pkillur
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Posts posted by pkillur
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Hi all,
My kind brother gave me his old Hot springs Prodigy - which is great.
When I got it up and running it would occasionally trip the 20 amp GFI. (monthly). This would only happen with the jet pump running after about 10 or 15 minutes of soaking. The heater and the circ pump work fine and never by themselves trip the circut. bicsi rcdd After 4 months the tripping became more frequent and occured sooner after the jet pump was on - say 1 or 2 minutes. Eventually it happened virtually every time we used the tub. ( trip only happens with the jet pump on, not with the heater or the circ pump) braindump ne it trips - if i give the GFI a "rest" for 30 minutes or so ( sometimes longer)- I can then run the heater and circ pump. Conversely - If I don't give the GFI a "rest" - it trips again - 70-270 latest dumps almost immediately without the jet pump being on
Last weekend I replaced the original 10 yr old jet pump (thinking it was the culprit ). But no luck! -the GFI trips again after 15 or so minutes - so I am back to square 1
This user's account or created account has been hacked - the links go to a website that helps IT and Network people cheat / prepare (depending on which camp you're in) for certification tests. I think a mod needs to nuke this account.
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Seems like I heard years ago that you should not get into a hot tub after drinking alcohol. I just do not remember the reasons! and what the reasons are!
Any thoughts on this!
If I can't drink in a tub! I'm about to waste $8k
Hi,
I think the main reason is that you may drown! I have always found that i get drunk twice as quick in a tub. I think this is because the hot water increases blood circulation anyone know any other reason please jump in and correct me. I dont think any hot tub manufacturer would ever recomend drinking in a tub but maybe other readers could give their opinion as to whether they do or dont.
Your bloodflow increases in your body, so, instead of just mostly siting in your stomach more of it gets moved around. Theoretically you would also metabolize it out faster too, but that's a much longer process (something like BAC of .15 goes away in 10 hours or so). Also, alcohol also increases bloodflow and raises body temperature, so there is a slightly higher risk of heat stroke and heart attack if you already have these issues. Per this article there are around 75 deaths in hot tubs per year, mainly related to drowning and drowsiness or drowning by kids getting hair stuck in the filters and jet ports. I'm guessing most of the drunk drowning issues are people who are really smashed and are not around others, but that's my non scientific guess.
Honestly, I don't really see a huge difference in acohol affecting me in a hot tub versus out of it, but I think it also might have to do with how much you drink and how cheap of a date you are. I'm part irish and part welsh and was raised in a good episcopal family, so it takes quite a bit to affect me. My wife however, does feel it faster in the hot tub.
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I'd probably shock to a fairly high level just in case any biofilms were formed on tub surfaces. Ozone will keep the water clear and kill anything circulating, but it doesn't provide a residual disinfectant in the bulk water so won't do much for anything stuck on spa surfaces. You're probably OK, but to be safe, I would shock just in case. If you were a person with a sensitive immune systems, then you'd want to decontaminate the tub, but your risk sounds low. As was implied in the previous post, if your CD is still low, then you probably don't have significant biofilms. You can also check the feel of your spa surfaces to see if any of them feel slimy rather than the more normal squeaky clean feel.
Will check tonight - didn't think to check the side of the tub.
Thanks!
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I'm not sure how this thing works...
This statement, plus electrical, equals dangerous! Not trying to offend anyone. It is to assure safety. Contract a licensed electrician.
Not offended in the least.
The 240 was physically run by me and hooked up by an electrician. I was just looking at the box and noticed it's got a knockout missing on the bottom and has a little crack. Most likely this is from moving it and might not be a big issue, but you know, like you said "not sure + water + electricity = stupid".
Anyhow, as I was looking I stumbled across the spadepot one looking for new ones. Some things I completely feel comfortable screwing with because I've developed enough sensitivity to not step on any figurative bombs (plumbing, low voltage wiring, corporate antivirus
) - Electricity makes about 80% sense to me, which is where the danger lies! I know just enough to do basic stuff (pop out a breaker, run wire, conduits, etc), but I'm NOT an electrician at all... I was just curious how it worked and whether or not to get a new box with it or not. Since the post above yours said that I'd probably need to upgrade my GFI to 60 + the main to 60 (if I'm reading it correctly) I'll probably pass!Swapping out a box I can do, but calculating load isn't something I want to do, plus I'm @ appx 85 feet on 6 GA, so I'm not sure it could handle the load. I also have a 120 plug on the other side of the deck.
