5 Things to Consider if You Are Planning on Buying a Hot Tub
Summer is just around the corner and you may be planning on buying a hot tub for your home or your business. Under the current restrictions in place due to the coronavirus pandemic, our showroom is currently closed.
However, in the meantime, we thought a positive exercise whilst you are stuck in at home with time to spare would be to plan and research your perfect hot tub – after all, you never know when you might need it most and we are hopeful that the restrictions will only be in place for a limited time – it is always nice to have something to look forward to and now is the best time to set goals, if any!
As one of the leading suppliers of quality hot tubs in the UK, Aqua Design and Leisure understand that there are several things to consider before you pick your hot tub and prepare to have it installed.
Here are our top 5 points to bear in mind:
1. Position and Access
The first thing to think about is the area where you want to locate your hot tub in the garden. You’ll probably want a space that is near your home and has some degree of privacy.
You’ll also want to consider one very important thing - how is the hot tub going to be put in your garden?
Even some of the smaller models are still wide and bulky so you need room and access to get it from the delivery truck into the garden without causing any damage.
If you have a big driveway, all the better. Most people don’t. That means a crane may need to be used to lift the hot tub and place it in your garden.
You might have to remove a fence or get access from a neighbour’s property which will involve a degree of planning. It’s worth thinking this through first and even contacting your supplier to see what solutions they can suggest.
2. Setting the Base
You will need to have your hot tub installed on a suitable base. It can’t simply be put onto the grass as this is not firm enough. The usual approach is to create a concrete base that is about 4 inches thick. If you are installing your hot tub on the decking, this should be okay but you must assess first whether it can take the extra weight.
3. How Many Seats?
Once you’ve considered how you are going to get your hot tub in and what sort of base you need, you can begin to look at what sort of features you would like to benefit from. The first decision to make is the number and type of seats. If you are a couple and you’re the only ones using the hot tub, you might want two lounger seats to relax on.
If the whole family is going to be taking a plunge, then you may want more upright seats. The last thing you want is to have your hot tub installed and find it’s either too cramped or the seating isn’t quite right.
4. Jets and Pumps
The next thing to think about is the number and quality of pumps that you want in your hot tub, something that will also probably dictate the size. The pump is the heart of your hot tub and it’s better to invest in a higher quality one than skimp and end up with a substandard one.
The pump and the number of jets will make a huge difference to your experience and how much you enjoy your hot tub.
5. Ambience, Accessories and Lighting for your hot tub
With many models, there are a number of added features and accessories which you may wish to consider adding you your tub – to add elements of both practicality and luxury. The first are built-in lights – which vary in colour, size and positioning to help create a perfect ambience in your tub, especially when you are relaxing in the garden in the evening.
The second is some cup holders – whilst we don’t usually recommend taking drinks into your hot tub (and if you must drink alcohol in your hot tub, please drink responsibly) the use of some secure places to put your glass of wine, beer or mocktail will definitely come in handy as you are likely to get thirsty whilst relaxing in your tub and the last thing you want to have to do is get out to reach for your (plastic) glass or balance it on the edge of the hot tub, creating an accident waiting to happen.
More accessories include steps to get in and out of your hot tub or swimspa comfortably, covers which vary in function from floating to automated to help keep your hot tub clean and protected from varying weather and you may even want to consider water treatment systems to help keep your hot tub clean and requiring less work from you to help maintain it.
Aqua Design and Leisure work with hot tub and swimspa dealers throughout the UK. You can find one near you here.
