Stevie

So it's been a 100 years since I stopped in but noticed many of the "old gang" are still around. Being that I've been sucked back in to the industry in a teaching capacity, I thought I'd say HI! ;-) Frozen Tundra Man

Ahhh buyers remorse... If the tub was in YOUR price range, you have a great spa. You did some research PRIOR to this sales event which is key. Had you just wandered upon this and walked away with a spa, you may question this more. I'm sure you'll love it and Arctic (built a few miles from where I live), is a quality company that builds quality spas. *and FTR, I use to sell against them * enjoy! Steve

What information specifically are you looking for that the owners manual doesn't provide?

I just take it as pure desperation and an attempt to distract someone’s attention away form other quality spas in a desperate attempt to SELL. Obviously he's having troubles selling his products through conventional methods. Both spatech and Dave have covered the question well so I won't be repetitive.

When I signed up, the name "Steve" was already taken. I am a kid a heart ya know...

WOW... 50% off eh? Never heard of that! This guy must have HUGE margins... Do you mind me asking what the regular price was and what you paid?

Great point! Draining will NOT get rid of bacteria within the plumbing but instead, you will just contaminate the new water without solving anything. I too am unclear why you couldn't safely treat the water periodically with chlorine and let the reading drop back down? Can you fully explain your condition and why an approaved sanitizer of any kind can't be used to keep your spa safe? Maybe a spa just isn't for you if you are forced to not use any sanitizer. The result could easily be worse than sustaining a .5 - 1ppm reading of chlorine.

And just an FYI... I'ver read you mention the "clarity" of the water a few times now. Please don't be mislead that clear water is safe water. Battery acid is clear too... It is one of the biggest mistakes spa owners make. It's unfortunate that you can not use some form of sanitizer in the spa. With all the alternatives out there (moreso in the USA), I'm surprised you don't have an option... Good luck

In all my years in this industry, I have never heard of someone willing to drain and refill weekly instead of operating a safe spa with minimal sanitizer. Your choice and by the sounds of your intial post, no one here is going to change your mind about. I'm just curious why even question it in your post if you have already made up your mind? Knowing what I know about watercare and MORE importantly, about the bacteria and contaminants we take into the spa, I would stick to the "drain and fill" weekly if you choose not to properly sanitize. A couple of good rashes and maybe exposure to Pseudomonas aeroginosa, Staphylococcus, e-coli, Acinetobacter anitratus and bacillus may change your mind in future...

If it's an older Beachcomber, it could require a slight adjustment at the pressure switch. Try a 1/4 turn, reset the breaker or a 1/4 the other direction and do the same thing. As mentioned, it's usually a filter (restriction in flow) or a simple adjustment at the pressure switch. Steve

You bet the water will cool and the colder it is outside, the quicker it will cool. Will your salesladies coffee cool down in winter with the lid off? It's just common sense and she seems a wee bit of a BS'er to me. Say anything to make the sale... 110V only has enough power to run the heater OR the jets. Not both. These 110V spas are NOT designed for cooler climates where the buyer wants to use it in the winter months. There's no real benefit to 110V as a 220V system can operate at very similar costs.

Nope. Not needed. I've tried both systems a number of times with little change in chlorine/bromine demand or clarity.

Expect to change the water every 4 to 5 months. I'm being completely brand neutral when I say I would not expect much difference on this between brands no matter what the hype is that you may hear. Spatech is right. Couple things I would add would be that the key is knowing what the TDS (total dissolved solids) of your source water is. This is will give you an idea of how often you will need to drain. It's also dependant on usage...how many people, how often. Personally, I would suggest every 3-4 months but that would just be splitting hairs! Nothing changes from brand to brand really as most of it is just marketing. For YEARS, I kept a 6 person spa in perfect condition with 4 of us using it almost every day with 1 - 25 sq ft filter. Do you need 6 filters or no bypass, or floor vacuums, or pressure/suction side filtration for great water? NO! Just an understanding of watercare and how to prevent issues before they happen.

I don't get it... I'm really not sure why anyone would spend thousands on a glorified kiddies pool with jets? If they could retail them for a $1000-$1500, I would have sold them in our store and that's what I told the rep the 5 times he came in to sell me them. I could offer a real spa that's actually comfortable and you don't have to sit on the floor, you get real hydrotherapy and it'll maintain its temperature for a thousand bucks more than what I'd have to sell the softtub at. It just didn't make sense. I think the "portable" aspect appeals to less than 1% of hot tub shoppers so I wasn't buying into that either. I had delt with many people with regards to access in and out of the spa with regards to ailments and such. There's always a way to do things if the desire is there. To those of you considering buying a softtub... go to Walmart, buy a kiddies pool, a few cans of baked beans and the result will be similar! You'll just spend less than $100 to get similar therapy and comfort. Steve

These would be the key aspects IMO; - Positioning in my area of a given line - if all the componants are equal with alternate lines available, you have no unique selling position and are going to be in a dog fight. Not a major aspect if dealing with a quality line IMO. - Is it unique from a price point/feature perspective - Again, if it's not, why bother? - Dealer support from manufacturer - Do they have marketing support and quality sales material and training to maxmize your sales potential - Quality of product - You need to be able to stand behind what you sell and believe what you sell is the best for your customer. Its why we are ALL the best!! - What will the manufacturer provide - Do they have a sales projection based on real data for your store. Will they help with all aspects of your spa sales in training, executing event sales, defining a strategic pricing strategy, help with floor layout, provide reasonable terms for buying spas, offer free sales material, provide a quality rep that you trust, etc.

