Coastside Spas

BE WARNED! DO NOT BUY A SPA FROM THIS COMPANY. THESE SPAS ARE NOT APPROVED FOR SALE IN THE US OR CANADA AND ARE SHIPPED FROM CHINA. THEY HOLD NO UL OR ETL CERTIFICATIONS AND ARE NOT IN COMPLIANCE WITH ANY CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY LAWS. YOU CAN SEE THE COMPLAINTS ONLINE BY SIMPLY SEARCHING CHOOSEDIRECT COMPLAINTS

I would suggest you contact the location you purchased it from to see what they can do for you. Infinity Spas is permanently closed and there currently is no news concerning ongoing warranty support.

I wonder what will happen when Infinity owners need service now. I never thought buying from Infinity was a wise choice in the first place but having to now rely on Living Waters (previously known as Tatum) seems iffy at best. As of the 28th Infinity Spas is no more. The news article referenced above is not entirely accurate. Living Water Products DID NOT purchase Infinity Spas. They purchased the name and rights to production, but NOT ANY of the liabilities. If you own a Hydrospa, Keys Backyard or Infinity Spa, you are likely without warranty or service options. I would suggest you contact the organization you purchased the spa from and see what options they provide, short of returning it. I have been in communication with several people directly involved in the closure as I was a service contract center for them.

Hopefully you have not gone ahead and bought this tub... Let me air some problems you can expect. I work on Keys tubs regularly and this particular model is imported from China and has numerous issues: 1. Single speed pump is very noisy 2. Spa frame is metal, with no insulation for dampening noise 3. The plumbing to the pump is subject to collapsing from weak plumbing and numerous tight bends in the piping 4. Unit is difficult to prime and often requires unscrewing the panel and loosening pump unions to accomplish this. 5. Cover provided is a soft cover and has problems staying on without falling into the water. Overall this is a substandard product and I have seen most returned in short order. While the price is cheap, I hope your sanity is not.

Before you go changing your electrical, you need to know specifically what your tub's requirements are. There are basically 2 wiring designs for hot tubs. It depends on the equipment. If your spa says it needs 4 wire service, then you need 2 hots, a ground AND a neutral. This is because your system will have need for both 240VAC and 120VAC. some components like heaters and pumps over 1.5HP will require 240VAC, while other components like stereo power supplies, blowers can be designed to only need 120VAC. If your system only uses 240VAC, then it is likely that you will not need a neutral. Again, you will need to verify this with your manual or off of the equipment pack data sheet, which can often be found inside the pack cover. Keep in mind that your actually current load (AMPS) with everything on should be below the rating of the breaker by about 15% and the size wire should also be rated above the load you have. If you have a 50AMP and are seeing anything over 40 amps, then yes you should probably consider upsizing your wiring and breaker to handle it. Anytime a load runs close to breaker capacity, the breaker will begin to warm up and trip over time. This can also shorten the breakers life. Your best bet is to have an experienced electrician throughly evaluate your situation and insure you have the electrical capacity to handle the change as well. As to the circ pump, yes it is possible that a mismanaged water condition can quickly disable it. You need to pay close attention to your pH AND your calcium hardness. If either of these are low, it can dissolve that ceramic post. If it is high then the post can build up scale, which in turn will cause the post to wear down in a short time. I replace these pumps regularly and in practically every case the post is the problem. There are other pump choices that could be considered if you have the space to switch to a different design.

Yes, that is the turkey baster one i referred to in my post above but forgot the name because i threw it out. imo, avoid. very cheap. Have the one chas mentioned much better. see above. It may look cheap and really looks like a kids toy but it works. I agree as well that the grit gitter in its short form is handy for when you are IN the spa, sitting there doing nothing and want to remove that little bit of sand or debris, without a big long pole to manage. But for the big job, its useless and will wear out your hand pumping that bulb and putting it back together. It was designed for the convenient quicky.

