Muffley

Ok, I've never owned a hot tub before but have ued them enough that I know I want one. But there's one problem...I'd like to place the spa at my vacation home (on a lake, near a ski resort). My family will be at the lake hose pretty much all summer (with me visiting every weekend and for a few weeks in the summer) so I think/know we'd make good use of it in the summer months, but I'd also like to use it in the wintertime after a long day of skiing. But as we will likely o weeks between visits I am unsure whether even considering using a spa in the winter is feasible. So thought I'd ask the experts what they'd do in my situation? Is there a way to go weeks without tending to the chemicals? Is it possible/worthwhile draining the tub and refiling for use in winter (i.e. for xmas week, for school vacation week)? Or is that too big of a hassle or perhaps impractical to due in the cold of winter. Alternately, I suppose I could hire a creataker but have no idea of what would be involved, o if this would require some daily check-up then I think that's not ecnomically feasible. Any/all opinions welcome. Thx.

Aquaterra spas are simply Freeflow spas branded under a different name so as to sell at Costco without appearing to directly compete with their dealer network. FWIW, the Aquaterra Vitale appears to be the Freeflow Solstice.

Bob, sorry to hear about your issue but thanks for sharing. Having heard similar stories about Costco spas in the past this is exactly what I feared and why I started the thread. Spawn, thx for weighing in. I take a LONG time to make these decisions (my guess is that I won't be buying until this time next year) and Nordic and D1 Journey are already on my short list (no local Marqis dealer unfortunately). Jeremiah, thx for pointing out that Hot Spot has a round tub line...I have been on their site many times but had never seen these tubs until I googled them...they still don't appear to be on their main site...why are they hiding them. DK, thx for being a voice in the wilderness as I too believe that Costco SHOULD be able to offer a decent quality hot tub and absolutely believe they WANT to do so...just seems like they haven't been able to yet. I was hopeful this might be that tub, but given Bob's experience they may be off to another bad start (though hoping Bob's experience isn't typical). hot_water, thx for getting the thread back on track...much appreciated. Roger, over the last few months I've been reading your posts on your Nordic experience and have had similarly good interactions with the Nordic folks via email over the past few weeks. Definitely looks like the kind of line-up I'm looking for. And thx to all the rest of you who have shared so much knowledge in this and the many other threads...great stuff and I hope this thread might continue as others share first-hand experience on this company/tub. Best. Muffley

History will show I'm no fan of Costco's past spa offerings and maybe you didn't really mean it that way but Costco isn't the one I'd point the finger at for putting those companies out of business. Those companies just were not able to build a product at those prices with the necessary quality to stay in business. Some might say the problem was the pricing they agreed to. Others might say they had to cut corners to make that pricing which was at the cost of quality. Still others might say they weren't companies known for quality in the first place. I'm sure the truth was a combination of all of those but I put the blame more on those manufacturers for being shortsighted enough to take those sales and just hope the rest would somehow work out. If all those past companies held their ground and said "no, we need to sell them for this price to make it work" then maybe things would be different but Costco knows there is always another willing to make the deal on their terms for the short term gain. I don't trust that the recipe has really changed so no matter who is selling those spas I'll continue to question the product and the viability of the manufacturer just based on history. thx spatech, yes...as they say, history is a good teacher

Good stuff Jeremiah...thx for taking the time. It's definitely a trade-off...no question about it and the history Costco has of putting Hot Tub manufacturer's out of business is a long one indeed. I totally agree that going this route is compromising it's just that I am wondering how many of these compromises are real (certainly local support, inability to see/test)? how many are presumed (albeit fairly presumed based on past experience (i.e. higher energy use, lesser quality)? and how many are merely consumer preferences (i.e. self installation doesn't seem like a big deal for a 300lb tub that can be rolled into place). Apologies if I appear to be a shill for Costco, not my intention. I simply wanted to see what kind of discussion I could generate as it seems like there could should be a way for a manufacturer to offer a relatively inexpensive entry level tub by focusing on volume production, simplicity of design/manufacture, limited selection of options, etc. Heck, Henry Ford started this right? I'm sure there were many custom and low volume car manufacturers that scoffed at his Model T car that was available only in black, right? Again, I think there is a market for a Model T version of a hot tub. Maybe there is, maybe there isn't. And regardless, maybe this tub isn't it...but seeing it definitely got me thinking.

