Jump to content

lparsons

Members
  • Posts

    40
  • Joined

  • Last visited

lparsons's Achievements

Junior Member

Junior Member (2/5)

0

Reputation

  1. Thank you for clarifying that; it was what I was starting to expect from some of what I had seen but it is always good to hear it confirmed from someone who knows more about this than I do (which of course is a very long list of people). Hence it seems like most likely I would need an electrician to get things ready for a tub regardless of whether it is 120V or 240V.
  2. Thank you for your reply. The seller says it is a 2006 model, and that they have a 220V breaker for it. What would I need to do then to run it on 120V? I have never had a 120V spa before, can they plug in to a regular outlet (provided it is on a circuit with adequate amps) or does it need something beyond that? You said the plug is different for 20amp than it is for 15amp, do you mean the plug is physically different and would not plug in to a regular outlet?
  3. i am looking at a used Hot Springs Jetsetter tub, and the owner says it is running 220V. I was previously under the impression that these were convertible tubs - were there any of this model that were 220V only? I asked the seller and they didn't know, so I thought I would see if anyone here might have an answer. If it is indeed a convertible, but they only used it as a 220V tub, would I need anything in addition to the tub to run it as a 110V tub somwhere else?
  4. Is it the original cover? If so I doubt that you would get a new core into the vinyl, which shrinks up and gets brittle over time. Also, if it is original then the Watkins covers are tapered from about 3.5 to 2.5 inches. I admit I did not measure the cores closely prior to now; they seemed to be non-tapered until I saw you mention it and finally went outside with the tape measure. I think your estimate is right; the shorter end is ~1 inch shorter than the tall end; I just didn't notice it because of the distance between the ends. That said, it is the original cover. I pulled the cores out - and got them back in - today. One was almost perfect, I'd say it weighed maybe 10 pounds and I was able to easily drain the water out of it. The other was absurdly water logged and weighed over 100 pounds. I was barely able to move it myself and there was no easily accessible water to drain from it. The vinyl of the cover was in OK but not great shape, however I managed to somehow mangle it when I was putting it back on to the top of the tub. So I guess I'll be buying a whole new cover after all. Ouch. I think I'll go after-market rather than through our dealer since I only feel kinda lukewarm (no pun intended) about them right now after they sold me a ~$35 filter yesterday for $80.
  5. Does anyone know a good source for replacement cover cores (other than OEM / dealer)? I poked around on google and it seems most people want to make a whole new cover for me, which I would rather not pay for right now. We have a ~2006 Tiger River Bengal. One of our cover cores are extremely water logged - I'd estimate the core weighs over 100 pounds due to the water right now. The other one wasn't bad at all. I'd like to just replace the one core and get on with hot tubbing again; maybe replace the full cover in the summer. I also checked craigslist and ebay but didn't find anything useful in terms of replacement covers. I also notice the places that make covers all seem to want to make tapered covers now; ours is not tapered. Obviously a tapered core wouldn't fit our non-tapered cover.
  6. where are you located? Upstate new York. I am in the process of calling dealers in other cities since ours doesn't seem to want us as customers anymore. If I am going to have to pay for a core that should be provided for me under warranty, I certainly won't pay my dealer for it. Dealer is trying to claim that the cover is somehow damaged and the warranty does not apply because of that. I am not aware of any cover damage, if there is any such damage I would expect it was the result of the flea market quality kokido cover lifter they gave us that failed in less than a year.
  7. Our dealer refuses to replace our water-logged cover core under warranty, claiming that what I was told by Watkins (Tiger River / Hot Springs) was not accurate. One side of our cover is so much heavier than the other that the cover is extremely difficult to open (the extremely low-quality cover lifter the same dealer gave us broke a while ago). Does anyone know any other place where I might be able to purchase a core for our cover? These guys are the only dealer listed on the Watkins web site for our area. I could try looking at the next large city over from our state and see if I can find a better dealer out there, but I figure at that point I could just as well order from a dealer online. As it is a current tub I don't see a reason to custom-order one if I can find another dealer that has one available.
  8. When my wife and I started shopping for a hot tub after moving, we pretty much already knew what tub we wanted. So we looked for a dealer that carried the tub we wanted (call it tub from vendor A) in the area; unfortunately there was only one such dealer in this area. During the shopping process, we also found a different dealer who had a tub from a different vendor that we also liked (call it tub from vendor , though not as much as the tub we really wanted. And the experience, even as casual shoppers, could hardly have been more different between the two dealers. Dealer for vendor A was casual to the point of ignoring us. Employees seemed uninterested and very few tubs were displayed (even fewer were connected or filled with water). Dealer for vendor B was professional but never pushy. Employees were dressed like professional retail employees and tubs were set up nicely. We purchased tub from vendor A. I think we made a terrible mistake here. Don't get me wrong, we love our tub. We actually ended up buying a tub from manufacturer A (though a different model than what we first had in mind) from the dealer who carried tubs from manufacturer A. Delivery was slow and uncommitted. I recall it was rescheduled at least once, and I had to call them more than once to check on the status prior to delivery. Random group of guys in t-shirts with a pickup truck brought the tub to us, though at least they did the install. Same group of guys did not have all the equipment they needed to set everything up; they borrowed a hacksaw from me for the cover lifter setup (a minor annoyance as of course I got the hacksaw back). Installed tub had a bent cover (foam core on one side), it took several months before they replaced the foam core as promised. When I called with tub problems, they told me to talk to "the spa guy" at the store, who was nearly impossible to get ahold of and never actually came out to see the tub. Newest dealer problem bothers me a little more. We have a water-logged foam core on a tub that is less than 2 years old. I contacted the manufacturer and they said it is covered under warranty. Dealer is dragging their feet on the issue, even after I gave them the contact information for the customer service rep I talked to from the manufacturer. Dealer left nebulous voicemail for me after I called them a second time and has done nothing so far. Moral of the story: I would advise getting your second-favorite tub over your favorite, if the second-favorite has a better dealer. You shouldn't have to contact your dealer much after you buy your tub, but if you do, you want to know that they will actually support you and not hinder you.
  9. I figured our cheap Kokido lift was a direct knock-off of one of the Covermates. I was extremely disappointed with the Kokido lift as it originally broke in a wind gust when the cover itself flipped over and sheared off the horizontal studs from the bracket. As for the cover, our dealer told us that most moisture comes from the tub itself, though the rate at which the cover gained weight doesn't seem to coincide with that (unless there is a tear somewhere as you had suggested). I say this because the first 8-10 months with the tub there was no noticeable change in the weight of the cover, and then it very quickly started to gain weight dramatically. We didn't change the tub settings over that time period, and our use of the tub didn't change much then, either. However the weather (the tub is outside) did change quite a bit during that time and the tub was rained on a lot. We also sprung a leak in the gutter that runs right above the tub, which then was dripping directly on the cover anytime there was water running through the gutter (rain or melted snow from the house).
  10. The cover lifter that our dealer provided us with for our tiger river bengal when we purchased it in summer of 2007 failed catastrophically a couple weeks ago. By this I mean that the center rod that crosses the cover actually snapped off, and the cover lifter is of course no longer under warranty. We are now looking for a new cover lifter for our tub. Dealer wanted $200 for the same one that already broke on us, and we figured we might do well to look for a different one anyways. Apparently hot springs makes one of their own now, but the dealer said that would cost "about $500". So I'm interested in the following cover lifters: Cover Shelf Cover Caddy Ideal Cover Lift Or the Cover Catch (can't find a link) Does anyone have any of those models, or have particular advice towards a different one? The one that our dealer sold us was the "Kokido" lift. Doing a google search for kokido cover lifter leads mostly to information on a patent infringement trial (and the Hong Kong address of the Kokido company). Also, our cover is very heavy now. I presume it is water-logged. What is the best way to keep that from happening if we go to the trouble of either drying the foam inserts or replacing them?
  11. I don't think our house had enough amperage coming in to run the 120V model anyways, and in Upstate New York we appreciate having heat and jets at the same time (especially in the winter) The first year we had it, we experienced a few storms with winds in excess of 50mph, which was enough to flip the cover off the tub (and drop leaves in the water). Of course over time the cover gets water-logged and much more difficult to flip... If memory serves me correct that is a trait of the 120V vs 220V model. Even in near-freezing weather outside I can fill our tub and have it ready in less than 24hours. I honestly don't remember off the top of my head what we paid. I think we were in that range, but the delivery, set-up, chemicals, steps, and cover lifter were all included. I wonder if perhaps our tub was shipped with the valves open then? Because I have never seen or adjusted any valves. The only thing I've had available for draining is the cap on the drain. I think the Sovereign was the HS model we looked at when we were still shopping. I did a set of two hurricane straps for our tub, because our tub is on top of a gulley and I didn't want to have to pull out climbing gear to retrieve our cover. I don't remember who I bought them from but they are great. The screw holes for the hurricane straps matched up perfectly with the original clips, so I put them in place there to keep the tub looking "stock".
