Hot Tub Journal

Yes, a hot tub can run with no electricity at all. A wood fired tub heats the water with a submerged firebox, circulates by convection, and needs only a flat surface, water and dry wood. The short version, with the off-grid guide for the rest.

Stainless is not a better hot tub material than aluminum; it is a different one. Neither corrodes in a tub kept in range. Aluminum is a third the weight, conducts heat better, is riveted like an aircraft and takes sea water; stainless tolerates chlorine, which matters only where chlorine is required. Fourteen buyer questions, one at a time.

A kit arrives as parts and becomes a tub over a day or two of assembly and days of swelling. A pre-assembled tub arrives as a tub and is heating water the same afternoon. What each involves, side by side, and who each one suits.

The best electric hot tub runs on a standard 240V circuit, holds its temperature in the cold, stays quiet, keeps a fill clean for months and can be repaired part by part. How to judge each, and what Electric owners say.

The best hot tub for a small space is a round one. A 5 foot cedar tub takes a 60 inch circle, seats two or three upright with shoulders under, rolls through a 38 inch gate and needs no crane. What a small hot tub has to get right, and what to check first.

Jacuzzi is a brand name that became shorthand for any jetted tub, the way Kleenex did for tissues. What the words actually mean, what a jetted spa is and is not, and where a jetless soaking tub fits.

A heated soaking tub is a deep, jetless tub for sitting upright in hot water, after the Japanese ofuro. What makes a tub a soaking tub, how outdoor ones are heated, what holds the water, and how to choose.

Four things to settle before buying: permits and bylaws, whether the property suits the heating system, what the site has to provide, and how a tub reaches a cabin. Most people find none are obstacles. Finding out first is what makes the purchase easy.