Jet-Types

Special patented jets? Anyone can patent anything. It doesn't mean it's a good jet just because it was patented. I recently busted a dealer, or should I say, a shady entrepreneur, that has multiple (4) websites promoting different hot tub brands. This man is selling about 4 different brand names and his marketing claims that each one is better than the other on each of these sites. Most of the hot tubs are exactly the same but they have different brand and model names and different prices for them.

Beware of companies saying they have a lot of jets in their hot tub. What is more important is if the placement of these jets if they are right for you. You might be too tall or too short and the contour of the seat doesn't fit you.

I urge people to avoid the old style plumbing that naive customers end up believing sales people and buy them thinking that this is only what's available.

This type is the jet to jet water flow system that have all the jets linked together. You will know if you get one of these because the first jet is the most powerful, the 2nd jet is a little less powerful, and so on.

The newer types of water flow systems allow for even flow rates no matter how many jets the hot tub has. 10 years ago, no one thought of this technology.

But, in order to get this even flow, you need more horsepower. If you are only concerned about your personal comfort, then the old type is fine but if you have guests, you don't want them to get a less powerful jet than what you are experience. People will fight for the "sweat spot" which is the best seat.

The down fall to the newer types of balanced water flow jets, is that all the power averages out and in order to get the power of the older styles where the first jet is the most powerful, you have to spend a lot more money to have ALL the jets perform like the sweet spot in the older style.

You will pay a lot to have every seat feel like the sweet spot. You have to decide if you want to pay more by having 5 or 6 sweet spots instead of 1 sweet spot. That is what makes a great hot tub different than an efficiency hot tub.

Air VS Water:

You need to know the ratio by feeling it unless your dealer knows exactly the questions to ask you so you don't end up getting the wrong tub. Some jets move more air and others more water. Its having the right ratio for the type of person using it. Having 20% more water or 20% more air really can make the difference in the feel of the jets. Depending on how much water pressure there is in the tub (size of tub in gallons), different jets can have different feels. Also, when looking at air jets, make sure the jets draw air from the motor which is heated air, and not from jets bringing in cool air

NOTICE: This is very important and overlooked.

If you want to have the maximum power, always go for a 240 volt hot tub. I hear complaints all the time about the 120 volt models that have to shut down the heating elements when the jet flow rate is set at maximum speed. You have to sacrifice heat loss for water flow. The wattage of the 240 volt hot tubs are higher and there is no shortage of power.

You also want to find the balance point between flow rate and the number of jets. Do you want 30 jets firing water on you at a medium flow rate even when the jets are on high speed or would you rather have 15 jets firing on you but at twice the flow rate, giving the best massage.

Also, take into consideration that some jets are narrower, which emits less water but with a strong force. The stronger water force is good but a high end jet that delivers twice or triple the amount of water at that same strong force is better. Adjustable jets are helpful too. Just like in your car when you want to change the direction of the air flow, you will want the same in a hot tub too so you can focus on a certain area you are having pain. Even better, if you find dual or triple pairs of these jets, you even get a better massage. Many of the cheaper hot tubs have 3 lined up jets instead of one forceful mono jet. In order to get the force from a mono jet, you need so much horsepower and will cost you so much in electricity that it weeds most customers out right there. Most of these will cost you nearly 10 to 15 thousand per tub and do not hold a lot of people, maybe 3 at the most.

Please do not think that the more jet the better. If a sales person gets too excited when telling me that this tub has more jets than that tub, I simply hang up. What I want to know is the jet type, the components and engineering of the jets, the way they are positioned for tall or shorter people, how low or high they are in comparison to the height of the tub. Telling me big jet numbers won't distract me from the main issue ever again. This is how many people get ripped off.

Jet Pressure: 8 to 11 lbs per square inch seems to be the most preferred. The types of people that actually enjoy pressure below 8 lbs/per square inch are the elderly with low bone density who are very thin and frail. Having more than 8 lbs can give a stinging feel to certain body types. Those that are usually hydro-phobic are the ones that prefer over 11/lbs. This also goes for positional in-tolerant people and even more desirable for those that have both problems.

Jet Noise:

How to get a less noisy tub: Make sure the pipes are big enough. Many companies still use smaller pipes where the air cavitates more than more expensive, larger pipes. When the pump pulls in the water and if there is an air pocket, it can make the slush sounds many times a second and thats why some are noisier than others. If not insulated properly, you can hear the air cavitating in the pumps too.

Jet Lighting

Some people find color changing LED lights annoying and others like the LED lighting inside the hot tub. Most tubs come with normal lighting. It is best to go late at night to test a tub and find out if you like the lighting because at night the effect is much brighter and some people find it distracting and just want to shut it off.

Jet Feel:

When exposing the number of jets, some companies include the air blowers at the bottom of the tub. Although very soothing feeling when bubbles travel up the tub, this really does nothing more than cool the tub raising the electricity bill. It also brings in dust and pollution from the air. Most people prefer not to let the water absorb the pollution. They also add noise to the tub. I would avoid these unless you really like them. If you haven't heard of "hot tub lung" you problably should know about it before getting a tub that brings in pollution and doesn't purify wastes such as mucus and other bodily secretions (sneezing, sebacious "oily" sweat, and urea, and waste salts.

Most powerful jets are not always good:

I really get tired of people calling and asking which tub has the strongest jets. The peopel that take my quiz that ususally say this are very overweight people who have knots in their muscles for a reason. The people, based on what I know what has helped most people who buy hot tubs, is MOST of the lymphatic vessels are in the legs. All of these people are trying to get lower back massages and focus on their upper body where all the tension is at. By getting a tub with strong jets where you need them and not just where the tension is, people usually get what they need in a tub like this. It is this milking motion that gets rid of the toxins, not just deep tissue on the points where the tension is. I won't get into this but about 20 years ago when deep dissue massage was first marketed, they targed those who want to put a "Bandaid" over their tension, not the root where the problems are starting. It is just stupid in my opinion. Deep tissue massage has a need but most people should be focusing on the milking motion lymphatic massage, not just force to get the loosen and get the lactic acid out of the muscles. Those who do this will probably ALWAYS feel the need to get a massage. It takes some time to bring the body back to its hydrophilic and positional tolerant state.

Aside from having lymphatic issues, the other body type that usually requires the type of pressure from high pressure jets (see quality grades page to learn about the types of tubs) are the athletes. Some high performance jets pull over 2 HP's worth of jet power in just a single seat. This is often required for athletes who have high muscle mass and can blow a lightweight person right out of their seat, especially a lounge seat. Make sure you don't get too much power and not too little and your tub should be just right. Having too much jet pressure can feel uncomfortable to most people, this is why the right type of jet pressure, jet massage type, and buoyancy control are very important to know before buying a tub.

Note: Make sure if you are sensitive to high psi jets that they are the adjustable type jets.

Depending on the fluence if there are too many jets and the Psi is too high (strong) it can feel bad after around midway though your normal hot tub session. Make sure you know the design of the jet and how its engineered. Cheap 2 dollar jets do NOT feel as good as the super expensive jets. It's not about how many jets but the fluence ratio and psi of each jet.

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