for a few parties a year and stored it collapsed in a shed the rest of the time, it may be a viable option.
 
Sounds stupid. Unless you have the proper space for a tub indoors, it's just asking for trouble... humidity, mould, and 1000L of water in an inflated balloon, inside your house.

Fork over the dough for a real tub and put it outside. I hear they're very efficient, and you can use it year round.
 
An outdoor hot tub is more fun in the winter! I have an 7ft Artic Spa...

Water chemistry (ph, total alkalinity, sanitizer, oxidizer) is trickier on a hot tub vs a pool. I concur with the above that the inflatable hot tubs are intended for short term / party use - you'd probably start hating trying to maintain the water on a daily basis. My HT has a salt system (electrode to generate chlorine) and an ozone generator (oxidizer) so it's eazy-breezy to keep it in shape year round. And two powerful pumps to serve the various jets.

You'd probably still need to place the inflatable HT outdoors or in your basement due to the weight of the water (calc: 1kg/L).

i did attend one summer BBQ where they had rented a small inflatable HT - just had ambient temp water in it for the younger kids to enjoy/splash-in.
 
There's lots of companies out there selling used acrylic ones. Inflatable sounds like a ticking time bomb to me.
220V is the only way to go. Maintains temps extremely well, powerful jets and is 50% more efficient than the 110V units that are sold by CT and the like.
I have an older 220V tub, and it works out to about $1/day extra on my hydro bill. I'm sure the newer ones are better yet.

And I second FLSTC....my tub gets most of its use between Sept and April
 
CruisnGrrl said:
So inflatable isn't really usable for long term use. I know I don't want a large one 2-4 person is the size I'd want. Sadly sites I've found don't have prices. This looks like it might meet my needs. http://www.hydropoolhottubs.com/~/m...er Marble/Self-Cleaning_395-Silver_Marble.png
Click to expand...

Great tub's, just don't deal with the one at Dundas and WinstonChurchill, near the Mississauga/Oakville border, if Nick is still there stay far away....Go to the Headquarters store instead....in Mississauga
 
the inflatables are a weekend toy or cottage prop. Like an air mattress or blow up toy it will fail unexpectantly. I looked at some rotomolded plastic units at the cottage show that were cheapish ,$2,400. all in, salt chemistry and light weight. They seemed a deal compared to a real fiberglass spa. There are a lot of used spas for sale, my advice would be unless you are a pool technician don't touch one. I have three friends that went "look its like free" and then dropped an extra grand into getting them running, for a short time.
 
Don't forget to budget for electrical work. Sub-panel, GFCI breaker, inspection... I dug the trench myself.
 
on the up side if you put it in the house and either it or something else causes a fire the water in the tub should help
on the down side, damn...1 little leak in your house and...

do you have to notify insurance company of a real or inflatable inside the house
I would think this is like adding a fireplace...to them it's a liability
 
GixxerN8 said:
I have an older 220V tub, and it works out to about $1/day extra on my hydro bill. I'm sure the newer ones are better yet.

And I second FLSTC....my tub gets most of its use between Sept and April
Click to expand...

I have a 5 / 6 220V that's less than 1 yr old. I noticed a little difference on my hydro bill. I've got it worked out to about $.30 / day in the winter, and I didn't notice a difference in my bill when the weather was warm.

Only problem I have, is, I wish I had bought one 35 years ago.
 
Looking at the jet bathtubs I'm thinking these would fit my wants (indoor use year round) without all the chemicals and going outside during winter/mosquito season. Being outside the GTA the smog isn't as bad so the mosquitos are as thick as GTA's smog. Due to the near by swamp going outside between 1/2 hour before dusk and 1 hour after is suicidal.
 
Have you considered the Soft Tub brand?

http://www.softubcanada.com/ca/home

They can be found used for $1500-$2000 and could probably be flipped for little to no loss if you decided you want to go to a typical hard spa or it is not for you. They are light enough that you could strap it to the roof of a minivan or SUV to take to a friend's house, cottage etc.

