What you need is a hot tub time machine. Head back to 2002 and talk the owners of the house out of purchasing said hot tub. Problem solved
Pinball info
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Hot Tub Removal
- Thread starter Rob zombie
- Start date
It'll still probably be worth a reasonable amount... look at proces for those "cheap" vegas spas that still go for rediculous prices!!
Pop the side off, kill the power, and it should be obvious... there's usually a control board in a watertight box which will have the power and all the wires going into... Stick a pic on here if you want any pointers
Pop the side off, kill the power, and it should be obvious... there's usually a control board in a watertight box which will have the power and all the wires going into... Stick a pic on here if you want any pointers
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Just noticed it has an access panel hidden behind the steps. It looks like the power cable just comes out of the bottom corner and is then hidden behind trunking. The (nasty laminate) floor has definitely been laid around it at a later date so it will be interesting to find out what's underneath.
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Yup that would make sense. First pic is the drain for the tub... 3rd is the pump (cant tell if circulation or bubbles... They are usually the same pump, they just come out of the jets)...
The big metal box will contain the control board and probably at the bottom the heater... and will probably where the power routes into, and which feeds everything else!
Friendly word of warning - Dont think abouit switching it on (if you were!) without lots of water in... Heater will overheat in seconds and blow...
Looks a nice little unit though... Shove it outside under a pagoda or a cover, and nice toasty hot spa's the year around (they are really good for relaxing those aching musles (and also for osteoarthritus)
The big metal box will contain the control board and probably at the bottom the heater... and will probably where the power routes into, and which feeds everything else!
Friendly word of warning - Dont think abouit switching it on (if you were!) without lots of water in... Heater will overheat in seconds and blow...
Looks a nice little unit though... Shove it outside under a pagoda or a cover, and nice toasty hot spa's the year around (they are really good for relaxing those aching musles (and also for osteoarthritus)
Keep it
They are expensive and I can’t see removal being too hard to cap plumbing . However my thoughts are the size of doors to get it back out ?
You might be taking windows out to do it ,
Give it a clean and 6 months to see if you get on with it
They are expensive and I can’t see removal being too hard to cap plumbing . However my thoughts are the size of doors to get it back out ?
You might be taking windows out to do it ,
Give it a clean and 6 months to see if you get on with it
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There's a few good spots outside where it could go but unfortunately the wife just absolutely detests the thing with every ounce of her being. A bit frustrating really!
Im sure she wouldnt when it's 2C outside, and she can relax in it with a good Gin and a book....
Horses for corses however... some people love em, others dont... It's life
Hot tubs cost a load to keep heated all the time, and if you don't keep them heated then they are cold (and filthy) every time you decide that you want to use them. Plus you then have to wait about two days for them to get hot, at which point you probably no longer want one.
It's much better to go and visit a friend who has one than to have your own.
Listen to your wife! Get rid!
(Plus you can make a big deal about how much you want to keep it but that you will get rid of it if that's what she wants and then use this as ammo for emotional blackmail to enable you to get another pin in the living room in the future heh heh.)
It's much better to go and visit a friend who has one than to have your own.
Listen to your wife! Get rid!
(Plus you can make a big deal about how much you want to keep it but that you will get rid of it if that's what she wants and then use this as ammo for emotional blackmail to enable you to get another pin in the living room in the future heh heh.)
I calculated the cost of keeping my 6 person hot tub heated and it worked out to $1.10/day. Mine is located outside, I keep it set to 40 degrees Celsius. The temperature outside can dip to -40 in our Canadian winters. The snow actually help keep it insulated. We use it mostly in the cold fall months leading to winter and the early spring month leading to summer, but we do use it on -30 days and I lower the temperature in the summer so the kids can flop around in it like a pool (even though it's just small).
One thing I would like to note. Hot tubs are generally made by two companies. One makes the actually tub and housing, the other makes the electrical and CPU (brain). For your hot tub, Balboa is the maker of the brain. They are still around today and are considered one of the main leaders.
Since this thing is 18 years old, it probably doesn't work. I find most people keep the water over-chlorinated, which is fine but no one bothers maintaining alkaline or PH levels and these are the things that cause water scale build-up and end up damaging the entire unit.
First thing I would do is try the shut off valves. There is one to the left of the red handle in your first photo. It is currently open. Press down on the white handle and it should close. If it slides without much resistance then great. Now try to bring it back up to the original position. If it fights you the valve is shot which means it needs to be cut out and replaced or re-plumbed. That drip pan under the red tap handle doesn't leave me with a great feeling though.
