Should you Choose a Swim Spa or a Pool?

A lot of people who want a place to relax and exercise struggle with whether they should choose a swim spa or a pool. While this decision can be tough, knowing more about costs, installation, and considerations you'll need to make can help you make the right choice.

Below you'll discover everything you need to know to make the perfect choice for your lifestyle.

Space and Location

Space is one of the most important considerations when deciding whether to go with a swim spa or a swimming pool. Pools are fantastic choices for large backyards, while swim spas are often better for small spaces. If you like to use your outdoor area for a range of activities, a swim spa can help you reap the benefits of a swimming pool while saving you enough space so you can add a patio, garden, or deck.

Even if you have a very small yard or garden, a small swim spa can fit. You can fully customize your swim spa size to the size of your outdoor area, as swim spas range from 12 to 19 feet.

Make the Most of Your Swim Spa

If you own a swimming pool in Canada, you can usually only use it for four to six months. On the other hand, a swim spa can be used every day of the year. For those who want more than fun in the summer sun, a swim spa is a good choice. If you're using it for fitness purposes, you'll be able to stay on track and use it every day, no matter what the weather is like. If you want to gain the benefits of daily use, a swim spa is a superior choice.

Understanding Installation

There are huge differences between pools and swim spas when it comes to installation costs and timelines. Although a pool can be installed in around two weeks, it requires additional planning and preparation such as permit applications, excavation and grading, pouring concrete, and installing a liner prior to filling and using the pool.

Choosing a swim spa will help you reduce the amount of preparation required and start swimming right away. A swim spa can be fully installed and ready to use in three days and only requires a concrete pad for support. In-ground installations are also possible with some brands.

In terms of budgeting, swim spas tend to be quite a bit cheaper than swimming pools. For comparison, installing an in-ground pool costs around $38,000 while a swim spa can be installed for around $25,000.

Make Safety a Priority

Covers are essential for keeping your swim spa or swimming pool safe. While swim spas arrive with the cover included, a swimming pool safety cover can cost anywhere between $2500 and $5000. Swimming pool covers also require a lot of work to put them on and remove them.

Think About Filtering Efficiency

Swimming pools take much longer to filter their water than swim spas. A swimming pool can be filtered in 12 to 18 hours while a quality swim spa can fully filter its water in under an hour. Even if the time frame isn't important to you, because a swimming pool uses a lot of energy to filter its water over a longer time period, a swim spa will save you huge amounts of energy and money.

Choose Efficient Heating

Heating is another area where swim spas are more efficient. Because swimming pools lose so much heat from the surface of their water, they cost more to heat. Swim spas conserve heat because they are built to reuse waste heat that emerges from their pumps. This requires the heater to do a lot less work and makes heating 75% less expensive than what it costs to heat a swimming pool.

Consider your Maintenance investment

Maintenance can be expensive as it requires chemicals, parts, and equipment, but swimming pools tend to cost more to maintain. Maintaining your pool over the course of a swim season costs approximately $1000 while maintaining a swim spa will only cost around $500 per year.

Good warranties can also help you reduce your maintenance and repair costs, but swimming pools usually lack warranties. Quality swim spas typically come with 10-year warranties.

Finally, don't forget about the cost of liner replacement for a swimming pool. You will need to replace your liner every 10 to 15 years at a price between $4000 and $5000. Swim spa shells never need to be replaced, so if you're on a budget this is important to keep in mind.

Creating Fun and Fitness Options

Swimming pools and swim spas both offer fun and exercise options, but swim spas are more versatile. A swimming pool has a diving board, but a swim spa can be customized with fitness accessories including rowing machines, wave pools, water pilates, and other fitness equipment. They also allow you to change the resistance to perfectly accommodate your fitness level. Swim spas are also equipped with workout monitoring technology so you can always be aware of your progress.

Now that you know the basics of swim spas versus swimming pools, download our free swim spa buyer's guide and pick the best swim spa for you.