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So, while I was out of town my wife and her best friend used the hot tub and they forgot to add chlorine, so when I tested the water today FC was zero. Do I need to jack up the FC to like 6-10? I have a CD ozonator hooked into the circ pump, so it's on 24/7, but I'm not really quite sure how / what to do. I boosted it up to 4 PPM FC last night.
Am I significantly better off since I'm on an ozonator? It's pretty hearty, my CD is something around 30-40 % on a practically new filter.
My thought is to test tonight and see what it's at, but do I need to super-shock and let the tub settle?
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I have used colloidal silver a few times for homepathic reasons, and seen absolutely not one benefit except for ONE time (this is after dozens of uses, mind you) when I believe it helped with a really bad ear infection my wife got when we were in the mountains. I'm not a big believer. However, I do believe nature2 has "silver ions" - are these the same as colloidal silver? I'm not sure. I don't know that I would trust it.
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Greetings all - My GFI box is cracked, so I'm looking at getting a new one - This one here (http://www.spadepot.com/shop/Spa-Disconnect-GFCI-Load-Center-240V-up-to-60A-P9279C193.aspx) seems like it has a 120 circuit in tandem with the 240. But my question is does it work if you are using the tub? I'm not sure how this thing works...
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Lucy,
NewB's solution is a good one as long as it makes his inspector happy. I'm not sure that the use of the spapad will be universally accepted... code says you can install on wood, though - so a layer of deck boards on the concrete should pass. In any case this is only relevant to existing pads. Since you're pouring a new one, you should install the ground wire.
I wouldn't swear to it but I'm pretty sure you COULD just run the wire out of the concrete! However, this would, IMO, be an amateurish installation. There's lots of better ways to do it. One easy one is to bring the wire out in a flexible metal conduit. You can use type BX for this, but I strongly recommend that you either paint the outside of the conduit or wrap it in corrosion resistant tape such as 3M Templex where it's buried in the concrete. Don't stretch the tape at the ends of the wrap or it WILL come loose! A better solution is to find TECK conduit rather than BX and avoid painting or tape-wrapping. TECK is pretty much the same stuff as BX but has an external plastic jacket. You will need to go to an electrical supply for this as I've not seen it at my local Home Depot, Lowe's or Orchard. You still should wrap the fitting connecting the wire to the rebar in tape before the concrete is poured. And do bring at least one spare wire out, in case the wire gets broken - it happens!
I used type LA because it can be direct buried or stuck in concrete if needed (http://www.powercabling.com/flexconduit.htm) I think I got it from either Lowes or Home Depot. If I recall this is a fairly small pad, so I would just pour rather than getting a spa-pad, but that's just my thought.
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Hehe, while you guys were enjoying a soaking last night I was refilling my tub in -18! Wind chill not included
My Onzen Version 7 got installed a couple of days ago. Got to dump in the salt tonight!
I am seriously hoping I never need to dump water in that cold a weather! Yikes. Did you have to do anything special to protect your plumbing from freezing or cracking? Or did you just do it very fast?
I am curious about these salt water systems. How long do they go before you need to dump and refill? I am using the Dychlor/Bleach method and hope to go 6 months, so May 1st when it's warmed up i'll be cleaning house...
Greg
When I refilled mine I didn't do anything and I didn't get any leaks. I found this ironic because I had a leak at the drain plug when the heater was on. I've since covered it with one of those faucet styrofoam cover things that mostly block the wind out.
A handy tip that can be very useful in a "hmmm. What do I do now??" situation - I had to refill but had some serious frozen spots in the hose - so I took my sump hose (you could also use a shop vac hose if it's not filthy) to fill a sterilite container with toasty hot water to melt the hose. However, the caveat emptor is to dump the water or you'll end up with a really great and giant clean block of ice!
