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gordholio99

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  1. Hey Roger: Yes, it does have the 4-wall system with the spa pack residing externally, under a step. It has 27 jets in all, which is way more than enough for us. Moreover, none of them are of the pin-prick directional variety where you feel like you're getting an accupuncture treatment. They're all big and wide and most if not all of them rotate. Can't tell you the number of times we wet tested spas with 50-plus jets, many of them tiny and unidirectional (Coast Spas for one), only to find ourselves huddling in the middle of the tub to escape the feeling that we were being poked to death by needles. :-) It thankfully doesn't have a lot of bling. No waterfalls, no pop-up speakers or TVs, no aromatherapy. It does have an add-on lighting package (several LEDs across the top, above the waterline) that looks real nice at night. We're taking delivery today. Got the same company to deliver our tub that delivers for Beachcomber throughout the greater Vancouver area. I replaced the 10-gauge cable we had for our old tub with 6-gauge cable yesterday, trenching it where it had to be trenched. (Whee!) We hired an electrician who will come by today to install a 50-amp breaker in the panel and a Square D GFI and box outside, near the tub. One other thing - we'd advertised our old tub (for free) for two months in the local craigslist with not one taker. So, on the advice of a few people here, I bought a sawzall and chopped it up. Hate to add to the landfill, but what are you gonna do? Cost me $20 to take it to the dump in two loads inside my minivan. A nice saving over the $400 we'd been quoted by local moving compaines to get rid of it. gordo
  2. Hey everyone: So...I finally bought myself a new hot tub. I've been hanging around here for a couple months, asking questions and, as I gained a little knowhow, replying to other's questions. I found a lot of good advice here, and in particular want to thank Roger, SpaTech, Hot_Water, and The Spa Guy. You guys are all knowledgable and willing to share that knowledge. In the end, I opted to go with a used Beachcomber 580. It's two years old, and has been owned since new by a Beachcomber employee who lives just five minutes away from me and is very definitely a good guy. It's in pristine condition, and I even get the remainder of the Beachcomber warranty (through the one-time Beachcomber warranty transfer plan). My last hot tub was a Beachhcomber, and it lasted 23 years, which I figure is pretty darned good. I personally liked the idea of a non-foam-filled tub because I would have better access to the guts of the tub in case of leaks/repairs, but Beachcomber has obviously been great for me in the past, and there are very few Beachcomber complaints online. And, it doesn't hurt that the tubs are built just a half hour from where I live. So once again, thanks to all who took time out of their day to give me advice. So much appreciated. gordo
  3. Thanks again everyone. Some of you guys are real comedians. NOT! :-) JBuck, no, it's a Beachcomber. And the enitre spa pack (heater, motor, pump) is already history.
  4. Thanks guys. Yeah, I've already tried at $500 and at $300 before I reduced it to zero. Looks like a sawzall is in my immediate future. I've always thought they looked pretty cool anyway, and I'm sure I could use it for a variety of other stuff around the house too.
  5. A poster by the name of "north of boston" mentioned something in another thread that interested me, so rather than hijacking that thread, I thought I'd ask about it here instead. The short question: Can a "sawzall" be used to cut up an old hot tub? I have a very old hot tub (23 years) that I've had advertised (for free) for about a month in my local craigslist. I've tried my best to recycle/reuse it, but nobody is biting. So it's now come to the point where I really need to get rid of it. If I *could* cut it up with a sawzall, I could package the pieces up in my minivan and take them to the dump in two loads. It would save me a lot of money over the $400 I've been quoted by local spa-moving companies to take it away. So...will a sawzall really do the trick? Will it really cut through a shell, etc without breaking on me? Has anyone done this?
  6. But isn't it the duty of the manufacturer to service anything under warranty, even if there isn't a dealer in the area? I realize the service *may" be slower, but is it not the responsibility of *any* manufacturer to make sure you're handled properly, even if that means contracting jobs out to local spa techs?
  7. I would add the California Cooperage 103. I wet tested one of these a couple weeks ago and really liked it. It's 81 x 81 and feels pretty big. And just deep enough (I'm 5' 9"). I like that the seat backs are built such that you *don't* feel like you're sitting straight up. I daresay I almost felt like I was "lounging" in one of the seats. It even has a cute little waterfall. I compared it directly with the Jacuzzi round tub and liked it quite a bit better.
  8. Okay, I'm a total newbie here - though not nearly as much of a newbie as repairit with his two posts. But these are the type of topics that really worry those of us who are getting ready to buy a new tub. Repairit questions the very integrity of D1 (and Hot Spring) by inferring that ABS-backed shells have a much greater tendency to crack. A cracked shell? Honestly, that's potentially worse than virtually anything that could happen to a hot tub. I've watched and posted to these boards many times over the past month, and I have respect for guys like Roger and Spatech, neither of whom seem to have an axe to grind or a manufacturer to boost. AND, they consistently take the time to advise us consumers when we ask questions. They think D1 and Hot Spring are two of the very best (if not THE best) brands you can buy, and most of my research seems to bear that out. Yet here comes a brand new poster, who in his very first post, along with a number of spelling and grammatical errors, says he has 20 years in the biz and then jumps all over D1 and at the same time builds up Maax. Is repairit an independent tech? Does he have an agenda? Who knows. At least guys like hot_water, who also doesn't like ABS-backed shells, puts forth a real argument based on his own engineering experience and findings. As I said, I'm a newbie, but repairit, can you please do more than magically materialize from seemingly nowhere and make rather broad, sweeping claims? Are they big cracks? Repairable cracks? Cracks due to owner abuse? Whereabouts are you? Do you see more D1 tubs simply because there ARE more D1 tubs? Can we know any more about you other than what we do now (which is nothing)?
