kiwi_outdoors1

I replaced all 6 of mine as soon as I noticed them degrading.

I repaired the burn-out on my board - so I avoided your problems. had to replace a relay or two, and bypass a damaged copper trace and stud. Fun little project. Please do post up your final resolution - as I may need it in years to come.

when we bought our hot tub (485 gallons) in 2007 we quickly switched to Leisure Time Bromine tablets in a floater. The tablets were cylindrical anbd fit nicely into a hocky puck floater, and as the bottom tablet dissolved the tablets above moved down. Once we figured out the right aperture (opening) in the puck's cylindrical poartion, keeping the Bromine level was relatively easy. Some time in th elast 2 years Leisure time switched to tablets that look like cold capsules. They dissolve way too fast, and we have to fuss with/reload the hockey puck twice as often, or worse. We have tried other brands of tablets which are still cylindrical - they seem to hang up in the floater. And - they seem to be inconsistent in the rate at which they dissolve. Has anyone else been experiencing these issues?

has anyone found a good Bromine Tablet floater (dispenser) for long term vacations. 5 weeks this time. The hot tub water will be at 70 degrees for most of that period. We are using the weaker (slow release) type of tablets ("Spa Choice", not the faster Leisure time tablets). Absent a response, I may try and make a dispenser for this vacation. The circulating pump runs 24/7 (OEM hardwired to do that) 485 gallon hot tub. (BTW - these slow release tablets hang up in our floater, the faster Leisure time tablets are bettr behaved).

My Downeast spa has metal framing, painted or coated black. No signs of rust so far. Our moderate and mostly dry climate helps a lot.

I never leave it empty for longer than an hour, so the seals at the jet-to-tub seals cannot dry out - I wonder if that helps with longevity?

the 3 big jet systems exercise themselves automatically twice a day - to get some new bromine into the pipes' innards. If I unplugged the pumps' wiring harnesses the jet piping would start breeding unwanted biologial items. Yes - as I stated - it has a 24/7 circulation pump - which uses the non-jet piping and the filter bay (a very small amount of piping at that)

"Spray and Forget" is for whatever black crud stains the stone patio (a problem in shady areas when its wet). IF you maintain the spa water properly using its prescsribed chemical regime (check your spa manual) you should not get algae inside the spa plumbing (i.e., the "white snot" that I referred to)

IMO don't put anything on your skin if you want a clean hot tub. Else shower it off before you get in the tub. The mods (insulating + solar) did bring the electric costs down to a "tolerable" level. Insulation alone was not enough. My wet and forget is sprayed on after the stone has dried overnight. I did not rinse it. It worked great. (it was actually the "Spray and Forget" product) The Japanese soaking tubs that I have seen do not have the lounging couches built in.

any hot tub that comes complete from the factory and is not built-in. It thus avoids certain building code issues.

