How many jets does a hot tub need?
How many jets a hot tub needs depends on where the jets sit, how they are grouped and how you control them. The One Model has 25 massage jets in three zones, and every jet except the central Everywhere jet turns from off to full with a quarter turn.
Is there a right number of jets for a hot tub?
A jet count on a brochure is one fact among several, and it does not show how the tub feels when you sit in it. Where the jets sit and how you control them tell you more.
Ask where the jets sit relative to the seats and whether each person can adjust the jets at their own seat. Then ask how the tub sends pump power to the jets in use. The sections below give the One Model's answers.
How does the One Model handle jets, whirlpool jets and clean-out jets?
The One Model has 25 massage jets on a variable-speed pump. They are one 7-inch Everywhere jet, sixteen 5-inch jets and eight 3-inch jets. The jets are arranged in three massage zones, and every jet except the central one has its own control.
Twelve seating positions share those zones. Some positions are deep and some are shallow, so the jets reach different parts of the body depending on where you sit.
The tub also has 4 whirlpool jets on the water pump, which runs 24 hours a day and also does the filtering, ozone, salt sanitising and heating. The whirlpool jets run all the time and keep the water moving. The 2 clean-out jets run with the massage pump. They keep the zone selector valves clean and give the pump an outlet even when every massage jet is turned off. Good Hot Tubs lists these apart from the 25 massage jets. When you compare tubs, ask each seller which jets belong to the massage pump and which belong to the water pump.
How do the three massage zones work?
The three zones are the shuttle seats with 12 jets, the pivot seat and lounge with 12 jets, and the Everywhere jet. Zone selector valves direct the massage pump's flow between the zones, so the pump's power can go to the seats in use. Each zone can be switched off, so you can run all three or just one.
The valves point the flow to where people are sitting. The Everywhere jet has its own zone, so it can run on its own when the other zones are quiet.
Which seats get which jets?
The deeper seats are to the left of the control panel as you face the tub from outside. Their jets work the upper torso and neck. The shallower seats are to the right of the panel. Their jets work the lower torso, bottom and legs.
The One Model has 12 seating positions, not counting the footwell, and seats 4 to 7 people. If you are choosing a tub for people of different heights, the mix of deep and shallow seats matters as much as the jet total. A test soak on Vancouver Island lets you try both sides.
How do you control the jets on a hot tub?
On the One Model, every jet except the central Everywhere jet turns from off to full with a quarter turn, like a faucet handle. Each person adjusts the jets at their own seat, so one person can have a gentle massage while the person next to them has a strong one.
The pump adds to this. Because the massage pump is variable-speed, the massage can run gently or at full power.
What should you look for when you compare jet layouts?
Ask where each jet group sits and which seat it serves. A seat with no jet working the area you want is a poor seat, however many jets the tub has elsewhere.
Ask which jets run on the massage pump and which run on the water pump. Ask whether each person can adjust the jets at their own seat. Then sit in the tub if you can. The One Model is set up for test soaks on Vancouver Island, so you can try the deep and shallow seats and turn the jets yourself.
What if the jets feel weak?
The King County public health hot tub guide lists reduced jet action as one sign that the filter needs cleaning. On the One Model, also check that the jet at your seat has not been turned down, since a quarter turn changes it from off to full.
If you have checked both and the jets are still weak, contact Good Hot Tubs, and the team arranges the next step.
Questions
How many jets does a good hot tub have?
The One Model has 25 massage jets in three zones, plus 4 whirlpool jets and 2 clean-out jets.
Can you turn the jets off in a hot tub?
On the One Model you can turn every jet except the central Everywhere jet. Each one goes from off to full with a quarter turn, like a faucet handle.
What is an Everywhere jet?
It is the One Model's 7-inch jet, a single jet in the middle of the tub. It sits in its own massage zone.
Do more jets make a hot tub more powerful?
On the One Model, zone selector valves direct the massage pump's flow between three zones, so the power goes to the seats in use.
What are whirlpool jets in a hot tub?
On the One Model, 4 whirlpool jets run on the water-maintenance pump, apart from the 25 massage jets on the variable-speed pump.
Sources
General facts on this page come from these public sources. Facts about the One Model come from Good Hot Tubs.
- Staying Happy and Healthy in Your Hot Tub, sixth edition (PDF). Public Health, Seattle and King County.
Related answers
Is the One Model right for you?
Ten questions about your home and how you would use a hot tub. You see your result before you give any contact details, and you can ask for a test soak on Vancouver Island when you send it.