Who has an above ground hot tub or an in ground hot tub?

[kdonnel]

We are looking at getting a hot tub of some sort. Trying to decide between an above ground hot tub or getting an in ground one.

The in ground one seems like it would be more aesthetically pleasing but is much more permanent. We are not going to get a pool and a hot tub, just a hot tub. Someone is coming Wednesday to give an estimate. Their rough guess without seeing our site was in the 12k range. That included a 6 x 6 hot tub, pump, heater, coping, plumbing, electrical, and 400 sq ft of concrete.

The "portable" ones seem like they would be easier to get rid of should we change our mind years from now and not want a hot tub any longer. Looking online we can get one for around 4k but would need site prep and electrical. So I am guessing around 7.5-10k.

Does anyone have either version? Did you use it as much as you thought you would at purchase time? Any regrets?

 

[Ellie008]

$200 for an inflatable hot tub last year for Black Friday. Love it. We aren't staying here long enough to make it worth while putting in space for a hard side hot tub.

 

[Stratman50th]

We're planning on getting one. Ours will be above ground. Placement is in the patio screen room which is already surfaced with pavers. Maintenance and repair will be easier as it's self contained and the pump and plumbing are all within the housing/surround. We had an electric box put in for power when we built the house.
So for what it's worth, that's our plan and why we made the choice we did. It all depends on your individual desires and circumstances. Best of luck.

 

[kdonnel]

$200 for an inflatable hot tub last year for Black Friday. Love it. We aren't staying here long enough to make it worth while putting in space for a hard side hot tub.

I have read that sometimes they do not get hot enough when it is cold out. Have you had any issues with the water temp?

 

[tvguy]

We had a Hot Springs above ground hot tub for 25 years and loved it. We had it hauled away about 10 years ago. This was back when 110v was the norm, now 220v is the norm and having a 220v circuit pulled is a whole lot more expensive. If you can get one for $4,000 that is a great price. We toyed with buying a new one and they were starting at about $6,000 for a basic one. And they require most expensive chemicals now. Our old one you dumped a cap full of chlorine in and ran the spa for 5 minutes every time you used it. Now the spas we looked at use special chemical canisters that do everything automatically, but are more expensive.

 

[Turn the Page]

My parents have had one for about 30 years now. Not the same one, I think the are on their third one.

Theirs has always been on the back deck. The first one, in the old house, was set in the deck so more of an in ground aesthetic like you are talking but much more easily accessible. If you have a deck already that may be an option.

They do use it a lot. Especially in the winter.

 

[barkley]

we have an above ground we bought about 14 years ago. very easy to maintain and also less expensive to both heat/insure than in ground (keep in mind on cost w/ in ground any local laws on fencing you might be required to have). one upgrade we did several years in was to replace the traditional cover with one from a company called 'smart top'-NOT cheap but holds up much better to the elements (ours is exposed to significant cold and snow), has improved the heat retention efficiency (dh and ds like to use it when it's as cold as several degrees below zero-that's in fahrenheit below zero ) AND it's much easier for a single person to lift and lower the lid.


p.s. if you go with the in ground BEWARE-i overheard a conversation at my local pool supply/spa store recently between the owner and a local pool company owner. seems they were both getting inundated with calls from people who were scrambling to find someone to hire to finish jobs that other companies are flaking on. apparently some less than reputable contractors are doing what seem like great deals/quick stated turn around times just so they can get initial deposits-they come in and do partial site tear ups but then the homeowners find themselves chasing them for months to complete the jobs. make sure to fully vest any company/contractor.

 

[holden]

We currently have a hot tub on our patio. We also used to have one that was part of a pool.

DH sometimes uses it. Mostly, the kids go in with friends. We have a TV on a cart that we put next to the hot tub so they can watch TV, movies, etc. It's easy to maintain. We've had it for about five years, and it's been moved twice. It was originally at our shore house. We sold the house and brought it to our full-time home. Then we moved this past August. Never had a problem with it.

 

[Kittyblue]

I have an above ground hot tub. I loved it, but it runs on electricity and it became too expensive to keep it heated and ready in the winter. Haven’t used it in a couple years.

 

[Jml813]

We have an above-ground Softub. It's portable and doesn't require any special plumbing or electrical. We've had it for a few years and we paid about five or six grand for the setup. The temperature remains 100 to 105 where we like it. We use it year-round but we live in Georgia. It's pretty maintenance-free and reasonable to operate.

 

[Ellie008]

I have read that sometimes they do not get hot enough when it is cold out. Have you had any issues with the water temp?

Ours is in the basement - a benefit of the inflatable, it fit down the stairs! So, no, no issues with temp.

 

[SandyinMonterey]

We are looking at getting a hot tub of some sort. Trying to decide between an above ground hot tub or getting an in ground one.

The in ground one seems like it would be more aesthetically pleasing but is much more permanent. We are not going to get a pool and a hot tub, just a hot tub. Someone is coming Wednesday to give an estimate. Their rough guess without seeing our site was in the 12k range. That included a 6 x 6 hot tub, pump, heater, coping, plumbing, electrical, and 400 sq ft of concrete.

The "portable" ones seem like they would be easier to get rid of should we change our mind years from now and not want a hot tub any longer. Looking online we can get one for around 4k but would need site prep and electrical. So I am guessing around 7.5-10k.

Does anyone have either version? Did you use it as much as you thought you would at purchase time? Any regrets?