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Well I went to the Arctic Spa dealer, and thankfully they were able to repair the pump. The impeller was busted, and it needed some seals. They found a couple leaks and fixed those too. So my repair bill shouldn't be that bad. Now all I got to do is shovel all the snow out of the way so that I can put it down in my back yard and hook it up. What is the distance the GFI breaker is supposed to be from the tub?
Thanks
Call your town / municipality. The shortest distance I've heard is 5 feet, and the longest distance I've heard is 25 feet. I would put it close(ish) to a deck area so you don't have to trudge through snow if you have to pop the GFI to look at equipment - these are words of regret!!! I have to walk on the grass and uneven riverrock to pop my GFI ,which is really fun and safe when it's covered with snow + natural melt ice + cover drip ice...
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Oh I was wondering. I was thinking of taking some pictures of the tub today, can I post pictures on this forum?
Yes - upload them to some picture sharing website (flickr or photobucket or your own...) Then hit reply and click on the "picture" looking icon. It's kinda small and next to the arrow with the plus on it.
I am also imploring you to sanitize your tub a time or two. I got my hot tub from my father in law and he hadn't taken proper care of it (he assumed the ozonator would get 'most' of the 'stuff' in the water) and hardly used any sanitizer. Nitro's water guide is very long, but you will learn SO MUCH from it. Take an hour or two and read through the WHOLE THING, as in the replies, etc.
Also, I would recommend the following:
Taylor Kit! The difference between the taylor and the dip strips is AMAZING - strips suck and yours might be expired (look on the bottom of the tube they are in). If the chemicals were outside, my thought is to throw them away...
New dichlor granules.
SPA FLUSH... It's an enzymatic cleaner - google it, my preferred seller is spadepot, but you might find a local vendor which sells them.
Get the test kit and see what the water from whatever you're filling up is (ph high / low, FC level, cc, etc).
Then nuke your tub with the decontamination guide and use spa flush (I like it a whole lot better than swirl away because it's enzymatic and doesn't have TSP, so it's less harsh on you + wherever you dump your tub). It smells better too, but that's a really dumb reason to pick a cleaner!
Get or borrow a net to scoop out the crap that might come out of your plumbing (I had a ton, you might not...)
Dump tub, and follow the nitro water guide.
As a bonus, if you stick around long enough to read a bunch of chem_geek, QCD, and Nitro's posts you can get a PhD in chemistry
(J/K but you will learn SO much - and you will never ever use a hot tub that isn't your own probably ) -
Well I emailed the previous owner, to see if we can come up with some kind of arrangement if it ends up being a $600 pump change. The previous owners did state to me that the tub was in excellent condition when I voiced my concerns about everything working, hopefully we can come to some arrangement.
Either way I'm still glad about what I have and will just have to take a bit more time in installing it. My dealer seems like a great guy, I asked him if when the tub is up and running and ready to go if I don't have all the cash if it can sit there for a bit and pay him as I can. He said he would work something out with me, was a relief to hear that from him!!
Alternatively (yes, the dealers will get mad at me when I say this) you could save a few bucks and order the new pump yourself... It shouldn't be more than 400 bucks for a pump (your cost CDN) and I can't imagine it taking more than an hour for a dealer to install a pump. Then again, I've only had two spas and don't do this all the time...
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So... I was changing the water in my spa yesterday (2005 Hot Spring Envoy)... got in a hurry because the phone started ringing just as I was pulling the heavy sump pump out of the spa after draining. The pump whapped against the side of the spa and left a nice little bingle!! It's small and above the water line, but it will ever serve as a reminder of my abject stupidity. Is there any way to fix it?
<sigh....>
Rae
IF the sandpaper method doesn't work so well, you can get plast-aid and fill in the gap. It'll still be there though, the texture will be different slightly. You can also color plast-aid with someting called acrylic dye to make it less obtrusive, though when I used it it was on the back of a leaky pvc flex drain and a diverter valve.
