cgarrett

Thanks for the Replies! JerimiahR- As I said in my initial post, our Hot Springs Spa does have the slimy problem, and we have a weekly service, so I doubt it is a sanitation issue...... plus there has been the heat shut off issue....... Markee- We narrowed our choices down to Hot Springs and Catalina because they are the only two options in my area, and I want a local dealer for service. spatech (the unreal one) and JerimiahR- I AM a little worried about the Catalina guy saying so much about the Hot Springs Spa, but he claimed to base it on experience, since he services all types of spas. It still makes me wonder...... as a former lawyer I tend to be skeptical when someone justifies their product by criticizing another. The Pup- I also appreciate your perspective: It surely is not the Suez Canal! And by the way, THANK YOU for all you did in the military.... (I don't think we say that enough). At this point I intend to "ask around" about the two dealers; maybe that will help me decide. Cindy

Thanks! That is perfect!

I have been reading past posts and already have learned a lot- so thanks to everyone. We have had a Hot Springs spa at our home in Southern California for about eight years. We now are deciding which hot tub to purchase for our cabin in the local mountains. I considered the Costco Evolution CSXi80, but am leaning toward not choosing it because so many posts emphasize that it is better to purchase from a local dealer for service reasons, and because of reports of the side panels popping off. The only two hot tub dealers in the small mountain town where our cabin is located sell Hot Springs or Catalina spas, thus I am trying to decide between these two brands. I was leaning toward Hot Springs until I spoke with the Catalina dealer who mentioned some problems with the Hot Springs spas. Specifically, he said that because the filtration is 24 hours long, the seats tend to accumulate a slime on their surface if the hot tub is not used regularly. According to him, this is because the motor doesn't churn up the water enough to remove the slime. In contrast, he says the two-speed motor in the Catalina spa precludes this buildup. He also says the Catalina filter only runs two hours a day. Interestingly, this slime is a problem in the Hot Springs spa we already own; even though I have asked my spa cleaning service to brush the seats they still are slimy. The Catalina dealer also said the Hot Springs spas' circuitry cannot handle power surges well, resulting in the heater turning off. We also have had the heater-turn-off problem with the Hot Springs spa, although we never knew why. According to the Catalina dealer, this mountain town has frequent power surges, and since we do not live here, no one can check to be sure the heater is operating. We have had to replace the control panel twice on the Hot Springs spa. Finally, the Catalina dealer also claims that the tiny motors in the Hot Springs spas get clogged more easily, whereas the Catalina spas' motor and it's housing are larger, preventing small debris from causing clogs. Soooooooooooooooooo......... I am asking for any advice on which spa to choose and information on the claims made my the Catalina dealer. According to him, he was asked to take over the Hot Springs dealership in this town, but refused it due to the issues he identified. It snows here, so any information about insulation and covers also would be appreciated. Thanks!