First time hot tub buyer - cold climate

[Angelald]

Hello.  I live in Canada and I'm looking to buy a hot tub for the first time.  Naturally, I dont know a whole lot so I thought I would ask the experts.  I know I'm looking for a mid-range tub in terms of pricing.  I don't want to spend much more than about 6000 to 7000 (Canadian dollars) for a 4 to 6 seater.  Also important to me is ongoing cost effectiveness.  Living in a cold climate, I dont want to spend a fortune on heating it, and I want to make sure it maintains its temperature reasonably well when I'm sitting in it in the winter.  I also want to make sure it has a decent warranty.  So with that being said, when I start to shop around, what are the most important specs that I should be looking for in terms of insulation, pump(s), heater, cabinet, etc.  Any brands that you would recommend, again keeping in mind my price range?  I'm not looking for a ton of bells and whistles either.  Any tips that you can give me would be appreciated.

Thanks!  Angela

  

[dg98adams]

220v spas heat and circulate when you are in them, wile 110v it's one or the other... so I would guess for your climate 220v is what you should look at... do you have a hook up, because a 50 or 60 amp 220v is not going to be cheap.

The key is to keep warm water circulating all winter so you don't have pipes freeze, you can program the wamer warter temp when it's likely you will use it.

A 6" cover with a a weather top canvas cover should minimize heat loss. I would assume any tub you are looking is full insulated (Blown foam).

They key is to maintain the proper PH level... when it goes low or high it will damage seals and fixtures.  Most tubs use parts from several manufacturers., Big names I know of are Hot Springs and Sundance, but they are not in the cheap ranges.

Personally, I never had any issues with my Sundance tub for at lest 8-9 years.  In that time my local dealer folded. Closest dealer was 75 miles away.  I used them for parts, and a local spa place for general parts. After 13 years I had a couple plumbing issues and a new cover was needed. I went after market.. didn't last 5 years. Controls and motors are still good, but I have had some other plumbing issues because I drained it and let it sit over a couple years..

If I bought a new tub, I would want the best cover, and as much as as I could get for part numbers and specs, so you can mail order parts later on when you need it no matter what brand you buy.

A local dealer is only as good as long as they are in business.

 

 

[juno]

I am an new/first time hot tub owner myself (delivered this past summer) and live in Canada too.  We chose Arctic Spa based on recommendations from neighbors and friends who have all owned multiple brands over the years.  We went with a large tub/swim spa (Ocean Legend) which is approx. 6000 litres, so efficiency was important.  We have time of use hydro billing, so the power management features are very nice and I can track my daily costs.  It hasn't been too cold yet (a few -10C nights) but the temperature holds very well.  We are very happy with it. 

We have a few friends with Sundance tubs as well and they seem very happy with them, but they have given me anecdotal evidence that they are not quite as efficient.  Based on what they have told me, I am paying just slightly more to heat my tub, although it is twice the size.

[Markee]

For energy efficiency, you will want to look at these spa brands:  Marquis, HotSpring, Jacuzzi, Sundance, Caldera. A few decent brands that are newer to the industry would be Arctic and Bullfrog.  All of these brands should have more of an entry level to mid-level option that can come close to your budget, but maybe not quite when factoring Canadian dollar to US dollar. I am partial to the Marquis brand, be sure to check those out if you have a dealer in your area.