walleye

Why does every thread here end up about this VS that and insults? Stay on topic as there is already a thread for that crap. It is beneath you. Go back and read your posts.... you might be embarrassed. Just saying. ..... come on guys, let it lie. All to often when I read a thread it it comes to this same old thing. I can go to a barber shop to hear things I already heard.

I believe you should not go in if the bromine level is 10ppm or over. Have you tried running the jets with the cover off for a while? That always brings my levels down quickly after shocking (if I use bleach, not dichlor). Yes, I have been running all 3 pumps. Levels are maintaining. I will have to wait I guess. I sure would like to know what the level limits are and what the health effects are. What would happen if I went in a hot tub with 16 ppm for a half hour?

I was wanting to use my tub, but I shocked it a few hours ago and the Bromine is at 16 ppm. Is is safe to go in at this level?

YYYYYYYAAAAAAAAWWWWWNNNNNNNNNN

I am going to get some popcorn. I thought this movie was about Spa Mark up? Isn't this false advertising? Come on guys, knock it off. Just enjoy your spa's.

geesh...How much more of this "Mark Up" thread is there? Take it to the Evo thread where this same discussion has a record amount of posts covering the same stuff. Like I said earlier, to each his own. Buy what you want and be happy. Why does everyone care so much about what everybody else does with their money? I don't care what anyone else buys. AND I hope they are happy....regardless.

My tub has been flawless. Crystal clear right now. I received my Taylor Bromine test Kit and it is great. My question is this: What should my Bromine PPM be? My dealer says 1 -2 PPM is all I need. Most things I read say 4-5 PPM. My water test today with the Taylor kit was Bromine = 1.5 ppm; PH 7.8; TA 90 ppm; TH 340 ppm. All looks great in my tub. I add a couple ounces of "renew" after each use and plan on adding 6 ounces of 6% bleach weekly. (480 GALLON TUB) Question is, my dealer said with my ozonator all I need maintained is 1-2 ppm Bromine. After reading here, I have less faith in my ozonator and is 1.5 ppm enough? I keep 2-3 tabs in my floater door near the filter. (Sundance Altamar) This maintains 1-2 ppm. All advice on how much and my method described is appreciated. I want to do this right.

Arf1410: I don't disagree with anything you say. As far as service and warranty. I am talking about getting 1-2 years VS 3-5 yrs. That is what you give up for less money. Same scenario, while under warranty, call and presto it is fixed. Just the more expensive Spa you are paying up front. So I don't quite understand what you mean as we agree on this. Basically what I am saying is you give up warranty (time wise) with a less expensive spa. Service is based on where you live I would guess. Yes, if you live in the middle of Montana (or N Dakota where I was from) then you may wait regardless. In my case, I have all kinds of choices once my 5 year warranty is expired. Like I said, there is no wrong answer, all up to what is right for you. As far as Waterbear telling us tips about spa additives, I don't take it like he is telling us we are getting ripped off as much as I take it as advice on how to save some money. He is here to help and I very much appreciate his and others help. I will support my dealer on certain items, but I will likely buy the baking soda and Bleach from the grocery store. Trust me, there are plenty of other items we support our local dealers with. Baking Soda, Borax and Bleach will not make or break them. :-) Again, there is no wrong answer, it is what is right for you in your situation, and what is right for me in my situation. Lets all just enjoy our tubs and stop worrying about what anyone else does. Lets worry about our self and make our own choices and support each other when others make a choice. After all this is to help each other not put each other down. There is enough of that all around us in everyday life, Right? Happy tubbing.

What makes sense to you might not to others, like me. I am very happy it works for you and I hope you enjoy it and your Spa. Happy Tubbing!

Guys, this topic was about mark up. #1 - there is no doubt large outlets (like Costco, Walmart and such) operate on quantity with lower margins. That is not even debatable. #2 - Small dealer have more mark up but offer much more service. Some people (like myself) might decide it is worth to pay more for that service. If I was not a brand new 1st time spa owner, I might have opted for the other. #3 - There are enough Spa owners from Costco to justify , for the money, they are a good deal. I waited over a year to buy a spa. I was all set to buy a Evolution (Strong) spa from Costco. I chose to buy a Sundance because of the fact I was a new owner and needed the local dealer support. I was not comfortable enough to buy one from Costco and wing it. For me (and only me) I was willing to pay more money for the total set up, warranty and the service. If I was an experienced Spa owner, I might have bought a different Spa. Lets face it and stop the squabbling.... Costco offers a lower priced Spa made by Strong and sells it for lower margins. You give up local service and Warranty. I have no problem paying for this service and warranty. I am lucky enough to (at this time) afford it. For some, buying Spa from Costco makes perfect sense and for some buying from a local dealer makes perfect sense. No wrong answer guys, that has been proven by a 19 page thread. It depends on your situation and need. I do believe from all the reading I have done Costco has in the past sold some less than par Spas, but I also believe the Evolution Spa is not bad for the buck either. So lets agree to disagree as I know from the history I have here that you are mostly all sincere in what you say. It is a individual choice. I do love my Spa. :-) Happy Tubbing to all!

When you have time read this. There a lots of opinions from lots of good people. I am not taking sides, but by the time you read this you will know the pro's and con's. There are happy people on both sides. Only you can make your choice. Remember, they are all there to help. Sometimes it gets a little heated, but it is all sincere. (you can pick put the one's that are not). Good luck. http://www.poolspaforum.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=21666

Glad it works for you, but no thanks. Does not make any sense at all for me.

