Chas

Yes, you can sand down any rough or sharp edges and begin enjoying the spa. Put some bondo or thickened epoxy resin over real deep or real rough areas and power sand it down as it cures. The acrylic is just a cosmetic anyway - and is more porus than most folks realize. In a spa with fiberglass backing, anyway. If you want to do a proper acrylic repair, it involves removing the damage and replacing the acrylic with acrylic. That is an art - a specialty - and I have seen homeowners do the job, but it doesn't look like a pro did it. We had a man who did this in our area, and he was a true artist. He not only could get the surfact smooth, but he was a wiz with the airbrush and could match the marble colors very well. His business was called "Cracker Jack's Crack Repair." But he retired. Since I sell composite shells which don't/can't blister, I have not needed to do any of these repairs on my on tubs. And since most of the big name brands have gone to vinylester and other better-quality products, most tubs don't blister anymore unless the heater goes berzerk. I have used my share of Bondo and sandpaper on other brands. Doesn't match, but if you use it at night it still feels real good.

I just did a quick scan of the filter web sites - starting with RHtubs.com, and found none. I called my supplier, but Unicel has closed for the day. Tim said he would get back to me tomorrow, but if I recall correctly, I checked this out last year and came up empty. I think you just have to get them from a Sundance dealer. If there any Sundance dealers reading this who would like to sell me a couple of cases at your cost, plus a few bucks, let me know via PM. I have lots of Sundance customers who ask for them. Thanks.

Welcome to spatopia

Here's a new tub I am working on that may put that debate to rest: Not recommended for indoor use - seatbelts extra.

Mama always said if I don't have anything nice to post, don't post anything at all. I'll PM you.

Yes. You didn't specify, but if this Jetsetter is running on 110volts, it will take close to 14 hours to get hot on the initial fill.

That's Steve Russel's reincarnation of the Santa Barbara spas... I would go very slowly.

Most CD ozone systems have a chip or chamber which needs to be replaced after 9000 hours of operation. That's just over one year if it runs around the clock. The bulbs in UV type ozone systems usually go for about two years. The funny thing is that they can get to a point where they are not producing any usable amount of ozone even though they may still light up. Some of the better ozone systems, like the Del Eclipse and the ones used on HotSpring, Tiger River and Caldera spas will go for ten years or so with no service or replacement parts.

So - Share the link for the foam blankets already!!!

Please keep posting. This is very interesting, and I think that with active moderators now watching the board, personal attacks will be a thing of the past. Be sure as you add insulation that you don't do anything that might block the airflow to motors or other items which need to be kept cool.

First, here is this: Wiring Diagram Next: the most common mistake in wiring a tub is to bring the neutral from the tub to the bus bar and not to the "neutral" tab on the GFI breaker. Sounds like that may be an issue here.

Sorry, I don't know what got deleted or why, but what is it you wanted to know? Perhaps I can help.

I would call the factory and ask them to recommend another HS dealer. Explain exactly what happended and why you feel you would like to deal elsewhere. They want to sell spas, but they also want their dealers to be good at what they do in ALL aspects of the business. The factory requires that the dealer who sells the tub service the tub, to that end they will work with a customer to get things straightened out with the local dealer when they can. But they are not ignorant of the fact that not everybody on the planet will get along with everyone else. Good people have bad days, some even develop bad habits without realizing it. But HS is very good to forward any concerns they hear about to the dealer. I have had a few people over the years who didn't get what they wanted out of my company, and HS called me or faxed me a copy of their letters within minutes of opening the envelope or answering the phone. And it was obvious that they wanted to know exactly what I was going to do about it, and I got another call a couple of weeks later to follow up on what I told them I was going to do about it. I'm proud to say it has not happened many times in 20 years, but you can believe me that those times it did happen got my attention. When the dust all settled, I may have had one less employee, or I may have put a better system in place, or I may have simply picked up the phone and made things better between that customer and myself if it involved me directly. But none of that would have happened if I had not been given the chance by hearing about it. If you don't feel good about this type of thing, you could also put in the zip codes of nearby cities on the 'dealer locator' form at the factory web site and see if other dealers come up. But I'm very sure that the factory would appreciate hearing from you.

