Noise Levels of Swim Spa

[bungaloony]

Hello,

My wife and I are unable due to an easement to place a pool in our yard and are considering a swim spa. My wife loves to swim and we would like a hot tub or spa for therapeutic reasons as well. 

I have a question I am hoping someone can comment on. My wife has some noise level sensitivities and we were wondering, how silent can we make/buy a swim spa? How noisey is it when swimming? Is there a particular brand or method of generating the current which is known for being more silent? I think you get it.

 

Thanks for any comments and help you can provide.

 

Bungaloony

[danthespaman316]

If you've ever been in a hot tub that's running 2 x 5+HP pumps, it sounds like that. Insulation wrap on the cabinet panels will deaden some of the noise, full foam insulation will also help immensely. When you're in the tub, the sound of the current will drown out most of the pump noise regardless. Keep in mind that big bodies of water like that take a lot of time to heat up so don't expect to swim in 82 degree water @ 6:00 and soak in 102 degree water at 9:00. 

We sell Calspas and I think they're a good tub for the price when it comes to swim spas. Not the best, but definitely worth a look. Most major metros have a dealer. The insulation wrap comes standard but the full foam is an option that would be worth it for your needs. Catalina also made a good swim spa but I haven't laid eyes on a new one for the better part of a decade and don't believe they offer full foam. 

Regardless, try to find something that offers a circulation pump that also runs your tub's heating function as it will greatly reduce your energy cost come winter. 

Good luck to you and the wife.

[bungaloony]

Thanks Dan,

That info is great. We will certainly end up springing for any noise dampening they offer as part of the package.

Can the pumps themselves be situated further from the spa or do they typically need to abut it?

I think what we need to do is try and find a place to let us see/swim first hand.

[danthespaman316]

The units I'm talking about are self-contained. All of the equipment is located within the unit's cabinet. They're purchased, delivered and set up as 1 packaged unit. It's literally a giant hot tub with specialized swim jets (see picture). The wrap keeps noise from getting outside the cabinet, full foam keeps it from echoing throughout the tub.

If you go with something like an Endless Pool which is typically configured closer to an inground pool build, I assume that you can locate the equipment up to 30ish feet away from the unit. However, you would have to build some sort of housing around the equipment to deaden noise to the equivalency of a "portable" swim spa. 

Seeing one first hand would be your best bet.

 

[Lins]

Can a cal spas swim spa be in ground? How much impact would the spa being inground have?

[danthespaman316]

It can be done but logistically speaking it'd be a nightmare, and an expensive one at that. You'd have to pour/build a custom masonry pit that exceeds the dimensions of the unit by a minimum of 2' per side to allow access to the side panels and the equipment therein. It would require excellent drainage and/or a sump system. You'd have to frame out deck supports and build removable panels of decking that run at ground level between the edge of the pit and the edge of the swim spa. If you're going to all that trouble and expense, you would be better off purchasing an inground swim spa that has the equipment located away from the unit and simply insulating the equipment housing. 

As far as noise reduction goes, you could make a portable unit's equipment dang near silent by building a 3' wide solid side walled deck around the entire spa and using foam or acoustic panels to line the inside. Again you'd have to allow for access to the units cabinet panels but it'd be a heck of a lot easier.