Any hot tub/spa owners?

[lendaddy]

I picked up an old unit (good brand name) at a repo auction a while back for next to nothing and it's been great...very relaxing, especially when it's -10f outside.

Anyway, what temp do you guys set yours at? I'm at 104F. And the alcohol thing, I've never noticed any increased effect. How long do you stay in? I've been know to go an entire NFL game but usually 2-3 hours tops. Technically that's way longer and hotter than they recommend and I'm wondering if there's any real risks involved.

I couldn't see spending the $8k-10k people spend new, but I am literally into this thing for a few hundred bucks and it's been the best money I've spend in a long time.

I also considered an outdoor wood-fired sauna but there's just no cheap route there. They are great though, especially with cold water shower over the benches!

[Hugh R]

I set mine at 104 and stay in maybe 1/2 hour. Mine is gas, and I replaced my 30 year old heater with a new one last summer. Same 175,000 BTU/hr rating, but the new one heats it in 1/3 the time, winter or summer.

[Big Ed]

102 for me. We used to keep it hotter, but I had a few people pass out (alcohol was involved) and I developed eczema so we turned down the heat and both problems corrected themselves.

I've never stayed in for much more than an hour or so.

[TheMentat]

I keep mine at 102... nice and warm, but not so hot that I find myself having to "sit up" to cool off every once in a while.

I can remember doing over five hours with my brother. Alcohol was definitely involved, but I survived .

Usually use it in 45min stints.

[red-beard]

97, and there are no alcohol issues

[BRPORSCHE]

Yeah no idea how you guys can stay in yours at 104 for 4 hours. Not a chance for me. 100 for about 30 minutes and I need to jump in the pool to cool down.

[lendaddy]

You're in Texas man, it's literally 3 degrees out here. The hair on my arm is freezing while the rest of me is in the tub

If it gets under 100 I start to get chilly and have to get out.

Another thing is the jets....who uses these things anyway? Total novelty, just a tranquil soak is where it's at. I don't need a 140psi rotating jet jack hammering my sciatic for 30 minutes. I have em, but they almost never get turned on (except to mix in the chemicals).

[therotman]

I have one in the backyard I have never used that is 1/4 full of rain water and filth that got past the cover.

What was involved in getting the repo one cleaned out and up and running again?

[BRPORSCHE]

My favorite thing about it is that when I use it a night and then go to bed I have the best sleep of my life. It's like a super massage. Definitely make sure you don't have to do anything in the morning.

[911Rob]

I keep mine at 106 and it often cools down to 104 depending on use.
My current one is indoors in an indoor atrium area.
20 mins to 1/2 hour about 5 times a week.
Never had a pass out issue in 20 years of owning hot tubs.
104 is the regular temp that most people keep them, but mine is an oldy with an air jet system; works good but if I turn it down to 104 it'll dip down to 102 - 101 and that's too blasted cold for us, so we keep it higher.

We come out look like lobster

Congrats on the tub buy!

[lendaddy]

Originally Posted by therotman

I have one in the backyard I have never used that is 1/4 full of rain water and filth that got past the cover.

What was involved in getting the repo one cleaned out and up and running again?

Not much, just fill it up and turn it on. At that point you'll see if you have leaks or others issues to adress (heater, etc..).

The parts are not expensive but I'm told an honest repair guy can be rare. There is a ton of info on the web to troubleshoot/fix yourself if you're inclined.

[jhynesrockmtn]

103/104 usually stay in 15 to 30 minutes. Only way I can go longer is to get the waist up out of the water for a while then it's no problem, can stay in a long time. I do use the jets but also will just sit with none on. Be careful on the alcohol, a guy from a prominent business family was found dead in his a few years back in seattle from that.

[azasadny]

We bought a 12 year old Calspa 6 person spa last year from a former coworker and after replacing the main circuit board, it's been great! We set the temp at 101 degrees during the cold weather and 99 degrees during the warm months. Change the water every few months and get 2 filters so you can clean one while you're using the other, and swap them out every month or so. We buy our chemicals at a local pool/spa shop and we really love the thing! It costs us about 1$ every day, but it's well worth it!

[Paul K]

103, about 10-20 minutes. Every month or so, I take a water sample down to the local spa outfit and they run a diagnosis which gives me a printout of what chemicals to add. Pretty simple.

[rfloz]

In 1990 we lived in a townhouse complex with a pool and hot tub. One day I am walking past the pool and I see this older guy, Arnie, alone in the hot tub. I say hi to him and just as I do, his eyelids flutter and he slides under water. I reach in and pull him out and thank goodness he is breathing. Some fool set the temperature at 107 F.

We have a hot tub at the house now and I don't let it get over 102. I never get in it alone (since I am now "an older guy") and have cautioned the wife and teenage daughter against same.

Also, if this is an older unit with a single small water drain/pump intake in the bottom (now illegal), you might want to toss it. There have been several cases of people sitting on the intake and getting stuck there - some people, mostly children, have drowned and some have had their intestines pulled out.

[dhoward]

102.
Plenty of alcohol issues.
Usually get in after closing time, and depending on which waitresses and bartenders tag along, stay in 'til 4.
Wow. I sound like Byron.
During school nights, 2 hours tops...

We have the same "no tubbing alone" rule.

[Embraer]

im cheap...i use my bathtub. my thermometer's record was 138 degrees. thought i was going to have a stroke.

[911Rob]

Reminds me of a time I jumped in the hot tub and it was at 112F; Crap that was hot!

Something went awray with the Tstat and the heater was running wild. It was an outside tub in the cold Calgary winter, so often it would burn a bit each time you got in, but it would only last a few seconds. I waded into the tub, my son watching and the burning just kept get more intense.... I grapped the floating Thermometer and saw the thing was way over before leaping out in a single bound. Likely only about 30 seconds at the most, but that was hot.

After 20 years, we've accumulated some good hot tub stories Nothing serious though.

[gprsh924]

On our houseboat trip this fall, we turned the 4 person hot tubs into 14 person giant bubble baths. The bubbles had their benefits.

[911Rob]

Houseboat Hot Tubs..... NOW you're talking!!!