This is one of the 23 Crucial Things to Know Before Buying Your First Hot Tub. See all 23 in my TH-cam video here - th-cam.com/video/FwHRMFybbBM/w-d-xo.html
We were given a Jacuzzi hot tub this summer. We brought it home ourselves, framed in a concrete pad with scrap lumber, paid $350 to have concrete delivered, used high temp high pressure plastic epoxy to fix a few broken pipes. Bought a couple of replacement gaskets, Ahh-some hot tub cleaner kit including Aquacare cleaning mitts, a full size set of spa chemicals for $143. We moved our existing gazebo over the hot tub, it looks great! Waiting for the electricians to bid on installing the breaker. Will let you know the final cost and outcome.
Awesome! If the epoxy ever fails, I've had good luck with the JB Water Weld which can be applied not only when the pipe is wet and leaking but even under water! As long as you have an open breaker slot, the electrician's bill shouldn't be that bad.
We might be taking on my in-laws' old hot tub, so this is helpful info! It might be older than the one you told us about, but it's been kept running, so hopefully it isn't too bad to fix it up like new.
I bought my first used hot tub recently, really pleased with it. Paid £600 for a 4year old 13amp (plug and play) tub. Was owned by somone who woked for hot tub company, so it was well maintained, and internals in excellent condition. Spent £130 on a large van with tail lift to move it. I have insulated the inside of pannels with PIR borads, and some expanding insulation foam. Removed cover foam, dried it out and re-sealed with 2 wraps of 300 micron vapour barrier. Cover is good as new now, cost to run is very good with my insulation add ons. Really please with the results. It has cost me all in approx £800 to get a 4yr old £4000 tub.
thank you for providing all of this info on your channel, im about to buy a house in the next few months and i am planning to get a hot tub when i get the house and your channel is answered a lot of questions i had about maintenance and upkeep.
In the northern states, your story is often attached to finding freeze fractured pipes. Lots of used hot tubs sat empty for a winter or two, and water remaining in the plumbing froze and fractured them.
I am in the process of buying a used dynasty spa. Think it’s somewhere around 2008 the only thing that works is the heater and pumps. I’m assuming the blower does not work the LED lights nor radio any thoughts he’s asking 700 for it
I just bought a house with an empty, mossy hot tub on the back porch. I'll definitely need to replace the wood siding around it. The inside of the tub looks alright. What is the first step? Fill it up and see what happens?
We bought a used swim spa that’s 8 x 14 feet. We had to pick it up from a place 2 hrs from our home. It was quite an ordeal to lift it into a flat bed trailer
… we than had to lift it off the trailer and using pipes, roll it into our back yard. The concrete platform was 18” off the ground because the yard slopes. My husband has heavy equipment experience and actually got it up on the platform by himself! I probably should have videoed the whole ordeal. Anyway our swim spa will be 2 years old in July so we were excited to get it! Plus my husband is an electrician so hooking it up was something he could do and only needs to be inspected.
Thanks for the comment. Because of all the comments I get, and my inability to answer them all in a timely manner, I answered yours in a video scheduled for 2/22/21. Please check it out and thanks for being here! - Jeff
Finally delivered on Wednesday... :D Thought we'd be excited to get it but both of us were just 'meh'.. Probably because of all the delays and the excitement of the whole thing just faded. Once we get in and start using it I'm sure we'll be excited to use it a ton. Now I just have a ton of footage to sort through and get a video made :)
Two questions: First time ever to look into getting a hot tub. (Watching your 23 question video right after this.) The guy selling the hot tub said “it worked when it was unplugged 1.5 years ago. Just missing a single bolt.” A co-worker said that if it sat that long it probably wouldn’t work anymore. Is that true? Also, this guy is also selling the siding to the hot tub separately. If I want to buy the siding that goes with it, I’d have to pay $100 extra. Sound fishy to you? It was interesting in your video when your guy also had the siding off of the tub.
