What makes a good Hot Tub or should I perhaps pose the question the other way round to say what makes a bad Hot Tub? Good Hot Tubs have well designed shells made from high-grade acrylic like Lucite Extra Cast. The poorer made shells often still feel slightly damp as if they are still curing. These are invariably cheap eastern imports. A good Hot Tub will have insulation designed to stop the heat from rising and at the same time contain the heat with in the unit so its own heat from the pumps and other components can be used to keep the Hot Tub more efficient in its use of energy and at the same time save costs of electricity. Well-designed Jets that are fully adjustable combined with the correct degree of power from the pumps and motors will also contribute to a good Hot Tub. One has to ask one self-does the number of Jets in a Hot Tub really matter or is it a question of the design of the motors and pumps that have to be taken into account.
It can be highly amusing when you get some so called hot tub specialists (usually the ones with sun glasses on) talking about the number of jets in a Hot Tub with out having even considered the strength of the pumps which are going to power those very Jets. So often it is the case that these Jets just do not have enough power to actually make these Jets perform properly. So for performance in a Hot Tub it is not merely a question of the number of Jets but it does come down to things like engineering combined with the design and the combination of the correct motors and water pumps to produce the best results. Well designed systems so as to minimize the noise of their running and avoid tight or small pipe runs and not just well designed but assembled with proper materials and not in a skin flint way.
Balboa controls to control the spa functions such as heating - pumps - timers and that kind of thing A proper bottom or base that will with stand the elements and any attacks from little Beasties like termites or even worse, some of them are known to eat their way through the power cables and wiring looms on cheaper made hot tubs with disastrous results. Properly designed seats that are accommodating and have different heights and shapes so as to create a different sensation treatment A properly made cover that will retain heat and our experience is that with a proper insulated cover the hot tub with no heating will only lose one or two degrees overnight say from 7 pm in the evening to 10 am in the morning. Obviously, the ambient temperature of the night aire will have some effect on this. Some Ozone and I hear you asking what is that. Everybody that I ask claims that they know what it is but I doubt it somewhat.
Ozone is something I am sure that most of us have heard of but do not in real terms actually know what it means. Ozone is a form of" active oxygen", which might be defined as nature's very own special molecule and interestingly enough the composition of one ozone molecule contains three oxygen atoms. Ozone is created in nature by the process of mixing, oxygen from the air with ultraviolet rays from the sun or by the very tremendous power, which is generated by an electrical discharge during a lightning storm. Ozone helps greatly to keep the condition of the water clear and thereby reduces the need or amount of chemicals that need to be used to keep the water in good condition.
As with most things in life, it always is a good idea to shop around and buy a product from long established western manufacturer as opposed to a cheap import. That way you know that spare parts are readily available from a manufacturer who speaks your own language.
The author Jacuzzi John (JJ) supplies premium quality American & European Hot Tubs from Estepona on the Costa Del Sol in Spain and his web site is at Hot Tubs Marbella
