Do 110 volt setups work well?

[Preserved]

I'm shopping for an electric hot tub after owning a wood-fired cedar tub for years.  I'm looking for a 3 to 4 person tub, and some of these smaller sizes offer 110 hookups.  Does the 110 service work well enough? I'm northern New England, and it can get cold! Are there downsides to using the 110 setup? Is this just a marketing feature that only works for certain situations?

Thanks!

[Chas]

First, you need to know that the main differences are these:
110 tubs have 1500 watt heaters, 220 have 5500 or 6000 watts.*
110 tubs disable the heat when jets (and/or blower) run, 220 tubs can run all systems at the same time, including heat.

Also, you need to understand that not all tubs are created equally. There are huge variations in the design, engineering and quality of 110 tubs. I rep HotSpring tubs, and their derivatives, and with the exception of Freeflow, they are designed to work equally well on 110 or 220. The big differences among brands can be:

• Insulation
• Cover quality
• Recapturing heat from components
• real heater vs. friction heat or heat exchanger only
• overall careful engineering vs. "Off the shelf" components
• Insulation

Only our two smaller tubs are convertible, but all HotSpring tubs have a shroud around the jet pump motor. That way, when you hit the jet button and the 110 system automatically disables the heater - the tub stays warm by recycling the heat which the jet pump generates. Here in our mild climate, the tubs can and do often warm up a degree or two if you run the jets for awhile. In a colder climate, they generally hold temp just fine.

Also be aware that 110 tubs are limited to about 1 or 1.5 HP on the jet pumps. That is fine for a well-engineered tub. If you doubt that, go to a HotSpring dealer and try a Jetsetter or Prodigy - wet, of course. They put out a great massage action, and it will be exactly the same on 110 0r 220. Less expensive, so called "Plug and Play" tubs will have to use smallish jets, in smaller numbers - or divide up the tub into completely two halves with a diverter valve - to get you a good massage - unless you are looking at a tiny tub. Then they can do pretty well. This does limit your options on the bigger P 'n P tubs, as you cannot run the whole tub at once, or if you can, it's generally pretty mellow.
Yes, major name brand tubs have diverters, but they also have good engineering behind them to allow better water flow, and they also divide up seats and jet groups in ways that make you glad there is a diverter to give you adjustability. Overall massage, or focused on the neck, upper back vs. lower back, etc. Plus, of course, they will only offer the smallest units on 110 - the bigger tubs have much bigger pumps, often two or even three of them, and you simply cannot run those on 110.

And finally - be aware that if a tub is NOT designated a "Plug and Play" unit, it will require a dedicated 20 Amp 110 Volt outlet. That means that the outlet must have a 20A breaker, and be wired directly to the outlet for the tub, and nothing else. Also, if the tub is a long way from the breaker, it may need the wire to be one size larger than what is generally put into an outlet for general use. SO - have an electrician, handyman, or HotSpring Spa dealer come to your house and look at your electrical to see if you might end up having to install some electrical, even if you DO go with 110 volt.

HTH

 

* Tubs which are called "Plug and Play" are special - to allow you to plug into any outlet, they have only 1000 watt heaters, or NO heater at all. In that case, they run the jet pump forever to heat.

[JohnnyK45]

We bought a Viking 2 Spa earlier this year and this tub has the flexibility of being hooked up 110 or 220.  I live in WI which can see some cold temps, but with our current house electrical, I decided to simply give the 110 a shot for at least a year and see how it does. 

A couple nights back, temps were around the 34-38 range and near the 45 minute mark, our hot tub dropped 2 degrees (we had our tub set to 102).  Now, I should mention, with this drop, I did have our jets on high the whole time as well as both of our air controls on.  Reducing the jets to off or low will keep the heater on, and of course, if you keep the air controls off, you won’t introduce cool air into the water mix (if I understand it correctly), thus, keeping your water warmer longer.  I so far haven’t had any issue whatsoever running our 110 in the above mentioned temp range and with the jets on high, etc. 

Everyone has different spa preferences in terms of time frames they like to soak, etc.; for our family, 30-45 minutes is perfect (more often, I'd say 45 minutes); I think I soaked an hour or so just a few times.  We have been using our spa about every other day.  When our temps in WI get below the freezing point and in the low teens on a regular basis, I’ll then adjust our hot tub temperature to 104; thus, allowing for more of a dropping range.  In the coldest of weather in which we would use our tub, based on what I have seen so far, I would expect to get a good 30-45+ minute soak before I would want to get out (and, that's with jets on high). 

As you may know, 110 does take longer to heat (2 degrees per hour (3 under the right conditions) vs. 5-7 degrees with 220) and with 220 you can run your jets on high and heat at the same time.  Cost wise per month or year, mixed opinions online about that, but, in general, no significant differences from what I have read.

What tubs are you looking at?

[Preserved]

Thanks for the comments guys.

[Chas]

temps were ... 34-38 range, 45 minutes, our hot tub dropped 2 degrees ...I did have our jets on high ...(and) both of our air controls on.  ... if you keep the air controls off, you won’t introduce cool air into the water mix (if I understand it correctly), thus, keeping your water warmer longer.

This is one of those things I was talking about - some tubs draw cold air into the jets. Better units do not. HotSpring tubs actually heat that air by running it through a shroud around the jet pump motor.

 

[ms]

I have an 1996 Hot Spot 110 volt Model Z hot tub. It uses very little electricity and I use it in Minnesota. I am hesitant to get a new one as this is the model t of hot tubs. It is very easy to work on I have been maintaining myself all these years. I have gone thru 2 motors 1 heater and a few odds and ends. If you decide to buy a 110 volt make sure it does not have a friction heating system. I have been looking at getting a new one Marquis & Viking are at the top of my list I am also considering American Spas round hot tub.