Questions about spa blowers (like Silencer) - noise and adjustability.

[lalittle]

I've been trying to figure out whether or not to get a spa blower. I would like more bubble action, but I'm concerned about the potential for too much noise. The neighbors I've spoken with say that they never use their blowers due to the excessive noise they produce. My equipment deck is behind a wall, but it's right next to the spa, so this is a concern. I've read that the Air Supply "Silencer" blower is the quietest one, but I still have no idea what it might sound like. I've heard the "non-quiet" models, and even if the Silencer is MUCH quieter than other models, it could still be too loud for my situation. The specific type of noise they make is also a concern. If it's simply a "woosh" noise, that would not be nearly as bad as the typical "whine" or "tone" you get from a vacuum. I've tried to find videos of the Silencer on places like youtube, but so far I haven't been able to find any.

Could any Silencer users possibly describe the sound that these make, and tell me how it compares to a pump? Also, how much difference does the HP make? Are the 1HP models significantly quieter than the 1.5HP or 2HP versions?

Another question I have is how powerful of a unit I should get, and if they are adjustable. If they are not "inherently" adjustable, if there is any way to wire them through a control that would allow this? If they are adjustable, I would get a 2HP model. If they are not, then a smaller unit might be better. I don't want to end up feeling like there is "too much" force in the spa jets, but I certainly want "enough." Note that my spa only has 4 jets, but I'm not sure if this dictates how powerful of a unit I should get.

Finally, I noticed that some blowers come with heaters. How necessary is this in cold weather? We use our spa when the temperatures are around 40 (or even a bit lower), so I'm concerned that this might make a noticeable difference to the temperature of the incoming jet streams, especially when the heater cycles off for a bit. This has never been an issue with the passive air intake, but would a blower potentially make it an issue?

Thanks,

Larry

 

[danjaymor]

Hi, Larry! My spa is supplemented with a Silencer blower. I have a rock grotto about 25' away from the spa that doubles as an equipment screen. It does sound a bit like a vacuum cleaner motor when running if I'm standing next to it, but when in the spa I cannot hear it over the noise of the water jets......it definitely adds some "oomph" to the spa jets. My wife doesn't care to have it running as much but I prefer it......

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I just re-read your post and saw some of the other questions. I believe mine is a 1 HP. It is not an adjustable speed to my knowledge, mine is simply "on or off".

It blows up the spa pretty significantly, and I've got a fairly good sized spa. Not sure going with a bigger motor would make sense for me, as the jets are plenty strong as it is.

As to the cold weather use, I confess I am not up to speed on how the air is introduced into the system, but using the spa several times this winter with the blower running I noticed no decrease in water temp when using......