In the 60's hot tubs became popular. The hot tub was a wooden barrel filled with hot water with some type of jet action to move the water around. With the advent of molded fiberglass and plastic it was possible to form these hot tubs into any shape that was needed. Once this took place the term hot tub was gradually replaced by the term spa. Now the two terms are used interchangeably with one another.

To begin with you have the cost of the chemicals to maintain the spa. Shopping around can cut these costs down. The heating of the water can be cut down by a well insulated spa housing and cover. The cost should run you around 1$ per day.

The answer is no or maybe. Some of the chemicals may be the same and others may not be. Check with your local chemical provider. If buying online, insure the chemicals are for a spa.

Various types of covers for the spa may be purchased. In sure they are strong enough to support a small childs weight. You can get one that locks so that only you can open it.

Don't go cheap on the cover. Remember that you have the sun with UV rays hitting the top and heat is hitting the cover from the bottom. The top should be UV resistant and the bottom should be covered in a material protecting it from the water. A R-14 insulation factor is an excellent choice.

Insure that the cover is made for your spa. Spas come in thousands of shapes and you want a good seal.

They have straps that run over the top and fasten with hardware to the the side of the spa at each end of the strap. They usually come in pairs and are referred to as hurricane straps. Many of these straps come with a locking device so a key is required to remove them.

These locking devices can also help stop the top from missing, when you get up in the morning.

Most spas can run on 110-volt or 220-volt. Running on 110-volt is not recommened because your water take longer to heat up. Many spas on 110-volt cannot uses all the functionality of heaters and blowers at the same time.

The standard recommendation is to always run your spa on a 220-volt installation. A licensed electrician should always be used to insure your safety and that all the local codes are adhered to. Insure that you have the room in your breaker box for a 2 pole 50 amp GFCI breaker. What that means is that you must have 2 slots available in your breaker box.

Most of your quality spas have a circulation pump. This is a small pump that runs continuously keeping the water circulating. It causes the water to remain clean by moving the water through the filters. It can be set at varying temperatures keeping the water warm. A good setting is at 65 degrees.

This also stops the water from freezing in colder climates.

The answer to that is simple, do you have a garden hose. If your unit is installed outdoors thats all you need. More than 95% of spas are out doors.

You use the hose to put water into the spa and to remove the water. Spas have a connection that you screw the hose onto to drain the water.