Most people spend more time researching a television than they do a hot tub they'll own for fifteen years. Nine points. Verify every one before you sign anything. This checklist was built for Canadian buyers — specifically the Prairie provinces, where the winters are brutal and the wrong choice costs you real money every month.
Shell Material
Ask specifically: acrylic, HDPE, or fibreglass? Acrylic is porous at a microscopic level — bacteria grip micro-grooves that develop over time, requiring heavier chemical treatment. HDPE (high-density polyethylene) is molecularly smooth, the same material used in medical and food processing applications. This difference compounds over a decade of ownership in chemical costs and sanitation effort.
How the Heat Is Sealed In
About 70% of a hot tub's heat escapes through the top, so start with the cover: ask for its R-value and how it seals to the rim. A waterlogged foam lid held down by gravity is the biggest cost driver in a Prairie winter. Then ask how the body and base are insulated, and whether the shell is a sealed unibody or panels with seams. Ask to see how it's actually built, not just the brochure.
Cover Quality and Fit
The cover is half your insulation system. Minimum: 4-inch tapered construction, dense foam core, and a seal that grips the shell perimeter. Cracked, soft, or ill-fitting covers bleed more heat than bad shell insulation. Ask about the cover rating (R-value) and verify the warranty covers degradation, not just defects.
Voltage Requirements
Does the tub make you choose your voltage up front, or is it convertible? Some tubs only run on 220V hardwire, which means an electrician before your first soak. The better answer is a convertible: it plugs into a standard wall outlet on 110V, and the same tub switches to 220V whenever you want it — no parts changed, no decision locked in at purchase. If a dealer tells you that you have to pick one at the time of sale, ask why.
Monthly Electricity Cost
Ask for the kWh/day figure at a stated ambient temperature. Then calculate: kWh/day × your provincial rate × 30 = monthly cost. If the dealer quotes a monthly number without providing the underlying kWh figure, that number is unverifiable. Get the raw number and run the math yourself against your actual rate.
Warranty — What It Actually Covers
Read the warranty document, not the summary card. Key questions: Does the shell warranty cover fading, cracking, and delamination? Are jets covered, and for how long? What voids the warranty — and does converting from 110V to 220V void anything? Is labour included or parts only? A 5-year "structural" warranty that excludes the shell finish is not what it sounds like.
Jet Count and Pump HP
More jets is not better if the pump HP doesn't match. A 40-jet tub on a 1.5HP pump delivers less pressure per jet than a 20-jet tub on the same pump. Ask for total horsepower and actual jet count. Then ask the dealer to turn it on at full power so you can feel the actual pressure — not the demo setting with half the jets closed.
Installation Requirements
What surface does it need? What access does delivery require? Many dealers will tell you concrete is mandatory. It's not — any flat, stable surface rated for the weight works: compacted gravel, interlocking brick, a proper deck. Ask specifically: minimum surface requirements, delivery truck access needs, and whether any modifications to the tub are required for your setup.
Customer References in Your Climate
Ask for two or three customer references within your province — ideally in your city or a comparable climate. Talk to people who've owned the tub for at least two winters. The questions that matter: What does it actually cost per month in January? Have you had any service issues? How did the company handle them? A manufacturer confident in their product gives you references without hesitation.
Any dealer who deflects, rushes past, or can't answer these nine points cleanly is telling you something. The answer to each question should be verifiable — not a marketing claim. If you can't verify it, it doesn't count.