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I'm not sure if this is the best place for this but please just let me know if I should post it elsewhere.
I rent a house from some people that are great people and friends of a friend.
There is a hot tub in the yard. I used it twice back in late september early october but not since. They explained that it would only cost about $10/month more to keep it running through the winter and since they were moving to Canada (I'm in Maine) they weren't looking to winterize. I wasn't overly concerned until my electric bill went up by $40 in December. So I went out and check the tub and found the water down by over a foot. I assumed that it had just evaporated so I bought a hose and faucet connector and filled it. Within a day it was back down to the same level.
I contacted the owners and we walked through some possibilities and found that the glass in the light is cracked so the water leaks out at that point. The tub has to run more often to stay hot. So the owner was going to order a new light kit and a neighbor up the road is going to install it. Unfortunately there are shipping issues apparently and we haven't received the light kit yet. The owner asked me to keep the tub full so that the motor won't burn out so I have been spending 2-3 hours a night filling the tub for the last couple of weeks. Today he finally was able to talk with someone at the company and they made a recommendation that I'm nervous about. Because the temperture has dropped so dramatically I haven't been able to fill the tub the last couple of days. Under 15 degrees the hose freezes even with hot water from the tap. So this suggestion is temporary until the light unit comes in to prevent me from having to continue to fill the tub.
He'd like me to shut of the circuit breaker to the tub. Place a space heater under the tub and run an extension cord to an outdoor outlet that we have. He doesn't think it's a fire concern because he doesn't think it will have to run often if I keep it at a room temp setting and that the insulation under the tub should retain the heat. I'm nervous that the insulation will burn. People at work think I'm insane to consider even doing this.
I actually might want to buy the house in the future if I don't burn it down first!
I'd like some advice as to whether this plan is logical or dangerous.
I rent a house from some people that are great people and friends of a friend.
There is a hot tub in the yard. I used it twice back in late september early october but not since. They explained that it would only cost about $10/month more to keep it running through the winter and since they were moving to Canada (I'm in Maine) they weren't looking to winterize. I wasn't overly concerned until my electric bill went up by $40 in December. So I went out and check the tub and found the water down by over a foot. I assumed that it had just evaporated so I bought a hose and faucet connector and filled it. Within a day it was back down to the same level.
I contacted the owners and we walked through some possibilities and found that the glass in the light is cracked so the water leaks out at that point. The tub has to run more often to stay hot. So the owner was going to order a new light kit and a neighbor up the road is going to install it. Unfortunately there are shipping issues apparently and we haven't received the light kit yet. The owner asked me to keep the tub full so that the motor won't burn out so I have been spending 2-3 hours a night filling the tub for the last couple of weeks. Today he finally was able to talk with someone at the company and they made a recommendation that I'm nervous about. Because the temperture has dropped so dramatically I haven't been able to fill the tub the last couple of days. Under 15 degrees the hose freezes even with hot water from the tap. So this suggestion is temporary until the light unit comes in to prevent me from having to continue to fill the tub.
He'd like me to shut of the circuit breaker to the tub. Place a space heater under the tub and run an extension cord to an outdoor outlet that we have. He doesn't think it's a fire concern because he doesn't think it will have to run often if I keep it at a room temp setting and that the insulation under the tub should retain the heat. I'm nervous that the insulation will burn. People at work think I'm insane to consider even doing this.
I actually might want to buy the house in the future if I don't burn it down first!
I'd like some advice as to whether this plan is logical or dangerous.
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