If you’ve ever wanted to get home and relax into your own personal hot tub, you’re not alone. It’s becoming increasingly popular to have one installed in homes across the UK.
In this article we take a look at what types of hot tub will suit your home and what you need to think about before you decide to buy one.
Location of Your Hot Tub
This is perhaps the biggest consideration once you are set on the idea of a hot tub. Ideally, you want a location that is fairly secluded – in other words, you don’t want your neighbours peering out of their windows or over their fence as you try to relax.
You may have a choice of an indoor or outdoor setting, depending on what space you have. If you are installing a hot tub indoors, the main consideration is whether your floor can take the weight. A standard 4 person hot tub can weigh close a thousand kilograms once it’s filled up so the foundation needs to be strong.
Outdoors, you will have to consider how to get the plumbing and the electricity directly to your hot tub in addition to the privacy of the location. Closer to the house is going to be cheaper. You’ll need plenty of space for the foundations for the hot-tub and you will need to consider what room you need when getting in and out.
Also, review the surrounding flora and fauna – if there are trees and bushes overhanging the area they may need to be cut back or removed if you don’t want to be constantly cleaning the hot-tub. Debris from plants will block the hot tub filter.
Choice of Hot Tub
The price of a hot tub can vary from just a few hundred pounds for the portable variety to several thousand for a permanent installation. What you choose is going to depend on what you want to use it for and how many people you’d like in it at the same time. A larger hot tub will undoubtedly add a good deal of luxury to your home and may even add to its resale value, but you’ll require plenty of space.
It is worth noting that hot tub’s are moulded differently, we recommend visiting a showroom and getting into dry tubs to find the one that suits your height. Try to choose a model that supports your back and doesn’t leave you sitting or laying hunched up.
The things you need to consider are:
- The size and number of people you want to entertain in your hot tub.
- Try before you buy to ensure you fit.
- How much maintenance your hot tub will require.
- What extras you want included such as therapeutic water jets, covers and accessibility.
- Your outdoor hot tub will also need a good cover that protects the water when it isn’t being used and will keep little ones out when you are not supervising them.
Portable tubs need very little site preparation but can be quite limiting. A fully installed one will require a good deal of thought about location and surrounding facilities.
You will need to put down the right foundations –this needs to be solid and able to support the weight of the tub and the water it will hold, so grass or soil is not suitable. The first part of the installation involves digging up the ground and laying a suitable foundation. You will also need to factor in the electricity and water supply. It is advisable to call in the experts for this preparation work, you may be comfortable with laying the foundation, but the electrics and water should be done by a professional.
Cleaning and Maintaining Your Hot Tub
It’s important to stay on top of the maintenance of your hot tub. For more complex products, you can often get servicing agreements which take the hassle out of doing it yourself. In general, however, the hot tub needs to have the water circulated to keep it in a good condition. Many have this facility built automatically into them.
Giving the spa a regular clean will ensure that problems don’t build up. That includes cleaning out the filters which you will need to make sure are in full working order as well as replace on a regular basis.
Before You Relax
Now you know what being a hot tub owner entails, you can determine whether the maintenance and preparation work balances out the relaxation benefits, for many it does! Our final tip involves enjoying your spa, when relaxing in a hot tub it is tempting to enjoy a glass of your favourite tipple. Remember, alcohol in warm water is a dangerous combination. If you are going to indulge, swap your glasses for plastic equivalents and exercise moderation. For pregnant ladies and children there are a host of hot tub safety considerations you will need to bear in mind.
