Used Hot Tubs

Low Budget?
If you’re looking for a great hot tub but you’re on a tight budget, purchasing a used hot tub may be your best alternative.

A lot of discount hot tub retailers may have used hot tubs for sale, or if they don’t, they will certainly know where to get one. If you don’t want to go through a professional, checking the classified ads in your local newspaper could be a valuable source. But you should always have someone who knows a little about hot tubs to inspect used hot tubs before you purchase one.

Evaluating A Used Hot Tub
You might want to check all the pumps and jets to make sure they work, but leave it running over a period of about 30 minutes. Sometimes you might think a quick "turn it on, turn it off" check will do, but what happens if it dies after five minutes. This could save you some anguish in the future. You should also check for leaks and cracks in the vinyl or fiberglass. Leakage, as you can guess, is the number one problem with pools and spas.

Clean Your Used Hot Tub
Once you have made all of the necessary inspections, you should think about giving your new-old hot tub a good cleaning. Use a quality disinfectant to rinse out your hot tub. A disinfectant level of 3-5 parts per million bromine or chlorine is the norm for killing bacteria. Chlorine and Bromine are in the chemical family known as Halogens. They are powerful oxidizers, which means they literally burn up organic matter in the water. Outside of water they need to be handled with care.

Once you rinse and fill your hot tub with the correct amount of water and chemicals, use "shock treatment" to break down organic contaminants. These contaminants include dirt, soap films, oils and perspiration, along with ammonia and nitrates (bather by-products). Free chlorine will readily combine with these chemicals producing compounds known as chloramines. Filters do not always trap these and other very small particles. If they are allowed to remain in the water, they can provide a food source for bacteria and algae. Shocking rearranges the chemical structure to free up the chlorine or bromine to its most active state for sanitizing.