rsc92

I have received mixed information on whether or not I could convert to a Salt Water Pool. I have been told that it is not recommended with a Gunite Pool. Any input would be appreciated. If it matters, I live in the northeast and winterize the pool in late September and usually re-open in late April. Thanks

A tub with a non-stabilized .5ppm reading for FC is actually much higher than a tub that is CYA stabilized and has an FC reading of the same value. I think that a .5 non-stabilized reading falls pretty close to the target range of 3-5ppm for a stabilized tub. However, I have seen more consistency and less fluctuation using dichlor to maintain at least some CYA reserve. After adding dichlor slowly to get a reserve (my Grandee likes the 10-15ppm CYA reserve range), your FC should climb up into the 3-5ppm range and stay there. Congrats on the Vanguard BTW! How are you enjoying it? Thanks. The Vanguard is great.

My ACE System has been up and running for about a week. I have a Vanguard, Set Spa Size to 6 and Usage to 4. One or two people use the spa daily for 20 minutes. The ozonator is functioning as well. My FC level has been ranging between 0 and .5. Do I need to add dichlor to give it a boost? The water is crystal clear. Suggestions?

Well it has been several days and my Vanguard has been maintaining temperature. Glad my unit does not have the problem after all.

I used the tub last night around 8pm. At that time the set temp was 99 and the actual temp was 101. Used the tub for about 35 minutes. Temp dropped to about 99-100 during the use. Cover has been on all night and when I woke up this morning at 6am, the green light was on - indicating that the actual temp was within 2 degrees of set temp. It is 11:30am now and the green light is on and has been every time I checked it since I woke up. I am wondering if there were other factors which caused the tub to "overheat" yesterday. I did have the ACE system installed, the installer had the tub off for 20 minutes, dropped the water level an inch or two and then added more (cold) water back into the tub. So, I am just thinking that there may have been other circumstances that caused it to "overheat." Rather than replace what may not be broken, I will watch it and if it happens again, then I will have it serviced.

Since last night the green light has been on the hot tub. Temperature seems to be within 2 degrees of set temperature. I will continue to monitor it.

Spawn - I am not going to entertain the silver ion cartridge. You may be right, the ozonator may have little or no benficial impact; but you may also be wrong. If I am right, then I get the added benefit of superior sanitation. If you are right, then I might waste $300 to $600 over the life of the tub. Looking at the entire investment, the $600 extra is a rounding error.

I always love conspiracy theories. I doubt this comes into play here but its always good to consider all possibilities and sometimes the conspiracies end up being true (we all know the moon landings were staged in an airport hanger, there really is a face on the moon left over by aliens who visited there years ago and Elvis is alive and kicking). An ozonator should have little effect on filters though. My theory would be that new spa owners get an ozonator included in their spa then get the chlorine generator added but wondered why they have an ozonator that they paid for but its not being used (yeah it was "included" but we all know its not free but is erally just factored into the price so in reality the customer paid for it and most people understand that). Its easier to tell them to go ahead and use it. This makes people feel better when all their paid for equipment is in use and I doubt it use/non-use would be a factor either way in most cases. No I don't think there is a conspiracy but maybe your scenario is not far from the truth. Buyers order tubs with $300 ozonators and learn that they should not be used with the ACE system. Perhaps some ask for a $300 credit when the ozonator is removed - the dealers don't like to do that so... Now the dealers are leaving the ozonator in the tub and connected. Maybe it goes against what Hot Springs determined during their R&D period but now they change the story and the dealers don't have to address the issue. The devil's advocate could argue the points I made earlier. There is no question that leaving the ozonator in the tub and connected will mean more $ for the dealer in the long run. Some would say that this is consistnet with other decisions made in the design of Hot Spring spas seem to favor dealer revenue over user value. Your point is well taken, however, my position is as follows: Since the oznonator kills bacteria, I prefer to run it with the ACE system. Maybe that will result in higher operating costs over the long term, but it also will likely minimize the number of water problems I have. For me, it is a matter of convenience versus cost. I believe that the ozonator and ACE system together will purify the water in a superior manner as compared to just the ACE system. Think about it. The reason the ozone systems were incorporated into spas was to offer a higher level of sanitation while reducing chemical usage. I have to believe that the water will be cleaner and better sanitized with the ozonator and ACE system operating in unison. Even if I get an extra month or two between water changes, that will save me time over the ownership period of the spa. For me it is about convenience.

Tubber - What part exactly is it that they are changing? When is your service call scheduled? The tech person at my dealer was fairly insistent that I did not have a problem. All i can say is that the green light has not been on the tub all day. First full day we have had this problem. Seems to me that the control panel should have an adjustment for this sort of thing. Honestly seems very odd that it doesn't.

I may be having the temperature problem with my Vanguard which was installed on 10/29. Set temp is 99, but actual temp is 102. Green light is off. Called my dealer and he had no clue and was dismissive of the problem. Spoke to CSR at Watkins who said it may very well be a problem that needs repair. She suggested I wait and see if the temp continues to creep up. I will keep you all posted.

