FaQs

Why buy a hot tub?
When you buy a hot tub from Malibu Hot Tubs, you are making an investment that will benefit both your health and lifestyle. Escaping from the pressures of life for your daily dose of hydrotherapy will help relieve stress, muscular fatigue or injury, arthritis and will even help you sleep better.

A hot tub will also add fun and entertainment to your life and promotes spending quality time and a place to communicate with family and friends. A hot tub can be enjoyed all year round; in fact many people enjoy their hot tubs most in the colder temperatures of winter!!!

However when you purchase a hot tub you want it to add relaxation to your life, not hassle, so you need to be sure you are buying a quality hot tub that will reliably deliver outstanding performance with the minimum of maintenance year after year.

Spa Size and Layout
The first thing to decide when choosing a spa is what size it should be - sizes and weights are listed on each hot tub description page. Firstly consider how much space you have in your chosen location and the access to it, as this may limit the size of hot tub you can accommodate. (Note: we can help you arrange for a lifting company to crane or hi- ab your hot tub into position if access is a problem.). Decide whether you want your hot tub indoors or out, sunken (I.e. lowered into a decking area or conservatory) or in a cabinet with steps.
Secondly decide how many people are likely to want to use the tub at any one time, if you are entertaining visitors you may not wish to have people waiting for their turn. A bigger hot tub doesn't always mean more seats, however the bigger tub will be less cramped when all seats are occupied and therefore more comfortable.

Construction and Quality
It is essential that your tub is well made to ensure it is enjoyable and safe to use and so that it will have a long service life. All Hot Tubs sold by Malibu Hot Tubs are manufactured in the USA by Spa Crest Manufacturing Inc, who are based in Claxton Georgia and supplied via Spa Crest Europe. They have over 20 years' experience in the manufacture of hot tubs and are at the forefront of innovational and technological advances. They manufacture two product lines, Spa Crest Hot Tubs and Vision Hot Tubs. You cannot purchase Hot Tubs direct from Spa Crest or Vision, only through approved dealerships. Malibu Hot Tubs is the authorised dealer for Central England.

Spa Crest and Vision hot tubs are made from pressure treated timbers to prevent rot and water damage. The underside of the spa is fully enclosed with raised planking at the edges to allow air circulation underneath the tub to prevent trapped moisture. The molded spa shell is made from ICI Lucite Acrylic with Microban antibacterial technology for added protection, the industry standard for Spa shells. The shell is then thoroughly reinforced with chopped strand fibre glass, ester resin and cement bond for a really tough long lasting shell. The spa crest and vision shells are some of the sturdiest on the market and have a 12 year manufacturers warranty for peace of mind.

Hydrotherapy System
This consists of the jets and the pumps that supply them with water. There are a wide variety of jet types but they all mix pressurized water and air to form a massaging jet. Some jets spin to give a pulsating massage and some are continuous. The main thing to consider is the placement of the jets so that all areas of your body will receive a massaging jet stream. Ensure the jets aim at your muscles and not your bones.

Power and Air
Check if the jets are adjustable, switching off the flow from some jets will increase the flow to the remaining jets allowing a stronger massage if not all seats are occupied. All of the jets in a Spa Crest or Vision Hot Tub are adjustable. All water jets draw in some air to the water system by suction to give the water/air massage effect. However a blower motor system will have a separate blower motor with additional jets that blow only air to really churn the water up, giving an invigorating all over massage sensation.

Water Quality
Conventional filtering systems use the main pump on a low speed setting to periodically circulate the water through the filter, typically twice a day for two hours at a time. Most Spa Crest models and all Vision models are fitted with 24 Hour Filtering with a separate low energy recirculation pump. This is the ultimate in hot tub water maintenance. 24 hour filtering means there is a continuous flow of water through the filter and heater meaning the water is constantly cleaned and maintained at the correct temperature. It also means that ozone is continuously mixed with the water for constant sanitization.
The ozone system significantly reduces the amount of chemicals required for sanitization meaning less expense and no chemical odour. The circulation pump filtering set up is also more energy efficient than using the main pump for filtering periodically, saving you money.

Cabinets
Spa Crest and Vision Hot Tubs offer two types of cabinet construction, CPI resin paneling, which has the look and texture of wood but is maintenance free, and Timberstone, which is an acrylic cabinet material made by Lucite, having a 5 year warranty against delaminating and blistering. All panels of our cabinets are removable for access and maintenance should it be required.

Running Costs (more information)
The main cost of running a spa is due to heating the water; therefore the better a spa is at retaining heat the less it will cost to run. Spa Crest and Vision Hot tubs have an industry standard four point insulation system.
1 The tub is foam insulated with a thick layer of foam around the tub shell.
2 There is a layer of insulating trapped air between the tub and the cabinet.
3 The cabinet is lined with quilted silver foil reflective lining to keep heat in.
4 All our tubs are supplied with a thick insulated cover to prevent heat loss when the tub is not in use.

Safety
Make sure the spa you buy has safety approved components, all the electrical equipment in our spas are CE approved and listed. A qualified electrician must complete all electrical work including being on site during installation. Malibu Hot Tubs will be pleased to discuss your installation requirements and will carry out a free site survey.