In The Bubble

We have enjoyed our Hot Springs tub a great deal over the past year. Friends that suggested we go HS have used theirs for 5 years. We cannot speak for the others you mentioned. Have fun testing.

It's been a year for us. We LOVE it. Wonderful way to end the day! Welcome to soakin'

Good choice on the HS tub. You should NOT need to spend the accessory money on a thermal blanket.....those are meant for poorly insultated tubs. We're in Maine and our HS Sovereign did really well this past winter. Spend it on chemicals, you'll need them. Happy tubbin', you're gonna love it.

I'm not an electrician, although I play one one TV. No, not even that. I believe a staight run is mandatory to keep your warrenty. And probably manatory for your local codes.

I actually posted the following KWH results in another thread recently...here they are again. We purchased a Hot Springs Sovereign II last spring.....the following numbers represent what our KWH's were with and without that tub running all winter long at 101 degrees in Maine. It was a very long winter but the extra dollars spent in electric were very acceptable to us. NOTE: We used this tub at least 5 times per week for half to three quarters of an hour per soak in sometimes extreme fridgid conditions. A HUGE tribute to a well engineered and wonderfully insulated tub. My kwh last December was 794 with no tub....this year it was 933 with a tub. Don't seem to find my January Bill February was a 724 last year with a 797 this year. March was 721 last year and 844 this year. April was 663 vs. 724 this year. Secondly....if you've already got a guy doing a cement pour then just incorporate the spa area into this. You might want to make sure you rough out the electric or at least plan for it in case you want the electric to surface in the middle of the pad. The 10x10 pad the salesman was talking about is for people who can't or don't want to do anything as extensive as you already have planned. Finally, when we first go the spa we were concerned with entertaining ourselves....we tried multiple ways to employ music....boom box, headphones. Turns out we just love laying back, relaxing and reflecting on our day. The jets make it hard to hear anyway....then when you turn the jets off the music is too loud. Way too much effort when you're just trying to relax. But everyone is different, and you're asking the same questions we wanted to know when we first started this search. Enjoy it, and don't be afraid to be open minded....and DON'T be afraid to spend a little bit more now to reap your rewards later....i.e. well made tub, solid base for it etc. Happy tubbin'

Your Enlish is fine. I cannot speak to the Teuco, though our Hot Springs Sovereign is wonderful. Though it is only one year old we have been very happy with it. Well insultated, we just went through our first full winter with it (a brutal one) with very little increase in electric.

C'mon, you guys are a week and a half late. I suggested a used spa as a good alternative to a big box store lower quality spa in my April 7th reply. Where were you guys then? Anyway spamom, wecome to the fold. Keep us abreast of how things go as we all learn from each others stories, trials, tribulations, success and problems.

NO, I AM NOT GOING TO LISTEN TO YOU!! i am looking for info from people who have used this spa... not someone who "thinks" they know everything - which sounds a lot like YOU!! #1 My pool came with the house that we bought 4 years ago... i have no idea (nor do i care )of how old it actually was. it was already old... we knew that. #2 The drivers as many have stated will move the tub.. #3 this is exactly like buying a refrigerator.... you check out makes, models, get some info... and then buy..... My husband is an electrician with a carpenter/maintenance background.... and i too have an auto maintenance/mechanical background....very handy people we are just new to tubs... NOT THE WORLD.. What is YOUR problem... if you don;t like Costco... or Infinity... fine, you stated that.... NOW EXIT.. So others can talk and exchange info.... both good and bad.. You sound like a very frustrated sales person... go sell a tub or something!!! As to Parrothead or others - why not dirt?? Ooookayyyy...Treading carefully. Dirt moves. Frost heaves, etc. Rocks get pushed up, etc. You need a solid support to protect this investment.

300 KW's......WOW!! My kwh last December was 794 with no tub....this year it was 933 with a tub. Don't seem to find my January Bill February was a 724 last year with a 797 this year. March was 721 last year and 844 this year. April was 663 vs. 724 this year. I'm SO glad we went with a tub INTENDED for the harsh winters of New England. Everyone debates purchase price over long term cost. I'd really hate to imagine my electric bills going up by 300 plus KWH's. Hot Springs baybee.....

There's no substitute for clean water. Over the past year we've found that when the water gets contaminated with any soaps, oils etc then the chemicals have a harder and harder time keeping up. If all else fails......turn your water over.....drain, refill. Happy soaking.

Spamom..... Spatech hit the nail(s) on the head. Read the forums, there're lots of good info out there. Yes, you can go with a less expensive model but at what price? You sound like you still have a lot of questions. Elec, slab, etc. ALL which you'll have to address and pay for long before the tub gets placed. And like Parrothead said, not on dirt. Slab...pavers etc but you need good support to protect your investment. Take your time, you're gonna love tubbin' but it does require a lot of planning.

I think that is theft! Here in Iowa I had a pad pured and stamped, 4 inches thick to 6 under the tub and I paid $10/foot. That was for wheelbarrowing it 150 feet as well by hand.I had a sidewalk done the other day and that is $6 a foot for 3 inches thick. I would say get another bid. A ten by ten slab would be 100 square feet. At your $10/foot that works out to $1000. Where's the theft??

If that includes your sub-base preparation and compaction you have a great deal. Contractors must be hungry for work in you area. Make sure your contractor is removing any topsoil and replacing it with a suitable sand and gravel sub base mixture and compacting it prior to concrete placement. If this is not done your concrete pad may settle. Qwerty....had a ten by ten by eight inch thick slab poured a year ago for our spa....think it ran us 750 all included...BUT the guy was doing a job on the next street over already and it was ecconomical for him to just send two of his guys over to do it. I think anything under a grand is probably a good price.

I can't believe they didn't let me say d-i-c-k-s hahahahaha.

That's what I'd do. We dont' have privacy issues but we practically got lugged off by skeeters last summer....so we added a 12x12 canopy as a starter...which might be all you need. The great thing about it is that there are 'add ons' that you can buy such as screens and even a tent that hang inside and keep the bugs and weather elements to a minimum. Our bet though is just the roof is all you're looking for... we got ours at ***'s sporting goods. $90 http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/product/...hId=25487333063