Highs of 50's and low of 30, nothing to worry about. You could go all year like that and never freeze. Prob would not be below freezing for more than a hour or two, not enough to freeze and damage your equipment. Glad you have power back though.

I am a new hot tub owner. I have known for a long time I wanted one after sitting in friends hot tubs numerous times. I lurked here for over a year prior to buying one, knowing full well what it entails to upkeep. I would say do your research, but unless you are absolutely sure you want one, don't buy one. These are not a novelty and they require attention. Unless you are passionate about using it, and recognize the benefits, then it will be on Craig's list soon. (for less than half price) As far as lights, I like them. Not over kill but I would not buy a tub with no lights. They set a nice mood. No need for a million of them. Water fall? Not needed at all, especially the ones that shoot into the tub causing a mess and nuisance. I have a water feature that adds a nice sound under a light that is a very nice feature. Not in the way at all and offers a nice soothing sound and can be turned off totally. I like it and am very glad I have it. Stereo? Complete waste of money IMO. Buy a nice boom box and avoid the hassle of trouble. Listen to the people here, they will steer you straight. They don't all agree but I have learned they are all here to help. Look at their post records and pay attention to the ones who have been here, all good people wanting to help. Bottom line if you want a tub then research and more research, then if you still want one, go buy one. I love mine.

A dealer needs to make a decent living and this sounds about what I would expect. Once you add all his costs such as sales people and overhead costs such as buildings, utilities, inventory, insurances and Taxes, there is not much left even with those margins. Seems like everybody thinks all business rip people off, when in reality they are trying to provide a service and maintain a living just like the people buying them. I make money in my business as well, I hope you do too! Safe tubbing everyone.

I am no expert and a new tub owner as well. I will tell you that I left town for a few days and my tub got used lots and was not shocked and got cloudy. I also have a Bromine system. I added 6 ounces of 6% bleach and after a few hours I added 6 ounces of Non Chlorine shock Oxidizer (Leisure Time Renew) and after one day it is clear as can be again. So I think you can get it back, just need to shock it strong and give it time. It worked for me. All my levels are in the right range as well, before and after. I am now shocking after every use with 2 ounces of renew and will shock weekly with 6% bleach. If anyone reading this knows I should not do it this way, please let me know as well. Hope this helps.

Well, now that I have decided to stay with the Bromine I ordered a test kit. I ordered the "Taylor K-2106 FAS-DPD Bromine Complete Test Kit". Hope it is the kit I need. I am loving this tub. In fact, I am on my way in right now. Have not missed a night since it was delivered. A nice 57 degrees outside.

[quote name='waterbear' If you want to improve the 'feel' of the water then add borates (borax) to 50 ppm. It will also give you better pH stability as an added benefit. You can also add salt to about 1000-1500 ppm to give the same "feel" that salt systems have (1000 ppm seems to be the threshold for the 'feel' of a salt system even though it is lower than where such systems run Waterbear, I know I should be able to figure this out, but I want to be sure. My tub is 455 gallons. How much Borax (in ounces or cups) should I add to obtain 50 ppm? Won't this up my PH as well? Thanks.

Outdated in what way?? What exactly has changed? It's still generated the same way. It's still toxic in large enough doses. It still kills bacteria. It's still (in some cases) not being applied quite properly.... and it's still quite misunderstood (as this thread so clearly demonstrates). So how is it outdated? Bottom line.. this stuff DOES work. It does a good job at killing bacteria provided its run 24/7. Doc spa does indeed however bring up a valid issue. If ozone is not applied properly it won't do much of anything other than waste a bit of electricity. My point is simply the article is 8 years old. It does not take a rocket scientist to know that lots of things have been learned since then. I did not say rather it was right or wrong. If I am going to use research for education, I am not going to look for 8 year old material. Simple enough?

[quote name='Bob Sanders' Interesting read from Ken (president of Ozotech): http://www.wcponline.com/expertview.cfm?ID=2927 That article was written in 2004...... A lot has been learned since then. I am not saying not a good read, but outdated for certain.

I am a new Spa owner, but have had the pleasure of being in friends spas numerous times over the years back home. Luckily, we now live in a area where the outdoors are not a issue. That said, I can tell you with absolute certainty, neither my wife or I would have bought a spa if it had to be indoors or roofed. It sits on my patio, with a roof awning extended which will protect it from direct sunlight and rain, but full view of the stars. As far as cold weather, I understand it it, I was born and raised in North Dakota 45 miles from the Canadian border, I know what cold is. I love being outside and in our opinion I would just use our bathtub spa and save the money if we had to enclose it. Remember though, this is a personal opinion that each person has. No right or wrong answer, only the owner / user can make that call. For us, it has to be open. A indoor spa does not appeal to me at all.

Thanks DK117! You are helpful as usual. :-)

Whenever I navigate around this site, I get booted off. When ever I first open it it remembers me, but when I do anything, about 95% (almost always) it makes me sign in. Very frustrating. I am signed in, but every-time I go to another topic, or try to reply, it shows me not signed in again.

I may as well leave it. I have been told by my dealer that my Bromine level only has to be 1 with the Ozonater. What should I keep it at? I currently have 3 tabs in the floater and I get a reading of about 1 PPM. I did shock it once and it settled back down to 1 PPM. I shocked with renew. Non Chlorine product. I just want to be sure I am keeping water safe. You would think a dealer who has been selling spas for over 20 yrs would know.

So everything I have read here in repines to mine and others questions about Ozonators just be totally disregarded? I should go ahead and remove my Ozonator? This is getting confusing.