Beez Posted January 23, 2008 Report Share Posted January 23, 2008 Greetings All, I'm a newbie here and need some help. I've owned a spa for 15 years with the usual problems but, it's time to replace it. My friend wants to sell me her 2007 D1 diplomat for around $4000 hardly used. The Coleman 471 new is $6000. D1 jets look cheesy, circ pump 24/7 sounds costly, plywood is termite food in Texas. I cant find much discussion on the 471 anywhere. It has shell insulation..good,steele frame..better, and a massive filter... does not bypass at high volume..good and it has a foot massage system that looks great. Like I said, there is very little discussion on the 471. I'm sure that someone can enlighten me. Thanks, Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spatech (the unreal one) Posted January 23, 2008 Report Share Posted January 23, 2008 Greetings All, I'm a newbie here and need some help. I've owned a spa for 15 years with the usual problems but, it's time to replace it. My friend wants to sell me her 2007 D1 diplomat for around $4000 hardly used. The Coleman 471 new is $6000. D1 jets look cheesy, circ pump 24/7 sounds costly, plywood is termite food in Texas. I cant find much discussion on the 471 anywhere. It has shell insulation..good,steele frame..better, and a massive filter... does not bypass at high volume..good and it has a foot massage system that looks great. Like I said, there is very little discussion on the 471. I'm sure that someone can enlighten me. Thanks, Bill I can't help you on your Coleman questions. I'm not a fan of most thermal pane type spas but Coleman does seem to be one of the few that has a good reputation. As far as your other option goes, D1 is a very good brand and $4k for a 2007 sounds pretty good (though there would be no warranty). The circ pump would not be costly to operate (just the opposite and is quieter) as it eliminates having to run the main pump 4 to 6 hrs per day on low speed for filtering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beez Posted January 23, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2008 The D1 has no filtering cycle like my spa? It cleans 24/7 ? I did not know that. Good idea. Thanks, Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spatech (the unreal one) Posted January 23, 2008 Report Share Posted January 23, 2008 The D1 has no filtering cycle like my spa? It cleans 24/7 ? I did not know that. Good idea. Thanks, Bill Exactly, the circ pump runs 24/7 taking the place of the filtering the main pump. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravelingSpaGuy Posted January 23, 2008 Report Share Posted January 23, 2008 Well the D1 is a spa less then 1 year old that cost 9000+, compared to the Coleman that costs 6000 and is worth 6000...the d1 jets are great actually...why dont you wet test...quality standpoint I say d1, but try both spas and see...if its your friend im sure you can try it one night right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beez Posted January 23, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2008 Well the D1 is a spa less then 1 year old that cost 9000+, compared to the Coleman that costs 6000 and is worth 6000...the d1 jets are great actually...why dont you wet test...quality standpoint I say d1, but try both spas and see...if its your friend im sure you can try it one night right? We are hoping to wet test the d1 Friday. Thanks, Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cplarsen Posted January 23, 2008 Report Share Posted January 23, 2008 The D1 has no filtering cycle like my spa? It cleans 24/7 ? I did not know that. Good idea. Thanks, Bill Exactly, the circ pump runs 24/7 taking the place of the filtering the main pump. Er, there's still a filter cycle, but you can set it to anything you want. Or turn it off entirely, I suppose. I don't think the circ pump will give you enough filtration all by itself, but as you say, much cheaper to run than the big pump over the long haul. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spatech (the unreal one) Posted January 23, 2008 Report Share Posted January 23, 2008 Er, there's still a filter cycle, but you can set it to anything you want. Or turn it off entirely, I suppose. I don't think the circ pump will give you enough filtration all by itself, but as you say, much cheaper to run than the big pump over the long haul. I depends on usage but IMO the 24/7 circ pump will filter on its own just fine without the need for the main pump though you could use it to suppliment it for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cplarsen Posted January 23, 2008 Report Share Posted January 23, 2008 Hmm, maybe I'll have to play around with it and see how little I can get away with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beez Posted January 24, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 24, 2008 If it has two three hour cleaning cycles already then why the 24/7 circ pump making noise and wasting electicity? How long do the circ pumps last? The D1 was $6500 not $9000 at the home show last week. So the price isn't an issue. The quality is. I pulled a jet out of the D1 and it was made of very thin plastic and the frame was made of pine. Wood ants ate some of the frame of my spa last summer. I'm leaning more toward the Coleman with a steel