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I'm still trying to get my 2001 Sundance altamar fully functioning. I have a small leak at the back of the tub (opposite the power pack). I removed the panel, and saw where the foam was wet. I dug fairlt deep into the foam and it was very wet, but i could not find where the leak was coming from. There is only one jet in the tub where the leak is at, and i ran the hose in the jet and no water leaked out. How can i find where it's leaking? Could it be from the jet plumbing?Is it wise to keep ripping out foam? Also, does anyone have a plumbing diagram for that spa? Thank you.
So, I don't have a full foam hot tub, so take this for what it's worth, but before digging out foam, I would run some seal-a-leak or other leak fixing stuff through it if it's not a huge leak. It might get you sealed up and ready to go without digging anything else out. If not, order some plast-aid and get to digging
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According to windriver's web site, They have a good insulating method. if they really used the hard spray foam as they say there is very little heat loss through the shell. The question is heat loss from the exposed pipes. Now with the air cavity and it sounds like the pump motor exhaust is used to heat that space. The reflective will help but you do not want it too warm it shorten the life of the pumps.
It also says they use Balboa controls. Did you try to use the economy mode were it only heats during a filter cycle. Some balboa packs can be programmed to what time you want the filter cylce to run. That is if the circulator pump doesn't run 24/7. If it does the is a way to program it that is doesn't with the dip switches on the pc board.
There is in fact hard foam on the shell. I think I mainly am just looking for a better way to seal it in. It's got like 4 mil plastic surrounding 3 of the 4 sides, but it's punctured in a few areas, due mainly to moving with a couple ... special... teenagers. That's why I was thinking of using the reflectix. The other thought with the doublesided reflectix is that it will keep heat OUT during the summer if I place it on the spa instead of the 4 mil they have on it. I could also take it off for late spring - early fall, but that is slightly a PITA.
I will look at the controls when I'm under the spa this weekend and see if they are balboa, they certainly don't look like balboa controls, but it could just be some funky enclosure they build themselves...
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I have a 2005 WindRiver Hurricane, that seems to be doing OK on it's heating. I've recently read through about 2 pages of results worth of searches about heat retention, insulation, etc. My current tub + ridiculous house heating + a space heater left on a couple days last month cost about 80 bucks more (including two refills), so figuring all thse into consideration, I'm thinking I'm at about normal costs. I'm going to look at the skirt and see if there is anything leaking out of it if I can borrow a friend's heat camera, and possibly install reflectix. I'm also ordering a floating blanket at the first of the month (budget, budget, budget!)
What I'm curious about is whether or not it's smarter to run the tub at 101 and crank up the heat about 30-45 minutes before usage, or just maintain it at the 104-105 we like. The temps we've been running have been consistently around 102-106 (trying to figure out what we like) and I'm thinking that we're settled at 104 unless it's particularly cold in the house, and ergo feeling slightly colder when we get in.
I would think the cost difference between maintaining 101 to 104 is fairly nominal (a buck or two) since it doesn't appear that we have a heat leaking hot tub. Do you guys know if that seems right or am I totally wrong? I know that it's not true that leaving an AC on all the time takes less electricity rather than to leave the AC off until you get home (http://michaelbluejay.com/electricity/myths.html), so I'm wondering if this is slightly true. It might not be because AC + air is not the same as Heat + water.
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HI
anyone else out there instigated Legal Proceedings against this company, they are linked to Spa Serve we understand, we have been well and truly mislead, and are substantially out of pocket.
Any help much appreciated.
Finally, Small claim has been lodged, (they are defending under their unfair clause in their contract 4.2)..
anyway Hurrah we have now had TRADING STANDARDS OFFICER VISIT OUR HOME and he has taken a full STATEMENT from us and we WILL be giving evidence against SIMON FOSTER, STUART COX, JONATHON HUSSLEBEE OF THE TRADE PRICE GROUP RUGELEY aka, UKHOTTUBS aka SPA SERVE ............ we will happily go to court as witnesses for STAFFORDSHIRE TRADING STANDARDS when they get the case against them, even if our SMALL CLAIM we have ongoing doesn't satisfy us.
