Canadian Kahuna

Well put, Amanda. If they have to ship a new spa, it would get a bit expensive to do so overseas. If you look at the cost of ground shipping in N.America, it can be several hundred dollars, imagine overseas? This would not be feasible for the company if they have to replace from overseas, and offer the same satisfaction of N.American manufacturers.

Just to correct you, the north star is not the brightest star, and is not located in Ursa Major (The Big Dipper). It is, however, the brightest star in Ursa Minor (The Little Dipper), but is only the 49th brightest star in the sky with approx 1.9 magnitude. It's also not actually north, it's out by about half degree. To find the north star, you use the big dipper though, following from the end of the "scoop part", the outside edge kind of, you line up those two stars and make a line straight . . . this line will lead you to Polaris (the north start) located in the "handle" of The Little Dipper, and to get your bearings, The Little Dipper pours into The Big Dipper (good way to remember). Ursa Minor is usually a little more difficult to spot than Ursa Major. Also, check out for Orion this time of year, another easy to find constellation.

Congrats and hope you enjoy it as much as my family enjoys our tub.

Oh no, not this old arguement again. FF, TP, who the (_)(#~!! cares! LOL. Let's not hijack another thread with FF vs TP as there are enough out there, and settle to say, regardless, look for QUALITY insulation regardless of method, and QUALITY of plumbing. We each have our opinions, as do i, and have all stated them. Think i'll change my name to "Canadian Mediator", lol.

http://dermatology.about.com/od/infectionb...olliculitis.htm

Buying a car is not always a "need". I don't "need" a car, it's a luxury. I can walk/rollerblade/cab/whatever to work, i can use public transportation, etc but choose to have a car instead. It all depends on the consumer, and therefore, buying a car is like buying a hot tub, it's a major purchase for the most part, and for some it's a want, some it's a necessity. And didn't mean to come across as hacking on you, but you DID only mention coleman, i own an arctic, but also mention the other major brands to others when recommending, even though i prefer arctic.

Arctic Spa (http://www.goarctic.com) also has a therapy seat, with therapy air option as well. Not trying to push arctic (i do own one, though), but you mentioned you didn't see any other brands with this option, so figured i'd mention it . . . it is my wifes favorite seat in our tub, too.

Wow, thanks Rika, an awesome link!

I don't shoot what i won't eat, therefore, i would never shoot a wolf.

I can't remember who it was, i think it was you, that was looking for info on meteor showers, etc. I've just found a new link at the weathernetwork that has a little on the night sky. Here's the link: http://www.theweathernetwork.com/features/...azing/index.htm I think this one is for Canada, so if you aren't here, you may have to look around for the U.S. (I think you were in Alberta though, no?) anyways, there is probably a link for the U.S. as well. P.S. How about that Mens Canadian Curling Team? And womens Hockey? GO CANADA! (who cares about anything other than hockey though, right? lol).

Whatta you mean nothing? There's a good casino there, lol . . . and a few good restaurants, ski resorts, etc . . . tons of deer your way, major moose my way . . . and if you like timberwolves, i go hunting up north from where i am, was sitting in my cut waiting for a moose we had pushed through the bush, an hour later i hear a pack of timberwolves, sure enough they got my moose the buggers . . . kinda erie at dusk, listening to them howl, growl, bark only a few hundred yards in the bush and nobody but you around . . . started counting how many rounds i had left for my 7mm Rem mag, lol, actually timberwolves are harmless to humans, never been a case of one attacking a human (cross breds, yes, but timberwolves, no) and beautiful to watch (except when they get my kill before i get my kill, lol)

I am strictly a consumer living in N.W. Ontario, Canada. I am a fairly new to the hot tub scene, but try to help others on the board based on my own experiences and advice given to me by others on this board, family that own tubs, family that has knowledge based on their feild of work (chemists, electricians, plumbers, etc). I own an Arctic spa, but do not try to push others to buy one, as after searching for a tub for several years, i have found that there are many quality brands, each with it's pros and cons, and it all comes down to preference (and like roger said, full foam vs thermal pane, it doesn't really matter much in final buying decisions). If there's a question i don't know, i wait until somebody replies and learn for myself, if there is one i can help with input, i answer.