The money is in the CPU for this unit. If it is in good condition you can re-sell it. The heater, not so much. Unless the previous owners never used the tub, which often is the case, in which case it is probably new and is worth some $$$ as well.
One thing I would like to note. Hot tubs are generally made by two companies. One makes the actually tub and housing, the other makes the electrical and CPU (brain). For your hot tub, Balboa is the maker of the brain. They are still around today and are considered one of the main leaders.
Since this thing is 18 years old, it probably doesn't work. I find most people keep the water over-chlorinated, which is fine but no one bothers maintaining alkaline or PH levels and these are the things that cause water scale build-up and end up damaging the entire unit.
First thing I would do is try the shut off valves. There is one to the left of the red handle in your first photo. It is currently open. Press down on the white handle and it should close. If it slides without much resistance then great. Now try to bring it back up to the original position. If it fights you the valve is shot which means it needs to be cut out and replaced or re-plumbed. That drip pan under the red tap handle doesn't leave me with a great feeling though.
The money is in the CPU for this unit. If it is in good condition you can re-sell it. The heater, not so much. Unless the previous owners never used the tub, which often is the case, in which case it is probably new and is worth some $$$ as well.
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I'm fairly confident it works. We've seen videos on the Facebook page of the people we bought the house off with them in the tub. They only lived here for 3 years and it was in there before they bought the house too. There's some bottles of chemicals in the conservatory so I presume they looked after it. The guy worked for a pharmaceutical company so I imagine they kept on top of that stuff. Although what they didn't keep on top of was the humidity levels in the rest of the house unfortunately.
If the hot tub is "Part" of the house (i.e. in a conservatory) then that probably was a major contributor... those things sit around 38C, and give off a LOT of steam!!
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Yeah this is obviously not a great idea to have in a house. On top of that the previous owners also ripped out 3 of the fireplaces and didn't vent them at all in 2 cases and inadequately vented the other. We weren't able to get a proper full survey due to Covid so had to take a gamble. Within 20mins of me being in the house I had completely stripped the wallpaper from two chimney breasts as they were wringing wet with condensation! Reinstalled a fireplace in the kids bedroom yesterday and made a start on opening the one in their playroom back up. Bought a heavy duty dehumidifier which has already taken gallons and gallons of water out of the house. Getting there now.
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Take the panels off unplumb it drain it hump it on its side an yank the ol girl out the door, job done
But what about the hot tub?
Jeez bit too much detail there lol
My parents have a big hot tub in there garden they are expensive to keep running 24/7 and to maintain (but they are both retired) great fun though and my boys love it, we can’t visit without them going in it for a couple hours hehe.
They really aren't that expensive to run guys. I leave mine running 24/7 365 days a year. It works out to $1/day so about $30/month, so $360 a year. In the summer, I lower the temperature down to 32 and the heater never comes on. These things are really well insulated with the covers on. In the summer, the only power it really uses is to cycled the water which it doesn't do all the time. It's in the winter that it sucks more power, but even when it's -40 outside and I have the hot tub set to 40+ the heater/pump does not come on all the time.
Chemicals are pretty cheap as well. I have pretty bad water so I have to shell out money for bromine, ph Low, Alkaline, and a softener. A small bottle of each (about a liter) lasts me all summer. All 4 chemicals cost under $80. If you have better water then you'll save money here.
I would say filling it is the most expensive part. The one I have is 1000L I think. I empty and refill it twice a year depending on the mess the kids make in it during the summer. Nothing like freshly mowed lawn clippings floating on the top of the water. Ha ha! Little buggers!
Chemicals are pretty cheap as well. I have pretty bad water so I have to shell out money for bromine, ph Low, Alkaline, and a softener. A small bottle of each (about a liter) lasts me all summer. All 4 chemicals cost under $80. If you have better water then you'll save money here.
I would say filling it is the most expensive part. The one I have is 1000L I think. I empty and refill it twice a year depending on the mess the kids make in it during the summer. Nothing like freshly mowed lawn clippings floating on the top of the water. Ha ha! Little buggers!
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It'll cost more or less depending on where in the world you live too I guess. But regardless of running costs I definitely do not want this thing in the house. Just discovered today that the built in wardrobes in our bedroom are a major condensation trap. Spent most of the day washing clothes that were starting to go mouldy! Another botch job from the previous owners that I need to rip out.
We had that in ours. A solid brick house, outside wall facing north. No matter how warm the house was heated the built in wardrobe was colder and so condensation formed and then the mould.
