Arctic Spa Owners - Your Ratings

[Water Boy]

LOL...thats funny water.....Send one to me and we shall see how fast it freezes this winter here during a cold snap!! I have seen beachcombers last for 2 weeks also. In the mild kind of weather your talking about!!! Here in Northern Minnesota ice storms happen during t-shirt weather!! No Arctic will make it for more than a day or 2 longer than any other brand. At 20 below they will all freeze and we don't need to argue that....lol I make more money on freeze prevention than repair.

OK...the ARC study. This has been hashed over hundreds of times since it's release before you were registered here, there are some descrepencys in it. First, the Hot Springs cost less to operate with a 2 inch thinner cover where most of the heat loss occurs. Second, it was sponsored by Arctic.

Even though there is no way to prove this to you, I would bet my first born that Arctic could go MORE than two days at 20 below, guaranteed. You can take that to the bank. We had temperatures in the low teens for two weeks, and some days below teens. One customer told me that in two weeks, there spa went from 104 degrees to 64 degrees, in TWO WEEKS!!! Hell after two days, it still would have been warm enough to have a nice soak!!!!

The ARC test was paid for by Arctic, but not sponsored by them. It was all done by the ARC. They bought all the spas at random stores, did all the testing, and published the final results.

[Roger]

LOL...thats funny water.....Send one to me and we shall see how fast it freezes this winter here during a cold snap!! I have seen beachcombers last for 2 weeks also. In the mild kind of weather your talking about!!! Here in Northern Minnesota ice storms happen during t-shirt weather!! No Arctic will make it for more than a day or 2 longer than any other brand. At 20 below they will all freeze and we don't need to argue that....lol I make more money on freeze prevention than repair.

OK...the ARC study. This has been hashed over hundreds of times since it's release before you were registered here, there are some descrepencys in it. First, the Hot Springs cost less to operate with a 2 inch thinner cover where most of the heat loss occurs. Second, it was sponsored by Arctic.

Even though there is no way to prove this to you, I would bet my first born that Arctic could go MORE than two days at 20 below, guaranteed. You can take that to the bank. We had temperatures in the low teens for two weeks, and some days below teens. One customer told me that in two weeks, there spa went from 104 degrees to 64 degrees, in TWO WEEKS!!! Hell after two days, it still would have been warm enough to have a nice soak!!!!

The ARC test was paid for by Arctic, but not sponsored by them. It was all done by the ARC. They bought all the spas at random stores, did all the testing, and published the final results.

Now your going to have to read my post again to understand what I said about Arctic going a couple days longer than any other quality brand.

I'f it is 30 below at night and 10 below during the day an Arctic will last for longer before freeze up than other brands unless a light bulb or heater is put in either insulation skeem to lenghthen the amount of time before freeze up. My original post said a repair needed to be failitated ASAP no matter what the brand because they will all freeze. I know this hurts your feelings but it is a fact. And if your willing to bet your first born against it you better not have any kids because if the Arctic retoric/spin can sway you that bad I wonder what else can sway you.

Back to the ARC study........the Alberta Research Council gets paid to do a study by a Hot Tub manufacturer and we are spose to believe the study was not designed to favor the sponsoring company...sure...and I have some swamp land for sale cheap.

[whodyawant]

I will have to take the ARC study with a grain of salt, still interesting however. They wouldn't just flat out lie, would they?

Okay, here goes... I have a serious question. You all have given me great advice, thank you again, and tomorrow we are going to pick out our spa. (Wouldn't that be funny if I came home with a different brand than Arctic!! Could happen.)

Is there a thread you can point me to or any unbiased repairmen (or women) on here who do not work for a particular spa manufacturer who can tell me which spas give technicians headaches (because they seem to always be malfunctioning/breaking) and which seem to have very few troubles. Roger... is that guy you? wink, wink. Perhaps this is not good forum etiquette, but that is my biggest concern. I really don't think we would have a problem about freezing... We might get COLD, but nothing ever knocks out power. And compared to other places, we really don't get that cold. The cost of running and heating if it's only cents or a few dollars difference between the spas is not a big concern either, because we will pay a bit more for something more comfortable that we will use. BUT... technicians know what breaks on what, how often, why, and is it a flaw in that maker's design? I do not want to buy a tub that tends to break, a lot.

Now, if you feel uncomfortable revealing your answers on the board, send me a note.

[Roger]

I will have to take the ARC study with a grain of salt, still interesting however. They wouldn't just flat out lie, would they?

It's not lieing to spin a report, or design a study to favor your product. Its how things are sold.

[SmilinBare]

Arctic Frontier delivered/installed in December 2005 in Massachusetts at its border with New Hampshire.

Please rate below 1-5:

1 - being very dissatisfied and 5 - being very satisfied.

Reliability (ie. repairs or breaking)? 5

Durability? 5 Although the headrests kept floating out of their mounts so I don't use them anymore.

Comfort? 6 Just perfect for my 6'3" 250# hulk!

Energy consumption? 10! Way more efficient than I EVER expected!

Clean water maintenance? 7 We use and love BaquaSpa!

Jets & customizing jets via controls? 5 I rarely use the jets.

Customer support? Via Tom, here at the Forum? Great. Original dealer, not the greatest.

Appearance (good looks or bling factor)? 5 Wanted and got cedar wood siding.

Quality for the price? 7 You get what you pay for!

