Inflatable Spa Set Up Time
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How long does it take to set up a portable hot tub like the Intex brand inflatable spa? This article will look at these entry level hot tubs to determine how long it takes to set one up, realistically how hard is it, and most importantly how long before you can get in it and use it. As part of this I will also be touching on the initial chemical requirements in order to make the spa safe for an initial use. If you just want the short answer about how long it takes to set up an inflatable spa then you can consider it to be a two to three hour job for most people that could probably be whittled down to about thirty minutes once you have done it a few times.
30 minutes to set up a hot tub? You read that correctly. The whole idea with an inflatable spa is that they are dead easy. Inflate it, fill it, heat it and use it. No fancy electrical work required, just plug it in as per the instructions from the manufacturer and you are good to go. Well, kind of. Of course you should take a few minutes to start balancing the water chemistry and of course you are going to need to wait for your new spa to heat up...unless you don't mind jumping straight into 50 degree Fahrenheit water that is. The electrical connection uses a standard plug but this limits the potential of the heating unit which means that you will likely be waiting a while until this cold tub becomes a hot tub.
Ground preparation
Normally in the world of hot tubs you would build a suitable base for your spa with a concrete pad, or at least some compacted earth with paving stones laid overtop. With an inflatable spa the reality is that a concrete pad would cost well more than the hot tub itself so most people are not going to get out there and pour one. It would be a good idea just to be clear but simply not cost effective for people still on the fence about whether they want to own a hot tub or not. With prices for higher end portable spas being $10,000+ it is easy to see why people test the waters so to speak with an inflatable spa in the $500 range. Do not attempt to put your spa on a wood deck or raised balcony of any kind. Water is extremely heavy but it is also a dynamic load in the way it moves and this can put undue stress on structures. Usually when installing a spa on a wood deck or patio the area needs to specifically be reinforced with concrete sono tubes to prevent that area from sinking. Inflatable spas usually come with a bubble wrap type of ground cover cloth. It does not do much but it does slightly increase the thermal efficiency of the floor section, and it somewhat protects the spa from puncture from debris or sticks. If you have a very flat and level area of your yard you could potentially put an inflatable spa just on top of the ground cover cloth successfully. From my experience, and especially trying to operate this spa during the cold Canadian winters (which it is not really made to do) I would recommend to add high density foam under your inflatable spa. Something along the lines of 1" HD styrofoam would be ideal as it will not crush under the weight of the spa like polystyrene foam will. This foam will improve heat efficiency as well as protect the bottom of the spa from puncture even more so than the ground cover cloth will. Note that the ground should be level for an inflatable spa. If it is not you must scratch down the high side to match the low side. Do not attempt to build up the low side.
Inflating the spa
There are about a dozen manufacturers of these inflatable spas and they are all very similar in design. Names like Intex and Coleman are probably the more popular models but they are extremely similar to others and they all will set up similarly. For my Intex inflatable spa the air blower which normally powers the air jets is repurposed to fill the structure. It comes with a pressure dial of sorts to indicate when the spa is full enough to support the capacity of water but not exploding from pressure. If I did not have the pressure gauge I would say that fill it until sitting on the edge only slightly depresses the edge. They are surprisingly sturdy for being air filled. Remember that if you are filling yours in colder weather leave it a little less full as when you heat up the water the pressure might be too much and you could develop a hole in yours. Once familiar with the way you connect the blower motor it only takes about 15 minutes for the tub to actually inflate.
Connecting the plumbing
The plumbing on an inflatable hot tub is so rudimentary that there is essentially nothing to it. The pump and heater are combined into one unit and the filters are simply part of the suction grate coverings. The plumbing connects via unions which have rubber seals. From experience I can tell you that these unions will strip very easily. They are only plastic threads and I had one spin on me without excessive force being applied to it. For this reason it is even more important to apply a silicone based lubricant to any gaskets or O-rings as this helps them to make a solid and leak free contact without having to crank on the threaded unions to seal it. With a simple in and out connection for the plumbing it only takes a minute to hook up the pump and heater.