Hi Steve. Not really and most owners love soaking in winter. That being said, if you suffer from frequent power outages, that could cause the pipes to freeze. In that case, you might consider winterizing it and shutting it down. The other consideration is just making sure you keep excess snow or ice off the cover as the weight of it could damage the cover.
Hi Steve. It should, but I would absolutely ask. You want to know not only if it includes full electrical work (adding breaker to your panel, conduit from the panel to a new disconnect box they add, and then conduit from the disconnect to your hot tub), but also delivery to the actual site for the hot tub rather than curbside. I would also make sure you have the pad for the hot tub set up exactly as they need it to be. If that's just a concrete pad, that's pretty simple, but if you're placing the hot tub on a deck or pavers, etc, I would make sure they know that. Decks often need to be reinforced.
@@HotTubOwnerHQ My dealer said that the electrical part of "Installation" means they mail us the outside shutoff box ahead of time and we have our electrician install it to the panel. Then they wire to that shutoff box. That's not really installation, is it?
The cost to install electric for a new or used hot tub is the same. Also many places charge a delivery fee and upsell the living crap out of you. Not to mention sales tax. A $7000 hot tub would cost $400 in sales tax. So the electric is unavoidable as an expense. The cost of a used hot tub is often less than the cost of just the taxes on a new hot tub.
My dad died 3 years ago and I don’t have him anymore. I desperately need help. Do I just buy new pumps? I had them winterized and a man charged me 600$. Now my husband put them on and now they act like they don’t work anymore. Please can anyone help me get my tub up and running again? I can send videos or pictures. Any help is appreciated. I live in a small country town and no service company will come this far.
Hey Jeff, I love your channel! I’ve learned a lot! I do have a question about potentially buying a used hot tub. I have a chance to buy a used Artesian Elite Pelican Bay, with all the options. It was purchased about 2 years ago for around $15,000. He is asking $9,500 for it...it’s hard to find a lot of info on depreciation rates. Is this a fair price? What would you value a $15,000 hot tub after a year, assuming it’s in great condition? Any insight you can provide would be helpful!
700 for a tandom breaker and spa panel sounds correct. 3000 sounds like a quote for a service upgrade. Either the expensive electrican noticed your main panel didnt have enough power. In that case he did right and the 700 dollar guy did something dangerous. Im glad he was insured and bonded but did you get a copy of the permit. Was his work inspected. Just hard to believe the expensive electrican wasnt aware of tandom breakers, or the very worse hes a dog conman.
I had a similar experience. I spent 3.5 k + 1K for delivery on a 9-year-old tub that originally cost 12K. (It has like 78 jets.) Had an issue hooking it up immediately and it froze, every time we fixed one issue something else went wrong. At this point we have ripped out a bunch of phone, replaced the control system, several leaks, and now a pump. Although it's a money pit, it's still cheaper than a new one would have cost. Yeah I agree about not finding anyone to repair them. I found two companies and I live in a fairly big city. One of them had bad reviews and was not responsive, and the other one charged a fortune. Which is why I am learning to do it myself.
This is one of the 23 Crucial Things to Know Before Buying Your First Hot Tub. See all 23 in my TH-cam video here - th-cam.com/video/FwHRMFybbBM/w-d-xo.html
Man that's a killer deal on a used hot tub. Besides all the work it seems it was worth it. Great video Jeff, keep em coming
Thanks! It was a LOT of elbow grease, but it did save me a ton. Thanks for your vote of confidence!
If its the tub behind you ,you did great!!! look at new ones!
We were given a Jacuzzi hot tub this summer. We brought it home ourselves, framed in a concrete pad with scrap lumber, paid $350 to have concrete delivered, used high temp high pressure plastic epoxy to fix a few broken pipes. Bought a couple of replacement gaskets, Ahh-some hot tub cleaner kit including Aquacare cleaning mitts, a full size set of spa chemicals for $143. We moved our existing gazebo over the hot tub, it looks great! Waiting for the electricians to bid on installing the breaker. Will let you know the final cost and outcome.
