spatech (the unreal one)

I think they're handled on a case by case basis. Shoppers often compare warranties based on what is written since that's about all they can do (other than come to sites like this and do some research) but its also about how well the warranties are backed and its not the same from manufacturer to manufacturer.

$8500 does sound like a pretty decent deal on a J-365, especially since its tax included. What was included with it? Steps? Lifter? Chems? ...

You should have a spa with 2 large jet pumps and no small 24/7 circ pump. Therefore, when the spa needs to heat and/or filter one of your jet pumps will turn on low speed while the other pump will stay off. As far as the ozonator goes, if it is a UV ozonator then you should see a bulb glowing. If its the original ozonator that came with the spa and is 9 years old it is doing you no good even if it does glow. Run without it for now and see how it goes, you'll be fine if you maintain you chlorine.

...and you sound like a Bullfrog salesman. I give them credit for being different at least but are their differences more than just sales tools? I and some others are not convinced that they're better, just different but that doesn't mean we think they're crap either but please don't make it sound like they're building rocket ships while others are building paper airplanes.

So its wrong just because you say so? I didn't plan to take sides here and will admit I'm pretty much on Roger's side on most all of this back and forth after reading through it but hey, these are just opinions right? Anyway that story has been discussed here many times back in the years when those spas were out there and problematic. I believe we had Jacuzzi people back it up as truth at that time saying that Jacuzzi had contracted some factory in Florida to make spas under their name for Home Depot (or maybe we should say rebranded spas someone else was making). In fact they did not hold up well but it was a farmed out situation from what we knew so maybe it can be said they were Jacuzzi in name only but I am quite sure it did happen as he mentioned. Just because you weren't aware of it doesn't mean it was fabricated. I wouldn't stake my life on it but I have a good deal of faith that the story is true but I'll stop short of saying you're "wrong". You might want to stick to merely disagreeing and avoid telling people they are flat wrong or that all foam spas leak because you say so or ...

Did you try disconnecting the outlet of the circ pump just slightly to see if air escapes?

This is ridiculous. I wonder if someone complained about the wrong person. Anyone who has been here awhile knows n1oty is extremely helpful to people who have spa issues and are looking for advice in one way or another. I don't remember him slamming any brands really and if the day comes where we can't give our opinion to others why would spa owners and shoppers come here?

You may be able to lessen the chances of floating but there is no such thing as a float-less lounge so don't assume anything. If someone floats in a spa its not simply because the lounge was poorly designed. You just can't design a lounge to be perfect for everyone because we're all different and besides, some people are just more apt to float than others. If you float in the lounge it becomes somewhat useless for that particular person so wet test any lounge spa you are considering and if you can't wet test it for whatever reason I'd personally take the non-lounge path.

Is someone claiming their lounge is "floatless"? I hope not because there is no such thing. In fact if someone floats in a spa its not that it isn't engineered well. In reality people come in many shapes and sizes so two people can test the same spa and one can love the fit/feel while the other has issues with it. When people recommend a spa thats fine for many aspects but when its comes to how it fits/feels their experience does not necessarily transfer to you.

The fact its out of state shouldn't matter but you do want it fairly local. If you're buying non local ask them what they would charge to come out to do warranty work.

Personally I would skip the lounge unless you wet test and find that it works for you. The last thing you want is to get it delivered only to find you float, the depth doesn't work for you, the angle is all wrong for you ... A lounge takes up a great deal of space, wet test or skip it.

As a very general rule I'd start with the assumption of an unknown 8 year old spa being worth about 20% of its original value (1 yr old 60% since its not new and no longer under warranty since warranties don't transfer, 2nd yr, 50%, 3rd yr, 45%, 4th yr 40%, 5th yr 35% ... 8th yr 20%). However, condition is everything on a used spa so of course if its in fantastic shape maybe you give as much as 35% and at the same time if its operational but has a few issues maybe only 10%. There is no way I'd give $5000 for any 8 year old Sarena, even if this one had zero issues and in this case you already know you'll have to replace the topside fairly soon and they're not cheap. That price isn't even in the ballpark IMO. Good fences and fair deals makes good neighbors. Keep the friendship, pass on the spa. Maybe if he tries to sell it and realizes he won't get near that price you can get it later for no more than half that price but right now he's asking way too much though in his defense he may not realize that.

Is the contest to see who can make the best soft pron spa sales video? Theirs is not bad in that case.

Of course the high volume of sales is a big factor. Watkins makes so many more hot tubs than secondary spa makers like Master. Its gotta be at least 5x as many when you factor in Hot Springs, Limelight, Caldera, and all the other brands. Factor in the fact they have a good reputation for quality and standing behind their product whereas Master doesn't and has to rely on the traveling circus show they use to dump product from town to town. Same thing with Jacuzzi/Sundance, they sell a lot of spas so you see a lot of posts about them. You're far better off getting a Hot Spring, Caldera, Jacuzzi, Sundance, D1, Marquis... than a Master (IMO of course).