Our Experience with a Portable Hot Tub 2007-2021 (updates in italics) This is one married couple’s experience, no more, no less. 1. We bought the Downeast Spa Portsmouth SE model with no prior research, bought it at a “Hot Tub Expo” at the county fairground – bad idea – we paid too much. It has 88 jets, 3 jet pumps and a 24/7 circulating pump. Pumps have been no problem. Price included an ozonator – we never found it, and if it exists at all its not plugged into to the controller. 2. The spa had one big initial leak due to forklift damage – repaired at no labor cost – but – we have to pay travel time (total 180 miles) to the repair guy. Read your fine print! 3. Here in S.F. Bay Area – PG&E’s tiered pricing for electricity is dreadful. So we added extra internal insulation (loose and board) to the tub and added a 19-panel solar system on our roof. We also added 1.5” or rigid insulation board under the tub (and PTDF 2x4s under the perimeter steel frame). 4. Husband enjoys the lounge (bed-like) seat, which faces the southern part of the celestial sphere (night sky). 5. We watch some meteor showers form the hot tub; but being in the city it needs to be a moonless night. The Geminids are best on account of having fireballs. 6. We had a relay and power circuit board trace burn out on the controller board. We replaced the relay and bypassed the burnt trace (the relay had extra output pins). We replaced the heater at the same time. 7. This tub came with a too-fancy 3-stage filter. Very $$ to replace filters. So we switched to just using the large pleated filter, changing it as needed. 8. Mostly, its just the two of us. We figured out that the tub stays pretty darned clean if we don’t use any kind of roll-on or spray-on deodorants or anti-perspirants on our bodies. Cleaning the tub interior is only a periodic wipe-down using a towel when in use. 9. The tub is set on a slightly raised concrete pad and is a bit of an eyesore in our yard. At some point I would like a smaller tub set lower (in a recessed vault) so that it’s easier to get in and out of and less of an eyesore. Also, if the tub was partially recessed in the stone patio, then the risk of head injury from a small child exiting off the edge of the tub is reduced. 10. Chemical maintenance is mostly bromine tabs, with occasional shots of Spa Up, Clarifier and Calcium Hardener, and maybe some Enzyme very occasionally. 11. When I change the water, I use a small submersible pump and my garden hose with a squeeze-to-spray nozzle, and hand scrub clean my sandstone paving using the warm water. We cannot waste water here in Calif. This is followed up with a spray of “Wet and Forget” to kill black mold (or whatever it is that grows in shady spots). 12. We would prefer a hot tub with no jets – just a good soaking tub. The jets do not relieve sore muscles or joints. It’s all about the hot water. 13. When days on end of rain is forecast, we erect a 12 x 12 sunshade over the hot tub and continue to use the tub. 14. We have replaced all the O-rings on the screw-type plumbing “unions” once except we have never replaced the O-rings on the circulating pump (O-rings, ordered from Downeast, were the wrong size) 15. Leisure Time bromine tablets are more responsive to our needs than Spa Choice – because they are different chemistries. 16. When I change the water, I use my shop vac inside the empty tub to suck the remaining water out of the plumbing. 17. About a decade ago we had one instance of “white snot” in the water. Fixing that problem included changing the water. Never had it return. 18. For a vacation period, we turn the tub to sleep mode, turn it down to 80 deg F, and open the top for at least 12 hours prior to departure – to cool it off. Cool water uses far less bromine than hot water. 19. We have not had any rodents get inside the void spaces (there are mice and rats around at night). 20. All jets are removable, but if you don’t remove them periodically, one or two jets may be a real challenge to remove. 2.1 The jet pumps intake screens were all replaced after rotting out.

I want to depress our 8 ft square potable spare at least partially into the ground (into a vault) to reduce its visual impact in our small back yard. What I really and truly want is an acrylic spa shell and NO jets, just a circulating pump and heater and filter (and the regular digital controller). I would place all the key parts outside of the spa fotprint, for ease of maintenance. Has anyone heard of a vendor selling just the acrlic shell?

so, you lock a thread because you don't agree with a lack of instant 100% agreement. You have no patience to see how the end story plays out? In this world you need to learn how to get along. Which means accepting that there are other points of view, and even in science a fact today may be wrong tomorrow. With regards to bromates, I do intend to read some more, after my house guest have left, and after our fall vacation, just not right now. Especially as our camper needs a new repair, discovered this afternoon..

I recently bought a $20 radiant thermometer at the local auto parts store - point and shoot with laser sighting - it works great. Now that I added 1.5" of rigid foam under the tub the concrete pad is 5 degrees cooler, so I have reduced the heat loss via the ground to some extent.

My experience with the Masterspa Portsmouth SE is similar - there are two things going on. First - in my instance - our local utility PG&E has tiered rates that are egregious. In our last bill we got into the 41.5c per KWhr level !!! And we are a 1,660 sq ft house in Oakland, CA with gas appliances. Secondly, I bought a $20 hand held infra-red thermometer at the auto parts store and its great. Its telling me that my concrete pad is warmer than its surroundings - it ought not to be so warm - so heat is getting from the spa into the concrete pad. The next time that I empty the spa I'll lift it up and put some high density foam under it (once I find a supplier, I know it exists because its available commercially). Tonight we added 2" expanded polystyrene foam on 3 of the four sides, outside of the spa, so lets see how that helps. We had already filled the spa interior spaces with baggies of foam peanuts. And the other thing to cut energy consumption is to leave all the air jets off when you are not in the tub. Because during the automatic cycles (min three per day) they add cold water to your tub and cool it down.