Hot tub advice requested

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dunginhawk

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Jul 10, 2018
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CLIVE/IA
Good afternoon folks :) I just wanted to ask the intelligent folks here one main question.
I am looking for a spa in Iowa. Only reason I state Iowa is because I want folks to know I am in the midwest for recommendations.
I am looking for a 4-6 person spa that is usable year round and obviously due to my climate is well insulated etc.
If there are any spas that are more easily maintained, id love that too.

It just seems there are so many vendors all claiming to be the best.
This company sprays foam insulation everywhere and if you need work done they have to cut it out.
This company does this or that.

Its simply too much to process :( any help would be great.
thanks
 
I'm a new spa owner. I live in the North East (CT) and recently purchased a Coast spa that uses full foam spray insulation. While you are correct that it would need to be cut out if work needs to be done, the plus side is that it really does insulate well and also provides additional structural integrity to the spa and its internals (at least that's what I've read). Also, Coast is a Canadian company so I figure if it can handle Canadian winters, it should be able to handle our winters ;)

Edit: I should have noted that the pumps and other main equipment is easily accessible outside of the foam insulation. You would really only need to cut into the foam if you develop leaks. With all the plumbing tightly packed inside the foam insulation, not sure how often that would be a problem.
 
having a good cover that isn't waterlogged, and seals well is where to focus on heat retention.

make sure you can sit in the thing, and like the seating arrangement before you buy.

no need to be impressed with ozone, or those mineral things(frog whatever). they are not of any use. a spa with a salt water generator built in would be useful. maybe ask if they will install one, while keeping the warranty intact.
 
I can tell you that I don't like the ozone thing on my tub. I think they put them on all tubs. Anyway, it bubbles and make noises that i dislike. If I were to do it over again I would have them disconnect it, and remove it right from the get go.

Also, there are drop in SWG's that you can get and use. I think that the spas that are designed with SGW in mind have a heater element that is built out of a more robust material. Salt is corrosive to heaters, so yeah. Thing is all spas that get chlorine end up with salt in the water. At least with a SGW you are keeping track of how salty it is.

The spa you linked to is nicer than mine. Dang things are expensive. Looks nice.
 
so for $399 they can add an SWG for me. This particular one i linked also has a single Lounger seat and a couple other shoulder massage seats.
Have to have the wife check it out but it seems like the perfit option
 
Only you can decide if the 400 is worth it for you.

Where it comes into play, is on days that the tub doesn't get used. If you can get out and test and add chlorine every day, then the SWG isn't worth it. If it's worth your time and effort to ignore the tub for a 3-6 days at a time, you'll fine the money well spent.

Ask them if you get a Titanium heater element with the SWG. Or, make sure they do, if you go that route.
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dunginhawk said:
I ordered the tub today. With the SWG and titanium heater element . Also got LED backlighting for all 72 jets :)..
extra filters, etc and total was still south of 7k... feel pretty good about it.
Click to expand...

Hi, congrats on your purchase! Could you please write a small feedback on this tub as soon as you receive it because even though my hubby and I read a lot about it, we're still confused if it's worth buying :)
 
dunginhawk said:
I was youtubing SWG in hot tubs, and this is one of the first ones I found... I immediately had a fairly strong BS meter feeling, but with you smart folks here is there some truth to it?
Im looking to simplify maint of my hot tub. I certainly dont want to make it harder.

Is A Salt Water Hot Tub Better? - YouTube
Click to expand...
Well, your Bull meter is fairly well calibrated then. :D

"The chlorine doesn't have anywhere to go and will eat your cover, sealants, etc." No matter how the chlorine is produced, it acts the same in the water. You adjust the SWG as needed to maintain the proper level of FC for your CYA level. Stuff will eventually wear out, that's the nature of it, but no faster or slower with a SWG than with the proper level of chlorine (or bromine) added any other way.

"It produces too much chlorine, that's why it's used in pools." - This depends on the size of the cell, the output settings, and runtime. Obviously a spa won't have a SWG cell sized for a 35,000 gallon pool, and any SWG should be adjustable. In fact, though I don't have an SWG myself, from what I've read they are great in spas for maintaining the proper amount of chlorine between usages, but you'll still have to manually add additional chlorine after each use to oxidize bather waste (sweat, etc). So basically the opposite of what he said is actually true.

"Add epsom salt, skip the SWG. Salt is how god keeps the ocean free of bacteria." The ocean is must definitely not free of bacteria. The ocean is full of life, including bacteria. And that's at a salt level ten times that required for a spa, or 35,000 ppm. A SWG needs 3000-4000 ppm of salt. Total BS.

Use this sticky to read up on the basics of spa water treatment, the TFP method, while you're waiting to get your spa. Feel free to ask questions if you're confused on something. Make sure you get a proper test kit that has an FAS-DPD test. Pick up a speedstir while you're at it, it makes the testing much faster and easier. Test strips are way too inaccurate, and the cheap OTO chlorine test doesn't read high enough and also suffers from accuracy issues as it's a color comparison test. You can also browse thought the Pool School articles. And a signature with your pool/spa and equipment helps so when you post, others know what you have without having to say it each time.
 
thank you jsey... good info.... I have a question... is there any good digital testing system? It seems like all the test kits are comparing water colors, or strip color to that of a specific line of testing colors. While it can be accurate of course, I dont necessarily trust myself to see the color accurately enough to be right every time :)
If there is a digital test that tests for all the things i want, and its not super crazy expensive i may look in to it :)
thanks
 
Unfortunately this forum hasn't found one that works reliably. That said, in the recommended kits, only the pH is color comparison. The rest you count drops till a color change happens. TA is green to red, CH is red to blue. Chlorine is pink to clear. CYA is flling a tube until you can't see the dot at the bottom.
 
I don't remember where in the forum, But someone had found a digital tester. It was really expensive and I don't think anyone was going to buy it and see how reliable /accurate it was.

Unless your color blind the tests are very easy to see the color changes. The cya is the only annoying one.

I have a 600 gallon premium leisure bromine spa. It has a floater and it's pretty good as long as you shock after every use. The only thing is figuring out when it runs out b4 you have no bromine. Happened to me 1x and had to drain, wash really good, and fill. They last a little less than a month.

When I run out of floaters I'm tempted to try this add on salt system :
Saltron Mini Hot Tub Salt Water Sanitizing System | SpaDepot.com
 
jza1736 , please forgive my ignorance but what is a floater? Also, is it totally normal to have to shock after every use? That seems to be kind of a pain... I want to get in, get out, test once a week etc. perhaps im overly hopeful haha
 
This the one I use, it's the frog system and it came with my spa. It has minerals and bromine.

I feel like it can't keep up with use. The levels get to low. It's adjustable and I keep it on 3. If I leave it on 4, and we don't use it, the levels will be higher than it needs to be. And it will have to be replaced quicker. As of now it, lasts almost a month. If we use the tub 2 or 3 times/week, I just add 2oz - 4oz chlorine (depends on time and amount of people in) after each use. Others may have a better way. This is my first spa and I'm learning (3 months old).

That's why i said earlier, I might switch to the salt system, when I run out of replacement cartridges. My salt water pool is so ez and this has been a lot more work, for a lot less water. I'm hoping it will be like you said test once a week and make sure the SWG is dialed in
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