winszlo

I'm surprised that there is so much disagreement about what I think should be pretty straightforward data. Isn't it just a question of keeping a big bowl of warm water safe and clean for people to get in? Or do conditions and usage and water composition vary so widely from place to place that different methods are called for? For a guy like me who just wants to have nice, clean water in his spa and doesn't need to pursue an advanced degree in water chemistry, what is recommended? Should I be using "Dichlor"? Is it better than the Calcium Hypochlorite I've been using? I also didn't get a response from Dr. Spa on my reply about insulation. I'll quote part of it here: "I'm going to pick up a roll of R-11 (for $44.39) which will be more than enough to triple the R-value of the unit. Installing will be pretty easy since all the side panels are easily removed. Thanks for the inspiration. I made a more precise measurement of the R value by watching the temperature drop over a period of hours and came up with an R of more like 6.5 -- still, well below the R-12 you point out is usually considered suitable for a home. Though, I should point out that even if I triple the R value, the amount of money I will save in electricity works out to less than $90 per year for me. That certainly makes it worth putting in the insulation (with a pay-back of about 6 months), but, if the only reason for buying a more expensive tub is that it is better insulated (and I realize there may be other reasons), then the pay-back on the additional $1000 to $2000 that I believe I've saved by going the Costco route, would require more like 10 to 20 years -- not worth it for the insulation alone." I'm curious what the actual R value works out to be on a major-brand tub? What are your thoughts about adding insulation? Anybody?

Nothing??? Sorry, I don't get on here to write every day. I originally got a bottle of "Aquacheck" test strips from Infinity that test for Biguanide, total alkalinity, and pH. I used these, along with some "Sea Klear Spa" pH increaser and pH reducer to maintain what I thought was a balanced pH level. I had been told that since I had an ozone-ator and a mineral infuser, I wouldn't need any other sanitizer besides a "non-chlorine shock" (which didn't do any good). As I say, the water did not stay clean and I found it necessary to empty and re-fill the tub about every week. After some more reading and considering, I decided to look for some form of chlorine sanitizer which I found at a nearby hardware store. They carried hth brand "Chlorinating Sanitizer" which contains 47.6% Calcium Hypochlorite. While I was at the store, I also purchased an hth test kit which uses a little bottle of "OTO" drops to test for chlorine (or bromine). The kit also included a little bottle of "Phenol Red" to test for pH. I discovered, as I said, that the pH readings with the drops did not agree with the strips and I eventually decided that the strips were wrong. Adding a tablespoon or two of the Chlorinating Sanitizer after using the tub at the end of the day -- usually preceded by a pH check and balance, if necessary -- seems to be doing the trick. I haven't had to empty the tub for the past month and a half and it appears to be nice and clean! What is "DiChlor"? Any other suggestions? Thanks.

