grandee1

Sorry to hear about your troubles. That is a long time with no circulation/heat in those temps. IMO with extreme temps like your having a 24/7 circ pump tied to the heater is required. Good luck come spring.

I would move the tub. Our Grandee moved fine the one time it was moved. If properly moved you should have no issues. You will be lucky to get 3500 if you sell. If you plan on keeping the tub make sure it is not visible when the house is listed since many will request in an offer the tub stays. In this case you will get nothing additional. The tub for many will be appealing but don’t be fooled into believe it will be a bargaining chip like someone mentioned. I would only leave a tub if I did not want/use it any longer or it was problematic. In your case since you plan on having a tub in your next home your best bet is to move it. As soon as it is moved it is wise to get it filled and up and running sooner than later to keep seals from drying out.

For the past 11 years I have used Nature2 in our Hot Spring Grandee I add two table spoons of MPS 10 min prior to using the tub or just after. I add 5 teaspoons of chlorine once a week and have always had perfect water with no odor. I also have an ozonator that runs 24/7 on the circ pump. I tried the strict MPS route with an ozonator and Nature2 when the tub was new and found we needed the small amount of chlorine each week to keep the water fresh. I could most likely get away with no chlorine now since we use the tub a little less but if a tub is used heavily many will find some chlorine is needed. Everyone has their cocktail but in taking care of pools all my life and this spa for the last eleven, I have found chlorine has its place. You will find if you use Nature2 and an Ozonator any residual chlorine is burned off within 12 hours and there will be no smell left behind. The water in our tub is always crystal clear with no odor.

I do not see it being the filters. Not to mention, they are either on or off. The amount of air has nothing to do with their articulation. They sweep up and down once water is sent to them regardless of the aeration. Low water flow would be no different than tuning the pressure low and getting a slower sweeping motion. I still think they are cracked and will not sweep. If water is moving through them and they are not moving they need replaced.

The whole assembly needs replaced. If you remove them you will probably see the vertebrae are cracked or separated. My guess is that is your problem. They are about 100.00. Odd both would fail at the same time and being an 05 it seems a little soon. A lot depends on water chemistry on how long they last. My tub is an 01 and I replaced one last year and one this year.

When I replaced mine I used a Marine Grade silicone. Much better than anything used in the bathroom. It will also stand up to chemicals much better.

No place for a Dog. I would not even consider it.

Burying the wire would be more aesthetically pleasing. If you use conduit it has to be steel or schedule 80. Make sure it is not Schedule 40 that is not approved for above grade.

You are quite the trooper! Good job and I hope you get to enjoy your spa for a long, long time!! Nice job. One question though, is that pressure treated lumber for the deck? Looks like untreated lumber in the pictures.

Now that is funny. I hate to ask what body part.....

We have had our HS Grandee for 10 years and had to replace one heater and that’s it. When I looked at the HS tubs they did not have all the bells and whistles some had but seemed to be built so much better. The quality in a HS spa is in what you can not see. I would say you can’t go wrong. My 500 gal HS cost 7500 10 years ago so I would say you’re getting a pretty good deal. I think it is a great hydrotherapy spa and as far as longevity IMO there is no match.

I have a 2000 Grandee and it was doing the same thing. I ended up changing out the GE GFI in the Sub panel and it never tripped again. Those GFI's do fatigue over time.

I say get it inspected and pour away. It will never come up again.

Sounds good, when I buy the second panel I am also going to buy the mounting kit and I will take pictures to show you. In my last pool I purchased a Hayward ABG Heat pump. I had a 20/14 Splash SuperPool. It worked excellent. I now have a larger unit in an in ground pool. Yesterday the temp dipped into the upper 50’s and my pool stayed at 85. I think a HP would do the trick.

Hello, What I think is what you propose to do is under supporting what Watkins requires or recommends. HS are a very heavy Spa, eI would have mine under nothing but concrete or a well supported deck. Do it right. You spent a lot of money on a nice spa why cut corners on the slab. If it fails you could ruin the shell or severly damage the tub.

On my HS and I believe all other HS models it runs 24/7

Two words....flip flop.

I know Acu-Rite and several other brands sell sensors for water temp. Not sure if they have alarm capability but you would be able to monitor temp from indoors.

All this cycling on and off, heater on at this time and off at this time is IMO non sense that requires way too much analysis and thought. A hot tub is supposed to be relaxing not stressful. A tub should maintain a preset temp not rise and fall. When the tub calls for heat it comes on and the water stays at your temp of choice. This is the most efficient way to heat a tub but this is also assuming the tub is well insulated. My tub is set to 102 and is ready anytime. In NC my 500+ gallon 2001 model HS costs less than 10.00 month in the dead of winter. Granted our winters are very mild but we get our share of freezing weather. When your tub drops so low and has to recover that is where you’re using so much power. In the summer I do set mine back to 80 since it is not used at all and the only thing that runs is the circ pump. This is not even detectible in the electric bill. The old saying….you can pay me now or later holds true, even in spas.

Does the water temp drop below the lower setting you enter? Does the tub heat back up quickly to the desired usage temp? As long as the tub heats when it is called for and does not drop below your lower setting you are fine and SL may mean “Sleep Mode”, unsure about that. You’re probably better off leaving the tub up to temp unless you are away from it more than a week at a time and even then I would leave it at my use temp. Lowering and raising the temp uses more power than keeping a constant temp with a well insulated tub.

After being stood empty for 5 months you should fill it with water, shock it and leave the pumps on for 20 minutes. Then drain it. Then refill the tub and sanitize as normal. As long as the pumps and all equipment was drained fully you should be ok with just shocking it. You can even shock it twice but draining and refilling is unnecessary.

I’m all for figuring out problems and many times can, but after a couple days I usually throw my hands up and call in the pros. You have been troubleshooting this over month. You may want to call in a tech.

Just fill it and run it as normal. Draining a tub each season is not good for the tub in the long run. Parts will wear quicker especially any plastic or rubber that comes in contact with the water. Seals may shrink as well and could end up leaking. Best thing to do is turn the heater way down in the summer and keep it sanitized.

Yes, I did my Grandee. I used a Sherwin Williams paint that my dealer recommended. It is not a stain but a solid paint. It darkened it up a bit and it is more of a rust color. I can get the paint # if you would like. I painted it about 4 years ago and it stills looks great. I think it is very sharp.

HS Spas are great quality. I have a Grandee I purchased new in 2000. I have replaced the heater once and the ozonator. I also had to replace one Moto Massage jet this year for 80.00. I think for 750 that is a great deal. The pump/s should be fine, I would image they are Wave Master pump/s which are top notch. The heater will be your biggest expense and that is nearing the end of its service life. It would be nice to see it running just to make sure it has no leaks, this is a full foam insulated tub that would be difficult to find leaks in but it sounds like that is not an option. I say for 750 go for it. Offer him 500 and see what happens, this way your heater is basically paid for.