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iveywk

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  1. Mixing brands is fine. Hayward makes good stuff, I happen to run a Pentair shop and its also fine. The decision your struggling with is like choosing a Ford or a Chevy. Both companies understand what your looking for, and make quality stuff.
  2. The one thing that people need to keep in mind with their pool and if they have algae / clarity issues and they are using chlorine and if they have issues they just aren't using enough. On a 25000 gallon pool on the right weeks in June or July (more likely June because in Iowa we get way more rain in that month) it is possible to consume 20 - 30 LBS of CL2 in a given week just to keep the CL2 at the right levels. I have seen my parents pool use that much CL2 and he has it tested everyday. Think of chemicals in your pool kinda like gas in your car. It doesn't matter what you have used. Think of your pool as a car with clarity as a destination, and chlorine as gas to run the car, if your pool is cloudy it is going to take what it takes to get the pool clear. It doesn't matter if it takes 100 gallons to get to where you want to go, you still want to get there. It takes what it takes.
  3. Rainbow Pools in Kenner, La. In the past 2 months, I've called at least 5 different pool co's. 3 fiberglass and 2 gunite. The first fiberglass pool guy was nice and informative and I asked him to call me when he could come out in the next week. Never heard back(until today!). That was 2 mo's ago. The next 'glass guy was in Picayune. He had a sale going on and I contacted him to meet with me on Monday, the last day of the sale. Never heard back from him either. I tried a national chain gunite company in Metairie, but I get a little nervous when salesmen keep telling me how great they are and nobody can beat their price and can't do it faster. The last place I tried was Rainbow. They actually built a gunite pool for a neighbor and it looks awsome. So I made the appointment with the guy, after hours and he actually showed up with photos, insurance, licenses, BBB certificates...really on his game. I picked a pool and he came back on that Saturday on his time. I signed with him Friday night and he starts this Wednesday. I really feel comfortable using Rainbow and absolutely no pressure. Really easy to deal with, very laid back. They've been in business since '87, but have been building pools since '61. It's a Father/Son operation with crews. His son (part owner) does the excavation, rebar and gunite work himself with a crew assisting. Another crew does the finish work while he supervises. He assured me that he would be here everyday that his crews are working. After much debating, I really feel comfortable with Rainbow. http://www.rainbowpoolandspas.com/page2.html I think you made the correct decision. In my market we keep our crew busy and make no bones about how we have no interest in doing the cheapest, fastest pool. Why would you want that? Just FWI I'm going to buy my dads company with my brother. We have been in business for 40 years. Hopefully if we can do as well as our father it will be another 40. If someone has been around since '82 and they are still involved with their product then they will do a good job. Enjoy your pool!
  4. I don't really care what "components" are used as long as they work. I currently carry two brands of spas at my store, one is fantastic and the only problems I have are due to shipping issues and they might leak out of the box. That is about at a 1 to 50 ratio of issues out of the box and not. The other is considerably less reliable and is more like 1 to 5 or 1 to 6. The more and more this stays the same the closer I get to firing the second company, but we have a 20 year history and it is difficult. The fact is what we sell is what we sell and we're going to fix what ever may go wrong on the spa, but the reality is that I don't want to be in the business of fixing spas. Its a pain in the ass. Its a necessary evil but I need a pissed off customer calling me like a need a hole in my head. To answer your question, if I get positive feedback from someone I trust in this industry (and it is actually very small and word gets around) then I'll run with it. If someone tells me to stay away then I'll follow their advise.
  5. A liner is going to float whenever the water table is higher then the pool and there isn't a hydrostatic valve on the drain. At my store we hear about it maybe a couple of times a year.
  6. Your spa definitely froze. The humming you heard was the pump trying to run but not being able to because of the ice that was inside of it. Anyway your spa isn't ruined and can be repaired, it might be expensive, but not nearly as much as a new spa.
  7. Bah I accidentally deleted the whole thing instead of my edit.
  8. The first thing I would do is see if your filter is plugged. Like the above poster said, pull the filter and see if the tub starts to heat. I'm pretty sure just about every spa has some type of pressure switch, or flow switch, so if your filter is plugged, its not getting enough water going through the heater, and it won't turn on. Its a safety measure so you won't burn up the heater. If the heating element is shot then (on the spas that I sell at least) when the spa calls for heat it tries to turn on the heater and trips the breaker. So what your describing sounds like either a plugged up filter, or a bad pressure/flow switch.