  12. Now that we are nearly through the more severe portion of the winter of 08-09, I thought this would be a good time to reflect on our Tiger River Bengal, which my wife and I bought in Upstate New York in the fall of 2007. Overall, we love our tub. I would say it was a good choice for the money. I really love the lounge seat, and she really loves the deep seat. We bought the 220V model. I am 6'3", she is 6' and we can each easily sit in any position including the lounge and be very comfortable. Biggest surprise: probably the time and cost involved in getting our house ready for it. We set it up outside, so we had concrete poured for it. It is frustratingly difficult to find a reliable concrete guy, the one recommended by the hot tub dealer wasn't reliable but did a good job once he came and poured the slab. Also the electric was costly, we hired a professional for that of course. Our house was wired at 100amp so we had to increase our house electrical service to 200amp to be able to run the tub, and then get the custom wiring done as well. Biggest let-down with the tub: Two minor things. First, the clips that normally hold down the cover are terrible. A 40mph wind will flip the cover and toss it into the next yard if only the regular clips are holding it down, so get the hurricane straps unless you like your neighbors. Second, there is no drain valve on the tub, only the two drain outlets which each have a cap. However, it is nearly impossible to get the caps tight enough again after removing them to keep water from draining out on its own. Solution is to go to your favorite home improvement store and get external ball valves for those, they are the same size as garden hoses. My tips for the manufacturer: The big LED light is nice but the location isn't great. If someone is sitting on the cool-down seat they eclipse the light. I would have put it at the end of the lounge (where your feet go when you are in the lounge). I would also suggest wrapping the foam parts of the cover in something to prevent it from becoming water-logged (and weighing a ton!). Overall, this tub is probably the best thing we've bought since our house itself. By the way, when the tub is completely unwrapped and empty, it fits through a standard exterior door (on its side, of course). This was handy for us to get it to where we wanted to place it.
  13. I guess i figured that all factory covers were held down by something - our tiger river had (emphasis on had) four plastic clips holding it down. Now it has maybe two and a half. I certainly never expected the cover lift to help hold the cover down, though I also didn't expect 60 mph winds all winter long out here that would snap the clips like paper mache'. And with winds like that, the cover lift was bound to be subjected to high torque once the clips for the cover failed - the cover lifter on our tub doesn't have a position you can put it in where it wouldn't be subjected to the force of the cover flying off when moving in that direction. On the plus side, however, the cover got hung up on the lifter, and as a result wasn't flung down the hill on the side of our house and into the adjacent woods. So I guess as much as I don't like our cover lifter, it did actually improve my life by sparing me from having to repel down the hill to retrieve the cover.
  14. Honestly I'm not even sure what kind of lifter this is. Its the kind that dealers like ours buy at flea markets I guess... It attaches rather high on the tub, and then the cover flips back like >70% of the lifters on the market (same idea as the cover play). However, unlike the cover play, ours didn't have any springs in it to slow down the cover. And the movement of the arms was stopped only by small horizontally-positioned metal studs. Hence, when the 60 mph wind gusts came through, the cover was flipped open and over, and did so with much more force than those poor little metal studs could have ever hoped to withstand. The closest I've seen to it online so far is the "Covermate I": http://www.poolsinc.com/spa_covermateI.html But the covermate I looks to have its pivot positioned further back than ours. The cover play does seem very highly recommended. I like that we can attach it to our deck rather than screwing more into the cabinet. We're leaning towards it as a replacement for what we have, but probably won't rush into that purchase. I'll be ordering the hurricane straps very soon, though ...
  15. I realized I didn't really go far into why I said I am "very disappointed with our dealer", beyond the cheap cover lifter. Here's a little more on that. Our longest running complaint started the day the tub was delivered. The delivery guys noticed that one of the foam inserts for the cover was severely warped. In fact, it was so warped they had to turn the cover 180 degrees just to install the cover lifter. They promised they'd replace that piece of foam "within a week or so". That was August, now it is March. No foam yet. I have called the dealer numerous times to inquire about it, and every time I get a different story, and it doesn't seem that anyone I talk to has ever been able to find any record of the problem. The second complaint is their website. Calling it lousy and useless is an insult to the words lousy and useless. You can't even find their store hours on it. It's been "under construction" for over three years. If I could ever figure out who is in charge there, I'd ask if I could finish it for them in exchange for a discount on the balance of our tub. Third is their phone system. No answering machine, or even an automated greeting if they aren't open. Just keeps ringing endlessly. Come on guys, you could at least spend 5 bucks at Walmart on a cheap machine to tell us your hours when I'm calling too late. Heck, I'm pretty sure the Taliban has voicemail, and they certainly aren't selling $5k+ hot tubs. And then their response for spa problems - or lack thereof. If you have a problem, you have to talk to "Jimmy the spa tech". Nobody ever seems to know where he is or when he will be somewhere. You can talk to someone to have them get a message to him, but of course he doesn't have voicemail. He'll call you back ... sometime. And then he'll schedule to come out and look at it ... sometime. Frankly I'm not 100% sure that "Jimmy the spa tech" is actually a real person. Just because I've spoken to him on the phone doesn't necessarily tell me that he truly does exist. Anyways, all that makes me feel a little better now. And honestly, my wife and I do love our tub. We just wish that our dealer wasn't such a PITA. They're kind of like absentee parents - "deadbeat dealers", if you will.
×
×
  • Create New...