Plug and play hot tubs?

[emt1581]

EDIT: Just learned they're called Rotomold hot tubs/spas.

Last week I was looking at inflatable hot tubs but everywhere I looked they were having issues. Between leaks, pumps/heaters breaking, etc... they don't seem to last longer than a year or two. Now I still may get one just to test the waters and make sure we'll use the hot tub if I soak the money into a better one. But in another thread someone pointed these plug and play hot tubs out. Instead of being a traditional hot tub with the fiberglass liner and the wood frame built around it, it looks like one (or two) massive polymer moldings and then everything is plumbed, pumped and heated and all you do is place it, fill it, and get in! Found a bunch of them for $2k delivered new which is a steal in the boat-like world of hot tubs! Plus they seem to be of good quality being fully insulated and durable but I have no idea what repairing one that a part breaks.

What has your experience been with these? Are they good to go? What is there to be aware of in the way of maintaining/repairing them?

Also, what brands should I look at? It seems like this type/material has maybe a handful of manufacturers but dozens of companies that re-name them.

Thanks!

 

[Arobbert]

You probably saw my recent post. I've had one of these for about 2.5 years with no problems. I paid $2399. It looks like the same tub on Amazon for $2000
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0713TGHV...8835-949b23269a86&ie=UTF8&qid=1531101478&sr=1

I've been real happy with it. If you're using it in temps below 50 you will want to wire it at 240 so you get the high wattage heater. 240 wiring by an electrician is not cheap. I paid about $1000. I think most rotomold tubs are made by Strong Spas. I purchased mine from an online dealer. They had good info on the tub and could answer my questions. The info on amazon is sparse. Looking at some of the answered questions I noticed they were provided by the manufacturer. You could contact Strong and see if they can connect you to someone who handles these tubs if you have questions. They seem to sell them direct on Amazon. It looks identical mine including the controller. The 1kW/4kW Balboa all-season stainless Steel heater looks the same as well. If I were buying one today I would get an Arbor 20 or Capetown. They're a little bigger with more jets.

My tub would be hard to work on as the area where the components are is cramped. I'm sure I would pay through the nose for a repair.

If you want a nicer tub you can go with their Lifecast line or Durasport.

They are good to go. Fill it and run it following the directions on this forum. Make sure you do an initial purge to clean it before using it. Beware that the 120 volt heater will be slow and won't work well in the cold. To make it like a "real tub" you really want it wired at 240, unless you're in a very warm climate.

 

[emt1581]

This is the one I'm looking at....it's made by Strong Spa which seems like a reputable company.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07B4ZR732/ref=ask_ql_qh_dp_hza

or

https://www.amazon.com/Essential-Hot-Tubs-Cape-Cobblestone/dp/B07B58BXXB

I sent them a bunch of questions in an email. We'll see what they say.

Thanks

 

[Arobbert]

I like the appearance of the Arbor. I,m 6'2" and like the look of the center position with the extra jets and extended length, but it's hard to tell without dimensions. I see the Cape Town has two black controls. I wonder what the second one does (one will be for the air)? My Integrity is a bit small and shallow, but it's very cheap to run. I use it alone or with one other person. I would get the one that is deeper, has more gallons and a longer distance between the bench and rim. I think these are all less than 300 gallons, so not a big difference there. I doubt any of these would be good for more than 4 people. My Integrity said 4 to 5 people. More than two would be really crowded unless you can tolerate touching other people a lot and sitting with your shoulders well above the water line. It works well for two, which is fine because that's all I need. Two adults with kids could work. We always lay in a horizontal position unless we get too hot. If you really want more capacity get a 400 gallon tub.