Disconnect the heater and try to reset the breaker and see if it holds. If its fine then that was your problem. If not then try disconnecting other items one at a time like the ozonator and blower if it has them.

You are not giving accurate advice. You can't buy from whichever dealer you chose and then assume the closer dealer will be there for warranty service as you are advising. It would be up to them if they wanted to give warranty coverage on a spa sold elsewhere and I assure you most would not for multiple reasons that are understandable. Maybe your local D1 dealer in your specific case was ok with it and thats great for you but saying "Remember just because you purchase from another dealer you can use the dealer of your choice service." is simply untrue, it is not your choice, it is theirs. Having said that I totally understand why you went with the much lower price as would most anyone with that kind of difference but this is a case by case basis and each spa shopper needs to do their own due diligence. The thing to do is to ask if they'll match the price and if they say "no" then ask if they'll service it if you buy elsewhere and if/when they say "no" to that question then check with the further/lower priced dealer to see what they'll charge for driving to your place for warranty service as a trip charge may be in place. Its all about getting all the info up front.

D1 is a good brand but I've always felt the Bay series was overpriced (or way overpriced in this instance) while IMO the Reflecton series was the much better option for D1 when price is considered. I think you'd be best to send a PM (personal message) to John and see if you an get a clearer opinion because some are understandably more choosey in what they say in an open forum.

see my first inclination after not seeing a drop of water (i saw that you did that) would have been to refill it and confirm a leak. if you had done this you would have saved everyone a lot of time and money. What you did was equivalent of running your car out of gas and calling the dealer for warrantee work. People who consider Coscto spas should really only do so if they are true DIYers and they should stick to the simpler rotomolded $3k or maybe $4k types IMO. If they are someone who isn't a true DIYer or they're looking at some of those $6k, 7k and 8k offerings I see at Costco nowadays I think thats not a great idea.

The whole thing is odd to me. If the waterfall was on high and the cover closed it should not be losing water since it would hit the bottom and drip back into the spa. Even if some got out it due to the cover not closing well it would be minimal since the pumps will time out so its not like it can run for days like that and during filtering and heating its on low speed so it shouldn't matter since the waterfall would barely flow then. There has to be more to the story but in the end maybe the tech knows how to wordsmith this one so that nothing more will come of it.

Its true that all ozontors aren't equal, CD tend to be better but there are some cheap ones both UV and CD and some good ones and its always best to have a circ pump spas when you use one. In reality you really don't have to have an ozonator anyway, just find the best spa for you and don't let talk of ozone, filtering, lighting, waterfalls... get in the way of how the spa feels in a wet test, whats the quality like, whats the dealer like, do they service their own spas, how long in business, how long with the brand they are selling, what kind of deal are you getting, what does it include ...

Is this a new spa for you that you bought usd or is it your long time spa which used to show the temp and now its gone?

I have to say whoever had the idea to market that Clearray for Jacuzzi did a good job of taking what was really just UV ozone technology which I thought was mostly dead in hot tubs anyway, gave it a clever name and its being sold as a big part of the spas water care. That Marketing guy deserves a raise. Its a UV ozonator and the water care expert that comes here even questions whether it does much in hot water anyway (vs in a municipal water supply where its more commonly used) but I see so many people talking about how its a big part of their decision making. If it comes with the spa that’s fine and maybe it helps a little but don’t make it a major part of your purchasing decision. Those are both very good spas, wet test them and pick the one that works for you.

I can't answer your question directly but thats probably close to a $10k spa so I'd want to sit in one before I bought it. We always advise people when they come here with questions that wet testing is a key step in the decision making process so I'd let that dealer know I couldn't think about one without testing it or I'd at least go to the Jacuzzi website and use the dealer locator to see if there is another Jacuzzi dealer close enough to visit and if so I'd call and see if they have one avaible to test.

I'm not sure Clearray does much at all for you in the first place, if its included in the spa when new thats fine but paying to add it would be an idea I'd skip. At far as upgrading jets, thats not that simple and I'm not sure the jet openings are the same size ID anyway, if I had to replace a cracked jet i would look to upgrade it if the opening was the same size but otherwise I'd leave it alone. Putting $5k into a used spa for better jets and a UV ozonator is not even remotely money spent wisely IMO. If you get a good working used spa at a good price buy it and enjoy it as is.

Blistering of the acrylic is something that can happen and if its within the 5 year warranty it is covered, if outside 5 years it is not. The good thing is this is typically only a cosmetic issue but you also say it is leaking. Are you listing two unrelated issues or are you saying it is leaking where the blisters are because if so then thats a fiberglass issue and not typical at all (its why there is a lifetime warranty on that fiberglass outside shell, a leak there rarely occurs). If your dealer isn't taking care of the issue call the manufacturer.