FreeFlow has no higher end tubs. Fair point. I didn't mean to imply that Freeflow has high-end tubs, what I meant to say was that within the Freeflow line-up this Costco offering is at their lower end (i.e. smallest tub, simple round, no color choice for either the skirt or shell, etc.). So I guess what I am interested in is assessing if this tub is of decent quality. It's all about trade-off and it appears to me that Costco may have finally found a tub that has enough features (i.e. 220V option) within a basic enough package (round, only 17 jets, relatively small size, etc.) to hit upon the correct quality/price trade-off. But as I know nothing about Freeflow nor how this Aquaterra sub-brand may be different from typical Freeflow products I really have no was of assessing the overall quality (i.e. components, assembly, insulation, etc.).

lol, didn't catch that. For the record, that appears to be Costco's error as the Aqauterra site lists the correct dimensions (i.e. 78" diameter)

UK Arctic- Thx for the reply. I will definitely check on Strong Spa. I have done a bit of investigating and a snear as I can tell Aquaterra is a recently formed company/brand used to sell Freeflow spas through Costco without directly competing with Freeflow dealers. Moreover it appears that the Aquaterra Eternity is the Freeflow Legend (which Freeflow no longer sells through dealers). Not 100% sure about this, but again it makes sense to me that a tub manufacturer would want to sell higher end tubs through dealers while simultaneously selling rebranded lower end tubs through a distributor like Costco. Thx. again.

OK, so I have been thinking about a hot tub for some time and been lurking around these boards for the past few months...so am very familiar with the sordid history Costco has had with hot tubs. Moreover I have no desire to (re)start an argument about how Costco is selling $10k tubs for $4-5k (I don't believe this at all). Nor do I want to engage in a discsussion of the value/importance of local dealer support (I believe this is very valuable). Instead, what I'd like is to hear some people weigh in on the latest Costco offering: the Aquaterra Eternity . This tub is selling for $2400 and appears to me to be exactly the type of tub Costco should have been selling all along. It appears to be: simple (round, no frills) well insulated (full foam but that's another argument I'd prefer to avoid) versatile (plug n' play OR 220V, ozone-ready) good-quality (stainless steel, decent warranty) Below are the specs from the Costco website. Note that in the above I highlighted the word "appears"...that is because I'd be interested in all of your opinions on how this tub "appears" to you. Thanks in advance. Specifications: Seating: 5 adult seats Dimensions: 78" x 78" x 33.5" Jet Pump: 1.5 hp, 2-speed pump; our pump draws fewer amps on low speed, using less energy to heat and filter Jet Count: 17 stainless steel jets 16 adjustable hydro therapy jets (4 rotational) 1 ozone jet Weight Dry / Filled: 350 lbs. / 2,620 lbs. Water Capacity: 280-gallon water Electrical: 115 V/220 V: 115V for plug and play convenience; Plugs into standard outlet with dedicated circuit OR 220V (115V conversion kit included no extra cost) Heater: 1kw (115V) / 4kw (220V) stainless steel heater Filter: 50 sq. ft.; intelligent filtration with customized programming for optimized filtration cycles Full foam insulation for maximum efficiency and long term heat retention Color: Artic shell / mahogany synthetic skirt Place on concrete slab or properly supported wood deck Made in the USA Features: Light with colored lenses Includes digital LED controls Aromatherapy crystals to take relaxation to a new level Made of durable Unicast Polyethylene Bottom drain for easy maintenance RokSolid™ advanced polymer Artic color shell and synthetic mahogany wood skirt provides beauty and strength Cover: High quality, ASTM approved covers with insulating baffles and locking safety clips" in Mahogany (Slate) color to match your spa Warranty: Lifetime – Structure 5 year shell 1 year parts 1 year labor