Cheapest I've seen for a Lay-z Spa. It's the smaller one, 1.7m … Which personally is better for me!
Available delivery or Click & Collect only, not in-store as far as I can tell.
Cheapest I've seen for a Lay-z Spa. It's the smaller one, 1.7m … Which personally is better for me!
Available delivery or Click & Collect only, not in-store as far as I can tell.
Bunnings $20 tarp in the ute tray, fill with water :D
How do you get the bubbles? ;)
With some air from your personal rear end exhaust.
https://www.amazon.com.au/Bestway-Portable-Standard-Payload-…
Needed this.
Was only available in US market though I think :(
A ute is outdoors? And indoors in the garage :)
Saw in store today in WA (wanneroo)
I so want it but $400?
Cheap if you have been tracking prices. Usually around $500+ mark even for other brands. Plus this is heated, good use for solar if youre not exporting
Your making a good argument please stop lol I’ve spent way too much today.
The heater is what I need too as a therapy pool.
Been around $400 at catch and bunnings every now n then. I bought a similar model from catch for a bit less 2 years ago.
Nobody buy them you will get cheaper after Black Friday passes I got a smaller ninja last year on clearance half the price and was a good few around at the time to get.
I don’t think much of there blsck Friday this year to be honest
I did a quick search and can’t find the ninja version you’re talking about do u have a link? And roughly how much did u pay?
They had the smaller ninja last year as a Black Friday I know it’s not related this item in this post but it’s was so many weeks prior to Xmas these ninja grill/fryers was half price.
It looked like last year maybe they got too much stocks of things.
This year maybe they got less stock of things for Black Friday and maybe not much will be left over of anything the risk you take.
Same goes for ice cream maker from from Aldi in summer I know if they don’t sell they are put in clearance and I do wanted one which wound half price, I watched the stock getting lower and lower to the point it was I say sold out in state.
I then grabbed at full price as wanted one at the time.
Then later I seen other states posting up pics of buying them at half price to be honest I was jealous as I hanged on as long as I could but would miss out getting altogether, it’s still worth at full price but way better at half which I was hoping for.
The ninja was a bargain from last years kmart black Friday though even if it was on the smaller the smaller side
Thanks for the tip I’ll hold off for a bit then.
@J B S: Yes but your risk not getting one if sold out.
Is it difficult to keep clean for those with these sorts of tubs? I know it has a filter, but does the water get gross and have to be drained/tub cleaned/water replaced? And technically, don't they require fencing, like a pool, or no?
Yes requires fencing! Water needs to be chlorinated from day. Good thing is, its portable so pack it up when not in use
Fencing required in some states. Not in NSW as long as it has child proof lid.
Easy to keep clean if you shower before going in it and maintain chemicals. I use bromine instead of chlorine. Easy once a week treatment and clean takes 5mins. Uses a huge amount of power though.
Pretty easy to keep clean. Chlorine tablets and some shock treatment weekly, still make bubbles a bit but otherwise you really need to nail the ph etc.
I’ve replaced my water once in 12 months, after kids and grass clipping stuffed the water.
The clips for the cover are actually really hard for kids to open, so practically it would be impossible for a kid to get into it, but that doesn’t mean it meets code.
Sorry bubbles = foam.
I switched to bromine + chlorine and pretty much had no more ph issues, and foaming up was much less common.
Basically Bromine tablets plus a bit of chlorine after using, or every few weeks if not used. Easier on the skin too, but a bit of a different smell.
As much as I’d like a spa, I feel like a bath is just easier
So I've ordered one. Yet to pick it up, and I've got a year to return it if it's unopened (powerpass). So I'll keep an eye out for post black friday / christmas clearance specials.
But I'm second guessing now. Seems like it's actually quite expensive to operate (Power, weekly chlorine, bi-weekly filter change, etc)
Thoughts?
Is it worth it?
The likelihood of me showering before I get in is low (from a patience and being realistic point of view). Is this going to turn the spa into a cestpool, lol
I have one (same thing, older model) and really like it. I find the inflatable spa much more comfy than a fiberglass spa. It's a bit of work, but nothing crazy.
My partner and I don't shower beforehand. We eat while in the spa and constantly drop food in it accidentally. Kebab meat stays remarkably fresh looking even after weeks of being in spa water! Keeping the water looking clear and clean has not been a major issue. We don't have kids so it's just us, but we are messy.
I change out the filters when the flow slows down but that takes weeks of frequent use. I have a spare set of filters so just swap them when in the spa, then later hose out the dirty filters and put them aside for the next swap over.
I use bromine and chlorine from Bunnings. A couple of bromine tablets lasts months. Just chuck in another as they get small. And a scoop of chlorine after each use. Or every month or so if not in use. The chemicals are not a major cost in my experience. With chlorine alone I found the ph needed frequent management, which was a pain. And if it gets out of whack, then stuff grows in the water fast and the filters clog quickly even if the water looks clear. With bromine + chlorine I've never had ph issues, never adjust the ph, and never had clogged filters. It's also nicer on the skin. Chemicals cost me $80 a year or so.
It does cost a fair bit to run. Mine is ~700 liters and the 1800W heater runs for 6 - 8 hours to heat it up from cold. And in use (so lid off) the heater runs near constantly in winter, but less than half the time in summer. Running with the heater off (so just filtering) uses very little power but I don't do it much. I put some foam pads from Bunnings underneath, to help insulate more, as it loses heat out the bottom. For me, a weekends use in summer costs about $10 in power and more like $15 in winter. The cost adds up over a year if you use it a lot, but it's well worth it imo.
