Trying to decide between an attached spa/hot tub, or a portable type.

[klinton994]

Hi there.
I'm new to the site. My wife and I are in the process of obtaining bids for an inground pool. We would like to have a hot tub, but we're unsure of type to have installed. My wife prefers the stand alone, portable, electric hot tubs, I guess that would be considered a portable. I have a preference for the attached hot tub that is constructed next to the swimming pool, and uses the same water as the pool.

I'd appreciate hearing from members who have experience with these tubs/spas. Hopfuly a member who has had the opportunity to own both types.

Do the tubs that are attached to the pool and share the same water as the pool heat up quickly, and to a high enough temperature? Are the jets in this type tub strong enough to offer an enjoyable hot tub experience and to relax your muscles?

I would like to know if those memebers who have the attached type of tub are happy with them, or if given the chance if they would choose a portable tub, that runs on electricity.

Thanks,

Any advice or help is appreciated. We live in north of San Francisco, in Marin coutny.

[aylad]

, and welcoe to the forum. I can't answer your questions, but hopefully someone will be by that can.

Keep in mind that, for awhile, when you make a post it goes to a queue where it has to be viewed by Ben or one of the mods before it's posted to the forum. We try to go through the new posts at least daily, but sometimes it takes a little longer. I have deleted your other, duplicate, post.

[PoolDoc]

I can't help -- I don't even LIKE spas -- but I know several regulars here have setups like you're looking at.

Things are slow now, so you may have to wait before one of them notices.

[waterbear]

I have owned both and currently have a spillover built in with my pool, which I do prefer to the portable. That being said, it is really a trade off of some features and conveniences but I do know that whatever you decide on you will be happy with since they balance out nicely!

If you are looking for a LOT of jet action, molded in recliners and seats,a bit more maintenance (both pool and spa), and a higher electric bill then the portable is the the way to go. (2 pros and 2 cons).

IF you are looking for a more integrated look to your swim area, easier maintenance which is a BIGGIE for me since I am basically lazy! (with a spillover it's basically one body of water you have to test and balance and you have a built in water feature), but basic benches and jets (although a blower and bubblers can make a world of difference iin the amount of spa action you get), and lower costs thne consider an integrated pool/spa combo. (2 pros and 2 cons).

For the money I think the second is a bit of a better value but you do lose some bells and whistles. As to which gives a better soak, they are slightly different experiences but personally, I tend to like the simpler built in spas better for some reason. Perhaps because I use the spa more as a social experience with conversation, etc. and not so much as a solitary, meditative, or therapeutic experience alone and the simpler built ins are more conducive to that much like the old fashioned wooden hot tubs. However, YMMV. If you go with a portable be sure to wet test it to make sure it is comfortable.

Another consideration is whether you will use the spa in winter and, if so, are you in an area that closes pools in the wintertime. If so, then you will need the portable spa and not the built in (or what is called a "dual" system where the pool and spa have completely separate pumps, filters, and heaters so you can close the pool but keep the spa open. However, a spillover spa is normally not an option in this type of setup.) If you are in an area that does not winterize pools such as Florida then it does not matter (and you will probably have a shared filter, pump, and heater which cuts costs considerably and simplifies maintenance.)

One final thing, lots of "specialized" jets and molded in recliners is not what makes for a good spa experience, good water action does and that can be achieved in a built in by a builder that knows what he is doing. On the other hand there are many portable spas with lots of jets and all that are not very relaxing. In fact, I have been in some that have been downright painful! More is not always better. If you go with a portable beware of a lot of the extra$ that they will try and $ell you of dubiou$ value such as $pecial filter$, mineral $ystem$, and ozone $ystem$. (Same goes for your pool and, if you go with the built in, for the spa also.) Salt systems can be useful but they do not eliminate water balancing and testing and do introduce their own special set of problems. That being said I do have a salt system and would not think of being without one!

Hope this helps.

[klinton994]

Waterbear,
thank you for you informative reply. I'm almost certain that we will be going with the attached type of spa with a spill over. We live about twenty five miles north of San Francisco, so our winters are mild in comparison to other parts of the country. I too am of the lazy sort and would prefer to minimize maintenance where possible. We also plan to go with a salt system on our pool.

We have our third pool contractor returning to the house later this week. I plan to inquire about designing the attached spa with different seat heights. I stand about 6'4" and my wife about 5'6". In addition to different seat heights, what other spa modifications/upgrades would you recommend? Is there a prefered jet manufacturer and type to be used? Is any type of additional pump needed to enhance the tubs performance?