If I recall correctly, all panels including corners are screwed on and removeable. If you do need to access to the bottom I think the bottom is simply covered with a thin but sturdy plastic sheet, stapled on. You will likely have to pull lots of staples to get the sheet off and restaple it back on after the work is done. You can possibly knife the sheet along the board runners in just the area you need to access and fold back the flap and then retack it back when finished. Look carefully at your jets for cracks. You will need to remove the jet inserts and carefully examine the insides of each jet. The part that sticks though the shell and threads into the jet body is know to crack under strain causing it to leak, you can likely unthread that part of the jet and replace it without having to access the underside. Most of these jets require a special tool to remove them. I have simply made a tool using a properly sized piece of wood and inserting nails or screws with a shank size suitable to fit into the keyed holes on the fitting face. Be aware that the jets may or may not have been installed with sealant, so removal may be a challenging task without proper tools and patience. likely they have a thin soft gasket which can be pulled out making it easier to loosen and remove. You might have to order the complete jet, but just replace the damaged part to keep it simple. Also be aware that leaks can be deceiving, running down along pipes, through insulation and showing up somewhere else, so be sure you trace back to the source, before cutting and removing unnecessary parts.

Craigslist it! craigslist.com, you will possibly get more for it selling it than any dealer would offer on trade-in.

If you want to protect your spa, then understand what you might be protecting it from. 1. Constant sun can and will deteriorate the spa cover and possibly the spa exterior over time. While the spa will likely show little signs of aging in the short haul, the cover will definitely begin to age and likely need replacing within 3-4 years, UNLESS you perform good maintenance practices and keep the cover clean and treated with appropriate vinyl protectants. Just make sure the vinyl protectant you choose contains UV blocking. 2. Harsh Climates like extreme heat or cold, constant exposure to coastal moist air and constant wet ground. Depending on the tub, some are designed to handle constant exposure and some are not. 3. Privacy issues - If you have a situation where your tub is in full view of the neighbors and this discourages you from wanting to share all, then it is likely that some privacy surround would be a good idea. This can range from a minimal lattice panel on one or two sides up to a fully enclosed structure with roof, skylights, doors, etc. There are many good choices out there. When it comes to choosing, I do not recommend structures that the primary material is synthetic plastic wood. This material is suitable for spa siding or decks that are fully supporting underneath. I have seen MANY spa surrounds and enclosures made from this material that very shortly begin to sag under the weight and simply fail over time. The best materials I have seen out there are either Redwood or Mahogany. Maybe there are some better designed units out there constructed of the plastic woods, but I have yet to see anything that would impress me for longevity over plain wood. Some tub manufacturers have proprietary kits designed to fit on their tubs to create a nice enclosure without having to enlarge your deck to support the structure. good luck with your spa...

Good luck... Not to sound negative, but since there is not established method in obtaining MSRP, nor do most manufacturers ever set one for their dealers to use, the best thing to do is make alot of phone calls to dealers around the nation to see what they charge for the same model... I would say the best thing to consider is that the standard markup over cost for a dealer varies from 20-40%. If the price of the tub includes cover, delivery, setup, then the price will likely be 40% or higher above cost, thus a markdown of 12% is not a painful one for the dealer, especially if things like delivery and setup are not included.

I just heard from on of my resources that Infinity is rumored to have sold out to a marketing firm... no details yet, but be interested to see where this goes... I have been servicing Keys backyard for over a year and will tell anyone who asks their stuff is the lowest quality and poorest design of any brand I have ever serviced. Here's a summary of problems I see regularly... 1. No insulation on shell and only thin (less than 1/4") blanket on plastic skirting with lots of air gaps. 2. Very noisy throughout, rattles, vibrations, loud humming from cabinet. 3. Plumbing issues including excessive filter flow, causing elements to collapse. 4. leaks from improper jet mounting. 5. Poorly designed jets fall apart or pop out. 6. Collapsed plumbing lines from inferior materials. 7. Inferior stereo systems that break after only months of normal use from improper wiring, exposure to water without proper closures. Stereo topside remotes that fail from cracking membranes, Popup speakers that mechanically fail after only months of use. 8. Plumbing failure in the form of split fittings, blown out flex lines from bad glue joints 9. ozone systems that don't work from either improperly plumbing air lines which back flow into the unit, or lines that are pinched off by other plumbing. 10. Jets that do not work because the water or air lines are crushed between other plumbing or the jet internal is glued shut from sloppy manufacturing. The list goes on and on... To all you prospective shoppers out there, who are looking for a tub... Kudos to you for heading to these forums. You will find useful information that may prevent you from making the same mistake that some many have made buying cheap tubs from mass marketers. You DO NOT get what you pay for. Also be aware that review sites like spasearch.org and poolandspa.com DO NOT provide you a valid or even ethical evaluation of any brands. If you do the research, you will find that these sites DO NOT independently review ANY manufacturer. They simply list the manufacturers with each manufacturer's "review" and a star rating based on the amount of money that manufacturer paid for their yearly listing. DO NOT trust any review site's statements regarding bias or not being influenced by a manufacturer. This is simply smoke and mirrors. I have spoken to several manufacturers about their "star" rating and they ALL have stated that they PAY for the rating to receive top listing. These review sites are not an authority on quality, they are simply a marketing arm of the spa industry. Sites like spasearch.org make statements that they are not influenced by or invested in by ANY spa manufacturer, and that thay DO NOT charge any manufacturer to be listed in their magazine or their website. THIS IS NOT TRUE and this can be verified by speaking with the manufacturers who PAY to get their listing. The site is infact owned by the owner of Dimension One Spas. This has been confirmed by several sources. So you decide whether there is any influence or not. The only NON-BIASED review organization, Consumer Reports, has never done a review on ANY spa manufacturer and will not do so until a manufacturer meets a minimum o 1 million units a year. Not one manufacturer has come close! This limitation by Consumer Reports is based on the cost involved to evaluate any product. Funding for this is limited by government subsidies and other funds. So if you want them to do an evaluation, then get out and help the industry, Heck, buy those cheap tubs from Costco and Home Depot, but focus on one brand, so the volume of sales exceeds 1 million units for that brand only and then maybe we can get CR to review the industry as a whole!