I spoke to my dealer about the micropure filters, arctics brand anyways, when i first got my tub. He said they work great, even as claimed, but tend to be on the expensive side so recommended the reusable filters. I've found that by cleaning my filter once a month and watching my chemistry, my water has remained crystal clear, and i haven't had to use any defoamers, and only use a very small amount of easy clear once a week. It helps that my dealer offers free filter cleaning once per month also, and does this for other people even if they don't own an arctic, so long as they buy thier chemicals from him. The replaceable filters, I was told, tend to work better for people who bought thier tub for use at a resort, b&b, etc just for the simplicity.

Don't you hate people pushing thier brand on this board? LOL. D1 are great spas, and buying a spa is somewhat like buying a car. It is a big purchase that you will most likely hold onto for many years, so you want to make sure you "look under the hood", test drive it, see how it feels, what kind of warranty you have on it, etc. Prices can be haggled a little bit with most dealers, but only a little . . . they may bring down the price a bit, but you can more easily get them to add the extras (like a cover lifter, jetting or lighting, and so on) at no extra cost. Brulan is right in one aspect, take a look at all makes before deciding, or maybe you've done this already.

I've never heard them say they could put a car on the shell, and don't think I would try it with mine, lol. It's possible it is true, engineering students can build mini bridges out of popsicle sticks that hold thousands of pounds, so i don't see why not, but still wouldn't wanna try it :-)

That's what a wife is for, lol.

That would depend on building codes, but i don't see why not. I have my GFCI inside my house in the breaker box, with a standard disconnect located outside. Just make sure your outside disconnect is slightly higher rating than your GFCI (ie: 40amp GFCI in panel runs to 60amp disconnect outside that runs to tub).

I agree on the theoretical part with Roger. Theoretically, there are a lot of things that should work, and don't, or shouldn't work and do. Theoretically, bees shouldn't have been able to fly, up until more studies were done disproving this theory.

Have you tried throwing in a pound or so of alka-seltzer? Lol, just kidding. I'm not sure about fizz, but i own an arctic spa with therapy air. This is seperate from the jets and can be turned on by itself. It's more like "bubbling" than fizzing, you'd have to check them out to see if it's what you are talking about. I know there are other brands out there as well with similar features, so ask the dealers while shopping around.

They'll run for 40 minutes if you put it on boost filtration. I know it works well, my tub had the high limits kick in when i first got it (with the cheap disposable filter, started to clog and reduced flow causing the HL), anyways, hadn't realized it since i hadn't used the tub for several days, went out and it was down to 96. Threw the pumps on and closed the cover, 40 mins later it was at 104.

Wow, thanks for your honest input Brulan! Just goes to show you, any dealer can easily point out the flaws in another tub and embelish on it a bit, while making thier tub look golden. Mine is an Arctic and IS golden, lol . . . for me anyways. Either way, i have always found at least one seat i like in any brand tub, it's finding the most seats you like in one specific tub, and fitting your needs.

350 gallon tub here, i get somewhere around 6 degrees an hour, give or take. You can always "Hot Fill" to help, but this is only really helps if you have a HUGE hot water tank to fill from, but DON'T use only hot water, too high heat can ruin the acrylics or something like that. I usually fill mine with cold tapwater and that is around 56F to start, takes a few hours to heat. Keeping the cover on or off will make a big difference too, so keep it on. If you have a TP (non-full foam spa) you can turn the jets on once the water is high enough, with NO AIR (this will cool the water slightly) to use the heat from jets to heat the water. Like everyone said, there is no definite time to heat up, be patient and enjoy it when it does . . . if the ambient temperature isn't too low, you can probably hop in enjoyably when the water hits 96 and it shouldn't take long to heat from there . . . if it's a little cooler out, i'd wait a bit to jump in.

Very true, Roger, thanks for the clarification. Especially "it ain't their tub it's mine" part. To each their own, and it's preference that counts.

I hardly use my pillows anyways, got a solid head and guess i don't need them (thick skulled? lol). I put them in mainly when guests come by for thier comfort, otherwise, doesn't bother me (heck, i go out hunting in the bush and take my afternoon naps on a rock).

I agree with this. Thinking about it, my electrician (family) saved me a bundle. He had a lot of the parts i needed (conduit, etc) and the $281 sounds about right, even around here. Add in the extras you need, cost of electrician, permits and up around the $700 mark does now seem bang on. Also remember, if you are running cable, it must be buried, and if you are using a trencher (or even digging by hand in some places) you will need your electric company, phone company, cable tv company, etc to come by and mark out where they have thier lines laid so you don't cut through them . . . this usually costs a few bux and involves the permit which your electrician may be including in the price quote.