Make and Model, year of manufacture would help as well

Oh and picture links can now be posted.

I still maintain that she needs to find out if the heater is doing the heating, or if it is just the motors. I have seen spas lock the heater on when pumps are turned on. A crossed wire, bad relay, or a bit of 'illogical thinking' on the part of a logic circuit can do it. So I go along with the suggestion that she call a tech to find out if the heater is being powered when it shouldn't be. As to the heat from the motors making the tub too warm, that is one of the trades-offs in a TP system. It happens in all of them to some degree or other. Some it is minor and you wouldn't notice it, others can and do overheat as the motors get warmer and warmer. Also, most jet pumps will transfer or impart a small bit of heat into the water as it flows through them. If the spa is well insulated, and there isn't much in the way of wind hitting the top surfact of the water, that may increase the temp. But I haven't seen one do 5 dgrees an hour unless the cover was closed and all pumps turned on high.

Thanks for taking time to clarify this.

Thanks. That makes perfect sense now that I have read your words. As I say, I ususally cut a section of WW mesh and let it go at that.

However, we would like to offer our thanks for your suggestion. We're glad you're here, and we hope we can offer some help, now and later.

So a grid then. OK. I have only used one or the other, rebar or mesh, usually mesh. I have had several jobs where we had some rebar available, or the customer specifically asked for it, and we did a grid. We did overlap, wire at all laps and crossing points, and stood them up on those little blocks with the wires in them. Even for a small slab it was a bit of work. So you think just putting rebar (only) around the perimiter would not add to the strength, in fact might encourage cracks? I don't do them very often, but I live in CA and I sure don't want to get more cracks than we already do. Thanks for the input..

Skin temperature is usually in the 70s. Core temp is what matters in a hot tub.

Good info. I sell most of our used spas for $1500 or more - just because I have to check them out so we don't end up delivering an albino pacaderm. I also include delivery and a new cover, filter, start supplies and usually a new circ pump - along with a new shaft seal or new jet pump wet-end, depending on the model of pump. So on an older spa, the customer may very well be getting the spa free but paying for all those extras AND the confidence of knowing that the spa should work for them for a long time. I have a 9 year old Grandee in my back yard right now - it has been working perfectly for close to 9 months now. That is, I admit, a bit longer wet test than normal, but when we sell this one, the customer will know they can count on it. I happen to like it, so I have not been in a hurry to sell it.

You should not need to change the jumper setting. That is used for installing your spa on a 30 amp breaker vs. a 50amp or greater. You heater should turn off automatically any time the water temperature exceeds the set temp, regardless of what pumps are running or not running. That's why I mentioned checking to see if it is actually still running the heat or if the heater is off and the spa is just getting hot from the pumps.

WOW - this is a good post Jim. Great! I don't know how many folks will agree that there is an 'appropriate temp,' but I do agree with you from my own experience that setting a spa in the mid nineties as you say does make it feel cool and refreshing as you just sit there. That surprises newbies. Also - a HotSpring will stay at the mid to upper nineties by itself just due to the small amount of heat imparted into the water by the circ pump. The lowest setting on a HS is 80, but even if you turn off the heater's breaker it will stay in the 90s in mild weather.

This is a generalization which does not bear out under even the most cursory of examination. If a large maker of tubs decided to do the insulation the way you do yours, they would bring in engineers who specialize in manufacturing processes and have them fine-tune the process. If I was doing it -and I am not one of these engineers - I would find ways to stamp out insulation boards which can be stockpiled and put in place by machine in a manner which takes seconds, not hours. I would think that any major name brand spa company would find ways to do automatically what you do by hand. In fact, I have seen the facitilties at Watkins Manufacturing, and they can put cardboard, foam, kraft paper and about three types of wrapping plastic in place AND shrink wrap the whole thing in the time it takes me to get out the shrink wrap dispenser and get ready to wrap a spa. So to assume that just because you do a certain process in a labor-intensive manner and it costs you more does not make it true for all the tub makers on the planet.