I have finished major part of the project, still need to fix small things like paint work on the wooden boarder, arbor over waterfall, rails, aquatic plants and fish. here are some pics; Mia, thanks again for the pump and filters, it is working great, lift lot of water. Thank you all for all those tips to make it happen. Here is a link that might be useful: Hot Bath Tub Water Garden

Whether well chlorinated or not, I'm still grossed out sitting in the tub with others. For me, the tub would have to be BLEACHED before every use. DH & myself would have to shower BEFORE using it. It would have to be scrubbed & disinfected after use. I do not like to sit in chlorinated, stinky water. It would be too much upkeep for me. I can see each tub visit as a full days ordeal-no thanks! I feel the same way about pools. I lived in a nice community in FL, where we had a nice size pool maintained by the Homeowners Association. This was an affluent community. I used to do laps in it. Then I noticed the mothers with their kids in DIAPERS. Sorry ya'll that is plain GROSS! DO NOT tell me about chlorine. I do not care to swim in a pool full of pee, chlorinated or not. One day the pool was closed. On close inspection, someone had POOPED in it. The feces were at the bottom of the pool. They were going to "clean it up". I didn't want to know HOW they were going to do it. I didn't think they were going to drain it. I never set foot in that or another pool, again. That was 18 years ago! If I were interested in a home that had a pool or a hot tub, I would stipulate the removal of both. I would suggest NOT to advertise the pools or tubs, because you are limiting your viewers. You are better off leaving it as a surprise. Some will like it, but most will not. If someone falls in love with your house, they'll deal with it, one way or another...

I'll take a guess that you have a common pump for filtering and for the jets? In other words, there is not a separate pump for the jets only. If so, you will never get the full benefit of the jets and as mentioned, the heater will not heat the water properly as the flow is restricted by the jets. I'll bet the filter tank pressure rises dramatically in the "spa" mode as well. Improper flow through a heater will deem it's failure after a period time. The filter too will be damaged over time from excessive flow and or pressure. The one pump set up was a common practice in the 70's and the 80's by the national builders.(all for the bottom line) Unfortunately, some builders still practice this method today which, as far as I am concerned, is wrong. To have the proper set up on your spa, it involves core drilling for new jets, suctions, adding a separate pump, etc.. Trenching and running new pipes to create a 2 pump set up. It's a big reno project. There is no "quick fix" Pump sizing and pipe sizing is very important to match properly on any swimming pool and especially critical for a spa. If you can post photos of the inside of the spa and of the equipment, it would be additionally helpful.

Make sure you leave room between walls/fences around all sides so a technician can get in there if something needs fixing. I can't tell you what the size of the slab should be but keep these things in mind. You will need room for stairs to get in and out plus space to walk once stepping off the stairs. I am assuming you will have a cover lifter. You will need to walk along the side of the tub to use the cover lifter. Will you have some sort of storage box to store chemicals near the tub? Will you want something to hang your towels/robes on? Will you want to use a patio umbrella or gazebo over the hot tub? Will you want any potted flowers around your hot tub? All these things need some space.