Becoming A Hot Tub Expert With Adam About

Adam About is a YouTuber from Plymouth, Devon, who has accidentally become a hot tub expert. With nearly 2.5 million views on his videos, hot tub owners from all over the world come to watch his videos about hot tub maintenance, setting up, reviews, and his personal experiences. Amongst the 2,500 comments on these videos, Adam regularly receives praise for his helpful tips and has users from all over the world asking him for advice.

"Thanks Adam. These videos are a brilliant help. I always refer to this when I’m getting the hot tub set up."

Brian Hunter

We caught up with Adam to find out what got him into hot tubs and his expertise comes from.

What got you into hot tubs?

My wife and I have always enjoyed hot tubs whenever we got the chance - usually when we were on holiday - so were interested in getting one of our own.

We felt we didn’t really have the space when we lived in Manchester, so when we moved to Plymouth in early 2018 and had a larger patio area, one of the first things we did was order a hot tub.

Why did you get a Lay-Z-Spa as your first hot tub?

Lay-Z-Spa felt like the obvious choice when we were looking to buy. They were clearly the market leader in inflatable hot tubs and we wanted to make sure we bought something that would last.

We went for the Hawaii Hydrojet Pro model for two main reasons - size and the Hydrojets. I think inflatable hot tubs are a bit like tents when it comes to sizing - a three-person one is the absolute smallest you’d want to get for two people, and really the bigger you get the more comfortable it’ll be. We had plenty of space, so pretty much went for the biggest model available.

We also really wanted to have the options of both Hydrojets (water jets) and Airjets (bubbles). While both are great, they feel different and we prefer the sensation of Hydrojets and like how they’re a bit quieter. I still recommend going for a Hydrojet Pro version of a Lay-Z-Spa, if you can.

What made you start posting videos about your hot tub?

I’ve enjoyed photography most of my life, and was looking for a new creative outlet. Before I started on YouTube I really enjoyed watching the likes of Tom Scott, Casey Neistat and Mark Rober and they were an inspiration.

I made a few different videos on topics that were related to my lifestyle from technology to food, but it really took off when I made an unboxing video and then a review of my Hawaii hot tub. They’re still there to view on YouTube today! The hot tub videos proved much more popular than anything else.

Also, it felt like there was a real lack of available content showing how to set up and use hot tubs, especially in the UK. I knew it could be difficult from my own experience and I could share what I’d learned. This changed the style of my videos and they became almost exclusively about how to use hot tubs.

At what point did you realise people turned to you for advice about inflatable hot tubs?

The popularity of my hot tub videos - especially the ‘how to’ ones - showed me there was a clear interest in the topic and lots of people were asking questions in the comments section as they were obviously finding it difficult. The instructions that come with a hot tub tend to be quite basic and it seems that lots of people either struggle with them or just prefer to follow video instructions. I think it’s because this is a completely new type of product for most people. They’ve never owned one before and find terms like ‘total alkalinity’ completely bewildering.

Getting the chemicals right is the biggest challenge for most, and some people really get it wrong. As water type often changes by region, there’s no one single solution for all and it becomes more of a trial and error process. I think my videos point people in the right direction and give them the confidence to do it themselves. Some people tell me they re-watch my videos each year as a refresher on how to set up their hot tub.

Where does your hot tub knowledge come from?

When I first started, and I have to be honest here, I really didn’t know anything about hot tubs!

I tried to follow the instructions that came with the hot tub and muddled through a bit. I made some mistakes along the way and started to learn from that.

We were using the hot tub most days, so over a few weeks of continuing to use and occasionally refilling the hot tub, it became easier and my knowledge grew. I was also looking up information online and found a few websites in the US, often for swimming pools, where I got a better understanding of how everything worked.

Now after five years of using hot tubs, having owned three different tubs, and having made lots of hot tub videos, I’ve become more of an expert. As my profile grew, I’ve also had the privilege of being able to work with some of the manufacturers, which has really helped develop my knowledge. While I’m always learning new things, for instance about using alternative sanitisers like bromine, I find it much easier to help others to learn the skills they need, particularly new owners.

If someone asks for advice and you don’t know the answer, what do you do?

This does still happen and sometimes people ask very specific questions about models of hot tubs I’m not familiar with. Out of curiosity, I will try and Google the topic and see if I can find an answer - this helps out the person and plugs a gap in my knowledge so I know how to respond if asked again.

There are some very helpful people within the Facebook forums and Lay-Z-Spa customer services are great too if it’s something I don’t know. Worst case, I’ll let them know I can’t help. I’d rather give no advice than bad advice. For instance, I’ve never had an error code appear on my hot tub, so struggle to give tips on how to resolve those questions.

What advice would you give to anyone unsure about looking after an inflatable hot tub?

Don’t worry about it and give it a go! The key is to trust the test strips and don’t let anyone use the hot tub until you get the chlorine, PH and total alkalinity right.

There are three videos that have been created this year that are designed specifically to help beginners with the initial set up and ongoing maintenance - how to chlorine shock, how to balance chemicals before use using the Clearwater Starter Kit and how to maintain chlorine levels day to day with tablets. Watching all three of these will give a real head start.

Head over to Adam's YouTube channel to view his hot tub videos and get his own personal advice and opinions on setting up, maintenance and chemicals treatment.