Jake Plumer asked:




If there’s one thing that may dissuade someone from investing in a hot tub, it’s usually the fact that it is a permanent fixture, whether you have an indoor or outdoor version. With the amount of room that these fixtures can take up, it’s a valid argument and reason not to buy one. However, with the advent of portable hot tubs, this need no longer be a concern. Although still a solid structure, these pieces of equipment are far lighter and more practical than a fixed unit.

A portable hot tub is extremely easy to install and fill. All that is required is a flat surface to rest the tub on, an electrical socket that will support a standard power outlet, and either garden hose or similar to fill the tub up with water. If you’re resting the tub on solid ground, the weight factor will be condensed somewhat - however, if you’re putting it on any kind of decking or other less solid support, make sure it can take a filled hot tub’s weight, which can be well over two tonne.

Once you have decided where the tub is going to sit, the next thing you need to do is to fill it. A simple garden hose will suffice here, as the actual warmth of the water is taken care of elsewhere. Once the tub is filled, you can leave it in the same as you would a more permanent variation. Until you need to empty to clean it properly, this is the only time you need to fill a portable hot tub, as it is cleaned and maintained the same way a standard model is. And a further beauty of this simplicity is that there is no specialist plumbing required.

Keeping the water warm is another relatively straightforward task, and as an added benefit, a portable hot tub is far cheaper to run than a traditional model. This is because it uses a technology where a PVC pipe (powered by a simple everyday electrical plug) is split into sections that, when switched on, causes the separate water drops, or molecules, to bounce against each other. When this happens, it causes a certain amount of friction. And like anything where friction is concerned, like rubbing two sticks together for example, it creates heat, and the heat warms your water.

Maintaining the cleanliness of a portable spa is just as simple as how you would treat a normal indoor or outdoor model. Checking the pH levels and the total alkaline levels are exactly the same method, and since it doesn’t need specialized electrical equipment to heat it, there is less chance of any corrosion of pipes taking place. Therefore it only needs to be emptied and refilled once every quarter or so. With the therapeutic benefits a hot tub can offer, a portable version opens up this wonderful piece of equipment to a wider audience.