frame. Does anyone know more about them? Thanks for your help, Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spatech (the unreal one) Posted January 24, 2008 Report Share Posted January 24, 2008 If it has two three hour cleaning cycles already then why the 24/7 circ pump making noise and wasting electicity? How long do the circ pumps last? The D1 was $6500 not $9000 at the home show last week. So the price isn't an issue. The quality is. I pulled a jet out of the D1 and it was made of very thin plastic and the frame was made of pine. Wood ants ate some of the frame of my spa last summer. I'm leaning more toward the Coleman with a steel frame. Does anyone know more about them? Thanks for your help, Bill I'd look at it the other way around. If it has a 24/7 circ pump (which you won't even hear running) then why run two 3-hr filter cycles with the main pump (which would actually be the noisier one). I'd just run the circ pump and at most run a single 1 hr additional filter cycle if it shows to be necessary. Anyway, you obviously are looking to the Coleman and they have a good reputation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TinyBubbles Posted January 24, 2008 Report Share Posted January 24, 2008 The D1 has no filtering cycle like my spa? It cleans 24/7 ? I did not know that. Good idea. Thanks, Bill Exactly, the circ pump runs 24/7 taking the place of the filtering the main pump. Er, there's still a filter cycle, but you can set it to anything you want. Or turn it off entirely, I suppose. I don't think the circ pump will give you enough filtration all by itself, but as you say, much cheaper to run than the big pump over the long haul. Huh? On my spa the circulation pump is the only one that filters the spa. Two time a day the bigger pumps come on for around 2 minutes only to purge the system, that's it. The circulation pump does give enough filtration and it is energy efficient. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cplarsen Posted January 24, 2008 Report Share Posted January 24, 2008 The factory default on mine is two 1 hour cycles. btw, if you're worried about ants, kill the ants. They're not good for your house either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TinyBubbles Posted January 24, 2008 Report Share Posted January 24, 2008 If it has two three hour cleaning cycles already then why the 24/7 circ pump making noise and wasting electicity? How long do the circ pumps last? The D1 was $6500 not $9000 at the home show last week. So the price isn't an issue. The quality is. I pulled a jet out of the D1 and it was made of very thin plastic and the frame was made of pine. Wood ants ate some of the frame of my spa last summer. I'm leaning more toward the Coleman with a steel frame. Does anyone know more about them? Thanks for your help, Bill Circulation pumps should be very quiet. If the cover is on and we can't see the bubbles, we have to put an ear to the cabinet or place our hand on it, to tell that it's running. In many spas with circulation pumps, the filter cycles controls the ozonator. With my spa, I have a programmable circulation pump. My filter cycles turn it on and off. I run my circulation pump 6 hours, twice a day. My bigger pumps do not come on, except to purge the lines. At 12 hours a day, with only a circulation pump, my spa water stays crystal clear. Spas with or without circulation pumps operate very differently. If you have an older spa without one, it's hard to compare it to a newer spa that has one. I wouldn't worry too much until you wet test. Chances are, that alone will make up your mind. If you've already owned a spa, you probably know exactly what you want. Good Luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beez Posted January 24, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 24, 2008 I didn't realize you had that much control with the D1. That puts another check in the D1 column. This forum is a great source of information. Thanks, Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beez Posted January 27, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2008 We did the wet tests Fri and Sat. You were right. The circ pumps are almost silent on the D1 how ever the lounger was too long for my wife(5'2"), her feet didn't reach the jets and the seat with neck massage was too deep for her, but the shallower seat fit okay but only had 1 jet. The coleman had a much better lounger and both the shallow and deep seat had neck massage. All in all they were both okay. We've decided on the coleman. Thanks for all your help. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cplarsen Posted January 28, 2008 Report Share Posted January 28, 2008 Happy wife, happy life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock Posted March 8, 2008 Report Share Posted March 8, 2008 i have the Coleman 480 Entertainer and love it....great seats...different levels of seating...and after nearly 6 months I have no complaints. Electricity gone up about 30-40 dollars per month here in Southeast. I put it on economy mode and made morning cycle mid morning after sun has warmed up some...and evening cleaning cycle is same as our soaking time to save and do both at same time. Enjoy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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