We have also written to every Newspaper, watchdog, and have found many complaints and small claims/large claims against them and are writing to every customer who has been RIPPED OFF BY THESE COWBOYS.
they also trade under HDI, INSPARATIONS, FIRST CHOICE HOT TUBS and manufacturer is CHINESE J&J SANITARY WARE CO LTD, China.................. NOT American as they tell you when they visit your house and sell you the 'deal of the century'
CROOKS absolute CROOKS
Haha, I went to their website (J&J) - some of those spa pictures are so awkwardly photoshopped it's ridiculous! The main swimspa one especially.
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Guess I should of added that I would connect the corners with a long threaded rod that runs from the top of the frame to the bottom and is nutted at each end......hah nutted.....
I would think they would hold the weight OK as long as they were anchored a couple places, but I don't know that I'd leave the PT part outside to get consistently wet as it will eventually start to splinter. As well most pressure treated wood has chemical crap in it (arsenic I think?), so make sure it's not near a garden or somewhere little kids play just in the random off chance that it really could get your kids sick. FWIW I took a section of "crappy deck" (not sure what else to call it) that the former owner of our house had because there was about 1-2 inches of consistently "sickly yellow" looking grass around some PT wood.
I would interlock the pieces like a log cabin, but then again I've never built anything more than 2-3 pieces tall out of PT wood. Also, make sure whatever you fill it with is settled and can drain water - I would put a bunch of sand or pea gravel at the bottom so you don't get a ton of settling. When you say "3/4 down" do you mean dirt / soil or is that just some filler material I don't know about?
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Is your equipment sectioned off from the rest of the spa? The vents should be to vent the heat generated by the jet pumps running. What ever insulation you use make sure it will not soak up water. I personally would not add insulation. By the time the pumps start to give out from getting to warm your done. They won't last long. If your equipment is not sectioned off you can try to put a shroud in behind it with some insulated foam board. again you will have to keep a eye on things
I was thinking about something similar to this, to seal off the area that has the equipment - around 84" X 36" X 2"-20". But is that enough space as far as air goes? I would think it'd be OK because of the vents, I could also put a puncture in the bottom of the skirt and band some foam together in the back to seal it off. I was thinking something similar to this:
F...../----------------------------------\.....F
O ../ ==vent== ...........==vent==\...O
A ./ ..............................................\..A
M /................. {circ + heat}...........\.M
.../..{pump1} ...|panel|....{pump2}..\..
Sorry for dots - it gets gobbled up when I post it - So much for the days of ASCII art!
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well its gaining about 5 degrees per hour 375 gallon.
always seems so slow even with a 5.5 KW heater. that is only 6 months old. To bad the wife and kids cant use it after sking today.
PFM it be but the wife will get a 100 bill
So, I hate to hijack a thread, but I pull the quick disconnect once a week to clean the filter. Never had a problem in just 4 months, is this a bad practice?
DK117
When you guys say pull the quick dissconect do you mean shut off the GFCI breaker? Or did you put the GFCI in the house and use one of the shut off switches for AC units outside by the tub?
Switching off the exterior GFCI breaker.
I never switch mine off, I just yank it out, but there is a pretty decent downdraft form the circ pump, but nothing I can't get the filter out with. I'd think maybe the dealer would say to turn it off for someone without a fairly normal amount of leverage, or to prevent a lawsuit or something, but I don't think it'd be necessary unless you have some monster circ pump.
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So, I would love real science answers to this question as well as anectdotal answers (which is probably what most of us have...)
I have a 2005 (or 6, can't remember) Windriver Hurricane, and it's insulated with really thick foam (not full foam cabinet though) and insulated with boards of styrofoam around the frame, that are then covered with plastic on three sides (equip side is not covered). It also has vents towards the top of the skirt on the equip side (which is the entrance side also - I think that is standard??). It would seem to me that this is more efficient than nothing up against the wood, but seems lacking to me. Wouldn't it be possible for a draft to develop through the vents, thus negating parts of the dead insulation, making it not dead air?? I would think it's better to seal off the non-equipment three sides?
I have seen posts of people using this type of foam, but I've also seen other spa manufacturers use foam chunks (h2o spas) and some people use packing peanuts. Wouldn't this break down the flow of air inside the chamber and increase the insulation? Other than overheating, is this a good plan or just pointless? I want to increase the insulation on my spa to try and do what I can to shave a few bucks off the bill each month.
