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elbrecht

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  1. I'm about to buy a new cover for my 10? yr old hot tub. The cover that is on it is about 2 1/2" thick. Now that it seems to be holding some water it is fairly heavy which makes lifting/sliding it a bit of a chore. My hot tub is used daily in the AM to alleviate enough stiffness & pain so I can carry on. The cover is a square 78" - with a single corner cutoff. I slide it off to a platform after folding. The new cover I'm looking at is a 6 to 4" 21R 1 pound density foam. [$360 delivered from rhtubs.com, fwiw] I'm going back and forth on ordering the higher density foam. I'm in NY & my electric costs for the Hot tub run roughly $30/month. [based on the old cover when dry] No kids or animals get on the cover-- and I don't leave any snow on it as I use it daily all winter. The higher density foam is $100. There is a payback there someplace-- but it would be a few years at least, I imagine. It will also make the cover heavier-- how much heavier? After my soak I'm fine-- but before hand I can't lift much. I'm going to try to weigh my existing cover today-- what does a 78"square 1lb/1.5lb cover weigh? What do other folks end up with? Anyone regret getting the heavier cover-- or the lighter one? Thanks Jim
  2. One of the jets on my 8yr(?) old Thermospa Phoenix popped out. I'm pretty handy but for the life of me I can't tell what held it in to start with. Little plastic tabs? Was there an O-ring? Here's the jet; I can't seem to get any of the others out- but this one only stays in when turned off. Next question is- If this needs replacing, do I just replace the jet, or do I do the barrel too? And if I'm replacing the whole shebang, what is everyone's favorite jet? This one is the top right of 5 jets arranged like the dots on a die, but I'm thinking it might be an opportunity to see what other jets are available. Use a standard barrel , and experiment with jets. Thanks, Jim
  3. My tub is about 8x8overall and weighs 600lbs empty. I have a 4x8 trailer. I removed the sides so it was a flatbed and put a couple 4x4s down so the tub would clear the fenders. tied it down good and drove slow- I wouldn't have taken it on an interstate, but it was fine for 20 miles of secondary roads. 4 lengths of 3"pvc pipe, a couple levers, and 2 1/2 men rolled it up on the trailer. [actually we got it almost there & it was crooked, so one guy lifted the back and pushed it on while the others watched & said. .. 'whaaaa. . . ?' I unloaded it by myself, but I used some lube on the 4x4s and a come-along to get it started up the grade where I wanted it. Worked on it there for a week, then slid it in place [about 10 feet away and down 3 feet] by myself. I got my 2001 thermospa off Cragslist for $600. The owner said it had heating problems and the pump didn't seem to be working as well as it used to. I ended up buying a new pump online for $200 [the impeller wouldn't come off the old one- it is in the basement & will become a backup pump when I get to it. Probably the lack of flow was the heater problem, but I replaced the element for $30 while I had things torn up. New insulation & electrical service ran a couple hundred more. So for $1000 or so we've got a tub that I use every day. Couldn't be happier. The only thing I'd do differently is follow HillbillyHottubs advice for sanitizing a tub- over on the chemistry forum. I haven't had any troubles, but get the creepy crawlies every time I read about folliculitis over there. Jim
  4. Last October just as I was finishing up setting up our Hottub Limulus posted about a deal he found on ebay for a patio umbrella. [ this thread http://www.poolspaforum.com/forum/index.ph...amp;hl=umbrella ] I remembered it tonight as we were out in a driving sleet-storm with friends. [it was supposed to snow- we'd made the plans- so what the heck.] When I came in I plugged "hot tub umbrella" into the ebay search engine and found a bunch of $300 umbrellas. Then I tried "offset umbrella" and the price dropped to $80 [with free shipping]. I already ordered one, but if Limulus drops in I hope he'll say how his held up- and if it was from the guy in Rancho Cucamonga, CA. Jim
