The Hot Tub Buyers Guide

Let's be candid and get down to the facts. You might not know the person trying to sell you a hot tub and they may a nice, honest person.... but, a hot tub is a relatively expensive purchase and before you part with your cash, how do you know that you are not buying a cheap, inferior hot tub at an inflated price?.

It is easy for someone to say 'Check how long the supplier has been trading' or 'find out if they are members of any trade organisations' but if you are on site or they are in your face, it is not as easy as it sounds.

Do they sell other products or just hot tubs?

If they also sell decking and/or saunas; does it make them a 'Jack of all trades'?, The answer is 'no' but as much as a specialist supplier may be able to offer you the backup and service that a non-specialist cannot, satisfy yourself that the hot tub supplier you are dealing with provides sold back-up, guarantees and warranty.

If you ask to see references and testimonials - don't just look at them - check them out and ask those customers if they were satisfied with every aspect of dealing with your prospective hot tub dealer. Could the person you are speaking with be the hot tub seller's best mate?

So, with all this in mind, practice due diligence but don't get too paranoid, not everyone is a rogue trader!

When you are buying a car, you would be expected to test drive it, and the same goes for a hot tub. There are two important tests; a dry test and a wet test.

The dry test will highlight any issues regarding you and or your partner physically fitting into any of the stations within the tub, as well as getting in and out. So, shoes and socks off; get in there and move around each station. Relax, lean back. Reach out for your imaginary drink etc.
Next you should try out the hot tub with a wet test. This too will highlight issues such as depth - is your height compatible? if you intend to use the hot tub with your children, then they too need to test it, make the wet test a family event.

The depth issue is very important if you intend to use the hot tub outdoors in colder weather. Sitting in a hot tub, outside in snow is certainly an experience but exposed shoulders quickly get cold. If the stations vary in depth, the taller person should be lower down than a child.

Picture Courtesy of Hotubsandspas.co.uk

The term 'Jacuzzi' is often used a bit like we use 'Hoover' instead of vacuum cleaner. Jacuzzi UK Group Plc owns the trademark 'Jacuzzi'.

Some would say that there is little or no difference between a hot tub and a spa.

What is a Swim Spa? - A hybrid or mixture of hot tub and swimming pool. Larger than a spa but smaller than a swimming pool.

Hot tubs are generally made from acrylic resin and comes in an endless array of colours but here are three main types of acrylic textures:

Pearlescent	As the name implies; pearl like metalic swirly finish
Marble	Classical Roman style designed to look like marble
Granite	Also called Quarite, made from small ground plastic chips formed into a sheet with a clear resin.

Main Branded Acrylics

Aristech	Aristech Acrylics LLC is one of the world's largest producers of seamless continuous cast acrylic sheet.
Lucite	The Lucite brand, best known for baths and spas, now encompasses a whole portfolio of products, including Perspex® aimed at the homes and interiors market.

Cabinet Construction
There are two methods of bonding the shell to the cabinet.

Shell which sits on the cabinet's rim	Not really suitable for the UK weather beacause water rests on the wooden plinth around the top of the cabinet. These 'puddles' not only cause unsightly water marks, but eventually could cause rotting and splitting.
Shell which overlaps the cabinet	More expensive in manufacturing but the water to falls away from the cabinet and provides far less maintenance.

Cabinet Materials.
Cabinets are made from various materials

Softwood

Generally Pine, Spruce or Redwood. Not good for UK weather and may suffer from damp and rot unless fully treated inside and out.

Cedar has better properties such as natural anti-rot and anti-pest properties, even when untreated. Often used in construction as a cladding material because of these qualities.

Hardwood

Mahogany is more suitable for UK weather conditions

Synthetic wood

Low maintenance, wood looks are only convincing if photographicic techniques are used and UV has to be stable otherwise it will fade. Demand UV fade resist guarantee where possible.

Demand insulation and ensure you inspect a sample and ask for a guarantee that the sample is the same as the hot tub cabinet you are purchasing.

Synthetic wood offers better anti-rot and pest resistance compared with genuine cedar and mahogany, and will never need sanding or treating.
Superior synthetic hot tub cabinets are indistinguishable from real wood, beware of foil-wrapped fibre board, it may not last.

[ Relaxing Therapeutic Massage ]

UK Buyers Guide

The Hot Tub Buyers Guide

If you ask to see references and testimonials - don't just look at them - check them out and ask those customers if they were satisfied with every aspect of dealing with your prospective hot tub dealer. Could the person you are speaking with be the hot tub seller's best mate?