Thanks,
Klinton994

[waterbear]

I would suggest an air blower (they are noisy but add a lot of action) and bubblers (air injectors) in the seats and footwell. Makes you feel like you are soaking in a glass of champange! )The jets will be basic since the more jets the bigger the pump you will need and if you go with a single and not a dual system you can't go too big or the pool will not filter properly and your electric bills will be crazy. Go with at least a 2 speed pump (variable speed and controller is better) since that way you can run the pool and spa on low for filtering and circulation and the spa on high for tubbing.

[famousdavis]

Hey, I'm late to this party, but here's my two cents....

Our decision to add a built-in spa came late in our project (we were looking at CAD drawings, having already picked our builder based upon a non-spa project). What a GREAT decision to add the spa!!! I can heat the spa in two hours, and it's nicely warmed after just 30 minutes using our pool's heat pump. Like what waterbear said, I didn't want extra maintenance, so the spillover into the pool is not only attractive, but it reduces maintenance -- I only test and balance the pool water.

I'm not exactly sure of the spa options, but we opted for a non-blower spa. I *think* that was the device that added even more bubbles to the spa than what the basic design offered. Having seen the amount of bubbles that the basic option offers, I'm glad I didn't spend the extra money for a blower. The spa bubbles are plenty bubbly enough.

We've got a variable speed pump, which is really nice. We usually run the pump at 4/5th speed when using the spa. Any more, and the jetstream from the four jets is really just too much to be comfortable. For a gentler experience, we sometimes tamp down the pump speed to about 3/5ths speed.

And also like what waterbear said, the spa for us is a social experience. We've enjoyed fun, family times and conversations there. Even with our teenagers!

The only downside to it is that the spa bench really isn't that comfortable for my 6' 2" frame. I'd rather be in a more reclined position, but in our spa (just a 7' circle), that isn't possible unless I sit on the edge of the spa. I don't think there's a way to have a reclined seating position in our spa without infringing on footspace or without doubling the size of our spa. The only time I really miss not having a reclined seat is when I'm in the spa by myself. But even still, it's not *that* bad.

[klinton994]

Thanks for the reply.
The variable speed pump you have. Is this an additional pump that is strictly for your spa, or is it also shared with your pool?

[klinton994]

Waterbear,
Is the air blower and bubblers two seperate items? Could you tell me how they operate? One pool contractor discouraged me against the injection of air, stating it was introducing cold air into the hot water. Is there any validity to that statement?
As I understand, on a basic spa, it's high pressure, hot water, that is being injected into the spa.

[waterbear]

Waterbear,
Is the air blower and bubblers two seperate items? Could you tell me how they operate? One pool contractor discouraged me against the injection of air, stating it was introducing cold air into the hot water. Is there any validity to that statement?
As I understand, on a basic spa, it's high pressure, hot water, that is being injected into the spa.

If all you have on a 'basic spa' is hot water coming in it's not much of a spa, IMHO. Just check out portables and see how much water action they have. This is true of a built in spa or a portable. If you depend on only the pump to supply the water action you will end up with a very large HP pump which is going to be overkill for the pool in a shared system. Even using a variable speed pump, while a solution, is not the best in many cases.
If the ambient tempterature is cold then air blowers AND passive venturi jets (which are the type of jets used in spas) will lower the temperature of the water a bit. If your heater can keep up and is not undersized then it's a moot point (and when you consider that such venturi jets with air controls and blowers are standard on portable units and it is not seen as a disadvantage then I am not sure what your builder is afraid of, unless the heater he is proposing is not up to the job). If you are going with a spillover type of spa then it will basically stay at pool temperature and will have to be heated before use so you will need a heater with fast recovery time on the spa. However, venturi jets are standard spa jets and allow the air to mix with the water to increase the water pressure (and usually have a control to adjust the amount of air that is injected). Blowers add an additional level on top of this and might be hooked into the venturis or just plumbed to bubblers (air injectors). If your builder is not planning on using spa jets but only regular returns you will not have much water movement in the spa and, IMHO, it will be more of a 'kiddie pool" than a spa. Bubblers are air injector jets. Venturi jets mix water and air for more pressure and can be passive (uisng the motion of the water to suck in the air) or connected to the blower for even more pressure from the jet.