  9. I'll preface by saying I'm a dealer in Iowa, so the climate would be similar, either type of pool is going to last you for a long time provided that it is taken care of properly. I would think the primary difference between the two types of pools would be the cost. A concrete pool in my market will be 15K more then a steel walled pool for the same size (16 x 32.) Either type of pool will have maintenance costs down the road. A vinyl liner will need to be replaced every ten years (roughly a good range would be say 7-13 depending on water chemistry.) A concrete pool will need to be repainted or re-plastered every few years, that’s a pain in the ass, and that isn't cheep. A concrete pool tends to be less forgiving due to water chemistry. Good water chemistry is important in either pool, but a concrete pool can etch or scale depending on where your going to keep your PH. Either way is a good way to go, just make sure to pick a good builder, each type of pool will last provided they are built correctly. Good luck with your purchase.
  10. I do have a question for those who have bought covers online. Have you had any troubles with shipping damage to the cover? We used to try to get covers in for people shipped common carrier, and its not worth it, about 65% of them would come in damaged. Now we bring in covers with our spas. I think online would be a great place to get them, but I would be leery of shipping damage.
  11. I'll preface this statement by saying I am a Vita dealer, and from our end, in terms of dealing directly with DM (the company who makes them) they offer excellent support to their dealers. I think the Rendezvous will compare vary well with any high-end spa that you are going to look at. I will go back to what I always say about buying a spa. Check the dealers of the three spas your looking at. How long have they been in business, how long have they carried their respective brand of spa. Check the BBB and make sure they take care of their customers. Any spa no matter what spa your buy or how well its maid; will break down, and will need to be fixed. You need to buy your tub from a reputable dealer. That is the most important thing.
  12. Why do dealers/owners of their spa try to sell them here? Listen to Amanda, she has hit it right on the head, each situation is different. I don't tell my friends that live out of town to buy the brand of spa that I sell. Go shop, find some tubs you like, and wet test them. Make sure the dealer has been around for awhile and they dont change the brand of spa every year. Comfort is the key word.
  13. Of the three tubs you have listed I would say I would probably buy the Sundance or the Hotsprings before the Islander. I think it really all comes down to how you think your dealer will take care of you if you have any issues, but both Hotsprings and Sundance are major players and have a better track record then Islander (ask the Islander dealer how long Islander has been in business.) As a side bar (I'll preface this by saying I work in the pool and spa industry and I'm not a Hotsprings or Sundance dealer) how can anyone say that Hotsprings is better then Sundance or Vice versa? I'm sure the Hotsprings guy will say they are the best selling tub in the world; they are for a single brand. A Sundance dealer would say the manufacturer that makes their spas is the biggest in the world, that is also right (Jacuzzi) Find the dealer that you think will take care of you the best. Look at how long they have carried the spa, check the BBB, and ask for references. Don’t believe ANYONE here saying that the spa that they have/sell is the "best." Hope this helps. EDIT: I mentioned this in another post, and thought I mentioned it here. WET TEST!!! Or at least find the spa that you sit well in dry and that will fit your needs.
  14. as2240 What exactly are you looking for? A unbiased report on the spa your looking for? Or are you just practicing how you can copy and past quotes over and over again? To answer the OP Artesian makes a very good product but that is only as good as the dealer. If you have found the spa that you like the most make sure the dealer will stand behind their product. Like the previous poster said, wet test, just because the spa didn’t fit them doesn’t mean it wont fit you, so wet test. Spa shopping is a confusing process, I get tired of reading posts of people here pitching their own spa when people ask for advice, and that goes for people who have maid their decision on a spa purchase and they attempt to justifiy it or for dealers trying to sell their own product. If you like the Artesian and you think the dealer will be in business and will continue to service and sell the spa during the time period your going to be dealing with them then by all means buy it. If you notice they have switched brands repeatedly and they have service issues, then find something else. Hope this helps.
  15. Waterbear pretty much hit the nail on the head. Just for clarification sake I'd like the add this; the only time you would probably ever notice the difference between water that is filtered from a DE system, cartridge, or sand would be at night, with a light on in the pool. A DE filter will pick out smaller stuff, and will eliminate the partials that can cast shadows while the pool is lighted. Will this make the water any better? I suppose but I personally don't think its worth the hassle. I work in the pool business, while I'm not at a home where I'm going to be for a long time so I don't have a pool as of yet, when I do have one I'll probably use a sand filter. If I use a cartridge system I'll use a cartridge that is large enough that I'll only have to clean it once a season. As for floor returns, the only benefit I could see for using them would be that they might stir any dirt that collects on the bottom for the pool into solution to cut down on vacuuming. Just like a pressure side cleaner works. I could see how it could help heat circulate throughout the pool, but I'm sure every quote you've had includes a main drain, and that is exactly the same function the main drain has.
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