Hot tubs are large or small tubs of heated water, which are used for bathing, relaxing, water massage and hydrotherapy. For water massages, they have jets. They are usually installed in backyards or any suitable place within your home. They have become popular additions to homes owing to the cost and functional benefits they offer. How does water gets heated in these tubs? In a hot tub, the water is heated using an electric heater or natural gas heater. Solar energy systems are also used to heat water in them, utilizing natural energy. Some tubs also have heaters fueled by wood, which are immersed in them. Different types of hot tubs Mainly, two types of hot tubs are available in the market. One comes with thin wooden strips, coated on the exterior and the other one is made up of plastic exterior (these are mostly known as spas). Wooden hot tub This type of tub consists of a wooden exterior and is mostly in the shape of a barrel. You can opt for a wooden tub in cedar, teak or redwood. The main characteristic of this is that it is very deep and has a round bench for seating, built inside the tub through the inner circumference. The depth of this tub usually ranges from 36 inches to 48 inches. This also has wooden deck or steps built on the exterior to allow entry into the tub. Plastic one-piece hot tub This is available in a variety of shapes and seating arrangements. At specific parts of the these, water jets are placed such that the sprays of water massage each part of your body. A hot tub with jets is used extensively by athletes and paralytic patients for hydrotherapy. A plastic one-piece tub is not very deep like a wooden tub. Its depth ranges from 32 inches to 36 inches. Some of these are equipped with only one water pump whereas some have up to four water pumps. The main water pump will circulate the hot water where as other pumps will create the effect of a massage. Nowadays plastic one-piece tubs are more popular than wooden tubs because they are easier to install, they utilize less energy and are cheaper to manufacture when compared to wooden ones. They are available with computer controlled systems for pumps, lighting and sound systems. Some even have hydraulophones, which is a musical instrument in which the sound is created by the direct contact with water. These should be kept very clean as micro organisms can proliferate in the warm and wet environment inside them. This causes infections in users and structural damage to the tub over time. The tub filters should be cleaned periodically and the water should be treated with chemicals to remove the accumulated scum and dirt. In this regard, an outdoor hot tub may require more cleaning and maintenance than its indoor counterpart.
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