JimmySmash

I need help with Hydro costs!!!! When i installed my inground pool, i made a stupid mistake. I chose to install my pool equipment beside my house, instead of beside my pool - because it was hidden and looked nicer. The pool is at the bottom of a 10 ft downslope behind my house, which means the pool pump is 10-12 ft above the height of the water, and about 50 ft away from the closest edge of the pool. This works, but it means that my pump pretty much needs to run 24/7 in order to maintain suction, so using a timer hasn't been an option. I used to have a 1.5hp, but it burnt out after a 1.5 seasons. I have a 2.0 HP hayward superpump, that costs about $150/month in hydro costs just for the pump based on my local (very expensive) rates. I'd like to solve this problem and reduce my hydro costs. I've looked into variable speed pumps, but I was told by a couple dealers that spending that money wouldn't really solve the problem, since they would most likely run in the highest speed due in order to maintain suction. I'm considering the idea of using a timer, with a check valve installed before the pump on the intake, so when the timer is off the check valve will maintain suction. Something like this: http://www.jandy.com/~/media/media-database/products/valves/check-valve/7235_180checkvalve_2.jpg Thoughts? Anybody have any experience in this area or can offer any alternative suggestions? I've heard there are DC powered pumps that consume way less electricity than AC powered pumps, but when I asked my dealer about them they hadn't heard of them. The only thing I could find was ecopump (http://www.ecopoolpumps.com/pool-pump-reviews.html) but they don't seem to have a dealer in my area. Any help here or suggestions would truely be appreciated.

I looked at my spa today and it was blinking with error code LLE. Temp and chemicals tested good. I can't seem to locate any info on this specific error code, anybody have any info on it?

I also bought a Yukon this weekend in Seattle, WA, USA. Your $10,000 Canadian converts to roughly $9,544USD. I got the Yukon Signature Natural Cedar for $8,550USD. Standard delivery/setup was included as with yours, but I also had to pay $450USD for delivery by boom truck (crane) because my yard is inaccessible otherwise bringtotal to $9,000US delivered by crane. With 9% sales tax, I paid $9,793US out the door. Anyway, the upgrade to the Ultra would have been $550USD more which was not worth it for me personally since the only difference between the signature and ultra series is the 14 therapy air jets you get with the ultra. The sales guy demostrated that you cannot feel those jets and their only purpose is visual and to deliver oil aroma. My other options (all included in the deal) were... Deluxe Northern Lights ($800US List) Arctic Ozone ($700US List) AquaTremor MP3 Ready Tunes ($1,200US List) Castcore Cover ($400US List) Cover Lift Kit ($260US List) Forever Floor ($500US List) Microban Moonscape Color ($250US List) Starter Chemicals ($150US List) Tru-Guard Heater ($300US List) Delivery & Setup ($250US List) So according to the "list prices" or the "options" I had aout $4,800US worth of accessories included. In reality, I believe that most of those are really standard and probably are just used as sales tools to inflate value so that when they are "thrown in" you feel better about paying the higher cost for the tub. For example, If I didn't want the forever floor, would they really pull it off or not install it before shipping? That would be impossible because the pumps and electrical units sit on that. Same thing with the cover, heater and ozone. The warranty is actually void without use of the cover. I can see paying extra for the light show and aqua tunes, but that's about it. As for the manufacturer and sales guy, I had an experience similar to yours. I had previously owned a cheaper tub for 7 years which had no bottom and poorly constructed cabinet. The result was for mice/rats to inhabit the ideal environment inside my spa and chew away much of the insulation. At one point, they actually chewed through the wiring and shorted out the tub which needed all electronics replaced under warrant. I recently sold that tub on craigslist when the seals started going bad. After spending time researching the Arctic tubs. I am confident the same thing won't happen because they are much better made and have the solid floor. The sales guy was very friendly and patient. He actually stayed a couple hours after the shop closed to demostrate the various models and answer my questions without rushing me or diverting attention to other customers. I went home and did more research before coming back the next day with another hours' worth of questions. Much like you, I suspected that I was not getting a super deal (although the sales guy kept indicated he would be scolded by his boss for selling at such a low price) but I felt he was fair with me and I got a deal I felt good about. In the end, it is very difficult in the vacuum of information from the manufacturer or any published pricing to know for sure what kind of deal you are getting. Looks like I paid roughly $10,260 canadian out the door. If I take off the $450US cost of crane delivery, add $550US cost of upgrade to ultra model and change my options to same as yours (assuming I would have gotten reduced sales price by leaving off extra options in my package), my total after 9% sales tax would have been around $7,984US or roughly $8,365 Canadian. But who knows what those options are really worth so sounds like we end up pretty close in the end. Shaun Yeah, also I was taxed at 14% so that brings us a little closer still. Thanks for the reply.

Update...I went back today and dealt with the owner. Pulled the trigger at 10K even tax included. Ultimately, I feel I got a pretty good deal, and I decided this was the tub I wanted. I may regret that, but only time will tell.

Hi, I'm new to this forum and also new to spa buying. I've done quite a bit of research, and have settled on purchasing an Arctic spa. A few things have guided me in my search: Reputable Company and Dealer Great warranty No lounge Space for me, my wife and my 2 young children Fits within my budget Lots of unnecessary extras So i settled on the Yukon Ultra edition model. What I'm having trouble with before I pull the trigger is understanding if I have gotten a fair price. The minute i got in the door I was told that they have an "employee pricing" promotion coming up and the price he gave me is non-negotiable. Don't get me wrong, I really like the sales person, he was extremely informative and clearly knew his product. I had done my research and knew of some of the problem areas in the past for arctic spas, and when I played dumb and and asked the question about the sort of problems that do come back during the warranty period, he was completely open and honest about some of the issues of the past. He even showed me how the problems were manifested, and what was done by Arctic to resolve the issues in the 2008 models. I even told him of some of the other manufacturers I was looking at, and rather than try to bash the other companies, he choose to focus on what makes arctic different then them, and let me decide. This was a completely different experience than what I went through with other dealers for other manufacturers. Bottom line, I like the guy and the dealership, and that goes along way with me. That said, historically i'm quite bad at judging these things, and I'm terrible at negotiation. I sorta feel like the "employee pricing" bit was a sales tactic, and I'm not sure if I'm anywhere near his bottom line. Here's the quote: Yukon Tub (12,400 list) - 10,278 Micro ban Color (225 list) - Included 50amp GFI w/subpanel (300 list) - Included 5" Castcode Cover Upgrade (295 list) - Included Covermate (cover remover) (275 list) - Included 36" Deluxe Cedar Step (225 list) - Included Forever Floor (499 list) - Included Northern Lights (499 list) - Included TEFEL Heater (295 list) - Included Chem starter kit (75 list) - included Delivery & Setup (350 list) - included $2800 worth of accessories included for a price of $10,278 (Canadian) I should mention i live in Ottawa, Canada and there is only 1 arctic dealer here. There is another in a neighboring town, but the store is owned by the same company. What do people think? does this sound like a good deal? I just don't want to find out later I was screwed, and could have gotten a better deal. I'm wondering if there is room for negotiation on this price. I've see other people post there deals on this site, and my seems high, but I can't tell if that is the difference in pricing in Canada vs US. Things definitely seem to cost less in the US, but in this instance, Arctic is a Canadian company, so there is no additional costs for "importing" the product into Canada because they are already here. The other problem that I have is it is outside of my originally defined price range for a tub, and if I can get it closer to my original mark it will feel like more of a success for me and my wife. Looking forward to hearing from the community here Thanks, Jamie