Coops

Hoping to get some guidance from experts here! I have a D1 spa - about 2 years old now. the spa came with an ozonator that is now beyond it's useful life. I've gone back and forth with sanitizing plans - started with Chlorine and the Vision Cartridge plus ozone. Tried the nitro approach with bleach but there are days I am out of town so keeping up with this was a challenge. I JUST changed the water this weekend so I have a fresh fill. My current thinking is to follow the D1 guidelines for using chlorine plus shock plus the vision cartridge. My questions are: 1)is there any good reason I should have the ozonator replaced? 2) is there any reason to NOT follow D1's guidelines for their chlorine/shock/vision method for sanitizing? thanks to the experts who i hope will comment!!

Ultralife is D1's name for their white spa shell - I have the ultralife shell on my D1 Californian and like it a lot. That said, your photos depict a VERY dirty shell - it appears that the spa was probably left uncovered and not cared for. I agree that you should see it running prior to spending time/money on it!

I was in the same position you are 2 years ago and about the same age!! We were building a deck and knew we wanted a hot tub. Decided to put the tub ON the deck so made sure that the construction was completed with that variable in mind. We access the tub by using steps and then stepping over the side into the tub. THis is actually quite easy to do. I looked at a number of brands and narrowed down choices based on my experience shopping with local dealers. I ended up with a D1 Californian - it says it seats 6 but it is really probably only comfortable for 4 as it does have a lounger. I thought I'd use the lounger a lot but i don't and I really prefer the corner seat. The D1 has a 24 hour circulation pump and this does seem to help with keeping the water decent. I have had 2 problems with the tub - both related to the "M Drive" (the topside controls). Both times, the dealer was here promptly and replaced the part (apparently there was a bad batch of those controls). that problem occurred in the first year and I have not had any problems since. THe decision making and shopping was a bit stressful but every time i sit in the tub i am really thankful and know I made a great purchase!! Good luck!!

+1 Mild climate, love the rare snow. Couldn't imagine covering. Hard rain is the only thing that keeps us out of the tub, and that does happen frequently in the Pacific Northwest, but wait 15 minutes and it will be fine. Good call on all the posts about this being an opinion call. Add in the climate and distance to and from the house, and every persons situation is slightly different. DK117 I am in ROC so i know the weather you'll be dealing with. Our spa is on a deck about 7 steps from the door. We don't have a roof but do have a privacy fence and that cuts the wind a bit. Used the spa a LOT last winter - as you know, it was VERY snowy. The biggest challenge was keeping the deck clear of snow and removing snow from the cover. I used one of those 'sno brooms' that they sell for cars- works great for getting snow off of the cover. The only time i don't use the spa is in heavy rain. a hat can help when the outdoor temps are below 20! ENJOY!!

I am in Western NY and I bought a D1 Californian floor model with LFX package and ultralife shell a year ago for 8200. They also had the Nautulis model for 7600, I think. Your price is quite a bit higher than what i saw for the Nautilus so I am guessing you're closer to NYC/Long Island!

Question about the Nautique. The adjustable headrests / neck jets look like a potential to break. Any experience with the headrest neck jet assembly? Concerned with people playing around with them that the host / bracket are ripe for breaking. Thoughts / opinions? My D1 has one seat with the adjustable neck jets and i have not had any problems with it. In fact, i was just sitting in that seat (it is 15 degrees out!) i have not had a lot of people use the spa but none of my guests have done a lof of adju.sting. My sense is that the mechanism is fairly sturdy.

I looked at D1, Jacuzzi and Hot Springs before deciding to buy the D1. I decided against Hot Springs as I did not care for the local dealer and his sales tactics. I considered Jacuzzi but really liked the D1 dealer who has the best reputation in our area for sales AND service. After wet testing the Californian I was sold. In the D1 line I also looked at the Nautilus but we wanted a lounger and i really like the ultra life shell so the Californian was the best bet. I just looked at the layout of the Nautique online - that looks like a really nice tub and I like the configuration. The only consideration in that particular setup is that it looks like you need to keep at least 2 of the sides very accessible for maintenance (the side where the M-Drive is located and the side where the filters are located). This may or may not be a consideration for you depending on where you plan to place the tub but I am sharing it as it was not something I was thinking about when shopping. We ended up being lucky with how the tub fit/was placed in terms of access (AFTER getting our electrician and local utility company to move an overhead power line :-) Good luck- take your time and ask questions. Most of the people on this forum are VERY helpful. PS I never considered Master Spa but have read several posts about them, their sales tactics, etc. Based on what i've read, I'd avoid them.

I have the D1 Californian and really like it. It has a lounger that gets some use but I prefer the deep corner seat with the neck jets. One of the really nice things about this particular model is that the seating is fairly open and barrier free. I definitely prefer that type of arrangement especially when there are more than 2 people in the Spa (not very often!). Wet testing is definitely important!

Thanks- I just re-read my post and made an error in my original question.... I cannot find Boric Acid locally so meant to ask whether I can use a combination of BORAX and dry acid (vs. Borax and Muriatic Acid). Appreciate your continued assistance!!

Thanks for the continued help/responses. Borax is easy enough to get (and use) but I'm a bit apprehensive about using Muriatic acid...... is there a combination of Boric Acid and Dry Acid that can be used to achieve the same result. I looked at the PoolCalculator and it didn't offer an alternate formula. Right now my PH is just a bit low (7.2) but I did that intentionally as it had been high on fill (8.0). I know that the Borax will raise it and that the need to combine it with Acid is to not raise it too high. Suggestions?? My CYA is now at 32 so I will be switching to bleach.

Thanks for the response! Can you please give me a little detail about the borates?? I have read several posts on this - some describe a product that is available at a spa store (probably not something i can get this weekend). I also read that 'boric acid' can be used and others have described borax combined with muriatic acid. The other question is how to measure this to get the 50ppm. Thanks again!

Greetings and Happy New Year!! This forum has been very helpful - thank you! I took advantage of a 50 degree day today and emptied/re-filled my hot tub. I have a D1 spa with ozonator and have been using the vision cartridge. I've read quite a bit about the dichlor/bleach method and am thinking about switching to this but have some questions. Does the dichlor/bleach method work with an ozonator? Can I still use the Vision cartridge? My vision cartridge is only a few months old (October) - can it be used in the new fill? I do have a Taylor test kit so have the ability to accurately check the chemistry regularly. Any suggestions would be much appreciated!

The dealer replaced my M-Drive a few weeks ago and the problem is resolved!! The error code was #6 originally, then #7 - not sure if this was related to the key that was actually stuck or the number of times the error occurred.

Coops Call your local dealer they had a few topside m-drives with a sticky button, gecko has redone the topside, the new Mdrive seems to working out great...part number 80000d16. It will be under warranty to replace,,,then you should be good to go. THanks SpaGuy- I called and left a message today for the service department. Hopefully, they can send someone early next week. In the meantime, I am shutting it down every few hours as the 'stuck' key keeps raising the temperature. The dealer manager I spoke with today assured me it would be covered under warranty - this will be my first test of their after sales service but from all i've heard it's supposed to be very good.

I have a new (April 2010) D1 spa with the M-Drive control. Changed the water last week, used the spa and all was well. 2 days later the M Drive gave a 'stuck key' error code. I pulled up on each of the buttons/keys and seemed to be able to 'fix' this. Didn't use the spa for a few days and tonight have the error message again. Any thoughts on what is causing this and how to resolve it?? I will call the dealer tomorrow but not sure they will have a technician available. thanks for any assistance!