Spinoff from bathroom remodel - hot tubs

[Darby]

I am interested in trying out a hot tub. The models I am interested in are small, 110 plug and play units.

I would like to hear about other's experiences. Did you continue using it after the novelty wore off? What was the approximate increase in your electric cost? Was it a mistake to go with a plug and play rather than a beefier 220 pump and heater? Last, do those in cold climates really use their outdoor spa in mid winter ?

Darby in Massachusetts

[carpevita]

I have relatives who use theirs every day, sometimes more than twice a day. Both ladies have bad backs which I know accounts for their heavy useage.

There are some days I waver and think a soft tub would do the job for me, but keeping it hot outdoors in northern Vermont seems like a huge waste of electric I'm not sure I want to sign up for atm.
Otoh hot tubbing outside while it snows is too pretty to not think about!!!

[FlyingLily]

I had one for about 7 years in northern Minnesota.

It was outdoors, and an 8-person tub so good-sized. It made very little difference to the electric bill, surprisingly enough.

However, a single power outage resulted in a hose breaking overnight and these repairs are very expensive so I gave it away and bought a replacement (it was partially covered by homeowners insurance).

The only bad experiences I had with it apart from that involved my teenage sons and their friends. Everybody uses so many body and hair products now, and no one wants to shower before getting in the tub, so the water would become greasy and gross after they had friends over. Then there was their tequila night and one spectacular vomiting episode that cost me a professional drain and clean.

I liked it OK but I don't miss it at all now that I've moved.

[Chancellor]

KounterKanter and I have one. It is an 8 person tub. It's nice but we don't use it ALL that much. But when I used to ride more or when I was on my feet all the time, it was nice to have for lower back pain.
As FlyingLily said, it didn't cost THAT much on the electric bill. Last winter, it was snowed in so well that it was nice and toasty (snow is a great insulator).

We DO shower before we get in the tub because of the bath and body products....specifically deodorant will cause a scale build up.

It IS nice to be IN the tub when it is snowy outside....however, GETTING to the hot tub when it is snowy outside rather sucks.