Filling the spa
This will be the longest part of the process of setting up an inflatable hot tub. Depending on your water pressure it will probably take somewhere between 20 minutes to one hour to fill your tub. Something that might be a good idea if you have a questionable water supply like a rural well would be to use a hot tub pre filter. These attach to your garden hose and filter a lot of the contaminants from the water before they get in the spa. These pre filters will last for more than one spa fill as well so definitely worth picking up. It is important to not start to run the pump or heater on the spa until it is full of water, which is indicated with the min and max markings on the walls of most models. I prefer to keep mine at the lower minimum water level as two people plus jets running is enough to have water escaping the tub if you keep yours at the maximum water level. Plus that is extra water you have to keep hot. The fact that these inflatable spas don't have seats actually helps to make them feel deeper already since you are sitting right on the floor. it is important to not fill your hot tub with soft water as you need calcium hardness in hot tubs for proper chemical balance and to prevent your spa from becoming a bubble making machine. With zero hardness in the water even a drop of soap left on a bathing suit would foam excessively once you turned on the jet action.
Heating the spa - I know I just said filling the spa is the longest part of the process but that is not true if you were planning on using yours right away. Most likely it will be one to two days before you new inflatable spa is up to hot tub temperatures. Water from supply pipes is usually pretty cold which means the heater has a lot of ground to cover to get upwards of 104 degrees Fahrenheit. A huge benefit of inflatable spas is that they require no special wiring...just plug and play. The direct consequence of that convenience is that the heaters are extremely small. A more capable heater would definitely require a larger electrical service which means no plug and play. As it stands the 1500 Watt maximum limitation of a 115 volt circuit means that you can only get a few degrees per hour maximum climb in temperature. Also worth noting ambient temperatures also affect how long it takes to heat, as well as how much power it takes to maintain that heat.
If you want to use your new hot tub right away, or even you just want the most efficient way to get this spa up and running, you might want to fill the spa with hot water from your house supply. It is very likely the water heater you have in your home is far more efficient at heating water than the electric heating element in a portable, inflatable spa like this. So if you can figure out how to connect a hose to your in-house hot water supply this will be the easiest method. You do not want actual hot water as that would be a waste and far too hot to actually use. If it feels warm on your hands that is about right for filling your spa. Ideally you can use a digital temperature gun to dial in the fill water to around 104 degrees F (40C)
Initial chemical balancing - The amount of balancing and the chemicals that you need to add to your hot tub is going to be unique to only your spa and your water supply. For this reason the approach is the same for all hot tub owners in that you must learn the basic chemicals that you need to be testing and correcting and then you need to learn the order of corrections. In short you will need to test and balance the total alkalinity, pH, calcium hardness and sanitizer which will be either chlorine or bromine. Most hot tub owners use bromine as it is user friendly and works well at high pH levels as often found in hot tubs. Chlorine is equally if not more effective in spas, but in simplest terms it takes a little more skill with the balancing so if you are new to hot tubs bromine is probably the way to go. The sanitizer is the protection barrier and you should aim to never let your sanitizer level drop to zero. Next you want to match the pH of the water to be comfortable to people so 7.4 to 7.6 is the aim. The pH wants to fluctuate wildly which is why we maintain total alkalinity in the water. The calcium hardness is important for the saturation index balance, but also to prevent the hot tub from foaming excessively from any residual soaps or detergents that might be introduced. It is a lot at first but simply knowing what to check for and what order to correct in solves most of the problems you can encounter. For more information on water chemistry you can read the pool and spa chemistry crash course.
Inflatable hot tubs are definitely limited. They are small, lack creature comforts like seats, and they have minimally adequate heaters. You can only use them three seasons per year in cold climates as they just can not hold temperature when overnight lows are well below zero. Still for the limited investment needed to get one they are without a doubt one of the best purchases you can make under $1000. You could be taking a relaxing soak and staring at the stars every night before bed, alone or with your significant other. Honestly it's pretty great and so many people miss out on being "hot tub people" because they did not grow up with one.
An inflatable spa is the perfect way to test the waters, pun intended, without spending many thousands of dollars. The best part is an inflatable spa does not need to be a stepping stone to a more robust spa. I mean it could be but it doesn't have to be. I have built spas that cost well in excess of $100,000 so I am the last person to want to give a nod to a $500 air filled spa that is actually pretty darned good, but, well, it is. Here is a review I wrote of my experience with owning an Intex inflatable spa: Inflatable Spa Review.
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Swimming Pool Steve is an award winning, second generation swimming pool specialist from Ontario Canada and one of the most trusted voices in the swimming pool industry. With over 20,000,000 views on the Swimming Pool Steve YouTube Channel, winner of the Pleatco Pool & Spa Industry Leadership award and author of hundreds of pool and spa articles both online and in print. Steve is committed to helping pool and spa owners as well as pool and spa industry workers learn more about the technical side of building, renovating, repairing and maintaining all types of swimming pools and spas. Follow Swimming Pool Steve on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
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