Keys does not provide a way to efficiently bleed air from the pump or plumbing. Their suggestion is to be sure you always fill the spa through the filter opening. Take this one step further and remove the filter cartridge and shove the hose as far down the filter enclosure as possible. Leav it in until the spa is filled within an inch of the full point (usually about 2 inches above the base of the skimmer opening) turn on the system, wait for code "PR" to display and press the pump button. as soon as the pump primes, pull out the hose. put your filter back in and you should be running ok. If this does not work for you, then the previous method of loosening the pump union while off, is your only reasonable option. There is another method I employ as a professional and that is to install a simple bleed line from the pump outlet to a high point just inside the shell where you can let the air escape during fill out and close when the pump primes, if anyone would like some details on this I have can provide this here or throught private email.

Sorry but after reading this post and seeing that all attempts to troubleshoot this problem failed to assess the problem, I had to throw in my 2 cents worth. I am a Keys contracted repair center and your initial posting waved a big red flag. You mentioned the need to read the codes initially displayed on the diplay during power up. You stated that code 12 was displayed, but yet your system is hooked up to 240VAC. This immediatedly tells me that your tub is NOT receiving 240 VAC. This indicates that your tub is NOT wired correctly. The "12" code displayed as the last code is not based on dip switches, rather it is based on the source power it is actually connected to. Any other tub you buy will be subjected to the same wiring, so be sure you have this THOROUGHLY inspected PRIOR to hooking up your new spa of choice. I have learned in my 20+ years of service and repair NOT to trust ANY electrician's statements regarding their wiring without my own inspection back to source. I have yet to find a situation like this on a new tub, that was NOT due to a wiring issue. Here are some suggestions for your electrician: 1. Check to available power at the terminals in the spa control box. be sure you actually have 240VAC available between the red and black terminals If this is a 4 wire circuit, be sure to check power between the red and black for 240VAC and for 120VAC between the red and white terminals and the black and white terminals. If this tests out ok, then the problem is the spa. 2. If 240VAC is NOT available at the spa, then the problem has to be upline., so check the next switching point. This could be your GFCI sub-panel, especially if it is Connecticut Electric which use a 3-4 pole contactor which I have repeatedly found highly suspectible to failure. 3. I have found more often than not that the simple task of wiring a gfci breaker in a 4 wire system, leaves many a licensed electrician confused and bewildered when it doesn't seem to work. Always make sure the gfci white pig tail goes to the ground bar and the white (neutral) is connected to the load neutral terminal on the gfci breaker. This situation will cause immediate GFCI tripping. Good luck and feel free to contact me.

Is your basket area round or rectangular? And is the access to the basket from the top or front? I have a Waterways parts Catalog I can resource for you if you still need assistance

Thanks for the info. Since I took the foreign material out of the heater, it's been working fine for the past 3 days. I think the red beads are filler from some toy or something that exploded in the tub. Since it didn't have a skimmer basket, they just got sucked through and are now in all of the jets. I'll keep pulling the jets occasionally and cleaning them out until I can't find any more... Now I just need to find the skimmer basket for it. I ordered one from Keys 1/3/08, was told that it would ship out next day. Still haven't gotten it. My wife called and started pushing on the customer service guy who promptly hung up on her! (I think I heard that in someone else's posting). Called back and got to speak to a very helpful person this time who explained that they are changing their name to Infinity Spas???? And they don't have a merchant processing account set up yet, so they can't process credit cards. At this point, we're not real ready to send them a certified check to get it... Please see my next posting for my quest for the skimmer basket... Thanks, Kenton You need to call them at 877-897-7493, as soon as it answers punch in Ext 854 for Scott Martin in Parts or Ext 847 for Otis Hewitt (Manager). Explain to them your need and apparent lack of customer support. If you get no where on this email me directly at charles@coastsideservices.com, I'll make a few calls myself.

