Anyone have a Hot Tub?

MR_Punk · 13 Jul 2021 at 14:30

bainbridge said:
Grass is very hardy. I queried the interwebs and was told that pool and spa levels of chlorine won't hurt the grass, and sure enough the grass is fine.

I'm very tempted to do this when I empty mine next.

b0rn2sk8 · 13 Jul 2021 at 14:44

It’s fair to say grass prefer water without the chlorine but most plants will tolerate it.

There’s chlorine in tap water just at a lower concentration.

CaptainRAVE · 13 Jul 2021 at 16:03

I often put a system flush in during each empty to remove any biofilms in the system. I would consider it otherwise.

Tom|Nbk · 14 Jul 2021 at 00:04

Guys, I am running a Lazy Spa St Lucia, it is perfect for just me and the GF, and heats up fairly quickly, quicker than I expected but we have it in a good spot which gets sun most the day and it is also somewhat sheltered from wind etc.

Question...

My outdoor socket is IP44 rated, the tub wiring does not reach the hot tub so I have used an IP56 cased (55?) 13amp extension cord which is handling the load just fine and has been for a few weeks, is anyone else doing similar? I should really have the outdoor socket moved but this is working fine, I have ordered a 'dri box' to double up on the weatherproofing also.

Am I ok to continue?

Hunterlit · 14 Jul 2021 at 01:12

Tom|Nbk said:
Guys, I am running a Lazy Spa St Lucia, it is perfect for just me and the GF, and heats up fairly quickly, quicker than I expected but we have it in a good spot which gets sun most the day and it is also somewhat sheltered from wind etc.

Question...

My outdoor socket is IP44 rated, the tub wiring does not reach the hot tub so I have used an IP56 cased (55?) 13amp extension cord which is handling the load just fine and has been for a few weeks, is anyone else doing similar? I should really have the outdoor socket moved but this is working fine, I have ordered a 'dri box' to double up on the weatherproofing also.

Am I ok to continue?

No, it is bad practice to use an extension cord and I certainly wouldn't be putting it anyway near the hot tub (water and electric and all that). I would have the socket moved asap and not use the hot tub until it has been done. Just because it has been working fine (so far) doesn't mean it is going to keep on working fine, you could end up with either an overheated and melted plug or a burnt and melted extension cord.

Tom|Nbk · 14 Jul 2021 at 01:17

Hunterlit said:
No, it is bad practice to use an extension cord and I certainly wouldn't be putting it anyway near the hot tub (water and electric and all that). I would have the socket moved asap and not use the hot tub until it has been done. Just because it has been working fine (so far) doesn't mean it is going to keep on working fine, you could end up with either an overheated and melted plug or a burnt and melted extension cord.

Thank you however 13amp extension is sufficient it's the lower rated ones that have melted plugs and the extension is no where near the tub.

theone8181 · 14 Jul 2021 at 06:26

Tom|Nbk said:
Thank you however 13amp extension is sufficient it's the lower rated ones that have melted plugs and the extension is no where near the tub.

Does your extension lead tell you the ratings of coiled vs uncoiled on it?

Hunterlit · 14 Jul 2021 at 10:39

Tom|Nbk said:
Thank you however 13amp extension is sufficient it's the lower rated ones that have melted plugs and the extension is no where near the tub.

What do you mean by " the lower rated ones" ? All British extension leads are rated at 13 amp. It isn't the way that I would be doing it.

theone8181 said:
Does your extension lead tell you the ratings of coiled vs uncoiled on it?

This, if you are going to use it uncoil it all just to be on the safe side I will state again and say you shouldn't be using an extension cord to power a hot tub.

Tom|Nbk · 14 Jul 2021 at 14:05

Hunterlit said:
What do you mean by " the lower rated ones" ? All British extension leads are rated at 13 amp. It isn't the way that I would be doing it.

This, if you are going to use it uncoil it all just to be on the safe side I will state again and say you shouldn't be using an extension cord to power a hot tub.

Sorry I meant cheap extension cords.. this is a heavy cord running uncoiled and the plug barely gets warm when at full pelt

Tom|Nbk · 14 Jul 2021 at 14:16

I'll get some costs to move the socket.. in the mean time perhaps the better option is to run the cable through the window and plug inside directly instead of the outside socket

As the hot tub is switched off at night and only used on weekends this shouldn't cause any security issues..

Would that be acceptable?

Hunterlit · 14 Jul 2021 at 19:45

Tom|Nbk said:
I'll get some costs to move the socket.. in the mean time perhaps the better option is to run the cable through the window and plug inside directly instead of the outside socket

As the hot tub is switched off at night and only used on weekends this shouldn't cause any security issues..
Would that be acceptable?

