mommym

This might be a really dumb question but did you look on Coleman's web site? I went there just out of curiousity and under owner's manuals there were spa manuals that go back to the 1980's. A friendly Coleman dealer may be able to help you ,too. Also, there must be some mathematical formula to take into account both tub diameter and depth to give you total gallons. Good luck and hopefully you'll be soaking soon. I almost forgot...At our house we can actually read the gallons used on our water meter. Don't know if that's possible at your house. You could just fill 'er up and do the math.

Our new Sundance Maxxus (1month old) is now going on our 3rd cover lift. Our purchase included an Ideal Cover Lift. The tech who installed it warned us to be very careful with this as we opened it and put it back very gently. On the 2nd time opening it the metal bracket connecting it to the tub literally sheared in half. This was with me being as careful as possible because of our advance warning. We were not home when the 2nd one was installed (again an Ideal Cover Lift) but when we went to open the spa (again gingerly) we noticed immediately one hydraulic lift was broken. The plastic hub that connected it to the bracket was in 3 pieces. There is also alot of rust on the bar that goes across the tub. (Makes me wonder if this was new out of the box) Now we are going to receive our 3rd lift tomorrow and I'm wondering if we should try a different brand or if we just got 2 lemons. The salesperson said he has not had complaints about the Ideal Cover Lift but he has very willingly offered me 2 alternatives at no extra charge. My choices are as follows: 1) The Covermate 1 model. This is not on hydraulics but from how it's advertised it opens just as easily. 2) The CoverCaddy by Sundance. 3) Try yet another Ideal Cover Lift which would include warranty if we had more trouble. Our experience and the rust on the bar concern me I have to admit. We have the biggest Sundance made (Maxxus) with the stereo so the cover has 2 large sections and one small one is that influences your recommendation. Any advice ASAP would be appreciated because the tech is scheduled to come tomorrow and I'd love to not have to cancel if I had some good info. THANKS SO MUCH for reading this long post and any advice you can give me.

We are using BaquaSpa in our month old Sundance Maxxus. The salesperson recommended it and I just went with it without doing any research. I have to say so far I am very pleased. Our water is city softened so I really had to work initially to get the water hard enough but that was simple. Otherwise I just add the prescribed regimen once a week and my chemistries have been beautiful. I do have to say that I have experienced the sticky brown residue around the waterline that some have complained about. I have heard many theories such as too much sanitizer causing clumping, pH levels, and irons in water; but I have found that I just need to add waterline control every 6 days instead of every 7. So far this has worked. As far as cost comparison, I guess I really can't say because as I said I didn't do my homework comparing other systems. For me personally I can live with the cost of BaquaSpa-I found an online store and ordered a large stock that should last me quite a long time. One thing I love is the lack of any smell-I have quite the sensitive nose and easily get headaches-that I have noticed in my friends' spas who use Chlorine and Bromine.

I am the very pleasant position of deciding between the Sundance Maxxus vs. the Optima. A local furniture store that began selling them is discontinuing spa sales(but continuing service and supply sales-I made sure) and is offering huge discounts. I have 3 to choose from. #1 is a Maxxus fully loaded with stereo and Ozone for $8800. #2 is a Maxxus floor model without stereo/ozone for $7600. The body has a few scratches and it is the Bluegrass shell which I am not too crazy about but could live with. #3 is the Optima (not stereo/ozone) for $6600. I like the Maxxus because of it size because I am sure my 2 young children would swim around more that soak but either model would fit our needs. Could someone please speak to any of the following? #1 What are you feelings on the design of each? Do you like one over the other? #2 Will the stereo in the 1st Maxxus have a long life? I realize we could get a pretty nice stereo system for the diffence in price but it is pretty nifty and has great sound. Also I love the remote for tub controls. #3 Does one provide better hydrotherapy over the other? They seem pretty similar to me. #4 Are the stereo/ozone and the new factor vs. floor model worth the $1200 difference in price? #5 Does a lighter shell make a difference in the effect of the lighting package? The one is platinum and the other green and I've heard the platinum really gives a nice effect. We couln't see them in the dark so it was hard to tell. #6 Does one have a better track record than the other as far as reliability? Thank you so much for your input. I love this forum and am learning a ton.

Thank you so much stl-rex. We are going to take a few deep breaths and start over again looking at 2005 models. Wow you got a great price-you must be quite the negotiator! Wish us luck! We hope to be soaking by Christmas!

Thanks Tony and Roger for your replies. Yes, this is from a dealer but HE has used it at HIS house for a year so they are selling it used. No, generally the warranty is not transferable but I'm assuming that because he is the owner of Arctic Spas Midwest he is making it as such. You're certainly right about other spas but the brands "just down the street" are Arctic and Cal Spas (which I am a little wary of). A 10 minute drive for chemical, water testing issues, etc compared to a 45 minute drive has it's appeal.

Hello everyone-I am a new member to this forum and really appreciate all of the helpful input. My husband and I did our wet test of the Arctic Tundra last night and now the decision time has arrived. We live in central Minnesota so the Arctic seems like a good choice for us. What we need are some opinions on the deal we are getting. The spa we are dealing on is a 2004 Tundra Signature which I understand is the equivalent of the Ultra Series in the 2005 model. It has the Deluxe Northern light package and the therapy air and the Arctic Ozone. My concern is that this spa was at a trade show and then in the owner's garage so it is considered "slightly used" so the original 5 year warranty on equipment and plumbing is now 4 years. The price we are being quoted is $8750. The 2005 Ultra Series comes in at $10,500. They said they would take $750 off the 2005 to bring it down to $9750. Would the year of use by someone else and 1 year less warranty concern you? Is it worth saving $1000(alot of money to us) Being the owners of the showroom here in MN makes me think they took pretty good care of it but you never know how hard it was run. I should add too that the Deluxe Northern package would run $800 on top of their quote on the '05 if we wanted it. Sorry to be so long winded but I thank you for your help. I would also appreciate any feedback on the Tundra itself.