I bought some insulation today and insulated the tub I really think it will make a difference, i used pink insulation i found at home depot for $10 for a roll of 40 feet. Its rated R-13 and i put it in insulation towards the tub (brown paper toward cabinent). Left out the insulation near the pump and electric. I think this will hopefully help me dilemna...i think the motor HP is either 4.5 or 5 maybe not 6...the manual is in the files. As previously stated by posters above your issues have NOTHING to do with the pump size or HP rating... You pump is industry standard. Your problems with excessive energy costs are specific to Keys tubs. I know this because I service Keys tubs all the time and actively pursue feedback from my customers who own them. THEY ALL SAY THE SAME THING. A whopping big energy bill. Now here's the reasons: 1. Poorly insulated - Nothing on the shell and a thin layer on the side panels. Air gaps at the top where the panels go up under the shell lip. Air gaps at the bottom and big air gaps at the corners. 2. Poorly engineered plumbing causing pumps to over work and use more energy than required - This is noticeable when the pump or pumps are running on high speed and you can see the skimmer cavitating with the spa full, even with an anti-vortex skimmer top! This is also noticeable to the trained spa tech's ear when you hear the pump laboring to move water through far too many 90 degree turns and restrictive plumbing. This is evidenced when you see collapsed plumbing lines at the intake of the pump. This is evidenced when you hear the noisy rattle of the heater manifold from a excessive amount of suction, because the heater manifold is located on the suction side of a 4/5HP pump on sevral models. 3. Some models sport single speed pumps for the primary circulation pump. This means its running at high speed for filtration too. My first suggestion would be to not buy it. If you have already, then insulate it and close up the skirting as tight as possible to reduce heat loss. This might also cut down on the excessive noise these spas produce.

If that's the case, I wonder why it won't let me program it. The keypad is locked. It will heat up and filter but none of the other jet buttons or light button works. It won't change from the p2 jet 1 position. On some of the balboa systems you can lock out the control panel check with your owners manuel and see if you can....if not you may want to call a service tech out because it could be a board or the panel. I know on the catalina spas the is a icon of a lock. Thanks, I have a Service rep coming out so maybe they can figure it out. It was running fine prior to draining/refilling and then the 03 showed up. I disconnected the ozonater and it still shows the message. I have been informed that there is a chip that routinely needs to be replaced in the ozonater also. So that is my next step. Here's my 2 cents... being a contract tech for Keys... O3 on a topside with Balboa is not an indication of a problem or an error, it is mearly an indication that the OZONE circuit has been activiated. Regardless of whether your ozone generator is working or not, this "O3" display comes on during the filtration cycle, which you CANNOT adjust from the panel. Your ozonator may vary from about 3 different models that Keys sent out. If it is a small dark gray box, it has a replaceable $40 chip. You can do this pretty easily. If it is a larger blue box labeled AeWare, it is a throw-away. If it is a long 4" diameter tube, it is a throw-away. No ozonator lasts more than 1 year for suitable production. To adjust your spa's filtration, you have one option... the start time ONLY. This coincides with the actual moment you flipped on the circuit breaker. So if you flipped on the breaker at 5pm, then the spa will begin its filtration at 5pm and run for 2 hours. Then at 5AM it will run again for 2 hours. You also have 3 possible modes, which can be programmed by pressing the mode key once and then immediately pressing the up temp key and immediately pressing the mode key. repeat this to display one of the following... STD - Standard Mode - unit kicks on every 30 minutes to sample temp and turns on heater if needed ECN - Economy Mode - Unit kicks on for filtration periods only and heater comes on as needed only during filtration SLP - Sleep Mode - Unit kicks on for filtration, but heater only comes on when 2o degrees below temp setting If you own a Keys, you are lacking 1 key thing (no pun intended) INSULATION. If your spa is less than 2 years old, it likely has little to no insulation on the shell and a thin shiny layer on each side panel. There are likely large air gaps across the bottom and openings in each corner. This means lots of heat loss. Do yourself a favor, close it up and stuff the void with insulation, rockwool, fiberglass, blown cellulose, anthing is better than what you have now. You will see an improvemtn on the noise factor and a drop in monthly cost of electrical. Final note... Keys is no longer, they were bought out by Infinity Spas as of 29 December 2007. They are currently experiencing some delays in getting parts shipped and techs out to the job.