If you're wanting to get the most out of the weather, yes plug it into the house socket. Make sure the lead is fully unwound. AHH just noticed you've said you have already been using it unwound. I would consider getting the socket moved Asap though

a1ex2001 · 15 Jul 2021 at 06:51

Hunterlit said:
No, it is bad practice to use an extension cord and I certainly wouldn't be putting it anyway near the hot tub (water and electric and all that). I would have the socket moved asap and not use the hot tub until it has been done. Just because it has been working fine (so far) doesn't mean it is going to keep on working fine, you could end up with either an overheated and melted plug or a burnt and melted extension cord.

Serious question why would the extension suddenly melt in this scenario?

Shoeyuk · 15 Jul 2021 at 07:45

Local sparky put an double outdoor socket for mine and was just under £100

bigmike20vt · 15 Jul 2021 at 11:34

Hi I am pondering a hot tub, probably next year but want to get things straight in my head........
If i get a half decent one with good insulation, for the most part would 5 hrs a day heating it be enough to keep the temp around about right? I have octapus go faster energy tarrif which gives me 5.5p per kw/jh between 8:30pm and 1:30am my thought is if i can heat it to say 39 degrees in those 5 hrs then shut off the heat and then only potentially heat it more when i am actually in it, would that be enough time to keep it warm throughout the 19 hrs i dont have cheap energy?

5.5p per kw hrs is a lot nicer than the 15p i spend the rest of the day.

thanks

Bickaxe · 15 Jul 2021 at 11:45

You would gradually lose heat doing that. You would have to heat it to 39 degrees at the start, then you would turn it off and lose about 10-14 degrees over 19 hours.
When its on, you will gain between 1 and 2 degrees per hour so starting it up at 8:30pm to get in for an hour will mean you do not get the level of heat you are after.

Ours runs a 'Cleaning' cycle every 12 hours so if yours does that (and I suspect most will do) you will need to keep it on anyway.

If you are concerned about electric costs then I'm not sure a hot tub is for you.

LiE · 15 Jul 2021 at 12:17

Also many hot tubs will have a slow flow pump to keep the water circulating 24/7.

K.C. Leblanc · 15 Jul 2021 at 12:37

Hunterlit said:
What do you mean by " the lower rated ones" ? All British extension leads are rated at 13 amp. It isn't the way that I would be doing it.

Quite a lot are only rated at 10amps, and that rating falls if they are used coiled up.

The key thing is the cross sectional area of the cable used. This should be marked on the actual cable. For 13amps 1.25mm is the minimum, however 1.5 is better. If you're running over a long distance you may need to use a larger cable size which brings its own problems (mainly that 13amp plugs aren't designed for bigger cable).

If you're making up your own extension H07RF is the best grade of cable. It's the standard for the outdoor events industry and actually rated for about 600 volts due to its thicker insulation.

Make sure the supply to the hot tub is RCD protected, it should be if the outdoor socket has been installed correctly.

CaptainRAVE · 15 Jul 2021 at 16:34

LiE said:
Also many hot tubs will have a slow flow pump to keep the water circulating 24/7.

Indeed, ours circulates the water quite often. Not sure you'd want it sat still for a prolonged period of time.

Hunterlit · 15 Jul 2021 at 19:07

a1ex2001 said:
Serious question why would the extension suddenly melt in this scenario?

Because we don't know what the extension lead is rated at or the specification of the hot tub, Even if I made a suitable 13 amp extension lead with a single socket outlet I still wouldn't use it. It needs a suitable IP rated socket hardwired to the consumer unit on its own dedicated circuit.

K.C. Leblanc said:
Quite a lot are only rated at 10amps, and that rating falls if they are used coiled up.

The key thing is the cross sectional area of the cable used. This should be marked on the actual cable. For 13amps 1.25mm is the minimum, however 1.5 is better. If you're running over a long distance you may need to use a larger cable size which brings its own problems (mainly that 13amp plugs aren't designed for bigger cable).

If you're making up your own extension H07RF is the best grade of cable. It's the standard for the outdoor events industry and actually rated for about 600 volts due to its thicker insulation.

Make sure the supply to the hot tub is RCD protected, it should be if the outdoor socket has been installed correctly.

Exactly, too many variables, now we are getting into cable distances and the cable size. That none of us know about. It's better to just say don't use it, and get an electrician in to install a new suitable outside socket if you're not competent in doing it yourself.

a1ex2001 · 15 Jul 2021 at 20:59

Hunterlit said:
Because we don't know what the extension lead is rated at or the specification of the hot tub, Even if I made a suitable 13 amp extension lead with a single socket outlet I still wouldn't use it. It needs a suitable IP rated socket hardwired to the consumer unit on its own dedicated circuit.

Exactly, too many variables, now we are getting into cable distances and the cable size. That none of us know about. It's better to just say don't use it, and get an electrician in to install a new suitable outside socket if you're not competent in doing it yourself.

So no real reason then!