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How to Buy a Hot Tub
How To Buy A Hot Tub/Home Spa
By
Julie-Ann Amos
When you first decide to buy a hot tub
or home spa, you will be faced
with a dizzying array of features, specifications, designs and accessories.
It can be quite daunting to research all of these possibilities and
determine the best configuration for your needs. The internet is a great
tool for finding literally thousands of sources of information, but it can
also add to the confusion by making it hard to know which sites offer
objective insights and which sites are thinly masked sales pitches for a
particular manufacturer.
Start With the Basics
The first step is in understanding the many different names you will read
when looking for information about how to buy a hot tub. Here are some
commonly used terms:
- Home Spa – generally made with an acrylic shell;
surrounding cabinet may be made of wood or synthetic materials; can be
used to describe an above ground, in-ground, indoor or outdoor spa.
- Hot Tub – name originally given to the earliest
spas that were typically round, made of wood, and located outdoors; now is
commonly used interchangeably with the phrase ‘home spa’.
- Portable Hot Tub/Portable Home Spa – name for
any hot tub/home spa that is pre-assembled and sits above ground; actual
size and features of a portable hot tub vary widely, from small tubs that
weigh only a few hundred pounds and are quick to set up to large tubs that
weigh several thousand pounds and require specific installation methods
and electrical wiring.
- Jacuzzi® Hot Tub – Brand name Jacuzzi® is a
well-known manufacturer of home spa systems; "Jacuzzi" is often used as a
generic reference to any home spa or hot tub
Think About Your Needs
As you do more research into spas and hot tubs, you will find there are many
sizes and features available. Here is just a partial list of common
offerings:
- Four to six person, six to eight person, eight to ten
person sizes
- Lounge, bench and therapy seats
- Power, circulation, foot or therapy jets
- Adjustable jets
- Electronic or pneumatic controls
- Water purification systems
- Single or dual filtration systems
- Ozonator systems
- Automatic spa covers
- Fountains
- CD/stereo systems
As you can see, there are many options for configuring a home
spa. Remember, though, that the best hot tubs do not necessarily have the
most or the fanciest features. What is most important is that you select a
spa that has the features best suited to your own needs and preferences.
Next > Initial and
Operating Costs of Hot Tubs
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