GG72

It could be a good deal but all the usual issues of used tubs should be taken in account when considering the price - it's obviously much easier to compare prices of new tubs

Is it new or used? a floor model? what year?

On the bright side, you could parachute or para-sail while in your hot tub

How would you attach the foil insulation to the bottom of the cover so you could fold the cover open? The cover (at least mine) hinges from the top so anything attached to the bottom would have to be able to move to allow it to open. Please let us know how you fare with the insulation of your LX5000 - I'd love to see photos if you have any and/or your thoughts.

Egbert- sweet job on the deck and tub install!!! Did you use composite decking or under-side mounting strips? MGIII - I have a similar situation as yours, I removed the decking and joists, installed the tub, fit the joists back in place leaving an access panel on the control side of the tub as Egbert says. The panel is the entire width of the tub and approx. 2 feet deep. I made a cardboard template for the corners of the tub to cut the decking pieces before re-installing them. Luckily I already a fairly level cement pad underneath the deck. You'll want to make sure the decking and especially any new end cuts are well treated with a sealer or preservative of some sort - they are likely going to see a lot of water in the future a could deteriorate if you don't. I sealed the joists around the tub as well. One small problem I encountered is making sure there is enough clearance from the top of the tub to the top of the deck surface for a cover lifter - just keep that in mind. A couple other considerations are access to your drain and electrical connection if necessary. Some photos of my install for what they're worth are here: http://s226.photobucket.com/albums/dd36/GG...otos/hot%20tub/

It's kind of hard to compare apples to apples with the different currencies - what are the prices in pounds? You may wish to re-negotiate with the dealer considering the weakening US dollar (compared to the pound/euro). A pound buys approx. 10% more US dollars since the beginning of the year so if the dealer is trying to sell units on their floor they are more expensive that if you purchased one yet to be delivered/paid for. Maybe a bargaining chip or point of negotiation for you?

Tub looks great! Do you have any thoughts on your thermal blanket so far? easy/hard to use? is it keeping condensation off of the cover?

Definitely, but $10 million vs. $13 BILLION? Only governments can work on that kind of deficits

"Hydro Spa has assets of $10.7 million and liabilities of $13.6 billion" - I hope that's a typo!

Rick, have you thought of getting your hands on a larger thermal blanket for/from a pool and cutting it down? I have planned all along to put a blanket in my tub and have been equal parts too lazy (probably too relaxed from tubbing), and not found the perfect one yet but I will be getting one in soon. I've seen a couple available for sale in pool & spa stores in the area and they seem to be cut-down pool covers/blankets. Fortunately my workshop is 4 feet from my tub so I can put the cover in there when not using it so the problem of inconvenience/freezing doesn't necessarily apply. For around $20 it seemed like I couldn't go wrong by putting one in - energy and cover maintenance savings, for me anyway.

The insulation stood up on its own and was cut to fit snug between the wooden frame pieces, in several spots it rested against plumbing pieces. It would be easy to staple an edge or 2 to the wooden frame if you're concerned about keeping it in place (the staple gun in my photos was used to re-attached the bubble foil wrap before mounting the cabinet pieces back on). I'm pretty sure I remember someone write that they installed strapping on the inside of the insulation in their tub - I didn't feel that I needed it in my smaller tub.

No problem.... I posted some photos and information about it, and some other more experienced people added some helpful info in this post: http://www.poolspaforum.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=9744 If there is something that isn't there that you'd like to know feel free to let me know!

I used roxul in my tub a couple weeks ago - it was moderately easy to install. It was a new tub so I don't have any past electricity bills to compare it to nor do I have my first bill yet - sorry. I also plan on using a pool blanket (haven't decided which kind yet) on the water surface when it isn't in use to further help retaining heat in the water as well as protecting the tub's cover from condensation and hopefully prolong its lifespan.

Very nice setup! Tubbing "next to nature" is the best.... Did you do any of the landscaping/brick work? it's well done. Where is the electric hook-up hidden?

