So you’re in the market for a hot tub and find yourself asking “are self cleaning hot tubs worth it”? We’re here to discuss what a self cleaning hot tub is, the cost of a self cleaning hot tub, and yes, if a self cleaning hot tub is worth it.
What is a Self-Cleaning Hot Tub?
Our Hydropool Self Cleaning System is proprietary, it enables the consumer to use fewer chemicals and spend less time on upkeep of the hot tub. No tub is fully self-cleaning, just as a roomba can’t get every spec of dirt in your home. A human touch is needed to switch filters and ensure proper chemical balance . We use a high pressure system, equal to the pump system of a commercial swimming pool. Other similarities to commercial pools would be our floor vacuum, side skimmer, and the high pressure system itself. Imagine a hotel pool, can you picture the door marked “staff only” that constantly hums… that’s usually the pump room. On Hydropool Self-Cleaning hot tubs, the pump room is hidden behind a drinks tray. At only 58.1 dB, the Hydropool circulation system is also far quieter than a commercial pool circulation system (commonly 65-90 dB). Speaking of loud circ systems, some of our unnamed competitors have 67 dB readings on their tubs…
How Easy is the Upkeep with a Self Cleaning Hot Tub?
It’s GB’s easiest hot tub to maintain. For 2024, our updated patented Self-Cleaning system circulates 100% of the water every 10 minutes. Our seating design and jet positioning is purpose-built for continuous flow of water to aid this filtration. Say goodbye to manually vacuuming your spa with our built-in floor vac which takes care of dirt, hair, and more that settles on the bottom of the hot tub. Surface filtration skims debris like leaves and bugs from the top of water. New for our 2024 Models is the Fast Flow Filter, named as it prevents clogs of oils, lotions, and soaps. Best practice would be to have a quick rinse in the shower before hot-tubbing, but we know not everyone thinks of or has time for that! Showering prevents biofilm scum lines, but our Fast Flow Filter should prevent these too!
As part of the Self-Clean package, the models have an automatic chemical feeder built into the filter which ensures minimal chemicals are used. When you open the pressurised filtration system after putting the spa on standby to feed your chemicals in you can check the state of the filter.
Filters are easy to locate, remove, and rinse, and the hot tub itself has a quick drain system meaning you can easily empty and replace your water. As long as you commit to chemical care which can take up to 5 minutes if you need to adjust chemicals (but usually 1 minute, with a quick test strip swiped through the tub water), and cleaning or replacing your filters when they need to be— you’ll have a sparkling hot tub.
Self-Cleaning hot tubs and swim spas allow you to fully customise your water care system. If you go on holiday you can lower the filtration cycle, or you can put the tub in eco mode!
Are There Other Brands of Self Cleaning Hot Tubs?
Sure! Many brands tout self-cleaning or low maintenance. Hydropool holds all the relevant technology patents to back our claim of being Self-Cleaning. Hydropool has been in business since 1978, innovating new hot tub technology consistently throughout the company's life. And as discussed above, no tub is completely self-cleaning, and we caution our customers of that!
While other brands offer self-cleaning features, no hot tub is entirely maintenance-free. Regular water testing and chemical adjustments are still necessary. Although many brands also claim to have pressurised filtration systems, Hydropool has the only high-pressure cleaning system that filters all of the water in less than 15 minutes.
What is the Cost of a Self Cleaning Hot Tub?
Our most inexpensive Self-Cleaning Model is the Signature Self-Cleaning 379. The gold model starts from £11,795. This hot tub is a compact rectangle tub that sits 3 people. If you compare that cost to a cheaper brand that also touts self-cleaning, make sure you look at running costs! Our 379 when set to 38°C at a low 7°C outside costs £1.405* daily, and set to 38°C at a high 24°C outside it costs £0.634* daily. Inflatable hot tubs cost £11.76 just for a Summer weekend, £17.52 for a Winter weekend. In order to keep the cost down Lay-Z-Spa hot tubs must be turned off and reheated each time you want to use it. That doesn’t seem like a very stress-free hot tub experience. You may buy a cheaper hot tub initially, but repairs and electricity costs will probably end up higher than what you paid for the tub itself.
*both Hydropool and Lay-z-Spa calculations are using a £0.333 tariff per KWH.
Are Self Cleaning Hot Tubs Worth It?
In terms of energy saving they are totally worth it. Like a unicorn, a cheap hot tub with good energy efficiency may never be found. With a Hydropool Signature Self-Cleaning hot tub you’ll save on chemical usage as well, due to our Pure Water sanitisation system which utilises UV and ozone.
As owners of a Self-Cleaning 670 Hot Tub ourselves, we would say yes. We do have a in-house hot tub engineer but even so, we take chemical reads whenever we pop into the hot tub, and top up the water and chemicals as necessary. It’s stress free. If anything after a soak you have less stress. It’s stress negative!
We’ve seen first hand how owning a hot tub has changed our customers’ lives for the better. If you suffer from chronic pain, stress, have a physically demanding job (from builder to mum), or even struggle with mental health, a hot tub could genuinely help. If you can’t dedicate time to care for the tub, we do services that could be set up monthly, tri-monthly, or to suit whichever schedule you afford. But dedicate at least 20 minutes a week to caring for your hot tub and you’ll see its benefits for years.
Ending Thoughts
If you didn’t want to read everything else I wrote and skipped right to this, fair play to you!
Here’s a summary of what we’ve discussed:
- A Hydropool Self-Cleaning hot tub is… sorry I can’t shorten that you’ll have to go back and read about it :)
- Self-Cleaning doesn’t mean no upkeep, it just means less - roughly 20 mins per week and at least 1 min of test strips per day (if you’re a hot tub angel).
- Other brands tout self-cleaning, but Hydropool has the patents to back up our claims and has been in the industry for over 45 years.
- Our smallest Self-Clean Tub costs ~£2.80 to run on a summer weekend, and a Lay-Z-Boy inflatable hot tub costs £11.76 for the same.
- Self-Cleaning hot tubs are worth it, yeah we sell them, but we also have had the same one for ten years and still use it all the time!
Start your hot tub journey with us at Hydropool North West. We’ve served Greater Manchester for over ten years and have made countless happy customers along the way. Contact us or call us today!