  5. And you're in California. I hope not southern CA. I'm in NY & I use 1/2 that- and I run the occassional electric heater, and a furnace blower to boot. First off-- holy crap on the electric rate. I'll stop whining about National Grids $.16 rate. Good idea on the thermometer. But I'd concentrate on insulating *inside the cabinet*. Dead air space is what really insulates. Whether the air is trapped inside little styrofoam beads, or between fibers made of spun glass, or inside plastic bubbles. . . it is the *dead* air that insulates. Bags of peanuts on the outside will do some good- but they become a breeding place for all kinds of critters, 4 to 100 legged. The styrofoam panels on the outside will work if you then wrap them in plastic to keep the cool breeze from blowing between the cabinet and the insulation. The bubble wrap foil that I mentioned earlier should make a big difference just lying on the floor inside the cabinet. Then, if your cabinet allows it- staple it up along the top only- and then put the cabinet sides on locking it in place. This will eliminate all infiltration which is your enemy. This thread has lots of comments and a couple images- I'll take some pictures of mine when the weather is better. http://www.poolspaforum.com/forum/index.ph...amp;#entry41306 That seems like a no-brainer, but apparently it isn't so obvious. Turning them off will also help keep your ph & TA steady. Insulating the cabinet helps on the cold air through the jets, too. I leave my hottub at 101 and my cabinet is 92 when it is zero degrees outside. I can feel the difference in temp for a second when I turn them on, but I was in a tub last fall thet nearly shot you out of the thing if you didn't start the air before getting in. Jim
  6. Credit where it's due-- that one belongs to fms fms said; "I wasn't sure how to add a photo to this message so I attached this link from my flickr site. http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3342/322307...b787def53_b.jpg " Mine is delayed due to a car being parked in my workshop for the winter.<g> I might grab a tub and throw my parts in it, though. Makes more sense than waiting until spring to make a towel warmer. Thanks for the pic, fms. Jim
  7. I'm a few hours west of you near Albany, NY. If my Hottub cost me $90/mo to heat in the winter I'd have to consider draining it. This is my first winter with a 6yr old thermospa that I re-insulated this summer. The old insulation was some sort of fiber in bags that had mostly settled so it wasn't doing any good. I cut 2" panels of rigid styrofoam [the blue, below grade stuff] & fitted them into all the cabinet walls. The cover is apparently a pretty good insulator as even on 34degree days, if there is frost, it doesn't melt until the sun hits it. 101 degree water a few inches away doesn't warm the cold side. I keep it at 101degrees 24/7 & use it at least a 1/2 hour every day about 5-6am. My electric usage this winter has been about 150kwh above the usage for the last 5 yrs. [about $24 for me] It has seemed like a colder than usual winter- so the extra furnace time might have an impact too. I wouldn't insulate the tub itself- insulate the cabinet. Use styrofoam sheets that you can cut with a steak knife- then wrap the thing with the foil bubble wrap before putting the sides back on. This is one kind if you're not familiar with it http://www.radiantguard.com/BubbleInsulation.html . Check with local lumberyards- my Lowe's and Home Depot don't carry it regularly anymore. Jim [i'm tempted to buy a meter off ebay for $40 to monitor just the hottub, but I can't come up with a better excuse than 'curiosity', so I've procrastinated on it.]