Awesome! If the epoxy ever fails, I've had good luck with the JB Water Weld which can be applied not only when the pipe is wet and leaking but even under water! As long as you have an open breaker slot, the electrician's bill shouldn't be that bad.
We might be taking on my in-laws' old hot tub, so this is helpful info! It might be older than the one you told us about, but it's been kept running, so hopefully it isn't too bad to fix it up like new.
I bought my first used hot tub recently, really pleased with it. Paid £600 for a 4year old 13amp (plug and play) tub. Was owned by somone who woked for hot tub company, so it was well maintained, and internals in excellent condition. Spent £130 on a large van with tail lift to move it. I have insulated the inside of pannels with PIR borads, and some expanding insulation foam. Removed cover foam, dried it out and re-sealed with 2 wraps of 300 micron vapour barrier. Cover is good as new now, cost to run is very good with my insulation add ons. Really please with the results. It has cost me all in approx £800 to get a 4yr old £4000 tub.
I bought my hot tube in 2000 was used one it is still running only replaced filters and cover in 22 years. I can’t believe it’s still running!
I’m in the market for a hot tub. I thinking refab
What bards and models should I look for?
thank you for providing all of this info on your channel, im about to buy a house in the next few months and i am planning to get a hot tub when i get the house and your channel is answered a lot of questions i had about maintenance and upkeep.
Thanks, Mike! Good luck on the house buying. I'm sure you'll have more questions once you have the house, so let me know when you do!
Jeff
In the northern states, your story is often attached to finding freeze fractured pipes. Lots of used hot tubs sat empty for a winter or two, and water remaining in the plumbing froze and fractured them.
Great story and insight making me more confident in getting a free hot tub
I am in the process of buying a used dynasty spa. Think it’s somewhere around 2008 the only thing that works is the heater and pumps. I’m assuming the blower does not work the LED lights nor radio any thoughts he’s asking 700 for it
I just bought a house with an empty, mossy hot tub on the back porch. I'll definitely need to replace the wood siding around it. The inside of the tub looks alright. What is the first step? Fill it up and see what happens?
We bought a used swim spa that’s 8 x 14 feet. We had to pick it up from a place 2 hrs from our home. It was quite an ordeal to lift it into a flat bed trailer
… we than had to lift it off the trailer and using pipes, roll it into our back yard. The concrete platform was 18” off the ground because the yard slopes. My husband has heavy equipment experience and actually got it up on the platform by himself! I probably should have videoed the whole ordeal. Anyway our swim spa will be 2 years old in July so we were excited to get it! Plus my husband is an electrician so hooking it up was something he could do and only needs to be inspected.
Have you dealt with Canadian Hottubs meaning Insulated?
One thing for sure. Buying one already in use is WAY less risky than one that has set empty.
Can hut tubs be disassembled? Reason of asking i have a small entrance from my house?
Thanks for the comment. Because of all the comments I get, and my inability to answer them all in a timely manner, I answered yours in a video scheduled for 2/22/21. Please check it out and thanks for being here! - Jeff
Great summary. This is a nice story
We are buying out 1st hottub and deciding between used vs new as our budget is $6,000. What do you think of a used Morgan spa?
Got mine for $450! Guy wanted it gone. I looked at it and all it needed was a board to get the heater working. So far so good 😊
Finally delivered on Wednesday... :D Thought we'd be excited to get it but both of us were just 'meh'.. Probably because of all the delays and the excitement of the whole thing just faded. Once we get in and start using it I'm sure we'll be excited to use it a ton. Now I just have a ton of footage to sort through and get a video made :)
Can't wait to see it!
Two questions: First time ever to look into getting a hot tub. (Watching your 23 question video right after this.) The guy selling the hot tub said “it worked when it was unplugged 1.5 years ago. Just missing a single bolt.” A co-worker said that if it sat that long it probably wouldn’t work anymore. Is that true? Also, this guy is also selling the siding to the hot tub separately. If I want to buy the siding that goes with it, I’d have to pay $100 extra. Sound fishy to you? It was interesting in your video when your guy also had the siding off of the tub.