You are taking it out of context. To my knowledge, Watkins did not say that the salt system will not work with the ozonator, their previous position was that the ozonator was not necessary with the ACE System. Now that the ACE system has been in the field for over a year, Watkins is now able to utilize actual experience and has determined that there is perhaps an added benefit to leaving the ozonator functioning with the ACE system. The only potential downside I see with running both systems, as another poster previously indicated, is that the ozone could oxidize chlorine to chlorate which increases chlorine demand, however, this should only bee seen in tubs that don't get much use.

Finally got my Vanguard delivered on Friday. It is absolutely fabulous. We love it. Highly recommend it!

You know that the panel comes with the tub, right? My panel is not manufactured by GE, it is manufactured by Cutler-Hammer Eaton

UPDATE - 11/2/10 My Vanguard was delivered last Friday. So far we love it. The ACE system is being installed tomorrow. I spoke to a service representative at Watkins this morning and she informed me that they recently had a meeting and are now advising that the Ozonator can remain connected to the tub and operational with the ACE system. I am going to ask the tech to leave the ozonator functioning with the ACE system. If problems develop (which I dont anticipate), I can always disconnect the ozonator. Hope this information helps.

Those of you who have purchased below 9k (before tax), what part of the Country are you in? There are two dealers, both approximatley 1 hour away. One dealer was at 11,500 and would not budge. The other, after showing him posts from this forum, came down. He said his overhead, rent, etc, prohibit him from being that aggressive with his pricing.

Plus Tax

I am about to purchase a Vanguard with the ACE. I am very interested in your thoughts on the ACE system. Please keep us posted on your likes and/or dislikes. Is your electrician footing the repair bill? I think I would have gone nuts on him.

This is the best I could do. I called dealers within a 200 mile radius. Vanguard Cover, Panel, etc. Cover Cradle (2 piston model) ACE Salt System Everwood Steps Start-Up Chemicals and Clean Screen Pre-Filter Delivery and set-up $9900 Thoughts??

I spoke with a Senior Tech at Watkins yesterday. He said that they recommend that the Ozonator be disconnected if using the ACE system. It is perfectly fine to leave it in the Tub, but disconnect the wires.

I just found a dealer who leaves the ozonator in the spa with the ACE system. He said that he leaves it in because it is another device to sanitze the water. The drawback he said of leaving it in is that it breaks down the salt content, so you may need to add salt to the spa on occassion. Thoughts?

Easy solution... ask them to deduct $275 from your sales price. If they're serious about the sale, I'm sure you'll get it. They know they are the only game in town and they are asking $11,400 for a Vanguard with cover, panel, everwood steps, cover cradle and ACE. They wont budge. I am likely going to order from a dealer that is 100 miles away whose price is $2,400 less.

Yes, the ACE hardware is easily diconnected, and HotSpring leaves the ozonator hardware in place to convert back to non-ACE at any time.. I would check that with your dealer. I just spoke to a HS Dealer and he told me that they remove the Ozonator when they install the ACE system. I think you will need to make a special request that they give it to you so that you can store it in the event you ever needed it. Just throwing it out there. OK, one of the techs here corrected me privately. The ACE equipped tubs ship with the Freshwater III ozonator factory installed. Apparently, it's the dealer who performs the ACE install and makes a decision on whether or not to leave the ozonator in place. My dealer showed me the entire layout on their factory tub and confirmed that mine would ship the same way. If it doesn't, I'll be sure to post and make a stink at the dealer. My guess is the dealer you spoke with pulls the Freshwater III CD unit and holds them to resell, since they sell for about $275 a pop, and likely won't see use on a ACE equipped tub. If the buyer is notified of the fact up front, than I wouldn't say it's a problem, but if they yank them and don't tell the buyer, I would say that it's deceptive. At the very least, they should be reinstalling them at no cost, if the buyer ever converts back. The ozonator is not an option on HotSpring tubs. It's the ACE that is the option, and it costs extra. They should be giving you the ozonator as well. For whatever its worth, spoke to my local dealer yesterday about this and the sales rep was giving me a hard time. I told her the spa ships with the ozonator and since I am paying for it, I want to keep it if they remove it to isntall the Salt System. She said that is not what they do. WTF?

David Any experience with Hot Spring spas from the service end?? I am most likely going to purchase a Hot Spring Vanguard. After wet testing, I was surprised, but the Vanguard fit our family the best.

Yes, the ACE hardware is easily diconnected, and HotSpring leaves the ozonator hardware in place to convert back to non-ACE at any time.. I would check that with your dealer. I just spoke to a HS Dealer and he told me that they remove the Ozonator when they install the ACE system. I think you will need to make a special request that they give it to you so that you can store it in the event you ever needed it. Just throwing it out there.

What kind of pricing are you being quoted on the Vanguard?