Hot tub water features

A water feature is a nozzle or a lip that throws a sheet or an arc of spa water through the air and back into the tub. It runs off one of the tub's pumps through its own valve, or off a small pump of its own: Dimension One gives the fountains on its Bay and Reflections tubs a dedicated pump. Most are lit with LEDs. Hot Spring's BellaFontana, three lit arcs of water, comes standard on its Highlife tubs except the Jetsetter.

Most brands put at least one on their bigger models. Master Spas lists three water features on its Legend tubs and one waterfall on its Twilight, Clarity and Getaway models. Marquis gives its Crown tubs four backlit fountains. American Whirlpool's 881 has four lit water arcs, and Caldera puts an LED-lit waterfall on most Utopia, Paradise and Vacanza models. Wellis fits a 24-inch lit waterfall you can sit under on some Life models.

They cost some. Water in a tub sits under a cover or a still surface; water in a waterfall is spread thin and moving through open air, so it cools quickly and some of it evaporates, carrying heat away. A spa builder notes that the water running through a feature cools faster than the rest of the tub, which raises heating cost whenever the air is cooler than the water. The same builder points out that a feature's lines should not run in freezing weather, and that a feature can get in the way of a standard cover. The cost is small for a few minutes of use and adds up if the feature runs every time the jets do.

It adds a valve, a nozzle, often a light and sometimes a pump, all of which can scale up or fail. Warranties often leave it out: Dream Maker's warranty, for example, excludes the waterfall along with filters, pillows and LED lights. Ask whether the feature can be switched off on its own, whether it has its own pump, and whether it is covered by the warranty. If you like the sound of moving water, enjoy it, but choose the tub on its seats, pumps and insulation first.