7 Tips on Buying Your First Hot Tub

One of the biggest mistakes buyers make in the consumer world is purchasing something lower quality just to save a few bucks upfront. Your spa is a long-term investment that lasts for years, and we want you to be just as happy in five years as you were when we installed it for you! Make sure you are making an informed spa purchase.

Focus on Satisfaction Over Price

Most consumers have a conniption fit in the store when the prices are five to six thousand dollars more than what they were expecting. What we try to sell our customers is product reliability. The $3,000 price you had in mind is going to eventually cost you thousands more in electrical bills, chemicals, parts, and other unexpected expenses that your higher priced spa is already vaccinated against.

Don’t focus so much on the upfront spa cost, but instead sit down and research the likely total lifetime costs, including expected parts, repairs, and replacements over time. This will give you a better, more accurate idea of the true financial investment you’re making. A spa has much more value than your up front cost – and it could wind up costing much more than your up front cost.

Do Your Own Hot Tub Research

Before making an investment in a hot tub, it’s definitely important to do your research! While we love helping our customers make the right choice in pool or hot tub for their lifestyles, it’s always a good idea for you to know what you’re looking for when you walk in the door. It can make the buying process that much more efficient and easy.

Don’t overlook items like the outer cabinetry or shell simply because they all look the same. The different options – like colors and textures – are great, until you realize months after you purchased the spa there’s a crack in your shell and the cabinetry has faded, rotted, and chipped away.

All of this can be avoided if you already know the textures and colors that aren’t so great for a spa. So do your own up front research, have an idea of what you want to spend in mind, and make the process better for everyone.

Prepare for Spa Maintenance

One of the main reasons spa owners complain about their hot tub is the regular maintenance they weren’t prepared to complete.

Don’t underestimate how much required maintenance it takes to keep a hot tub functioning properly. When it comes to the chemicals used, the filtration service, draining the tub, and the exterior materials, you’re looking at a monthly cleaning. With our helpful tips, you can reduce the average amount of time that’s typically required to maintain your spa’s efficiency.

Regular hot tub maintenance requires consistent cleaning to avoid any hot tub foam buildup, occasional hot tub circulation pump troubleshooting, and more.

Select the Proper Spa Jet Structure

One of the primary reasons consumers are looking for a spa is for the hydrotherapeutic benefits a spa offers. Some of the major reasons people buy hot tubs are for back pain, neck pain, sports recovery, leg pain, stress relief, insomnia, headache relief and over all body awakening.

This means you should choose the jet structure that suits your needs the best, as the shape or type of the jet and the position of the jet determines the type of Hydrotherapy you will receive. If you have lower back pain and the spa you buy doesn’t have a jet structure that helps you with that particular area, then you’ll find out quickly you chose the wrong jet structure.

Make sure you buy one that has different seats and different massages so you don’t get bored with your hot tub, too.

Know Where You Will Install Your Hot Tub

Be sure you decide the location before you go exploring for a spa at a store. The biggest problem we see is homeowners not deciding where they’re going to put this almost 5000 pound product in their backyard.

A newly-installed spa is a game changer for your backyard, so you need a vivid picture of where the location is before you buy. If your tub will be placed outside, make sure that it isn’t in an area prone to flooding or flood damage and that it won’t impede your usual outdoor activities.

If you are planning to have one installed on a patio or deck, make sure you have a structural engineer inspect the deck to ensure it can support the weight of the spa.

Examine Your Hot Tub Warranty

Some warranties are trickier than others, unfortunately. In short, we want you to make sure your warranty will include the following areas before purchasing.

What should your hot tub warranty cover?

• Shell Structure — warrants against water loss due to a defect in the shell
• Shell Surface — warrants the interiors of the spa against blistering, peeling, or cracking
• Leaks — warrants against loss of water due to defects in the fitting or plumbing lines
• Equipment — warrants electronic controls and pumps against mechanical or electrical breakdown

Make sure you’re protected should your hot tub begin leaking. The warranty year is usually different as well, so be sure to look out for when each warranty expires. Look into your fine print, too. You want a “Full-warranty”; you aren’t looking for a warranty that is pro-rated.

Choose a Respectable Spa Manufacturer

We can’t stress enough how important it is to choose a respectable dealer when it comes to long-term home investments. Choosing the right manufacturer is just as important as choosing the right spa.

Your dealer should be honest, have high quality products on the floor, have been in business for a while, and have a solid warranty and user rating.

Talk to some previous customers to determine if this dealer is the right fit for you. You can also look into their review ratings on Google, Facebook, or Yelp. Be sure you have questions on hand to ask your dealer about his or her products that their competition carries that you’ve already visited.