We are such a "throw away" society aren't we... My only experience was many years ago with these and I was far from impressed. I was even asked to be a territory rep for Micrpure and based on the results of the filter given to me, I declined the position. Now, these most likely have changed since the inception but I found them to fall apart, clog up, put additional pressure on the filtration system and there were issues with people using clarifiers and such with these filters. I never found paper filters to be an expensive part of spa ownership nor time consuming. My Beachcomber had 1 filter that was $34.99 and I had 2 of them to alternate between cleanings once a month. Both would last 2-3 years with proper cleaning and maintenance and I spent about 10 minutes a month cleaning them. I didn't see a demand for these Micropure filters and I still don't. I certainly wouldn't want the expense if I had 6 filters!! OUCH!! Even back a number of years ago, they had sizes for almost every type of spa.

I was born in England and even though I'm in Canada now, I understand the cost of a hot tub there. It's NUTS! Also check out Hydropool & Beachcomber as I know they are offered there as well. The keys to buying a spa IMO is as follows; - Buy within your budget - Find a dealer you are comfortable with and trust - don't get caught up in gimmicks and marketing crap - find a spa that's comfortable for you and your family - Look at the type of jets and not the number of them and type of therapy they provide - Wet test prior to the purchase - negotiate in good faith when you are ready to buy - ask what type of upgrades ( cover lifter, chemicals, etc.) come with it - find out the type of electrical service required for your spa and the cost of electrician (do they have contacts they can provide?) - determine your application for your spa and what it's going to be sitting on and prepare - Does your dealer offer free water tests and do they come out to show you how it works after it's delivered and running? This is just a real quick overview off the top of my head...

Both spas you mention are considered quality spas. Filtration can be accomplished a number of different ways and just like jets, more isn't always better. HS uses filtration in a marketing aspect as Arctic uses their insulation method. Both spas are branded to appeal to certain key aspect of ownership. HS targets consumers concerned about water quality and filtration while Arctic keys on efficiency and insulation method. A single 50 sq ft filter can look after an 8 person spas without problems and personally, I wouldn't want the cost associated with multiple filters. In past experience, I've seen where only a small portion of each filter is actually doing anything. Maybe they've changed in the past couple years... I guess what I'm saying is that neither would be features I would base my purchase on soley while instead, focusing on the wet test and determining which spa offers the best comfort and therapy for me (you)! When it comes to "power", don't get caught in the "more is always better" MAN TYPE thinking. Various massaging jets and having different seating with different therapeutic aspects in each one is a more important way of approaching this purchase than just POWER! Do yourself a favor and look at what a spa is for in a different way. Water therapy is much different than buying a car and considering RWHP (rear wheel horse power).

Not necessarily. A lot of people just upgrade to larger number of jets/features or downsize their spa. If you're buying new, a dealer is a good choice. We use to take trade-ins and we would go through the spa, run it and fix anything required. We would sell it with a 30 day guarantee as well. A new cover is often required as they only have a life span of a few years. I can't see a dealer just flipping a spa and selling a piece of crap as their name is still associated with the sale. If it's that bad, they wouldn't take it in trade. It can be like buying a used car. There's good deals out there, you just need to find something that suits you and your family and has value to you. Not a bad way to go for a lot of people and although you may not have the peace of mind of a warranty and some of the funky new features, it can be a great purchase if you know what to look for. The key...see it running and ask if you can wet test. Good luck, Steve

Hopefully blackballed after that comment!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Gee and I was going to reply and offer advise as a former Beachcomber guy of 15 years. Right up until the "black" comment. May your tub implode while you're in it!

Are you in Red Deer? Arctic is a far better product in all aspects IMO and I'm sure that's not their cheapest model either @ 15 G's. I don't agree that there is a LOT of room for negotiation as the market is too competitive to price yourself out in left field. Freebies are common with purchase. Steve Edmonton

Welcome Mom, The key to keep the water safe and clean is your chlorine. Keep it at 1 -3 ppm (parts per million) and your test strips will help guide you. You can test prior to usage but everything we take into water (sweat, oils, etc.) will diminish the levels. The pucks will help maintain chlorine if you have a proper floater but adding chlorine after use is key as well. Put the recommended amount into a bucket of pool water, stir to dissolve and pour slowly around the pool. I also recommend an algaecide. It will assist your chlorine and help prevent algae. This should be added initially as well as weekly. See the directions for amounts on the side of the bottle. You should shock weekly or every 2 weeks depending on use. Shocking is taking the chlorine levels from that 1-3 ppm range and increasing it to 10+ppm. This is great for the water and shocking after heavy use is a good idea too! Do it the same way with the bucket as mentioned previously. Keep in mind that chlorine is bleach so don't add directly to the pool or place a chlorine puck in the pool to settle on the floor! It will bleach it! Just keep an eye on the chlorine and keep it in range and start there. Don't get too stressed and let us know if there's anything else you require. Enjoy it! Steve

I believe the box holds slightly more value than the spa inside...

The tub should self-level but I would check it for the first week or so to make sure it stays level. Being that you are going to be draining it a few times a year, adding extra sand if needed can always be done to level off any area that sinks at that time.

Wet test all 3 and make your choice. You'll know what feels best for you.