.
HOT TUB/SPA Defined
Throughout history folks have used warm water to heal and soothe aching muscles and joints. All this began after some brothers named JACUZZI invented the first pump that came to be used for hydrotherapy. If I’m correct in my research, this happened in the mid ‘50’s. Of course after the pump, came therapy jets. This story is sort of like the invention of the automobile (which most credit Henry Ford with). On that note, we are not driving Model T’s anymore. With regard to hot tubs/spas the Jacuzzi brothers came up with the hydrotherapy pump and jets, and then of course other folks jumped on board years later, and product innovation went forward.
The Jacuzzi brothers were so very successful in their product that today, over 50 years later, many use the term JACUZZI when referring to what is technically called a spa. As I understand them, here are the formal definitions of “vessels” used for hydrotherapy.
Hot Tub: A hot tub is a wooden vessel with hydrotherapy jets placed appropriately in the vessel.
SPA: A spa is usually a vacuformed vessel of acrylic, weatherable polymer backed by ABS PLASTIC, or Gel Coat over fiberglass. The acrylic “spa” is probably the most popular product today. Vacuformed acrylic “spas” are designed with great emphasis placed on bather comfort and seating position to achieve targeted hydrotherapy to various parts of the human body. There are special jets that can be strategically located in these spas that can do so much more in areas of targeting “trigger points” and delivering the finest in hydrotherapy.
HOT TUB/SPA COMMONALITIES
All hot tubs/spas have many commonalities and what follows is the description of a very basic hydraulic system. The water is circulated through their hydraulic (circulation/filtration) system by a pump designed to deliver so many gallons/liters of water/minute to each jet at its required flow rate (so that the jet will perform to its designed standards). There is a filter in the system which catches small particulate matter in the water as the water circulates through the filter housing. Most hot tubs and spas use cartridge filtration. The filter has to operate at the particular design flow rate of the hydraulic system, so as not to impede performance of the jets and the balance of the circulation system. Spa water is heated by either a gas, electric, or wood fired heater. Most of today's spas have thermostaticaly controlled heating systems that are designed to maintain the spa water between 101-104 degrees F. 104 is the highest temperature a hot tub may be heated to by UL Standards.