What To Ask When Purchasing A Hot Tub So you’ve been thinking about buying a hot tub for a while and you have seen the one you like, what happens next? There are many factors to be considered when purchasing a hot tub from the type of base it should sit on to the electrical supply required and many more things in between. In this blog, we will detail some of the important questions you need to be asking your hot tub provider. At Hot Tub Liverpool we are fully equipped to answer any questions you have when purchasing your hot tub. What type of electrical supply do I need? This depends on the hot tub you have chosen. They are usually 13amp or 32amp. This means that if you have chosen a 13Amp Plug and Play tub, you will not need an Electrician to put in a special supply. This is also the simplest and cheapest type of electrical connection - a 13A Plug & Play hot tub will plug into a standard 3-pin power socket, just like you'd use to charge your phone or plug in a kettle! You will need to get your electrician to install an outdoor, waterproof plug socket with RCD protection (a life-saving device, designed to stop you from getting a fatal electric shock if you touch something damaged on incorrectly fitted). If you have chosen a 32AmpThe hot tub needs to be hard wired on its own rotary isolator back to your household consumer unit, not sharing a supply with any other appliances. The hot tub needs to be protected by an MCB (mains circuit breaker) and needs to cover the maximum amperage of the hot tub (ie. 32Amps) plus an extra 25% to allow for the initial rush of current when the pumps are started. Ask your electrician to install an IP65 Rotary Isolator Switch - this means that the hot tub can be switched off from the main supply for maintenance or service work, or even in an emergency. This is manually operated switch which prevents the possibility of an electric shock from damaged or waterlogged cables and connections. The switch should be at least 2 metres from the hot tub itself. You also require a minimum of a 6mm² 3-core SWA (armoured) cable to go to the hot tub. IMPORTANT: Your electrician needs to leave enough spare cable attached to the isolation switch to go to the furthest side of the tub. Our installation team are qualified to connect this cable to our hot tubs. What type of base should my hot tub sit on? There are many different options of base for your hot tub to sit on, but the most important thing is that it is strong enough to be able to withstand the weight of the hot tub with and without water and also the bathers. The most common base is a concrete base as this is generally the cheaper option and is level and strong enough to support the weight of the hot tub when it is full of water. The concrete should really be between 10-15cm thick to support the hot tub. Many people choose decking as their hot tub base, however, wooden decking has a much shorter life span than concrete, patio or block paving. You must liaise with a specialist decking company that will be able to advise the best strength decking to support the hot tub and make sure that the foundations below are strong enough to provide adequate support. Heavy-duty tiles are also good for a hot tub base provided they are strong enough to support the tub without cracking. How can I save money on my hot tub running costs? This is a question that we get asked a lot, due to the constantly rising costs of energy. The first thing that you would ask regarding energy saving is, how well is the hot tub insulated. At Hot Tub Liverpool, all our hot tubs come as standard fully insulated. As we are an official dealer for Jacuzzi their hot tubs have some of the best insulation in the world. Jacuzzi Hot Tubs have a 3-layer Rigid Bond™ construction which means that durability, high performance, and superior heat retention capabilities apply to all of their Hot Tubs. Jacuzzi utilise two types of polyurethane foam to provide full-foam insulation, completely filling the compartment between the Rigid Bond shell and the Synthetic Skirt. Full-foam insulation is far superior to the partial-foam installation used in the majority of budget Hot Tubs. Full foam insulation provides exceptional heat retention and eliminates the cold air from outside. This type of insulation also dramatically reduces the risk of leaks on the jets by holding the plumbing in place and absorbing any pressure the pumps may create. Using both open and closed cell foam (high and low density) improves energy efficiency as the foam is able to expand and contract with the rise and fall of the temperatures without letting heat escape from the water, protecting your Hot Tubs plumbing from the elements and ensuring longevity and prolonging the condition of your hot tub. Our diesel powered range of hot tubs means that these are one of the cheaper hot tubs to run, they are also the fastest hot tubs to heat up, taking just two hours to get to 40 degrees. These tubs are great for domestic and commercial use and are also very eco friendly. Making sure that your hot tub cover fits perfectly will save money and energy, ensuring that no heat escapes from the top of the tub. Jacuzzi hot tub covers all come with heat retaining covers, with an air tight seal around the edge making sure that no heat can escape the tub when not in use. We would always recommend reducing the temperature of the hot tub if you are not going to be using it for a while, for instance, if you are going on holiday for a week or so, turn the temperature down a few degrees, this will save on heating costs. Also, some people don’t use their hot tub during the winter months, as they have the heating on etc. therefore you can book a winter shutdown service with Hot Tub Liverpool. When the warmer weather comes around and you want to get back in your hot tub, ensure that there is no water left in the pipes, by vacuuming it out and simply fill it with water, switch it on and put your chemicals in. How do I know how to use the chemicals in the hot tub? When you purchase a hot tub from Hot Tub Liverpool, our friendly knowledgeable team are on hand to answer any questions you have regarding the maintenance of your hot tub. When we deliver and install your tub, we provide a full chemical tuition for the customer, ensuring that they are competent and confident that they can look after their tub to the best of their ability. We explain that the tub should be tested every couple of days using testing strips to determine the amount of chemicals within the tub and explain the correct dosage of chemicals to use. If you use your hot tub daily or have multiple bathers using the tub on a regular basis, then the tub should be tested every day. Body lotions, moisturisers, fake tans and make up can affect the quality of the water so the more people that use the tub the more often it should be tested. How long will my hot tub last? Generally speaking, this depends on the type of hot tub you buy and how well you look after it. They say that a hot tub should last between five and twenty years. Some of the cheaper budget hot tubs won’t have been made with as high quality materials as some of the more expensive models, therefore they will have a much shorter life expectancy than the more expensive models. Also, maintenance plays a big part in how well your hot tub will perform and its longevity. If you don’t maintain the internal workings of your hot tub, no matter how good the insulation or how high quality the materials are, the hot tub will start to fail. Badly kept water will cause biofilm to get into the pipework which in time, will cause it to corrode. Ways to eradicate this are to ensure that the chemical balance is always correct, regular complete water changes and annual hot tub services. This is also something that Hot tub Liverpool can carry out for you. For any other hot tub-related questions feel free to give us a call!