We had a free standing hot tub for almost 16 years at our old house. It was not in ground. I can't imagine one being in the ground. Maintenance is required. How would you access it, especially if it needed to be fixed. My husband cleaned and drained it twice a year and took out the some parts, like filters, to clean. It also has to be wired a certain way, you'll need an electrician. We now have a hot tub that is part of our in ground pool. To be honest, we really haven't used this one like we did our old one. The one with the pool has no cover, there is no way to cover it and keep the water warm. It always has to be heated up and it takes too long and is expensive to heat. Our old free standing one at our other home had a cover, you need a cover.

 

[easyas123]

We have an above ground one, and love it. Keep it on a patio out back (have a walk out basement so it is covered by the upstairs porch) and it's very efficient Haven't noticed a real uptick in our electric bill. We ended up getting a therapeutic tub, albeit not a huge one. My husband has a electrical background so he hardwired it, easy peasy. We are putting in a pool in the next year or so but I won't be getting a integrated/in-ground hot tub with it We like our above ground where it is, and we feel it would be easier as we would be closing the pool Oct-May of each year.

My parents (in FL) are having a new house built and are getting a inground pool with a built in/in-ground hot tub.

 

[cobright]

The "portable" ones seem like they would be easier to get rid of should we change our mind years from now and not want a hot tub any longer. Looking online we can get one for around 4k but would need site prep and electrical. So I am guessing around 7.5-10k.

Does anyone have either version? Did you use it as much as you thought you would at purchase time? Any regrets?

Getting one in-ground will be a lot money spent that you never get back. I'm a soaker. I love long baths and I love soaking in a hot tub. We got an 8' tub 3 years ago and have definitely gotten our money's worth out of it.

Best advice is to keep the place you buy the tub from from getting involved in everything else besides delivery. Site prep can be as easy as leveling a 12' square and setting down 1.5" thick cement pavers. It takes a couple hours tops and anyone can do it. If you want a nice slab put down, go get a few quotes, should be about $1500 or less. Chances are they will be cheaper than whoever the dealer sends your way. Same thing with the wiring. Once the unit is in place, call an electrician to run a circuit and install a pedestal near the tub. It should cost $500-700 tops including parts.

 

[kdonnel]

We had a free standing hot tub for almost 16 years at our old house. It was not in ground. I can't imagine one being in the ground. Maintenance is required. How would you access it, especially if it needed to be fixed. My husband cleaned and drained it twice a year and took out the some parts, like filters, to clean. It also has to be wired a certain way, you'll need an electrician. We now have a hot tub that is part of our in ground pool. To be honest, we really haven't used this one like we did our old one. The one with the pool has no cover, there is no way to cover it and keep the water warm. It always has to be heated up and it takes too long and is expensive to heat. Our old free standing one at our other home had a cover, you need a cover.

It would not be a free standing tub buried but a purpose built in the ground hot tub. In effect a tiny pool with a heater and some jets. I.e. your hot tub that is part of your pool, without the pool.

 

[bcla]

$200 for an inflatable hot tub last year for Black Friday. Love it. We aren't staying here long enough to make it worth while putting in space for a hard side hot tub.

Former UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen got in trouble because he had one in his dorm room.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/video/n...B-loses-dorm-room-hot-tub-video-surfaces.html

I think it was one from Intex. I've bought an Index kiddie pool and have used their inflatable air mattresses and air mattress pumps.

 

[SandyinMonterey]

It would not be a free standing tub buried but a purpose built in the ground hot tub. In effect a tiny pool with a heater and some jets. I.e. your hot tub that is part of your pool, without the pool.

Then all the equipment will be above ground? How do you access to maintain, clean and fix?

 

[kdonnel]

Then all the equipment will be above ground? How do you access to maintain, clean and fix?

All the equipment is above ground, like in your pool. I don't think it would be any different than how the equipment is installed for your pool/hot tub combo. Just only the equipment needed to support the hot tub portion.

 

[SandyinMonterey]

All the equipment is above ground, like in your pool. I don't think it would be any different than how the equipment is installed for your pool/hot tub combo. Just only the equipment needed to support the hot tub portion.

The hot tub that is connected with our in ground pool is also the "feeder" for water (the waterfall) and is part of the pool. All the equipment, which is a lot, is above ground behind a gate. The hot tub we had at our old house had panels along the sides which came off. That is where access was for certain things that had to be be done for the maintenance, etc. Our neighbor got a hot tub about two years ago, above ground.

 

[RUDisney]

I had a Spa Depot hot tub for ~15 years. I'd still have one, but DH didn't want another due to the amount of time we spent in it after so many years... not often.

The key to the tub is to make sure it's well insulated. You can buy a hot tub for $1,500 - $2,000, but you'll pay through the nose to keep it heated, because it won't have really good insulation. I think we paid ~$5,000 for ours, back then. My BIL is an electrician, so he did the electrical pulls for us at no charge. My DH does his books for him at no charge. It finally started leaking and the parts started going on it. My DS and his friends took a Sawzall to it in order to more easily bring it to the dumpster we got for it.

Now, while we're on the subject of hot tubs, I'd like to suggest you use Pristine Blue, or some other type of copper based sanitizer. It doesn't smell like chlorine or bromine. The only thing we did, other than maintaining the copper level, is that we added a scoop of chlorine to the tub after we used it. The copper killed the inorganic particles and the chlorine killed the organic particles and by the time you'd use it again, the chlorine would have dissipated and it wouldn't smell like chlorine any more.