I have been bugging my wife for a couple of years now to put a Softub in our backyard.

Edit:

You could always move this into your garage if you wanted something somewhat indoors from time to time. They weigh less than 100 lbs when empty.

Also, brands to consider for a stereotypical spa include:
Hot Springs and their various brands
Artic (although their sales people and tactics have come under criticism and scrutiny)
Beach Comber
Jacuzzi (although my co-worker has had a nightmare with the one she bought a year ago)
Caldera

Have you considered the used route? My buddy in the G.T.A. got himself a large Artic one which would be $12000-$14000 before the install and electrical hook up. I think he paid $5000 or $6000 and he has had it for five years now with very few issues. There is a store in Cambridge that sells new hot tubs but they also sell a lot of used ones which include delivery and install and a 2 year warranty. Almost all of them are $7000 and under with many under $4500.
 
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Zoodles95 said:
Have you considered the Soft Tub brand?

http://www.softubcanada.com/ca/home

They can be found used for $1500-$2000 and could probably be flipped for little to no loss if you decided you want to go to a typical hard spa or it is not for you. They are light enough that you could strap it to the roof of a minivan or SUV to take to a friend's house, cottage etc.

I have been bugging my wife for a couple of years now to put a Softub in our backyard.

Edit:

You could always move this into your garage if you wanted something somewhat indoors from time to time. They weigh less than 100 lbs when empty.

Also, brands to consider for a stereotypical spa include:
Hot Springs and their various brands
Artic (although their sales people and tactics have come under criticism and scrutiny)
Beach Comber
Jacuzzi (although my co-worker has had a nightmare with the one she bought a year ago)
Caldera

Have you considered the used route? My buddy in the G.T.A. got himself a large Artic one which would be $12000-$14000 before the install and electrical hook up. I think he paid $5000 or $6000 and he has had it for five years now with very few issues. There is a store in Cambridge that sells new hot tubs but they also sell a lot of used ones which include delivery and install and a 2 year warranty. Almost all of them are $7000 and under with many under $4500.
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I looked at the soft tub, apparently they don't heat and jet at the same time?

Sadly I don't have a garage (been using my neighbours garage to work on a bike).

Not doing the used route, Hot tubs just aren't designed t be moved.

I'm thinking because I want indoors and easy use during winter the jet spa bath tub is the way to go.
 
CruisnGrrl said:
I looked at the soft tub, apparently they don't heat and jet at the same time?

Sadly I don't have a garage (been using my neighbours garage to work on a bike).

Not doing the used route, Hot tubs just aren't designed t be moved.

I'm thinking because I want indoors and easy use during winter the jet spa bath tub is the way to go.
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The Softubs use the heat from the jets to actually do the heating. They are not going to stay hot all day if you are having some kind of crazy party but they should stay hot enough for most use.

As for hot tubs not being able to be moved... Well... They do get moved from the factory... Then to the retailer... Then around the retailer's showroom or warehouse... Onto a truck... To your yard... Lots of people take them with them when they move because they add little to no value to a home. If you look at some of the advertisements and literature they are marketed as being portable actually. So, they can be moved. Some with a "forever floor" or other such technology might survive a move better but they all have replaceable side panels, and if the fibreglass gets dislodged in the closed cell design then the tech just injects more foam. If it is an Artic or Maxx with an open cell design then they are almost framed like a house and can probably handle the move just as well if not more than a closed cell spa design.

You could save half the cost of a new spa if you buy used. Discount it if you want but saving $5000 or more goes a long way towards energy bills or service costs. These things depreciate 50% or more in a heartbeat.

I still contend that a softub is a great entry into this; especially if you pick up a used one. You could flip it pretty much for what you pay for it if you either graduate to a typical hard sided spa.

As for the typical jetted bathtub. We have one in my house and my wife and I use it a few times per month. When I am at my buddie's place with the Artic spa I am in there several times over a weekend.
 
Brother-in-law picked one up used for cheap.

It lasted about six months and was more of a lukewarm tub, and that was in the middle of summer.
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