Once I was clued into the damage caused by humidity, I put sensors in various locations and can see how it changes based on outside temperature and specifically when the outside first starts to drop in autumn. It can spike up to 75% humidity. We run 2 Meaco 20l dehumidifiers all year but in autumn they are running non stop for a month and then the house balances out and is now 55%.
www.meacodehumidifiers.co.uk
Once I was clued into the damage caused by humidity, I put sensors in various locations and can see how it changes based on outside temperature and specifically when the outside first starts to drop in autumn. It can spike up to 75% humidity. We run 2 Meaco 20l dehumidifiers all year but in autumn they are running non stop for a month and then the house balances out and is now 55%.
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I have that same Meaco running upstairs. I thought it was doing a great job...but obviously it just can't do anything about the built in wardrobes acting as fridges. Might have to get another one but it's definitely a lot noisier than I was hoping. Will have to have a look at getting some sensors. Going to fit some trickle vents in the UPVC windows tomorrow.
Yes, they are all noisy and the Meaco ones just as bad. The first one I bought rattles compare to the 3 one that lives in the pinball cabin.
What humidity have you got at the moment?
And what sort of walls does it have and when was it built?
What humidity have you got at the moment?
And what sort of walls does it have and when was it built?
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The Meaco has been upstairs all day. It was saying 58% in our bedroom. It's cleared the condensation out of the wardrobes. I've just brought it down to the kids playroom as they're going to bed and it's too noisy to leave running up there. It's now saying 64%.
The house is late Edwardian, so early 1900's. The walls have a lot of external air bricks. So presumably cavity?
The house is late Edwardian, so early 1900's. The walls have a lot of external air bricks. So presumably cavity?
If built around that time, likely to be solid brick with no cavities which were not introduced until the 1920’s.
If it has years of being damp, it will take a while to dry out. The dehumidifier will read the air going through it but more will seep in from the walls, floor etc.
If it has years of being damp, it will take a while to dry out. The dehumidifier will read the air going through it but more will seep in from the walls, floor etc.
Your air bricks probably just going into underfloor void. They can get blocked with webs and dirt , poke them out with bottle brush or blast with water!
You might want to look at installing a positive input ventilation system such as a Nuaire Drimaster Eco as a long term solution for condensation rather than constantly running dehumidifiers. I put one in a flat that I have that had major condensation problems and it fixed the problem within days. They are simple to install - just needs a 12 inch hole cut into the ceiling to the loft and a fused spur in the loft to run it from. There's loads of descriptions / reviews online. And they run quietly and never need emptying!
That certainly looks like part of a long term solution, I need to look into where one could be placed and how it would effectively vent the entire house.
There is minimal loft space as the house was built with rooms up there. Whole roof is coming off next year and being rebuilt and I will then look at putting one or more in.
There is minimal loft space as the house was built with rooms up there. Whole roof is coming off next year and being rebuilt and I will then look at putting one or more in.
You only need one and you don't need much loft space but the loft space you have needs to be well vented to the outside (e.g. soffit vents). I think they do a more powerful version for 3 storey houses. It has 6 speed settings for the fan and the bigger the house, the higher the setting you should use. If you give Nuaire a call, their technical help guys are really good and will advise.
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Yes I have been looking at PIV's. Very mixed reviews on Amazon though. Seems like leaving a couple of windows on the ajar setting might do the same thing. Certainly worked in the conservatory.
The one I had installed went into a flat that forms the upstairs of an old converted coach house. Solid stone walls and single glazed windows (and its in a listed building so I need to get consent to change the windows and conservation has said they want wooden windows which are 2.5x the price but that's another story). Its a holiday home so we would arrive and the place would be damp and every morning we were there the first job would be to mop up all the water on the windows and cills and we couldn't get rid of the black mould. 2 days after the PIV was installed all the water was gone and now when we go there we have no dampness and no black mould and the place smells fresh. I was very skeptical before it went in but for less than £500 it was worth a try. And the flat downstairs leaves their fanlight windows open all the time and they still have water dripping down them 24/7 and black mould around all the reveals. Major reported downside online is that they put cooler air in and this is the case near the outlet but you don't notice it elsewhere.
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Well, the hot tub finally went today! These guys were absolutely brilliant. The Martins of the hot tub removals world. I suggested they should get into the pinball moving market, fingers crossed! This definitely makes moving pinball machines look easy. Need to rip up and redo the floor now and can start getting some more machines in there
