hot tub and spa message board

Re: Spa newbie needing advice on buying a new spa.

Posted By: Vinny
Date: Friday, 12 May 2006, at 7:52 p.m.

In Response To: Spa newbie needing advice on buying a new spa... (Jimmy2k)

Welcome!

There is no ranking - it's ALL opinions. It's a matter of what YOU like the best. Hot Springs, Jacuzzi, Sundance, Dimension 1, Artesian, Marquis, Coleman, Master, LA Spas and others are all good spas. As you said, find a dealer that you like too.

Ozone has been debated and some believe in it and some don't. There is no hard true evidence that ozone works BUT people who have it say it does. I have it, run it for 10 hours a day and don't know if it works. When my ozonator dies, I'll see how it goes.

Jet pressure is something of a personal nature. Only you can determine what feels good; don't worry about jets or HP, worry about how the tub feels to you and if you are comfortable in it.

As far as a 4 KW heater, I have a 400 gallon tub and I don't see a problem. How long will you soak for? I soak for about 40 to 50 min and my tub drops about 1º or 2º in the winter. My tub stops heating 1º above setpoint and it'll start heating back up 1º below. This was the first winter I had the tub and the temps were in the 20 - 30ºF range. The heater is usually ready to kick on as I'm leaving the tub, so for me a 4KW heater is OK.

Finally, the hardest part of shopping is wading through the sales BS. The majority of tub manufacturers have good designs, shells that last, heat water efficiently and keep water clean. Don't be fooled by any clames of "the best" - there ain't no such animal!

Good luck and enjoy your search!

: Hello all, I'm a newbie looking to buy a new
: hot tub and I really have little knowledge
: in this area. What I could really use is a
: ranking of say the top 15 spa makers. I have
: been doing as much research on this as I
: possibly can as I plan on spending upwards
: to 8-9k on this, which is a large amount of
: cash. I'm lucky to have 3 different sellers
: in my area and they sell Jaccuzi,
: HotSprings, CalSpa, and Sundance brands. Of
: these I'm more impressed (so far) with the
: HotSprings and Jaccuzi brands.

: What I've learned so far...
: - I have seen many say to make sure whoever I
: buy from that they will be there to service
: when reparis are needed. This seems to be a
: common thread throughout and I can see the
: importance of this.
: - I also plan on doing a wet test.
: - Not knowing much about the bad side of
: ozonators I'll probably go with this.
: - I've read that 4 horsepower for 25 jets makes
: for weak jet strength and that a 4kw heater
: for 400 gallons doesn’t have enough power to
: heat the water back up once the cover has
: been removed.
: - HotSprings claims to have some special
: thermoplastic material they make their
: shells out of that is better than the rest,
: could just be a sales pitch.

: If anyone has opinions on these please share!
: That's about the extent of what I've
: learned, so any and all infomration/opinions
: are welcome!

: Much Thanks!
: Jimmy

Messages In This Thread

• Spa newbie needing advice on buying a new spa...
  Jimmy2k -- Friday, 12 May 2006, at 6:56 p.m.
  • Re: Spa newbie needing advice on buying a new spa.
    Vinny -- Friday, 12 May 2006, at 7:52 p.m.
  • Re: Spa newbie needing advice on buying a new spa.
    footsie -- Saturday, 13 May 2006, at 6:47 a.m.
  • Re: Spa newbie needing advice on buying a new spa.
    drboyd -- Saturday, 13 May 2006, at 9:42 a.m.
  • Re: Spa newbie needing advice on buying a new spa.
    n1oty -- Saturday, 13 May 2006, at 3:05 p.m.
  • Re: Spa newbie needing advice on buying a new spa.
    Jimmy2k -- Saturday, 13 May 2006, at 3:06 p.m.
    • Re: Spa newbie needing advice on buying a new spa.
      rali -- Saturday, 13 May 2006, at 10:10 p.m.

Hot Tub and Spa Cover message Board is maintained by Spa Cover administrator with WebBoard 5.12.