Hmmm I assumed it was manufactured that way - thanks for pointing that out.... I will check with my dealer and ask to see other covers. It's a Prestige Spa Cover and unfortunately their website doesn't have any photos of their products to check what it should look like. I did find this site: http://www.poolandspa.com/catalog/product000658000004.cfm that has some photos of a Prestige cover, not exactly the same model but it's very similar - I guess mine has a piece cut off at an angle... to allow the cover-skirt to unfold better I can only guess??? It has stitching around the edges so I'm also assuming it was intended to be like that? I'm very curious now......

Don't mind questions at all - I love talking about hot tubs now (as my wife is surely sick of) haha I got the Roxul at a RONA store - a Canadian building supply chain, I called 3 other places locally and they all had it, I'm not sure if HD in the US has it but I'd suggest visiting here: http://www.roxul.com/sw34444.asp or calling a HD store. It comes in 16" and 24" widths as well as 4" and 6" thicknesses (to fit in standard construction framing) - I went with 24" x 4". The insulation doesn't have a shiny face, I think you might be seeing the foil bubble insulation that Gulf Coast uses. I didn't insulate the floor because my rationale was that heat rises, the floor already had foam insulation (albeit rather thin), and I wanted to leave some air space to allow an air pocket to exist inside. Maybe your tub has more room inside? I actually didn't insulate the center of the front panel where the electronics are - the same as you have planned. There wasn't really much room to do it and I didn't feel right about placing insulation in the comparment right against all those electrical pieces that generate heat.... I insulated up to the hard plastic compartment that houses those parts, but not inside it - wish I had taken a photo of that.

Ahh yes, I remember reading your post about how you did that when I was researching insulation and thinking that was very impressive. I will definitely investigate my cabinet temperature after the winter when warmer temperatures return. It seems like a catch-22 with trying to re-use the heat from the system while trying not to overheat it at the same time. Do you have any idea how often your fan turns on? are you in a warm or cold climate?

Thanks Roger.... do you know the temperature limits or suspected maximums of hot tub equipment?

Thank you to everyone for the great information on this site - I've learned a lot thanks to you all and it's helped me get a better handle on this hot tub business. After looking at heaps of new and used tubs and given our requirements, budget, and space we decided on a Gulf Coast LX5000 and added extra insulation to hopefully help lower our electricity costs. I thought I would post a few pics in case anyone wanted to see how I did the insulating - I'm not an expert nor claim this to be the best method but maybe someone can learn from my experience/mistakes. Had to take apart a good portion of my deck to fit it in, fortunately there was already a mostly level concrete pad underneath: I insulated using Roxul, mostly for its resistance to moisture and also because it was rigid enough to stay in place between the tub's frame. I cut pieces to size and with the 4 side panels off I placed them wherever I could - against the wall only so there is still an "air pocket" inside. In some spots I had to thin the insulation to fit where tubing or pumps/blowers were close to the shell. I also wanted to made sure it wasn't too close to the pump and blower so they didn't over-heat or get insulation caught in the them: Insulation ready for foil bubble wrap layer to be re-stapled back on: All packed up ready for the panel to be re-installed (I had to remove the water tap to allow my coverlifter to work properly, the silver tube is my dryer exhaust): Deck put back together and tub full of warm water! (I built a trap door that isn't easy to see in this photo to allow for servicing should I need it *crosses fingers*) So far my wife and I (and friends) have enjoyed the tub immensely, we've used it every day for the 2 1/2 weeks since we got it and we've had no problems with it. I don't have anything to compare my electricity bills against but I think my $27 investment in insulation can't lose. I finally got the water levels perfect - my GC dealer wasn't much help ("You'll get the hang of it" ???), but the local pool store was fantastic and way more knowledgable about water chemistry and products so they'll get my chemical sales. Thanks again for the information! GG

Looks fantastic - nice work! I especially like your platform, it's a shame it's mostly covered up by the tub... have you considered using the same composite decking material to cover the side of the platform (the part that is now visible)?