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ne_skier

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About ne_skier

  • Birthday May 19

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    Massachusetts, USA
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  1. I need a new lifter for my spa cover. The original lifter that came with the spa is twisted and bent from 5 years of opening and closing from one side and doesn't work well anymore. My requirements are: - The cover can be opened and closed relatively easily by one person (my wife), from one side (not standing in the tub). - The lifter and cover will not twist when opening and closing the cover. - The cover is about 95+" square. - There is ~25" of space on the side of the spa where the cover will open to. The original lifter is something very simlar to this: CoverMate II undermount. In my experience, this is a poor design because the bars become over-bent where they're curved near the hinge. The lower part of the bar slams to the ground under the weight of the cover and all the stress goes to the curved part of the bar, and it eventually gets over-bent. Poor, IMO. One local vendor has suggested that a design like the "EZ Lifter" would be less likely to bend because the lifter frame is a full rectangle of piping rather than just 3 sides. That seems plausible but I'm skeptical. Does anyone have experience with hydraulic or gas-shock assisted lifters, for example the Cover Valet or the CoverMate III side mount, or anything similar? I'm leery of the Cover Valet because, after studying the installation instructions, I can see that it doesn't have a full length bar the cover's center panel. The support bars only support the outer 1 foot or so of center panel. That looks like a poor design to me. And one general question. Many cover lifters are designed to be mounted to the spa frame. How do you deal with the panels in this kind of installation? Do you cut away sections of the panels so the lifter brackets can be mounted directly to the frame? Or just screw through the panels and leave them sandwiched between the frame and lifter brackets? And then how do you remove the panels when you need to service the spa? Remove the lifter? That sounds like a PITA. I appreciate any and all advice!
  2. Hi north_of_boston, I'm curious what model of tub do you have?Edit. I just noticed you mention in another thread that you have an Arctic Spa. Brand is noted; still curious about which model though. And yes a tub soak after a ski day is a great thing It's almost that season again! :-)
  3. Brilliant! Can I hire you to do the same for me? :-) Unfortunately my wife would absolutely veto a modification like that. But it sounds great!
  4. Hot Spring Spas is nice enough to list heater watt ratings for all their spas on their website, and it pretty much confirms what you wrote. I looked at specs for all their spas and noticed that all the models with 2 jet pumps have 4kW heaters, while the models with 1 pump have 6kW. I didn't see a correlation with tub size; they have big and small tubs with either number of jet pumps. But it was always 1 pump => 6kW, 2 pumps => 4kW. But I think your point stands about total current draw - more pumps leaves fewer amps available for the heater. (That's a very subtle point I bet no first time buyer thinks about. I know which variation I'd go for if I were buying again!) And I take your point about 4kW not being a legislated limit. Regarding measuring the current draw across the heater; that's a good idea. I'd like to think that test would have been done when I had the circ pump replaced last winter, but I'd have to dig up my papers. I'll reply again if I find that info, or get to do the test myself.
  5. I'm not sure how to specifically confirm that, but would my tub even heat (or run) at all if it were not wired correctly? The tub does not have a 120V mode; it's strictly 240V. The power line was installed and connected by a professional electrician. (That job was done twice actually, but that's an unrelated story.) I had the circulation pump replaced about 6 months ago; the repair guy did a general check of stuff while he was in there. Are you thinking the heater came mis-wired from the factory? But again, I would think the system would be completely non-functional, rather than function weakly, if that were the case, no? As for regulations and 4kw vs higher, I was just repeating what I was told. What manufacturers are you aware of, that currently install 6kw heaters? I'd be curious to read up on their models.
  6. I don't dispute the concept that every penny you shave from production cost gains you a penny of profit per unit sold. You still have not made a convincing case that my tub (or any tub) would be so thinly insulated, that heat loss through the tub's insulation, cabinetry and support structure would equal or exceed heat loss through 60 square feet of water surface, agitated and aerated and directly exposed to winter air. This isn't about the icon of "corporate greed" that cynics love to hate on. (I say that as a cynic who loves to hate on corporate greed. :-) This is about thermodynamics.
  7. The pipes are an interesting idea; I would not have thought of that. Tip the spa on its side > Seriously??? It occurs to me that disconnecting the power line is probably a good idea, if not necessary, if I decide to try this.
  8. I'm not convinced. How expensive is spray foam? Unless it's like $100 per ounce and applying enough would consume a third of the product budget, I find it hard to believe a tub manufacturer would skimp on insulation, to the extent that heat loss through an insulated shell, cabinet and deck surface, would rival heat loss from the water surface, which is aerated, jetted and directly exposed to winter air. Cite some numbers. What's the unit cost of tub insulation and how many units to well-insulate a shell? I notice your sig links to a company that sells tubs and covers. Does your company skimp too?
  9. Hmmm, I'll admit I don't actually know. I'll try to eyeball the insulation thickness next time I have the panels off, which unfortunately may not be until well into the fall due to a yellowjackets nest somewhere inside the paneling. How expensive is insulation material? Tub manufacturers actually will skimp on insulation material? Wow...
