Hot Tub and Spa
Brand Reviews

2000, 2 person portable
In Response To: Softub ()

i purchased this small softub when it was slightly used and in great condition.
i have had it 4 yrs now.
i decided that i needed a hot tub because an injury i sustained causes me to have constant back spasms and pain. unfortunatly the spasms are in my upper back, and getting the relief from the jets on this spa requires the ability to hold my breath and manuever my affected body parts where the jets can hit them.

i love the tub. it has been the best thing i have found for mind and body relaxation. it is deffinatly no-frills, but i am a no frills kinda girl :)
it has been very easy to maintain. holding only 150 gal of water, it does use a lot of chemicals. but now that i've figured out what i'm doing, i need only dump it and refill it about once every 3-4 months. it's not a hidious electricy hog, but i am in a very temperate climate. i keep it at the max temp setting. actually the purchase of the chemicals is more costly than the power to run it.

i've stuck with chlorine. i use baking soda instead of the pricey leisure time product. i've tried the bromine. i was in the tub about 10 minutes when i realized i was having a reaction to the water... i had a serious skin reaction to the bromine which took months to clear up...NO FUN.
problems i've had:
the valve to turn the air off/on broke. i've never replaced it, and the air blasts whenever the motor kicks in to heat it. really no problem for me.

the one jet that spins broke a month ago, so i just replaced it with a regular jet...not really a problem.

i do have some serious wrinkles in the bottom. so far they've not been a problem, but i am assumming that sooner or later they will turn into splits in the vinyl and then i think the tub is a gonner.

last week the pvc screw mount that holds one of the 2 suction fittings broke. this was the fitting that held the filter cartridge. i took it apart, used a screw to mount the broken tab, put it back on the tub and put the cartridge back on. since i am the only one who cleans the cartridge, i will know to be careful when i take the cartridge off to clean it from now on.

the biggest problem is that the inside of the cap has several tears in it. these came from taking the cap and sliding it off the tub, over the side, when we use the tub. a few times it has slid off the deck the tub is on, and i think that is why it tore. duct tape was a quick fix, but very temporary. i am looking into fixing it now. to replace the cap is too costly. once the cap is relined, i'll need to figure out a way to keep it from being torn again.

the one thing i do not like about the tub is how much space the filter cartridge takes up in this tiny tub. with 2 ppl in it, someone is always trying to avoid sitting on that cartridge.

i've been able to do these small reapirs myself as i am handy and love to find ways to fix stuff. good thing, as it looks like i might need to have more tricks up my sleave with this baby.

it has been a very reliable tub. i do love it. but i think when it does die, i'll get a real hot tub. or maybe just a larger softub.