Hot Tub/Spa Advice for Second Home

March 22, 2009 6:26 PM

Considering getting a spa for an Oregon beach house and have never owned one. We don't rent the house out and family is there about twice a month in summer/fall and perhaps less than once/month in the winter/spring. Interested in advice, considerations for such a set up particularly around necessity of hiring someone for maintenance and temperature/circulation settings while we are gone. BTW, freezing is not an issue, but it does stay pretty consistently cool (50s) most of the time.
posted by jbradley to home & garden (4 answers total)

I've owned a Hot Springs for about seven years and haven't had a shred of trouble. Replaced the cover once, and their customer service is fantastic. They cost more than competitors, so your general philosophy on what you want to spend may be an issue. I also have their largest (at least as of six years ago) and have never regretted having lots of room to float around in or if there's just the two of us or our girls. Better to wait a year or two and get the best than cut corners with something like this.

I check my chemicals a couple times a month. I use a bromine dispenser, throw some shock in every so often, but it's pretty easy to maintain, especially if your users don't get in covered in funk. I can also drain and refill it and have it up to full 104 degrees in under 24 hours if necessary.
posted by docpops at 6:47 PM on March 22, 2009

Dutch Tub
posted by hortense at 6:53 PM on March 22, 2009

My husband's family ownes a ski cabin with a hot tub. Like you, they don't rent it out, and use it less often than your family does.

I don't think it's necessary to hire someone on a permanent basis for maintenance/circulation, especially if you are up there twice a month in the summer and at least once every three months in the winter. Most tubs have a steady-state setting that keeps the water circulating slowly at 40° or so. We do some maintenance on the tub the minute we get to the house (drain/refill and change the filter if the water looks bad, check the chemicals, then turn up the heater) and it's usually ready by the next morning.

Maintenance is much easier if you take a quick rinse-off (especially of feet) before getting in,
posted by muddgirl at 7:44 AM on March 23, 2009

My folks have a spa at their Oregon coast house and have had significant issues getting maintenance and repair due to there being very few people in the area that do that work-supplies can be hard to get, too
posted by purenitrous at 8:18 PM on March 23, 2009