  10. Interesting. Dr. Spa some of your statements directly contradict some of what spatech said in his Dec 2011 reply to my OP. I find it hard to believe there is significant heat loss out the bottom of the frame. The tub has insulation applied directly to the underside of the shell.
  11. Bump. I've subsequently been told that 4kw is the highest heater most new tubs come with these days. As it was explained to me: At some point in the mid-2000's, California passed legislation allowing spas sold in that state to have a max heating capacity of 4kw (presumably for energy consevation). A side effect of that regulation is that most, if not all, new spas sold in the US come with 4kw heaters, because manufacturers don't want to deal with state-specific spec'ing. This is per a guy at my local spa dealer (also the place I bought my tub), who claims to have formerly been a product rep of some sort for a manufacturer. This is all what was told to me. This is also the same source who tells me that current tubs can be set to 104 max, by federal law. But a poster in another thread claims that he can set his brand new tub to 106 with a bit of special button pressing. So take this FWIW; I don't know what to believe anymore. When asking different people about installing a higher-wattage heater in my tub, I've gotten a range of answers: - You'll burn out the heater due to insufficient water flow to absorb the heat; - You'll burn out some other electrical bits inside the tub due to above-spec current flow; - You'll be running your supply-line breaker too close to rated amperage and it'll trip frequently, or shorten its lifespan. The most optimistic answer I've been given, again by my local dealer, is that there is in fact a 5.5kw heater that would fit right into my tub. (Sold for older tubs that predate CA's nazi-legislation.) But he wouldn't speculate on the liklihood of burning out anythnig inside the tub, or whether it would improve cold weather heating performance. I suspect this is becoming a moot issue for me. I'd personally love to try sticking the 5.5kw heater in my tub (**), but my wife absoluetly forbids me to experiment with a $10k purchase. I'll admit she's not being unreasonable, and since she's the one who really wanted the tub in the first place, and I'm the one who's mainly annoyed by the under-heating, well... maybe that's the end of it. Addendum: A friend has a circa 2000 CalSpa. The difference between his tub and mine is stark, on a very cold winter day. I've advised him to hang onto his tub for as long as possible. Thanks again to everyone who replied!
  12. I'm a bit scared to ask this but if I've got a looming problem I should at least be aware of it, if I can't fix it. We had a deck built for our tub (by a very experienced builder). I'm not a builder but hopefully my explanation of the construction makes sense. The deck is ~18" above ground and ~12 x 12 ft. The tub is ~8 x 8 ft. The deck foundation is a 3 x 3 grid of concrete pillars. I dont remember the exact diameter of the pillars but Im pretty sure they're at least 12 in. There are 3 main beams running along 2 sides and down the center, seated on the pillars. The beams are composed of 3 or 4 2x10's sandwiched vertically together. There are individual 2x10's connecting the main beams at 16 inch spacing. AZEK decking is layed directly over the skeleton formed by the main & cross beams. The Azek decking is 1 in. thick x 5.5 in. wide. The tub sits on the Azek. To my unqualified eye, the foundation and beams are perfectly adequate. My concern is the following. One side of the bottom of the tub's frame unfortunately lands almost midway between two cross beams; the Azek panels are largely supporting the load on that side of the frame, since it sits nearly in the center of the span between beams. The Azek panels directly under the two corners of this side are sagging a bit. Im certain they're sagging because I can see elevation difference between the two panels under the corners and the non-loaded panels directly adjacent. I haven't measured it with a caliper, but running my finger across the gap between the panels, it feels like 1/8 - 1/4 inch. The opposite side of the tub frame lands directly over 2x10 cross beam and there's zero sag there. My question is, how bad is this? Major problem? minor problem? Not really a problem? I also find it interesting that only the Azek panels under the corners are sagging. The panels under the middle of that side of the base do not appear to be sagging, which suggest that the tub distributes all or most of it's load straight down the vertical corner members of the frame. If that's true, then I'm inclined to suspect that the only thing in the tub that might be getting unduly stressed due to the unevenness of the seating surface, would be the points where the horizontal members at the bottom of the tub frame join up to the vertical corner members. And also, I think the tub shell is probably not getting abnormally stressed from this. I'd greatly appreciate people's thoughts on my situation and analysis here! In hindsight I should've gotten the exact dimensions of the tub's base, determined exactly where it would sit on the deck and told the builder to ensure there were beams directly under the base sides. But I assumed (naively perhaps) that a tub frame would designed to distribute load very evenly. At this point the only way I can envision fixing this is to move the tub when it's empty, rip up a few Azek panels, install extra beams under the corners and then reinstall the Azek. Is it safe to slide an empty tub along a deck? Is that even possible? My tub's manual says it's 800 lb dry. Thanks for reading!
  13. Interesting, and not entirely surprising. I guess the cover is an easy place to cut corners to make a price point. And maybe sensible too, if many first time spa owners are like me, and accidentally ruin their first cover. Does anyone care to recommend a company/brand/source for replacement covers?
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