  8. I sort of agree. Personally I use the tub every day & haven't been cold getting out down to 3degrees F. [getting some below zero nights this week & I'm wondering where the 'get cold' point might be] But my wife uses the tub rarely and is more likely to join me if there is a promise of a warm towel waiting for her. If I was a single guy hoping to coax a friend to join me I'd already have the heated closet ready to allay all fears. Jim
  9. Personally, if I couldn't find all the answers in a manual or on their website, I'd give the company a call. Sounds like you're right- but it would be a shame to fry something if you're not. Call them and ask; 1. What does the flashing light mean? 2. Should the jumpers be set to HC for 220 operation. [and while I was talking to them I'd ask about a bigger element- though if the answers to the above confirm your suspicions you might not need it] Jim
  10. That's a 350gallon Spa with a 4KW heater. Will it take a 5.5kw element? You might need to change the breaker to a 50-- but the breaker itself will not affect the ability to keep the water warm. My old Thermospa is 220 gallons & has a 5.5 heater. This morning it was 40F degrees out & I turned the temp from 100 to 101 while I was soaking. Cover off & jets/aeration on and it only took it 10 minutes to reach 101. What is the air temp while you're losing 1 degree in 15 minutes? Jim
  11. Well, my lights went out last week so I got to check theory against reality. Lights went out on Dec 11, at 10PM. Outdoor temp was hovering around freezing for 24 hours. Cabinet temperature dropped about 10 degrees overnight. The next 24 hours the temp ranged from 15-30. The next day stayed around 20-25 degrees F. By Sunday 830AM, the power had been out almost 60 hours & the outdoor temp had stayed below freezing. The cabinet temp was 62.5F. [this is when I started paying closer attention as I had the rest of the house pretty well buttoned down] 4PM, outside 33F, cabinet 62.1 8PM, outside 25F, cabinet 60.8 12PM, outside 30, cabinet 59.9 Monday 7AM, outside 35F, cabinet 58.5 9AM, outside 43F, cabinet 58.3 1PM, outside 53F, cabinet 59.8 3PM, outside 54F, cabinet 59.9 [note the solar gain on the last 2<g>] It was so warm and I expected the outage to go 2 more days so I popped the cover, tested the water [FC of 1ppm] and added chlorine in a bucket of hot water- partly to dilute it some and partly to replace the BTUs lost by the cover getting opened. 8PM, outside 53F, cabinet 59.9 Then the lights came on at 9PM so the ‘experiment’ ended. I now have a generator so if this happens again & the weather is harsher I’ll drop a stock tank heater in for a couple hours to take the chill off. But even if it is 20-30 degrees below freezing I won’t be too worried for a couple days. Jim
  12. I didn't find this site until after I ordered my R-0871 so I can't vouch for them- but their prices are decent and they have the whole kit laid out on a single page- with 2oz bottles available for a lot of them. http://www.poolcenter.com/taylor_test_kit_reagents.htm Jim
  13. I'm a hot utb newbie- but have studied heat loss for a couple decades. First off- heat travels towards the cold. Hot air & hot water rise. Cement is a good conductor of heat- but you have a couple inches of wood between the heated side of the cabinet and the cement. That R2 or so is probably good enough. I insulated the floor of my cabinet, but wouldn't want anything under it that would hold moisture. It might be fun to put a bunch of sensors under a tub in the soil and see how far down the heat traveled. Another thing to consider if you're in the frozen north. Suppose you got enough insulation under your tub so it lost no heat through the bottom. Then frost gets below it- heaves it unevenly and cracks the shell. [don't know if that could happen in real life- but in theory it could] Jim
  14. No economy for me. Thankfully I haven't found this tub to be expensive to run, because my usage doesn't lend itself well to an economy mode. Sometime between 3-5AM joint & muscle pain drives me out of bed. . . I stumble down to the tub, soak for a 1/2 hour & muddle through the day. On rare occassions we use the tub again in the evening. A timer might be a slight savings- I could turn it down after the morning soak and have it come on at 3AM. [then Murphy would have me aching at 2 with a cold tub.<g>] The board in this thing is an 1800D which is pretty plain-jane so I think my only choices are economy & straight temp. [and 101 seems to work for me - down to 15degrees F anyway] My main purpose of the termometer in there is to make sure the motor doesn't get too hot- and if we have a power outage I can see when to start panicking. [i'm in NY] It does have a high/low memory so I can see what the ranges are over a period.
  15. I finally got around to moving my thermometer so the remote could pick up the signal. They are only 5 feet apart but 5 layers of foil might be my problem. [2 on the tub- 2 on some High-r sheathing on the house- and then on the insulation inside] But anyway- on my old Thermospa [Phoenix] that I re-insulated this summer with 2" of styrofoam. The original foil covered bubblewrap was still intact. Anyhow- this morning- Spa temp 101 air temp 5F, wind chill -11F Cabinet temp 90.4F This is a smallish tub [220 gallons], but it has a 5.5kw 220heater. I've only had it up for about 6 weeks, but my electric usage for the whole house has been within the past 6 yr averages. I'm tempted to spend $40 on a meter on ebay to be sure of what the tub is using--- but other than curiousity I'm not sure of the value of that knowledge. Jim
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