I'd like to 2nd your concern of people on the board being far too concerned with testing & chemical levels every day or two. I have been called out a few times on the boards for taking a more relaxed stance. I even earned a "warning point" for not towing the line and bursting someone's bubble. I don't come around much anymore due to the climate created by many (and all the pop ups!).
After a season or so... all the testing & micro levels don't mean much. I have now owned 3 tubs, over 25 years, with very few problems... NONE chemical related. Maybe I'm just lucky.
I own my tub to relax... not to give me another chore or full time job. Use the KISS principle.
Happy Tubbing!
Chlorine gets my vote for all the same reasons. I have used Chlorine for 30+ years and never understand why people think anything could be easier. My water is cleaner/clearer then just about any I have seen.
At most I sometimes rinse in the shower if I've been sweating or dirty, but normally I just slide in the evening before bed. You will drive yourself crazy if you obsess too much about water care. My first few months were tough... until I relaxed on it.
I honestly feel that people would do better just starting with a basic chlorine program and only get into all the other stuff on an "as needed" basis. People may mean well, but most people can own a hot tub for years without ever needing much more then chlorine, some test strips & a good dealer.
TRUE... it is basically a temporary fix, but it is often a temporary problem. As Roger said, those things normally lead to foaming, so cutting them out should help. I think that new tubs foam more until things break in too.
Good Luck!
Two things kinda quick;
When being used in 120 mode, it will only heat in circulation mode, NOT when the jets are running.
The circulation pump is very quiet & barely moves water when running. On my 2008 you can just make out some turbulence in the center of the still surface.
Good Luck & keep us posted!
What about just going with a wooden hot tub? We went smaller then we wanted to make sure we even wanted a hot tub. We love our "lounge-less" tub... but we plan replacing in a few years with a no frills cedar tub that is 4' or 5' deep. We are also all tall ( & wide!) but we prefer the deeper hot water over a few more jets.
Do some research... give the idea a chance. I'm looking forward to replacing ours in a few more years.
Actually seeing as someone else brought it up... when compared side by side... Bullfrog shouldn't even be in the running. As of 4 years ago I would have considered a Softtub before Bullfrog. The things that look good now become the headaches later. IMHO, if you are at all serious about a hottub, you should just avoid the Yugo of hottubs.