If you have looked at spas and hot tubs before, you of course will see that they are outfitted with a number of hot tub jets. However, the various jets have very different discharge patterns that hit your body. Depending on the feeling you desire, this will be how to select the hot tub jets you want.
The best way to get an idea of how a jet feels is to “wet test” a spa or hot tub. A wet test simply means go to a spa dealer an ask them if you try out a spa or hot tub. Most dealers have a spa or hot tub set up just for this purpose. They know that if they can get you to come in and test one out the likely hood of making a sale dramatically increases. And because the hot tub jets for both portable spas and DIY spas and hot tubs are the same, you’ll be able to get an idea of the water feel you like.
So to make a point, the hot tub jets for a portable spa vs a DIY spa or hot tub are pretty much the same. They may boast how many jets their units have vs some other brand but, it’s not about how many jets as it is on the jets performance. Example; one jet with large broadcast and a 10-12 gallon per minute output will feel better than a dozen smaller jets with an output of only 2-3 gallons per minute each.
With that being said, even though the literally dozens of jet styles and sizes they are all pretty much variations of four basic designs. I call them massage jets, roto jets, twin roto jets and directional jets.
The massage jet has a number of ports on its face with a spinner behind the ports. Feels like a gentle massage on your body where it hits.
The roto jets have a spinning discharge port, that produces a different massage feeling.
The twin roto jet has two spinning discharge ports and basically enhances the feel of a single roto jet.
The fourth hot tub jet is what they call a directional jet. It can either be a fixed directional or adjustable directional jet. By directional I simply mean the water flows straight out in the direction the jet is pointed.
Another popular jet is what they call a hand held jet. It’s simply tube with a spinner at one end and plugs into anywhere you have a jet internal already. You remove that internal and plug in the hand held. Now you can massage all those hard to get places.
Here are a few pictures of these hot tub jets.
1st is the massage jet – second is roto – third is a twin roto – fourth is directional and 5th is a hand held jet.
Hot tub jets can either screw in a wall fitting socket or snap in by pushing on the them till they click in once positioned. If all the same type of wall fittings are used for a set of jet internals as we call them, they are also interchangeable. You can plug different types into different seating positions to change the feel of the water hitting your body.
I’ve even gone as far as to remove a couple jet internals completely for a real rush of water hitting my back. On top of that, turn on the air blower. Now you can really feel the power of a well set up hot tub. In over 16 years of teaching customers how to build their own spas, hot tubs and swim spas, I’ve never had one person complain about the performance of a completed project. Now I’m ready to help you with your hot tub project.
Hope you found this article informative.
Feel free to contact me anytime or visit www.custombuiltspas.com to get my spa and hot tub building information. Tons of details are covered for these projects in my info package that will be an immense help to for your own project.
Thanks for the visit!
Gene Trumbull
Custom Built Spas
