Pools of all types with attached spas seem to have become pretty popular lately. For this article, we will dig into the reasons you may or may not want a fiberglass pool with attached spa.
CONS OF POOLS WITH ATTACHED SPAS
Let's get right into it. While I am personally not a fan of outdoor pools with attached spas and for quite a few reasons that I will outline below I will try to be as unbiased as I can. Quick disclaimer, at Pool Pros we do sell and build fiberglass pools with attached spas. At Pool Pros we offer up our opinions and experiences during the sales process but we ultimately leave it up to our clients to make the final say. Some want the attached spa and some don't. Keep in mind if you are going with an indoor pool the cons just don't exist. This article is strictly based on outdoor applications in the Upper Midwest.
1: Climate: In our climate- the Upper Midwest where it gets pretty dang cold we winterize our pools around October of every year. The #1 downside to pools with attached spas is that when you winterize your pool you more than likely need to winterize your attached spa. Most of the time the pool and spa run off of the same filtration and heating system and are not independent of each other so when one gets winterized the other needs to as well. Now, there are cases where they can be run independently but that is rare. If you are in the southern half of the United States this should not be an issue. Just here in the frozen north.
2: Utility Cost: If you were able to operate your attached spa independent from the pool, the cost to operate and keep the spa at a usable temperature all season would be astronomical. Keep in mind the spa plumbing runs underground and in Wisco, the ground is frozen solid to at least 4' deep all winter long. Just imagine how much that would cost to keep your water at 104 in your spa. No thanks.
3: Potential Damage: If at anytime your equipment experiences a power outage or a failure of some type that caused the pump to stop running, the spa and all of its plumbing and components are at risk of freezing solid and breaking. Replacing plumbing to and from a spa will not be cheap. This is always a risk for any outdoor-style spa in winter in Wisconsin.
4: Summer Hot Tub? Who really uses a hot tub in summer when it's humid and 90 degrees. Not many people I know! Just saying. If your pool with an attached spa can only be used during the summer that kind of defeats the purpose. To me, I find it most refreshing to use a hot tub/spa when it is colder out. Right around the same time, your pool gets closed. Turns out we are not the only ones. We did some recent polling of hot tub owners and found that the majority of spa/hot tub use happens between the end of September through the end of December. Other than that the spa just sits unused burning up energy to keep it clean and heated.
PROS OF A POOL WITH ATTACHED SPA
Alright, here we go, on to the pros of owning a pool with an attached spa.
1: Aesthetics: Pools with attached spas look awesome. Especially at night with the lights and jets on. It's hard to beat.
2: Relaxation: Nothing is more relaxing than sitting in a hot tub/spa while listening to the sound of the water while the therapy jets wash away the stress of the day.
3: Spa Season: As fall begins to creep in and the nights begin to cool spa time has arrived. The timing is perfect. As the swimming weather for the pool gradually becomes colder and colder a warm hot tub becomes more and more inviting.
At Pool Pros we offer 2 unique fiberglass pool models with attached spas. The I Series and the X Series. If you are sold on a pool with an attached spa check out our Fiberglass Pool Review: The I Series by River Pools and Fiberglass Pool Review: The X Series by River Pools. If you're ready to take the plunge into pool ownership call Pool Pros today at 920-771-0107.
DISCLAIMER:
Pool Pros was not compensated for writing this article. This article and the photos in it are the property of Pool Pros.
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