Urban Lite Boulevard – (used) – 2020 – SOLD

Firstly, we must remember hot tub heaters vary considerably, from 1KW up to 6KW, and the volume of water to be heated varies, as does the mains water temperature from summer to winter. As an example, let’s look at a 300 gallon hot tub with a 1.5kW heater, with summer temperature mains water. You should expect this to be hot in about 20 hours. Bigger spas, different heaters and winter mains water will all have longer or shorter heating times. A final point – hot tubs are designed to be hot 24/7. Once a hot tub is hot you are only ever topping up lost heat. A 1.5KW heater will put about 3 degrees of heat into a spa per hour, so a typical 1/2 hour use will drop the spa temperature about 1 degree, meaning it will take about 20 minutes to recover.

Hot tubs are made in many different ways using many different materials. The least expensive designs will cost about £5 a week to own, up to £30 for other designs. Why the huge difference? Does the spa come with a Thermal cover or just a thin floating cover made of bubble wrap? Most heat escapes from the top so a good quality thermal cover will save you loads of money. Is the spa insulated with foam or reflective materials? If it is not, then your expensive heat is just floating off into the garden. If the spa has an air blower, this will look nice, but have no therapeutic value and cost a fortune in waste heat. As the air travels from the bottom of the spa to the top it absorbs the water heat and takes it straight out in to the air. If you can see air vents in the cabinet then this means valuable heat is being lost to the outside, instead of being recycled back into the spa water. Hot tubs are designed to be kept hot 24/7. If they are built correctly, an average 300 gallon hot tub used 1/2 hour per day, every day, with an average 15p per kW energy cost will cost the owner about £260 a year. Larger hot tubs with more surface area and longer use periods, in colder climates like Scotland, and with higher energy costs, will cost more.

If your use pattern is to use your spa most nights, then provided your spa has been made with a good cover and quality insulation, it is best to keep the spa hot. This way, your heater will cut in and out as it needs to, and in summer may hardly come on at all. If your use pattern is less often, and/or your spa is not insulated to a very high standard, then you are much better off turning it off between use. Note: In the winter, because of the risk of freeze damage if the spa is not being heated, it should be completely drained if you are switching the heat off.

Well, this depends on the time of year and season. If we are talking summer, then most people keep the spa at about 37C-ish, which is about body temperature – much lower than this and the water will feel cold! In the middle of winter, I think it is normal to be at 40C or even 41/42C. Any temperature over 37.5C will feel warm, but as the winter can get down to -5C or -6C you will need the water temperature to combat the cold. In water this hot keep drinking lots of water to stay hydrated.