In response to "The Stallion": Thanks. The tub cost $3200 including shipping. It is 220V with a 50amp breaker. It has a single GE pump supposedly 6hp... seems quite adequate for the 31 jets (which, of course can be shut down individually for increased power at the open ones). It has a 4kw heater which seems to be also sufficient -- raises the temp about 8 or 9 degrees per hour on a chilly day (30-40 degsF). In response to "Dr. Spa": You have a good point. Now that I think about it, it might be nice to have more insulation. I just checked with my local hardware store and I'm going to pick up a roll of R-11 (for $44.39) which will be more than enough to triple the R-value of the unit. Installing will be pretty easy since all the side panels are easily removed. Thanks for the inspiration. I made a more precise measurement of the R value by watching the temperature drop over a period of hours and came up with an R of more like 6.5 -- still, well below the R-12 you point out is usually considered suitable for a home. Though, I should point out that even if I triple the R value, the amount of money I will save in electricity works out to less than $90 per year for me. That certainly makes it worth putting in the insulation (with a pay-back of about 6 months), but, if the only reason for buying a more expensive tub is that it is better insulated (and I realize there may be other reasons), then the pay-back on the additional $1000 to $2000 that I believe I've saved by going the Costco route, would require more like 10 to 20 years -- not worth it for the insulation alone. In response to "Pathfinder": As to your suspicions, no, I'm not a shill for Costco -- though I guess my post does sound like ad-speak! Sorry, I really do feel good about the purchase and I thought I'd share that. I had found some useful info on this forum when I was shopping several months ago, so I thought it was appropriate to come back with my experiences. The other post that you found on another forum was one I had left thinking it was this forum and that my log-in had expired or something. I had forgotten where I had gotten the help and a search led me to the other forum. After I had posted there, I discovered my mistake. In response to "104 Degrees": Well, like I say, the literature on spa chemistry seems surprisingly inconsistent and contradictory. Most information that is readily available is trying to sell one particular brand or another and therefore tends to indicate the need for all sorts of things that don't really appear to be necessary. I had gleaned from all this at first that having the ozone-ator along with a mineral infuser (the "Nature 2 purifier" in our case) meant that I didn't have to use any other sanitizer -- that I just had to maintain a proper pH level. I soon found that was not correct. I was emptying and re-filling the tub about every week! One problem I had was that the pH test strips were not giving me accurate readings! I purchased another tester that uses drops of dye solution and found that it gave me different results -- when the strips told me the pH was low, the drops indicated it was high! By trial-and-error, I decided the drops were more accurate and that I had been adjusting the pH way too high by believing the strips. Further reading also began to make it apparent that the claim that the Nature 2 stick and the ozone-ator were sufficient to maintain water purity by themselves was not correct -- that some other purifier was needed. I finally broke down and bought some chlorinating powder and have found that by throwing in a tablespoon or two every day or two to bring the chlorine level up to only about .5 or 1 part per million makes all the difference. The water stays clear and clean and there is virtually no odor or dis-comfort. I also run the filtration cycle more when we're using the tub more. When left on its own, the filter runs four hours a day, but a simple push of the button starts another two-hour cycle if needed.

We've been using our Infinity Columbia spa nearly every day since we bought it online about three months ago from Costco.com... and we love it! We had to arrange for a crane (to the tune of about $200) to get it up on our deck. And we had to spend another couple hundred for the GFI breaker and wire to hook it up. Infinity was good about resolving a few minor issues. The unit was delivered with one of the three headrest pillows not attached and it took several back and forth communications to figure out how to get it back on. A few of the jets were hard to turn on and off at first, but with a little help from an Infinity technician, I was able to correct that minor problem as well. Otherwise, the gadget has been working flawlessly. After a bit of trial-and-error and wading through the remarkably inconsistent literature on the subject, we've also figured out how to maintain the chemistry and cleanliness of our spa. All in all, we have been very pleased with our Costco purchasing experience and I can't imagine how it could have been any smoother -- or the product itself be any better -- if I had purchased it from a major dealer. One factor may be that we live on the north coast of Oregon and many miles from any spa dealers. But still, a few computer clicks and the spa was delivered a few weeks later! And based on several shopping trips to big spa showrooms, the price was very reasonable. It's early in its life yet, so maybe we'll have a rude awakening down the road, but major brand or not, this unit's components appear to be all from major manufacturers. The motor is GE, the control unit is by Balboa Instruments, etc. I'm no expert, but the overall quality of the construction seems good. Enough insulation and nice, thick fiberglass tub walls. It appears to have added about $20 per month to our electric bill in the cold months of January and February, but we do not have very low temperatures in this part of the world (usually the coldest days are still in the low 30's)... and electricity is cheap here (~ $ .065 per KWH), plus the Columbia is a small tub (200 gallons -- 5' X 7' X 32"). Based on our electricity usage, and assuming an average temperature differential from inside the tub to outside of 60 deg F, I calculate the K value of the insulation to be about equivalent to 1" of urethane foam (.18). That seems reasonable to me. What else do you need? It ain't rocket science! For us first-time spa owners, it is a wonderful addition to our home. We had no idea what a big difference it would make. No matter what stresses and strains the day has presented, we have repeatedly found that a soak is like taking a little mini-vacation right out our door!

My wife and I are considering purchasing the Infinity Sun Peak tub from Costco (it is still available in a different color scheme). My wife insists on seeing it in person before buying and Infinity tells us they have no dealers in Oregon. Is there anyone who has an Infinity Sun Peak -- or an infinity Dundee, which I am told is made from the same mold -- that is located anywhere in Oregon or southern Washington that would be amenable to arranging a visit so that we could look at your tub? We are located on the Oregon coast in the little town of Wheeler, but we are willing to go anywhere within a few hours drive.

I'm very interested to hear how it goes with your Infinity Sun Peak! Please update.