My first thought would be regular old insulation, but that seems like a bad choice, as does mineral wool, because I think they both are mold / microbe friendly places. Chunks / sheets of closed cell foam would seem like a good choice, but I might just spend my savings for a few years to fill up the cavity. So my next thoughts were styrofoam and plasticized packing materials (packing peanuts, computer cradles, etc). I'm a network engineer so I see a ton of this crap on a weekly basis AND we chuck it, so I wouldn't be spending anything to get it. But is it a waste of time? What do you guys think? Also, what about the equipment side? I read on a few posts not to heavily insulate so that the equipment doesn't overheat.
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Nice family time!
So..i really dont need a tub for my sore back, health benefits, aching muscles. To me, it would be nice to relax, enjoy the hot water, and TALK! No television - no music - no traffic! To me - THIS makes the overall cost of owning a tub worth it!
I appreciate this about our tub so far. There is something very simple about just looking at the moon and stars and talking with your spouse and/or kids. Although, I do kinda want to wire up outdoor speakers, though my wife is on the fence about it.
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Anybody has any experience with Swim Spa Manufacturers Inc. line of products? They seem to have smaller sizes of swim spas which fit to our needs...Also any idea on energy efficiency and maintaining the water warm?
Thanks in advance.
Someone asked this question last week, check on the post HERE
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I am real close to purchasing a tub and will buying either the Hot Springs Vanguard or Sovereign, BUT a recent post detailing peoples increase in their energy bill has me a little worried! Many people are stating that their energy bill has increased $50-$100-$150 per month. I want a hot tub but not for $5 per day just to use!
This site has saved me from buying a low end unit which I think is the issue here! but I still would like to hear some feedback!
HOT SPRINGS OWNERS - How much did your energy bill increase? They state an energy guaranty of $20-$30 max depending on climate and location! Have you found this to be a true statement?
Thanks
I would think that you are not going to see a larger than $50 increase. I have a few year old WindRiver (They are built here in Colorado) and it's insulated about 85% as well as a Hotsprings (at least IMHO). I put it online literally the day my billing period started. Our Ambient temps from 20-dec-09 to 20-jan-10 ranged from -18 lows to 50 highs (2 days last week), and the bill increased about 82 Dollars. This increase includes the following:
Filling tub initially (42 degree water is what tub said, I think it was colder). Heating full tub to 102.
I had to superchlorinate it and decided to dump it because I got floaties in the water.
Fill again (This time it said 49 degrees), still getting crap in water, so did spa-flush after 2nd superchlorinate.
Dump water.
Fill again (Water @ 45 degrees I think). Heat to 102.
Leak @ drainpipe that I didn't notice for three days (temps hit -30 and the drain doesn't have a gate valve AND the tub had a nasty draft because of the way the wind blows and the fact that I didn't see two cracked boards - chanced 100 to 1. Fill appx 20% of water, dropping temps from 102 down to 83 and heat up again.
Total usages after water balancing issues were resolved was somewhere around total soaking time being around 7 hours spread through the 2.5 weeks after balancing issues resolved. The temps @ soak times varied from -7 to 30, the first week being the negatives and then staying at the mid teens and going up until weds of last week (I got the bill on friday).
Our bill went up 82 dollars, but at the same time, my kids left on an electric space heater in the basement on HIGH, and discovered that they REALLY LOVE lego batman on the Xbox and have played 36 hours of it on our projector (which is old and power hungry) AND it was really freaking cold so our heater was on about every 4 minutes, which means that the heater motor was also cooking.
So, all this said, if you're buying a new spa, I can't see it being more than 50 bucks on a really cold month. You might invest in a floating blanket to cut down on heat loss also. My hosehold appropriations committee has approved the procurement of one once the month kicks over and we shoehorn it into the budget.
Taylor K2006 Test Kit For Cheap
in Hot Tub Water Chemistry
Posted
I am buying another kit for my neighbor (who is old and is 'afeared a them internets') - did you have a good experience getting your kit from these guys? It's literally half what I paid for it at the local guys here in Denver, so I'd love to get it from their website....
-PKil