  9. I was recently looking at both Maax's "regular" line and the "Elite Spas by Maax" line during my search for a tub. If you're a fan of the Maax concept (metal substructure, thermal rather than full foam insulation, easily accessed plumbing, etc), I'm thinking the Elite Spas series is not a bad buy. It's cheaper than the regular Maax line, yet it really isn't very different. I called the Maax head office in Arizona, and they tell me it's virtually the same thing - including the nice big 56-frame pumps and ABS pan on the bottom. Though now that I'm thinking about it, the 3000 is a wood frame rather than metal. Whether that's a postive or a negative is up to you. The 5000 and above is a metal frame, methinks. gord
  10. Thanks for your opinion, Roger. I know that no hot tub model is fool-proof, but a few educated opinions certainly don't hurt. Thanks again.
  11. So...we've FINALLY narrowed our choices down to two tubs. Due to price points and local availability, and through much research and extensive wet testing, we're either going to go with a: Jacuzzi 300 series (J-335) or a D1 Reflections series (Aurora). I wrote a lengthy post the other day looking for the opinions of people who've worked on spas as to which of these two tubs are better built for the long haul, which are easier to work on, etc. I'm primarly interested in which tub will cause the least grief a decade and a half from now. I think I already know the answer but I guess I'm looking for a little verification from folks more knowledgeable than I before we pull the trigger this Friday. Anyway, I didn't exactly get a ton of responses the first time, so I figured I'd try again. And then I'll go away quietly. :-) Thanks very much to anyone who responds.
  12. Hey Spawn. Thanks for the reply. We looked at the J-210 yesterday. The jetting placement, etc. looks nice for sure, but we liked the slightly (5 inches) larger diameter of the 103. I mean, even husband and wife need a little space now and then. :-) Having said that, they didn't have the J-210 filled with water. We couldn't wet test. How did you find the depth? Decent foot well? Water get over your shoulders?
  13. Hey everyone: Okay, after a few weeks of shopping and wet testing and posting here (and realizing that many brands are not represented in our area), my wife and I have narrowed it down to: Jacuzzi J-335 HotSpring Envoy California Coopergage 103 We have *very* good prices on all three. I know this because I'm incredibly "thrifty" (cheap!) and check everywhere to make damn sure we're not overpaying. :-) The Jacuzzi is $1500 less than the HotSpring, which it should be given that it's not part of Jacuzzi's top line, and the little CC 103 is almost half the price of the HotSpring. I have two questions. The first concerns the reliability, serviceability, and properietary nature of the two "upscale" tubs, the HotSpring and the Jacuzzi. Basically, I'm looking beyond the warranty period and would like to know from anyone who has experience with both if one is substantially easier to fix and/or better designed. I'm aware that some tubs are tougher to repair because of the way they're put together, and some tubs use more proprietary parts than others. For example, the Jacuzzi uses an "Emerson" motor that I know nothing about and what to me appears to be an odd-looking heater element. But I know enough only to be dangerous. Haha. So...are there any experienced repair/service guys or general spa experts out there who can give me their impressions of these tubs in this respect? The second question: Obviously, the little, round Cooperage 103 is in an entirely different class. However, we gave it a wet test anyway because we're accustomed to a lack of jets in the ancient tub we currently own. And you know what? We found we didn't mind the lack of jets. Indeed, the gentle swirling this tub offers was in some ways preferable to the all-out jet craziness of the other two. So...given the much lower price tag, we are considering it. The question then: I'm looking for feedback from anyone who's opted to go with a smaller, simpler, round tub over a high-end jet-filled beast. Did you regret your decision over the long haul, or did you find yourself quite content with it? I don't need any info on anything else (ie foam-filled vs thermal pane, comfort level, etc.). I'm at peace with all of that. Just looking for specific opinions on those two questions. Thanks very much in advance to all who contribute. This forum has helped greatly in our decision-making process.
  14. Hey Roger: Yeah, for sure. The price I mentioned - and ALL the prices I'm considering - factor things like tax, delivery, some setup, removal of my old tub (very expensive nowadays in my neck of the woods), etc. Sorry about that. gordo
  15. Thanks guys. You know, I have a Beachcomber tub right now that's survived nearly 23 years. (!!) The *only* reason I'm moving on is that the motor/pump/heater assembly kicked the proverbial bucket after 13 years on the job. The tub itself hasn't caused me any grief. Not even a leak. But...it has just four (4) jets and a pneumatic control system that's a total pain to access. And yeah, it doesn't even have a working light, never mind some cool LEDs. :-) When I got into the search for a new model, I figured $5000 might get me something decent. Well, it doesn't. So maybe I'm just trying to justify parting with 9000 of my hard-earned dollars. But the concensus here is that I'm looking at some of the most reliable manufactueres on the market, and I've certainly done my research. I guess it's purely my decision now. Gulp. gordo
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