Hot Tub?

[CHWine]

My wife pestered me for a hot tub 20+ years ago. We went to a resort in Sedona AZ in the middle of winter and they had one. I was pretty much sold.
We bought a '3 person' tub....meaning great for 2. Had it for many years and sold that house. Back then it probably added $25-30 to our electric bill. Back then the heaters weren't digital and we could get the temp up to 108 degrees. In NorCal summers were hot so we drained in in summer.
We moved here to AZ and got a new one. Factory setting is 104 max, friggin lawyers, but we've found a way to get it up to 106.
I use it twice a day. Its great before bed and also evens out the aches and pains. Yes maintenance is an issue, but its worth it. We change out the water every 3 months and clean the filter weekly. We've also discovered a great chemical system called @ease. Its a cartridge system that keeps the water balanced.

 

[Crusader]

Yikes, 106? That's cookin'! We have one and in winter I like it set at 101, maybe 102 when it's really cold out. I keep it around 98 or so (body temp) in the summer, it's refreshing when outside temps and humidity are really high. To each, his own, I guess!

 

[5MilesBack]

We moved here to AZ and got a new one. Factory setting is 104 max, friggin lawyers, but we've found a way to get it up to 106.

This is why I can't buy one. We used to have hot tubs pretty much everywhere we've lived. Ours here crapped out when the controller stopped one winter and it all froze up. It was from the 80's.......so no big deal, I'll just get a new one. NOT!

When I found out they maxed at 104 I just about blew a gasket.....damn government. They can and will ruin a wet dream even........intentionally.

I always had to have mine set at 110 for me, anything less and after first getting in was too cold within 30 seconds. My wife would join me in about 20 minutes after it cooled off some from being open. Now we've got an open hot tub spot off our master bedroom, and can't even find a decent older used one to put in. SMH

 

[KurtR]

Set ours to 106 and even in the middle of winter when using it 104 is about as cool as it gets. Paid extra but the power cabana that goes up and down is the cats ass. Service from where we got it from left a little to be desired but when you live in the middle of no where not much for options

 

[mi650]

Dayum, some of these temps!! Ours is lawyer-proofed at 105, but we usually keep it at 98. One rather chilly morning, -30 w/c, we turned it up to 102. Aside from frozen eyelashes we were nice & toasty.

It's on the deck about 5' outside our bedroom. I looked into a towel warmer a few years ago, they were rather spendy. Pro tip: I got an electric smoker from Cabelas for <$100 to use just for towels, I never cook with it. (I have a WSM for that) Put it right outside the door, works great.

 

[dtrkyman]

I have my hot water heater cranked, you can't get in the tub if you go full hot!

I miss my old jet tub at my last place.

 

[5MilesBack]

Dayum, some of these temps!! Ours is lawyer-proofed at 105, but we usually keep it at 98.

98? Sheesh, I start to chill when the air temp drops below 98.6. But I might be part reptile. I have to have our water heater cranked up, or else the shower doesn't stay hot long enough. But I also love getting in an enclosed vehicle that's been sitting out in the full sun in the summer time. My daughters are the same way. My wife hates it and says she can't even breathe, but we love it.

 

[30338]

We had one for 7 years. Kept it at 101 to 102 all winter. We were glad we had it and we were glad to get rid of it. Comparing electric bills this winter without and previous with, our bill is down around $80 a month each month. The local shop wanted all unopened chemicals back as they are having a hard time on finding stock. That was something like a $420 refund.

It was fun but haven't missed it really.

 

[mi650]

98? Sheesh, I start to chill when the air temp drops below 98.6. But I might be part reptile. I have to have our water heater cranked up, or else the shower doesn't stay hot long enough. But I also love getting in an enclosed vehicle that's been sitting out in the full sun in the summer time. My daughters are the same way. My wife hates it and says she can't even breathe, but we love it.

I put the windows down and run the a/c in my truck for a few minutes before I go anywhere.

 

[DangerRanger]

I can not imagine sitting for any length of time at 106, sounds miserable lol

 

[CHWine]

A nice 2-3" of fresh powder last night. 106 feels fine!

 

[ODB]

Can't read Hot Tub and not think of this:

 

[spike camp]

I cant imagine 110..
How long are you soaking in 110?

Ours is set to 102-103
Wife gets dizzy at 103 if she’s soaking for more than 15-20 minutes.

 

[chanson_roland]

Can't read Hot Tub and not think of this:

You beat me to it.

"HIYAHHHH...too hot in the hot tub!"

 

[5MilesBack]

I cant imagine 110..
How long are you soaking in 110?

I'll do 30 minutes generally, but it's probably not 110 after that with the cover off it. With that kind of heat though I can fall asleep in there. It's wonderful. To me, any cooler and it's not even worth getting in.

 

[Yoder]

There has to be a way to calibrate the thermostat or the temp probe. I would do some research online and adjust it to whatever temp I wanted. It will still read 104 but the actual temp could be hotter.

 

[Oregon]

We own an inflatable hot tub. Works on 110v.
Max is 104deg. Cost $500 new. Get about 2.5 years out of it and buy a new one.

 

[Team4LongGun]

We would love to get one, but have heard of so many bad maintenance stories.

Is there such a thing as an economical model that won’t break the bank, and last enough to get use out of?

 

[Oregon]

We would love to get one, but have heard of so many bad maintenance stories.

Is there such a thing as an economical model that won’t break the bank, and last enough to get use out of?

Like I said above. Inflatable. Saluspa. Absolutely horrendous customer service. You will never talk to a human.
But...2 year warranty and plugs into 110v. We've had them for about 8 years. Been through 3 in that time. Usually the heat pump goes out in 2-3 years. I rent them for $20 a month. If you go in with that mindset, they're great!
As I like to think. 2 6 packs of beer a month for happy wife happy life

 

[maxx075]

Used to work at a place in high school that sold one of the top brands. The 104 temp is a government mandated safety feature. That being said, if you have electrical knowledge you could bypass it if you really wanted to.