And just to pinpoint areas and people differences - please comment if you care to on:

State or province? Massachusetts

Model? Frontier

Average winter outdoor temp? 40ish?

Average usage? From end of Oct through late March I'm in it at least 5 nights out of 7. My wife comes out and gets in once a week. Rarely invite friends in because it's a place of relaxation and meditation for me NOT a partyin' space.

[Glid]

Smilin,

Spalife in Goffstown might be in your service area. It's closer than Peabody!

Lance really did some quick work for me, I was impressed enough to recommend him to you. I can't speak about anyone else from Spalife.

New pillows fit better. I have one old pillow the tech left with me when my 4 were not in the truck.

[SmilinBare]

Thanks, Glid! Actually, I've noticed a spa dealer in Littleton, Mass. (about 10 miles down the road) is displaying a huge Arctic Spas sign. To be honest, I'll have to look Goffstown up on the map to see where it is.

Smilin,

Spalife in Goffstown might be in your service area. New pillows fit better. I have one old pillow the tech left with me when my 4 were not in the truck.

[Tom]

Interesting comments from all. Tadpole, PM me please, I'll try to help.

Please search the forum for ARC or Study. Roger and I have been around and around on the ARC study (go to whatsthebesthottub.com and check the Beating a Dead Horse section) and we have developed a mutual respect as a result. He's right about some of the study's deficiencies but the study is definitely on the up-and-up and was conducted by a reputable independent agency. ARC purchased the spas and ran the tests; all we did was foot the bill. You can bet that if we didn't like the results, no one would have seen them; there has been much speculation that other manufacturers have conducted similar tests and found the results not worth sharing.

3. No foam sprayed on plumbing to hold it solid

Not true, Roger. The big heavy pipes don't need much holding, but the lighter hoses are in spot-tacked in place. I can post some photos if you like.

[wylekioti]

3. No foam sprayed on plumbing to hold it solid

Not true, Roger. The big heavy pipes don't need much holding, but the lighter hoses are in spot-tacked in place. I can post some photos if you like.

As a mechanical technician with a BS degree, I find Roger's point pointless. Pulsation in liquid in a hose can cause extreem pressure spiking and without some flex in the hose to absorb this, these stresses can pinpoint a weak spot and cause fracture and leakage. Foam insulation is not solid enough to stop all movement in a hose or it would result in premature failure at the fitting. What foam on the lines does do is help quiet the noise and make finding the point of a leak, if one occurs, more difficult and costly. So there are advantages and dissadvantages either way. Insulation holding the plumbing from moving is not even a valid argument for full foam insulation, if it did hold the plumbing solid, that would lead to failure of the manifolds, valves, jet housings and anywhere a flexhose is connected. The reason you see movement is because of these pressure changes and spiking, something has to give someplace to absorb that energy or it will over time break the weakest point. Even your house has pulsation dampners to prevent pipes from breaking just from the spike of presure caused by shutting off a faucet (unless it is really old and then you would hear a banging throughout your plumbing) Basic Hydraulics and Physics. So if we run with Roger's (sorry Roger) statement and knowing the reality of "solid plumbing" one would have to stay away from Full foam tubs to avoid continual leaks. Because foam can not hold plumbing solid, however, full foam works, you just can not see the movement. My 2 cents.

[Roger]

3. No foam sprayed on plumbing to hold it solid

Not true, Roger. The big heavy pipes don't need much holding, but the lighter hoses are in spot-tacked in place. I can post some photos if you like.

As a mechanical technician with a BS degree, I find Roger's point pointless. Pulsation in liquid in a hose can cause extreem pressure spiking and without some flex in the hose to absorb this, these stresses can pinpoint a weak spot and cause fracture and leakage. Foam insulation is not solid enough to stop all movement in a hose or it would result in premature failure at the fitting. What foam on the lines does do is help quiet the noise and make finding the point of a leak, if one occurs, more difficult and costly. So there are advantages and dissadvantages either way. Insulation holding the plumbing from moving is not even a valid argument for full foam insulation, if it did hold the plumbing solid, that would lead to failure of the manifolds, valves, jet housings and anywhere a flexhose is connected. The reason you see movement is because of these pressure changes and spiking, something has to give someplace to absorb that energy or it will over time break the weakest point. Even your house has pulsation dampners to prevent pipes from breaking just from the spike of presure caused by shutting off a faucet (unless it is really old and then you would hear a banging throughout your plumbing) Basic Hydraulics and Physics. So if we run with Roger's (sorry Roger) statement and knowing the reality of "solid plumbing" one would have to stay away from Full foam tubs to avoid continual leaks. Because foam can not hold plumbing solid, however, full foam works, you just can not see the movement. My 2 cents.

I am going to digress and say that of all companys Arctic has done alot of work to solve there jet fitting problem that they had when they started. But I didn't mention the noise factor either...........

Again I was not dissing Arctic they make a fine product. Just not the best hot tub on the market IMO. One of the best at most.

[tadpole]

Interesting comments from all. Tadpole, PM me please, I'll try to help.

thanks for responding Tom. My wife is going to meet with the dealership this morning. After I had an independent licensed electrician verify all breakers and electrical components from the house are in working order, the dealership tech came and restored power to the display and replaced a bunch of items inside the tub panels yesterday. This morning the ozonator is not producing bubbles ????? I feel confident we will reach a resolution. -

tadpole ( little frog, big pond )