EXCELLENT, EXCELLENT, EXCELLENT, !!! Thank you so much.
Thank you
I live in Vermont. Can cold weather hurt the hot tub?
Hi Steve. Not really and most owners love soaking in winter. That being said, if you suffer from frequent power outages, that could cause the pipes to freeze. In that case, you might consider winterizing it and shutting it down.
The other consideration is just making sure you keep excess snow or ice off the cover as the weight of it could damage the cover.
Thank you seriously helpful...not an idiot...I can listen to you well🙏🏼😇🕯
When a hot tub dealer says "installation included" what does that mean for electricity?
Hi Steve. It should, but I would absolutely ask. You want to know not only if it includes full electrical work (adding breaker to your panel, conduit from the panel to a new disconnect box they add, and then conduit from the disconnect to your hot tub), but also delivery to the actual site for the hot tub rather than curbside.
I would also make sure you have the pad for the hot tub set up exactly as they need it to be. If that's just a concrete pad, that's pretty simple, but if you're placing the hot tub on a deck or pavers, etc, I would make sure they know that. Decks often need to be reinforced.
@@HotTubOwnerHQ My dealer said that the electrical part of "Installation" means they mail us the outside shutoff box ahead of time and we have our electrician install it to the panel. Then they wire to that shutoff box. That's not really installation, is it?
Im always seeing hot tubs online for free but i guess the install will be expensive
The cost to install electric for a new or used hot tub is the same. Also many places charge a delivery fee and upsell the living crap out of you. Not to mention sales tax. A $7000 hot tub would cost $400 in sales tax. So the electric is unavoidable as an expense. The cost of a used hot tub is often less than the cost of just the taxes on a new hot tub.
My dad died 3 years ago and I don’t have him anymore. I desperately need help. Do I just buy new pumps? I had them winterized and a man charged me 600$. Now my husband put them on and now they act like they don’t work anymore. Please can anyone help me get my tub up and running again? I can send videos or pictures. Any help is appreciated. I live in a small country town and no service company will come this far.
Hey Jeff,
I love your channel! I’ve learned a lot!
I do have a question about potentially buying a used hot tub.
I have a chance to buy a used Artesian Elite Pelican Bay, with all the options. It was purchased about 2 years ago for around $15,000.
He is asking $9,500 for it...it’s hard to find a lot of info on depreciation rates. Is this a fair price? What would you value a $15,000 hot tub after a year, assuming it’s in great condition?
Any insight you can provide would be helpful!
700 for a tandom breaker and spa panel sounds correct. 3000 sounds like a quote for a service upgrade. Either the expensive electrican noticed your main panel didnt have enough power. In that case he did right and the 700 dollar guy did something dangerous. Im glad he was insured and bonded but did you get a copy of the permit. Was his work inspected.
Just hard to believe the expensive electrican wasnt aware of tandom breakers, or the very worse hes a dog conman.
I had a similar experience. I spent 3.5 k + 1K for delivery on a 9-year-old tub that originally cost 12K. (It has like 78 jets.)
Had an issue hooking it up immediately and it froze, every time we fixed one issue something else went wrong.
At this point we have ripped out a bunch of phone, replaced the control system, several leaks, and now a pump.
Although it's a money pit, it's still cheaper than a new one would have cost.
Yeah I agree about not finding anyone to repair them. I found two companies and I live in a fairly big city. One of them had bad reviews and was not responsive, and the other one charged a fortune.
Which is why I am learning to do it myself.
you would have payed $700 regardless of a new or used tub.... for really $1300
Yes, most likely. But I saved a lot in other ways.
So NO actual information! Just a personal narrative
Hot tubs are a wast of time and money.
Then why are you watching and leaving comments on a TH-cam video about hot tubs?