Here is some information you may wish to consider... The Keys Corner Spa is notorious for flow problems. This model is manufactured in China, not at the Keys Factory in Texas. The primary reason is that the PVC flex piping used to manufacture these tubs is also manufactured in China and is NOT schedule 40, actually closer to schedule 20. For those of you who do not know what that means, it is thin walled and subject to collapsing under suction. The pump used on this model is a single speed (3450 rpm) and within a very short time causes the suction line to the pump to fail and collapse, causing the loss of water flow and the control pack to start showing flow errors. The red beading is a bit of a mystery though. I suspect it could be coming from the filter or possibly from something in the plumbing line, maybe even from the inside lining of the piping, due to piping failure. I am a spa service company doing warranty work for Keys since 2006. (Only the suction side) It should be apparent which piping is failing, it is oblong, like it has been crushed or pinched. Replacement of the piping to the pump is required to resolve this issue.

Here's my take on 2 of your choices! But first my background... I have over 20 years of service and support under my belt. I do not promote any particular brands, I am NOT a sales person. I service ALL brands makes and models. I KNOW the brands that are worth buying from these points: 1. Support from the Manufacturer 2. Quality of product 3. Durability I am not going to beat around the bush here... CalSpa is a low end manufacturer. Their products are sub-standard and their warranty while stated at 5 years total lacks the support of the dealers/service people, because Cal Spa does NOT support THEM. They underpay their dealers for warranty work which often means the consumer can end up paying for warranty work anyway. I currently am providing warranty work for a local Calspa dealer who just received 9 new spas. 2 of these have factory defects. Another one we installed on his showroom has a defective pump. The siding is loose and buzzes and the lack of insulation is definite major decline from their early 1990's, models. Need I say more? Don't go there!!! LA Spas is no different. You do NOT get what you pay for!!! They are using the cheapest materials they can and their warranty handling has always been quick to blame the consumer for improper chemistry, causing things like jets to fall apart. I have worked on many LA Spas over the years and watched a steady decline in quality. Avoid Thermospas like the plague. Cheap built, high priced junk Avoid Garden Lesiure, another cheap built low end product. Avoid Keys Backyard spas, cheap price, cheap built, noisy and NO insulation worth mentioning Avoid Hydro Spas, In fact avoid any brands sold through Home Depot, Costco, Walmart, unless you want the ability to return it after determining it really is junk after all... I do not recommend Sundance, Hot Springs, Caldera, Jacuzzi or Dimension One either as they are extremely high priced and parts are Manufacturer specific, meaning you are forced to buy directly from them for all parts and supplies. Brands I would suggest looking for top notch quality and longevity: Beachcomber Catalina H2O Spas Master Spas I hope you do not take me as some pessimistic disgruntled person... I said before, I'm not going to beat around the bush and paint it pretty colors. I sell refurbished tubs and see the ends and outs of just about everything out there from the old redwood tubs to the latest new tubs. Very few brands have ANY feature worth mulling over except QUALITY of product. Don't fall for the old gimciks game. All tubs filter and heat water, the rest is all bells and whistles. Ozone - useful IF you are not going to be using your tub very often and need a way to maintain cleanliness during those periods of non-use Stereos - Exterior or pop-up speakers are high maintenance and seldom last more than about 2 years, some less. Try to get a system that uses Tranducer type mounted inside on the shell wall. less likely to break down. TV's - another high maintenance add-on... Lighting - Avoid the Multi-LED lighting systems - very cheaply made and costly to repair. The fiber-optic systems are not maintenance free, but since its a single bulb, you don't have to have access to all sides of the spa to fix it like the LED systems Pay attention to the spa manufacturer's recommendaations regarding installation and subsequent maintenance access requirements. Make sure that all spa access panels needed for repair and maintenance are not blocked in by decking, walls, fences etc. It is not recommended to install a tub down in a deck. If you do wish to do so, make sure it can be easily services without having to be taken out of the deck. Need more info? email me...