One of mine The greatest frustration of adulthood is learning how much trouble entertaining is. Everyone loves lounging on the deck of their friend’s boat on a sunny summer day, but the asshole who owns that boat is currently greasing battery terminals and waxing the gel coat. Everyone loves the family cabin until the gutters need cleaning. And everyone loves relaxing in the inflatable hot tub in the backyard until the electric bill comes or a windstorm breaks a big limb off a tree.
I enjoyed some wonderful hours in the bubbles of Intex’s PureSpa inflatable hot tub during my testing period, which began last December and lasted five months until the Missouri summer heat set in. If you’re someone considering an inflatable hot tub for your backyard, I can promise some wonderful hours of watching the night sky as the steam lifts your spirits on a chilly Tuesday night. But I also need to warn you that it’s a commitment—hot tubs, even inflatable ones, require care and some feeding—and that you’ll pay for the privilege on your electric bill and the occasional cleaning.
Slow Burning
PureSpa is manufactured by Intex, a brand known for inflatable pool floats and camping mattresses, as well as floating pools, inflatable kayaks, and many other similar products.
An inflatable hot tub is exactly what it sounds like: It’s a tub that’s inflated by an air pump, which is part of the same heating and filtration system. The tub’s shell is a three-layer laminated material that’s very sturdy—you won’t have to worry about it tipping over when you sit on the edge. Cover the ground with bubble wrap, place the tub on top, and inflate—I have one automatic air pump The job was done in about 20 minutes. Then you (carefully!) threaded the water inlet and outlet hoses from the heater to the corresponding hoses on the tub. From there, it took another 20 minutes to fill the tub with the outdoor faucet. (Note that Intex recommends plugging the hot tub directly into an outlet and does not recommend using an extension cord; this is something to consider when deciding where to install it.)
Photo: Martin Cizmar
The manufacturer says that to reach the maximum temperature of 104 degrees F, the outdoor ambient temperature must be at least 50 degrees. I found that to be incorrect—I was able to get the water in the tub to reach its maximum level even when the temperature was in the high 20s. However, the water temperature dropped after removing the insulation cover, and my electric bill reflected this challenge.
If you use tap water, be prepared to fill the tub and turn on the heat at least a day before you expect to relax in it. Even when it’s 60 degrees outside, I’ve found the temperature only increases a degree or two per hour. When I filled it in colder weather (colder than the company advertises it should operate at), it took two days for the temperature to rise above 100 degrees. The tub holds over 200 gallons of water and weighs 1,668 pounds before adding people, so make sure the hot tub is placed on a surface that can support that weight.
That was before the insulation failed, however. This was not the result of any manufacturing defect. Instead, it was my poor decision to leave the tub installed but not turned on during a particularly cold stretch of winter. A storm blew through and snapped a sharp tree branch on my deck, puncturing the insulation, which had become brittle from the cold. Water leaked through the hole and soaked into the insulation, creating a heavy, wet blob that I struggled to pull in and out. As I said, a hot tub is a commitment—if you plan on using your Intex in the winter, be prepared to disassemble it or leave the heater running all the time so the insulation doesn’t become brittle in the cold. (The insulation can now be replaced cost 80 dollarsBut instead I bought a cheap, non-brand replacement and paid the difference to the power company for months.)
Video: Martin Cizmar
Another big problem I had was a slow, steady leak from the gaskets on the heat pump. This started before I dropped the tub to freezing and continues to this day. A small drip every second builds up over the course of several days, so I find myself having to refill the tub with colder tap water, which means waiting hours for the water to heat up again. I worry that I may have been too hasty when I ran the tubes from the heater into the tub when I first got the tub—take your time and attach them as carefully as possible.
I have no problem with chemicals because I only use one type. 1 inch chlorine tablet every week—the hot tub comes with a ball-shaped reservoir—and emptying the tub to clean it with dish soap and a sponge at most once a month. (Of course, that’s another chore.) Filling the tub only costs a few dollars where I live, but if you live somewhere where water is precious and expensive, you might want to take the time to learn more about treatment protocols.
Bath time
Once you get into the PureSpa, however, you’ll be delighted. When you open the lid to soak, the water cools down but stays above 95 degrees throughout the 30-minute bubble timer I set. The bubbles come from 120 tiny holes that run in a circular pattern around the bottom of the tub. They’re much weaker than the Jacuzzi jets, but they’re soothing to sore muscles and create a soothing atmosphere.
There’s room for four people, and two can stretch out in the tub. You won’t have to worry about the tub collapsing if you lean over the edge to get a drink or change the music. After a few months, it’s become a reliable way to relax on a cold evening. And when the summer heat sets in, it’s easy to deflate, clean, and store in the garage for summer use. (I’ve been able to shrink the tub body down to about the size of a very large duffel bag.)
It wouldn’t be many cool nights before I’d pull the Intex tub back out. Then, a few days later, I’d monitor the water level and refill it. A few weeks later, I’d drain, scrub, and refill it. Little jobs would float up from the tub like so many bubbles.