I tend to change the water every few months. I use a hose and drain it onto various parts of the lawn and garden. The water cost is minor - under $2 each change. My spa is next to my large off peak hot water system, so I do the drain before I want to use it, then refill with warm water. That's a bit cheaper than running the spa heater to heat it up but it's more about me having forgotten to turn it on in time to get it up to temp, so it's faster to fill with warm water.
When drained, I vacuum the bottom of the spa with a wet dry vacuum. This is useful if you spill a bowl of rice in the spa, because the filters won't pick it up. Maybe give a squirt with the hose if there is kebab meat hiding under the filter housing.
If your spa isn't on a deck or other clean surface, then a foot wash tub or hose is handy to avoid stuff stuck to your feet getting in the spa EG, from running around the side of the house in a towel to get the kebabs that just got delivered, and tracking grass clippings into the spa because you mow with no catcher to save time because you want to be in the spa rather than doing chores.
Awesome, thanks for those tips. Do you have links to the bromine / chlorine you use from bunnings?
Also, do you put it in the little chlorine attachment thing they have, or just put it floating in the water?
In terms of heat, I'm assuming you turn it on the days you want to use it, rather than leaving it warm every night?
Now I think the average plug is 2400w. I've heard the blower is 800w and the heater you say is 1800w plus the filter system is something. So does a standard plug point work for this? Or did you have to get a 15A plug put in?
No worries - happy to help.
Bromine from Bunnings.
https://www.bunnings.com.au/baracuda-1kg-spa-bromine-tablets…
Chlorine - actually last time I got it was from Woolworths, as they seem to discount it occasionally by about 30%.
https://www.woolworths.com.au/shop/productdetails/700129/bar…
I just chuck the bromine tablets in the spa. You could put them in the floating thing but I am lazy and then I forget to put it back in, or check how dissolved they are. The tablets end up sitting down next to the filters in mine, but yours might be a different design. I just dump a half scoop of chlorine in after use. I do a bit less if I will be back in the next day. And a bit extra if I ate a kebab in th spa then washed sauce out of my beard in the water… I did calculate the amount and measure it out the first time, then just roughly repeat the same based on scoop amount.
And yeah - I don't use the spa every night, so don't leave it on after the last use. I mostly use it on the weekend.
It has a timer, so I set it to turn on 8 hours or so before I want to use it. Longer if it is winter and cold.
So for example it might turn on early Sat morning, and be ready to go by lunch. Then after the last use Saturday night, I turn it off, and put the timer on to start heating again the next morning. The water is still very warm, so it only takes a few hours to heat back up. If I heat it up during the week, it will have cooled back down to ambient in a few days. It cools much faster, and to a lower temp in winter. Also in summer we run it at a much lower temp - usually 34 or 35 degrees. Whereas in winter it is usually 38, or up to 40 if it is quite cold.
Turning it off, and letting it cool, then heating it again, takes less energy than keeping it hot. Because heat transfer is faster when the temperature differential inside and out of the spa is higher. Running the pump (no heater) for the filtering cools the water faster, because the hot water goes through uninsulated pipes and through the heater. I added a section of insulation over the external piping, but not sure the one from kmart has the same design. Mine has dual filters, so external extra piping.
https://www.bunnings.com.au/k-flex-9-x-25mm-x-1m-elastomeric…
If keeping it hot for everyday use, then extra insulation will really help. The floor of the spa is not inflated (in mine anyway) and only has thin insulation. Two layers of the foam pads from bunnings really helped. It took three packs, and a bit of cutting them to make it closer to the round shape. Probably larger, thicker foam would be better. You can feel hot spots around the lid too, so an extra cover over the top would probably cut heat loss a fair bit.
https://www.bunnings.com.au/eva-50-x-50cm-black-solid-interl…
I also experimented with one of those black pool heater pads, for solar heating. I used a little 12V pump I had to avoid messing with the spa piping, but you could use the spa pump. On a warm summer day, the solar heater could bring the spa up to full temp, or close to. It didn't help much in winter but my setup was lazy.
https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B00MS3963Y/
Overall I am not sure how much it would cost to run the spa every night. Perhaps $2 - $3, but more like $5 in winter, depending on how much the water cools.
I don't use the blower much. It's nice, but noisy. I am generally listening to music, eating snacks, or watching movies - none of which are better with the bubbles on. The bubbles do cool the water off, so useful if it has ended up too hot!
I looked at the sticker on the pump unit. It says Heating: 2050W. Heating + Bubble: 1850W.
Presumably it shares the heater and bubble power. Pump motor wattage is not mentioned, but is going to be 30W or so.
I did plug mine into a smart plug with power monitoring when I first got it, to see how much power it used on average. I didn't save the data it seems, so the 1800W in use was my memory.
But overall, the cost of running it is not huge IMO. It's usually much less than the cost of the snacks and drinks we consume while in the spa!
One other tip - check what rules you need to comply with for "pools". In NSW, it's ok with no fence if it has a child proof lid (and these do), but you need to put up a CPR sign to be compliant.
Oh and look on Amazon for accessories. They are often quite cheap at times. I like the pillow and the trays that clip on the side of the spa. (though the big tray has been much cheaper, $25 but IIRC delivered from the UK…). And use the genuine filters IMO. The third party ones I tried didn't fit very well, and clogged up very quickly, and didn't last long. I also just now see a little rechargeable handheld pool vacuum, which might be ideal for the spa.
https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B00OX5BDHM
https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B08D6XXK81
https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B00OX5B8TA
https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B01878QHDA
@Prong: This is an awesome response, thank you very much!
You should post this in the bunnings workshop website or whirlpool or something, it should definitely be shared out there and not lost in ozbargain land!
Sadly all sold out in Adelaide and told no more coming in :(
Damn, not suitable for the back of the ute! I'll keep looking.