Quickbeam

Don't know anything about the Caldera or Artesian, but I've always really liked the Jacuzzi J-355. That was the tub I would have liked to have, but because our tub was going on a roof deck, we had a size and weight restriction. Couldn't get the J-355. We ended up with the Jacuzzi J-345. It is just a little bit smaller and a little lighter, but was enough of a difference to satisfy the engineer. Don't get me wrong, we like the J-345 just fine, but if I didn't have those restrictions, I think we might have ended up with the J-355, although to be fair we never did wet test the J-355. Please do let us know which tub you end up with and your impressions of the different tubs you look at. Good luck in your search!

Can't help you with the comparison, but we do have a Jacuzzi J-345 and quite like it. We've had it for almost two years now and aside from a couple of minor things, it has been pretty reliable.

Jacuzzi makes a good tub, but they may be out of your price range. Don't know anything about Nordic, but I think (???) I've read that they are a decent tub for the money. Don't take my word on the Nordic though as I am really not sure about this one. I would do a little more research on the Nordic and then go to the two dealers and see how they treat you and what your gut tells you about them. It is definitely not the best that they haven't been in business that long but maybe ask them what got them into the business, what they did before this, etc., etc. Get a feel for them. It was said in another thread on this forum that getting the right dealer is important and that is absolutely true. You need to be comfortable with who you are buying from. You also want to know they are going to take care of you if anything goes wrong. And after you've done all this, then make sure you wet test whichever spa you are interested in. It can be the best dealer in the world, but if the spa doesn't feel good once your in it, then nothing else really matters.

Sorry, but I don't know what price point those spas are at, but one thing I have found is that prices can vary a great deal depending on where you are located. You might want to give out your general location, because a price in one part of the country will very likely not have any bearing on what the price should be in another part.

I haven't been on this forum for quite some time and then a couple of days ago decided to take a look and see what was happening. Was presently surprised to see how it has been cleaned up. Last time I was on here there were all kinds of pop up ads and lots of spam. Had almost made the forum unusable. Was really nice to see the difference. Congratulations to all those who cleaned this up!

"Dan the Spa Man" gives you good advice. I'd only add one thing. He says that if you're not comfortable in the tub dry then you won't be comfortable in it wet. This is probably true, but I would take that one step further. Even if you are comfortable in the tub dry, this does not mean you will be comfortable in it wet. It is absolutely imperative that you wet test before you buy. Most people I know wouldn't buy a car without a test drive. Same thing with a tub. You just shouldn't buy without wet testing.

Most people will advise you to change your water every three to four months. As for the Clear Ray bulb, some will say you can wait eighteen months, but we are going to change ours after one year (we have the J-345).

What Lowrey gets away with is criminal. I understand that a business has to make money and I don't mind a business making a reasonable profit, but quite simply they are ripping off the public with these prices. I suppose this is what happens when you are the only ones with the distribution rights.

Not sure if this is an issue one way or the other to you, but I believe the Sundance has a circ. pump whereas the Marquis does not.

I just recently did my first water change and would like to get some advice re balancing my water. My numbers are as follows: PH - 7.6 TA - 30 CH - 130 I know that my TA is low, but it needs to be at 30 for my PH to stay stable during aeration. My TA was also at 30 during my initial fill. Given the numbers above, my Saturation Index is just under -0.5 (our hot tub is at 101 degrees), which puts my water out of balance. I could raise my PH to 7.8 which would bring me in balance but Im wondering if I really need to, as I am thinking a PH of 7.6 is a pretty good number. I remember that Chemgeek had once said that with an acrylic shell tub with no exposed plaster or grout there is no real need for having the CSI be near zero. So my real question is, should I leave my PH at 7.6, or should I add some borax and try and bring the PH up to 7.8?

Thanks Chem Geek. I'll take a look for Boric Acid. I have the Taylor test kit K-2106. Do I need to get some other kit to measure the Borates to 50 ppm? Thanks again.

I was wondering if anyone can give me some ideas on what I should do to balance my water? I started out with tap water with the following: PH - 7.4 TA - 220 CH - 210 My local spa store (not my dealer) had told me I should add 1/4 cup per week of Spa Stain Control for the calcium hardness. I added 1/4 cup of this once and then ran the jets for about 20 minutes. The next test showed the following: PH - 8 TA - 150 CH - 140 I have been chasing my tail ever since trying to get the PH down. I am using PH down (dry acid) to try and get it down but I cannot get it stable. It keeps jumping back up. As an example yesterday afternoon I had the following numbers: PH - 7.4 TA - 70 CH - 130 The above numbers were taken after adding PH down and running the jets for a good 40 minutes and letting the tub sit for a while. I know the numbers arent perfect but after my wife and I went in the tub last night I took the numbers again this morning, and once again the PH is off the chart. It is over 8. This is what is happening on a regular basis. I keep adding PH down and after I run the jets for a good 40 minutes the PH stays down. Then we go in the tub in the evening and the next morning the PH is back off the chart. I know I need to get the TA to a point where it stabilizes the PH, but I just dont know how much further down I can take the TA? I read somewhere not to go below 50. Should I just keep going until the TA gets to 50? Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.

I could be wrong, but I don't think Bullfrog has a salt system???

We live in North Vancouver, but have a summer cabin in the Valley, and it is the summer cabin where the hot tub is going. Crystalview will be delivering it for us. They really have been great to deal with. They brought in a tub for us to wet test, with no obligation to buy on our part. And in fact we are not buying that tub. After wet testing we decided we liked the J-345 better than the one they had brought in for us (they brought in the Jacuzzi J-335 for us to wet test). And once again Angelie, if you need any further information please don't hesitate to get in touch with me. This really can be a daunting process.

Hello Angelie 1, We also live close to Vancouver and are just in the process of purchasing our first spa. We have decided to get the Jacuzzi J-345. Like you, we were really confused on what to get, and after doing a lot of research and going on a couple of different hot tub forums, we came to realize there are a couple of things that are really important. First of all, and Im sure you have already picked this up, it is really important to wet test whatever spa you are considering. The other thing is to find a dealer you can trust. Dont know if you have considered either Sundance or Jacuzzi, but Crystalview Pool, Spa and Patio in North Vancouver has been nothing short of fantastic for us to deal with (they sell Sundance and Jacuzzi). I should also say I have no affiliation with them, and while we know the spa were buying, and have agreed to a price on the spa, we havent actually purchased it yet. We will be doing so in the next couple of days. If you would like any further information on them or the person we dealt with, send me a P.M. and Id be glad to supply you with the information. Good luck with your search!