Amperage-Wattage

Power...

Many hot tub companies can express this as amps, horse power, or watts. But, after all, the maximum power that a tub can get is the maximum power that can be consumed by a wall outlet.

Many talk about input power and not power delivered to the jets. The power of the jets is determined by the input power and motor and component efficiency. Motor efficiencies can vary widely even if the hot tubs are all the same horse power and watttage.

Some motors, consuming 1 kW, might only produce 500 watts (50%) of its motive force (its actual output energy) at the jets. Some motors are more efficient at transferring energy from your outlet into motive force and these motors are often found in the higher end tubs. If you are comparing tubs you probably shoudl be comparing tubs of the same type. Someone comparing a 3000 watt model to a 2000 watt model should really know what they are talking about before making statements to customers.

Very seldom people compare constant power to the power witch the motors can sustain for long times. Most people dont realize hat the specs on their sites only refer to the motors peak power, which is only available for a short time. (If the tub runs at its peak power too long, its motors and electronic parts can be damaged permanently if overheated.

Know the wattage before Horsepower

Some hot tubs are rated at 5HP and others at 3 hp. This doesn't mean that the 5 hp tub is more powerful than the 3 hp tub. Since we don't know which company is talking about peak hp or constant hp or even input or output hp, its hard to tell unless you know how many watts the motor is. 746 watts is one hp. So, if a tub is 5 hp and is only 1000 watts, then you know its peak hp. So, don't get impressed by high horsepower numbers. Higher wattage tubs also make your electricity bill higher.

EMF Warning: On high powered tubs!!!!!!!

Electric water heaters and EMF:

The only way to find out if your tub is safe is to get an EMF meter and test it yourself. Dr. Gauss makes a meter that costs about 30 dollars. It's not all fancy and digital but it will tell you if the tub is safe.

The Bottom line: A more powerful motor, the better, especially if you want more water pressure out of the jets. Read my horsepower page so you will have a better understanding before getting a tub.