What Do I Need to Consider About Purchasing a Portable Spa or Hot Tub?

When purchasing a spa or hot tub, the following guidelines will help you make an informed and wise decision about the model and specifications you choose. See our complete line of 2007 spa and hot tub models at Wholesale Recreation's eBay store!

Before purchase, be sure to check with your town, city, or county to see if you need a permit to install a portable spa on your property. If you do, they can tell you exactly what they and you need to do to complete the permit process.

If you belong to a homeowner's association, a neighborhood association, or a condominium association, you should also check their bylaws to ensure that portable spas are permitted.

When comparing spa models, be sure that you're comparing "apples" to "apples." The first question you will need to answer is "why am I buying a spa?" Simple question, right? Possibly. But there are two general yet vastly different reasons people purchase spas.

One is simply for relaxation. The other is for therapeutic benefits, especially in the case where a physician has recommended hydrotherapy for patients with medical conditions such as MS, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, and other muscular/skeletal illnesses. 

Therefore, to accurately determine the best features for the best price for the purpose you are purchasing the spa for when comparing different models, be sure that the following are equal:

1. Number of pumps and total horsepower. A spa with two 3HP pumps and 50 jets will not have the same power as a spa with two 6HP pumps and 59 jets.
2. Number of and quality/size of jets. Be sure that the jets are true hydrotherapy jets (full 1-2" jets) as opposed to microjets which are about the same size as a button hole on a shirt. Hydrotherapy jets provide the true massaging and relaxing benefits spas are best known for.
3. Size of spa in relationship to number of pumps and total horsepower and number and quality/size of jets. A 7-foot spa with one 3HP pump and 20 jets may seem like a bargain pricewise, but it will offer very little therapeutic value. If your goal is simply to relax, this may be the perfect spa for you. If your goal is therapy, you'll want more horsepower and more jets.

One you find a spa that meets your purpose for purchasing it and fits the criteria listed above, then you will need to consider the following:

• Placement costs. Most freight companies offer liftgate delivery of a spa at the end of your driveway. You will need to arrange to have the spa moved to the location where you plan to put it permanently. There are several options available, but you need to decide before you receive the spa which one will work out best for you. If you can have enough people on hand at delivery (even the smallest spas having a starting weight around 400 pounds empty), then you can simply have them move the spa. However, if that is not a feasible option for your situation, you can hire a moving company that does "local" moves to meet the freight carrier and move the spa for you. Additionally, most spas are built with runners that enable them to be picked up with a forklift and transported to the permanent location.
• Electrical requirements. Most 220V spa installations require that you hire a licensed electrician to install either a 50 AMP or 60 AMP dedicated GFCI wired with 6-3 gauge wire (2 hots, a ground, and a neutral) which will then need to be hardwired by the licensed electrician to the pack on the spa.
• Electrical costs. Most 220V spas have a standard and economy mode. Standard mode allows the spa to heat to its maximum temperature and is what the spa should be in while you're using the spa. Economy mode allows the spa to maintain a minimum temperature and also is when filtering cycles run. When you're not in the spa, it should be in economy mode. If the spa you're purchasing has an additional insulation option, this would be an excellent purchase to help offset electrical costs no matter where you live because the better the inside of the cabinet is insulated, the less often the spa will turn on in economy mode to bring the water back up to your minimum temperature setting.
• Chemical costs. One of the hidden costs of a spa purchase can be chemical costs, especially with the varying quality and chemical treatment of water around the country. To minimize these costs, if the spa you're purchasing has an ozone system option and a Microban acrylic option, then these are upgrades that are worth the investment. The two alone can cut your chemical costs by 30-40%. If an upgrade from a basic ozone system to a combined ozone/salt sanitation system can be purchased with your spa, then this is the best investment you can add because it will virtually eliminate chemical costs and is a skin-friendly alternative.
• Maintenance. When considering acrylic and cabinetry options, it is important to understand how much work you'll need to put in to cleaning the acrylic and maintaining the cabinetry. If a synthetic, maintenance-free cabinet can be optionally purchased with your spa, the time and hassle it will save you is well worth the investment. These cabinets look like real wood, but they do not incur the overhead of your time - after all, you're buying a spa to enjoy, not to maintain! - that wood cabinets do. If granite-style acrylics are available for the spa you are purchasing, they require less maintenance and upkeep than a smooth or marbled acrylic will.
• Total weight of spa when filled. If you're putting the spa on a deck or some other surface that needs to be reinforced to hold the total weight of the spa when filled with water and people, use this formula to determine the total weight: dry weight + water capacity (number of gallons of water the spa will hold) x 8.3 (weight of a gallon of water) + number of people the spa will hold x average weight of an adult.

Delivery of your spa

Delivery of your spa can be a painless and non-frustrating experience when you follow a few simple guidelines:

• Unwrap the spa while the driver is there and inspect the spa for damage. Most damage that occurs during shipping is cosmetic and can be easily replaced/repaired. However, to have this replacement/repair covered by the company you purchased the spa from, you must note the damage on the delivery receipt and notify the company within a specific timeframe after delivery. Be sure that you know what the company requires before your receive your spa. If no damages are noted on the delivery receipt, then you are indicating that the spa was delivered with no damage. In the rare event that the spa is severely damaged, you should refuse the spa and notify the company that you purchased the spa from right away to get a replacement spa into production and delivered to you in the least amount of time possible.
• If the company you are purchasing the spa from offers shipping insurance (this is typically offered at a nominal cost to the customer) for damage that would be impossible to see during the delivery inspection, purchase it. For the small amount you pay for this insurance, the peace of mind it gives you on the much larger purchase price of the spa is worth it. Report hidden shipping damage to the company within the timeframe they specify in their shipping policy to ensure that your coverage is in effect.

A spa is a wonderful investment and one that can bring you years of relaxation and therapy!