Introduction - Softub Fun!

Buying a Second Hand Softub - T220 

This is a bit of a journal to track things happening with my "New" softub - New is in quotes as it is new to me, but far from new. It is a second hand T220 which probably dates from around 2008.

Prior to this adventure I had a Lay-Z-Spa Siena bought as a trial run to see how much i actually used a hot tub. Turned out to be lots and it was great. After ~4 years outside and a lot of use it was getting on a bit. The tub needed topping up with air to use each time as it would go soft over night, the control unit occasionally errored and the top was peeling so I felt it time for an upgrade. I was on the look out for a few options. I really wanted something light as the back garden to my house has a wall that curved round it making access awkward. My brother recommended the Softub range and they seemed a good fit. I'm a sucker for a bargain, like reuse and am pretty handy and resourceful so kept my eye on the second-hand market until this one came up,


The Tub -  is in great condition, no wrinkles which says it either wasn't used that much or the water was kept in good condition. It was housed in a large shed, out of the weather and sunlight so the green vinyl is good and the tub is nice and solid.

The Lid - It is lightweight as it never got rained on. However the lip that covers the edge is tight and will take some easing / softening to get it back into good working shape.

The Hydromate - Well this has seen better days. The soft foam insulation being sticky dust was the first indicator I was going to have fun. See future updates

The Wooden Surround - This also looks in great condition. It appears it was built inside the shed and needs some crosshead screws removing to disassemble. Due to the location of the tub in my yard, I probably can't use all of it because it will sit in a corner and i have a steel strut of a balcony that limits things. I may modify some of it to split the small step part.

Transport - I managed to get the tub on top of my old Jeep Grand Cherokee roof bars. It needed safely strapping and probably looked a bit of a sight - It was only ~30 miles and I went the back roads at a slow speed and pulled in to let people past so I didn't hold up traffic


The jeep was a lockdown paint project for a festival (Haven Outpost) we were going to and slowly evolved into a Post Apocalyptic rat project. It's an ideal go any where support vehicle!


Conclusion

The Softub appears to be a decent buy. It will need a LOT of cleaning as it hadn't been used in some time and had a load of crystallised salts and grime to deal, however the basics are there and it was very good value. 

let the re-commissioning commence!


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