1) Insulation/Energy Efficiency

The insulating system in the hot tub is the primary means of gaining acceptable energy efficiency. Over the years, manufacturers have used many different methods to insulate their hot tubs as technology and materials have improved and evolved.

As a 30 year old company, Hydropool has been at the leading edge of developing new and innovative ways to gain improved energy efficiency; we have a long history of embracing new technologies and manufacturing techniques that ensure outstanding performance while maintaining our commitment to the environment.  

Full Foam – This style of insulation has been commonly used across the hot tub industry for over 30 years as it provides a good means of insulating both the shell and the plumbing. Hydropool employed this method of insulating our hot tubs from 1980 – 1997 as it was the best system at the time with the available technology. In 1998 we moved away from fully foam; here’s why:

a) No access to the plumbing or jets for repair - A quality hot tub has a life span of over 15 years and from time to time it is reasonable to expect that repairs may be required. With fully foamed hot tubs, access to plumbing and jets is severely impeded when it is encased in insulating foam. This creates many difficulties for service technicians and often the Hot Tub will need to be lifted and some or all of the foam removed. This will compromise both the structural and energy efficiency systems of the Hot Tub while increasing repair costs to the consumer. 

b) No Heat recovery from Motors - Normally a Hot Tub motor will generate 1.5kw of ambient heat while operating. In the case of a fully foamed Hot Tub there is no recovery of this heat from the motor area and it is wasted. Imagine putting the furnace to your home outside the house? Despite improvements in technology and materials, many Hot Tub manufacturers continue to use dated full foam technology to insulate their Hot Tubs.

Partial Foam / Perimeter Foam – For a brief period between 1997 and 1999, Hydropool employed this style of insulation as a means to solve some of the issues related to the full foam insulation system. It was during this period that we fully recognized that Energy Efficiency and ease of access to the operating equipment where critical factors to the long term enjoyment and satisfaction of our products by consumers. In fact it was a natural part of the evolution to the overall insulation system but it did create some issues that needed to be resolved:

c) No support for the plumbing; increased potential for leaks - Each 3 foot section of pipe filled with water in a Hot Tub weighs approximately 15lbs. With this in mind consider that each Hot Tub has at least a mile of plumbing and when you combine the force of the water with the weight of the water, the stress on the jets and joints is immense. Without proper support for the plumbing the potential for leaks or a catastrophic failure of the system is increased exponentially.

d) No air circulation for Motors - Proper ventilation to the Hot Tub motor(s) is critical to the performance and long life of the equipment. Fully sealed cabinets without adjustable venting do not provide sufficient air circulation for optimal performance and can lead to the system overheating and premature wear of the motor and spa pack.

Double Thermal Shield Insulation System - Hydropool has perfected this insulation system over the last 10 years. It offers the best of both worlds; energy efficiency with easy serviceability. Key features are:

a) Full access to the plumbing and jets for easy service.

b) Captures the waste ambient heat from both the motor(s) and shell, ultimately lowering the operating cost of the Hot Tub. 

c) The poly film barrier locks the triple fastened plumbing in place and ensures problem free operation. 

d) Adjustable thermal vents provide proper air circulation to the motor(s) to exhaust excess heat in the summer and to capture waste ambient heat in the winter. For more information go to “Insulation” page from menu above.

2) Ease of Maintenance/Filtration

At Hydropool we are trying to relieve headaches rather than create them this why we created the Hydropool Self Cleaning Hot Tub. The evolution of the Self Cleaning Hot Tub has happened over the past 30 years and is part of a larger process and culture of continuous improvement. Listed below are the different filtration systems we have used over years:

a) 1985 Suction Side Skimmer/Filtration changes to Pressure Side Filtration - This style of filtration was used on our Self Cleaning Hot Tubs from 1980 - 1985 and is currently used on our Serenity brand of Hot Tubs. Suction Side Filtration refers to Hot Tubs that have their filters located on the suction side of the pump. Here are the reasons why Hydropool Self Cleaning Hot Tubs evolved from suction side filtration to pressure side filtration. 1) Suction Side Filtration systems take up to 10 times longer to filter the entire volume of water in the Hot Tub 2) The primary job of a Hot Tub filter is to get dirty. With some Hot Tubs water flow to the pumps and heater may be restricted causing possible premature motor(s) wear and heater element failure. 3) Many suction side filters are exposed to the air and visible to Hot Tub users, without proper design they can be unsightly and take up unnecessary space.

b) 1989 Side Suction Drain changes to Floor Vacuum - Hydropool employed this style of drain until 1989 when we switched to the built in Floor Vacuum. The reasons Hydropool switched are as follows 1) The built in floor vacuum allows the self cleaning Hot Tub to be the only hot tub in the world that can clean the floor of the Hot Tub without the use of an auxiliary vacuum. 2) Most Hot Tubs take 6 - 9 hours to drain by gravity and still leave 6 - 8 inches of water in the bottom for the owner to bail out; the Self Cleaning Hot Tub can drain the Hot Tub in only 30 - 45 minutes right to the bottom, eliminating the need for bailing.  

3) Massage/Hydrotherapy

Our philosophy is simple; when it comes to hydrotherapy; balanced hydraulics is the only acceptable form of water distribution to the jet. This means that every jet gets equal pressure all the time. And you may customize the massage to fits your individual needs. Here is how the Versa Massage works:

a) Non - Bearing high flow, low pressure jets offer reliable performance with the functional ability to customize the massage to your individual needs.

b) Low Amperage high flow pumps are able to push large volumes of water with low amperage draws to the pump(s), giving maximum hydrotherapy with ultra low energy usage.

c) Balanced Hydraulics - All Hydropool hot tubs are built with 2" plumbing from intake to return and flow through a series of manifolds to deliver equal amounts of pressure to all jets.