Infinity Sunpeak Reliablity

[Biz]

Hello everyone:

After reading much negative about the Infinity Sunpeak, I am curious on how reliable they have been for people who have had one for a year or more.

Would like a summary of any repair work and electrical usage they have experienced in the past year.

I have read alot on this tub from people on this forum, hope to see a lot of feedback.

thanks to all

[Roger]

Hello everyone:

After reading much negative about the Infinity Sunpeak, I am curious on how reliable they have been for people who have had one for a year or more.

Would like a summary of any repair work and electrical usage they have experienced in the past year.

I have read alot on this tub from people on this forum, hope to see a lot of feedback.

thanks to all

You probably won't get much except for 4-6 months of ownership. These units are a very low end unit and there price reflects that. It is exactly what it's price reflects. Once an owner of a low end tub passes the year or 2 mark they dissapear. These units will last for up to 5-6 years and some may not have alot of trouble at all. While others may be a nightmare. If your a do it yourself kinda guy it may be a good way to get your butt in hot water for little dough. I think Sandi was one of the first on here, her's may be getting close to a year, she has only had a few issues.

[sandi]

You probably won't get much except for 4-6 months of ownership. These units are a very low end unit and there price reflects that. It is exactly what it's price reflects. Once an owner of a low end tub passes the year or 2 mark they dissapear. These units will last for up to 5-6 years and some may not have alot of trouble at all. While others may be a nightmare. If your a do it yourself kinda guy it may be a good way to get your butt in hot water for little dough. I think Sandi was one of the first on here, her's may be getting close to a year, she has only had a few issues.

WOW ... an intro ... with my name and everything ... I feel famous! Thanks Rog!! OK, so as perhaps the "senior owner" of an Infinity Sunpeak (took delivery on 7/31/07), I have not disappeared, despite hitting the 1 year mark. I'd venture to say that I'll continue to stick around for as long as I own this spa b/c of the info. and advice I have gotten from this forum. Roger and five-of-a-kind (another Sunpeak owner) are my go-to guys. I have emailed both of them with questions and for advice. Heck, Roger has even agreed to do repairs if I'll fly him from MN to DE and ply him with alcoholic beverages!!

Roger is right that we have had only a few issues with our Sunpeak. The biggest was that the control pack was fried due to a power surge (and yes, I'm sure it was a power surge and not just a bad control pack). Obviously, that could happen with any brand of spa. Infinity covered the repair cost completely (yes, I'm aware that acts of God aren't usually covered by warranty but Infinity covered it and it only took about 8-10 days for the repair to be made). About 2 months ago, we started getting error messages on the display about low flow problems. I had not tightened the filter cover/skimmer basket enough after cleaning the filter and found it floating in the spa - this happened just before the error messages started. Turned out to be an air lock (diagnosed by Roger) which was easily corrected. Shortly after that, we started getting error messages indicating that one of the temp sensors was not working. Five-of-a-kind emailed me with pictures of what the sensors look like and explained how they plug into the circuitboard (my plan was to ask Infinity to send us new sensors and replace them ourselves rather than wait for a repair guy). When I took the cover off of the control pack, I discovered that one of the sensors wasn't plugged in all the way - I just pushed it in tight and the spa was fine!

We used the directions that Ken Gorman posted on the forum about a year ago to add rigid foam insulation to all 4 sides of the spa b/c it certainly wasn't insulated very well. Cost was under $100. After doing that, my husband brought home the infrared camera that he uses in his job (not a cheap one, a really good one) and we used it to get temperature readings on all 4 sides, at all 4 corners, and at several spots on the hard cover. The readings showed that the spa is doing a good job of keeping heat from escaping (the 4 corners are the worst spots for heat loss but we couldn't add insulation there). We also have a 1/4 inch thick floating blanket which I believe helps to stop heat loss. With the modifications we have made, our best estimates are that the spa adds $30 to our monthly electric bill in the coldest months (southern DE isn't an extreme climate and our electricity rates are around $.13 per kwh) based on using the spa twice a week for 45-60 minutes each time with the temp set at 102 degrees in the winter.

Bottom line, we love having the spa and are not sorry that we "bought cheap." Hubby and I are both pretty handy and don't mind that we might have to do some things ourselves. Not being every day users of a spa, I'd be kicking myself if we had spent $10000 for one instead of the $3000 that this one cost us. If it lasts for 5 years, I'll be thrilled. We'll haul it to a dump and then decide if we want another one. If we do, we'll buy cheap again. That's just us.

I'll post another summary when we get to the 2-year point. Hopefully this next year will be as uneventful and as inexpensive for us, since our 1-year free labor warranty is now up!

Sandi

[Biz]

Hi Sandi:

Thanks for the feedback. Currently we have had our sunpeak for about 5 months. No problems yet, and we really enjoy it. Currently using it about 4-5 times a week, very relaxing.

As we live in Vermont though, we are concerned about our electric usage for this winter. We have been tracking our usage by comparing 2007 usage to 2008 usage. Though not exact of course, on average we have been using an additional 362KW per month for the period of May-Sept. At 13 cents per KW, this has added $47.00 to our monthly bill.

As winters in Vt average about 28 degrees during the day and around 10 degrees at night, we are worried that the bill will double or more.

We are considering adding insulation, but was concerned that it may overheat in the summer. Any problem with yours this past summer? We first want to add the spray on insulation foam to the shell of the tub and then insulation.

Currently we have the tub on the Economy mode. It filters twice daily around 4:30 for 2 hours. We normally try to use the tub during that time, to help limit the amount of time the heater is on.

We are trying to figure out though what setting to used during the winter. Standard, Economy, of Sleep. Any suggestions? From Dec-March we anticipate using it more like twice weekly at most.

Thanks for your feedback.

Hello everyone:

After reading much negative about the Infinity Sunpeak, I am curious on how reliable they have been for people who have had one for a year or more.

Would like a summary of any repair work and electrical usage they have experienced in the past year.

I have read alot on this tub from people on this forum, hope to see a lot of feedback.

thanks to all

You probably won't get much except for 4-6 months of ownership. These units are a very low end unit and there price reflects that. It is exactly what it's price reflects. Once an owner of a low end tub passes the year or 2 mark they dissapear. These units will last for up to 5-6 years and some may not have alot of trouble at all. While others may be a nightmare. If your a do it yourself kinda guy it may be a good way to get your butt in hot water for little dough. I think Sandi was one of the first on here, her's may be getting close to a year, she has only had a few issues.

[sandi]

Hi Sandi:

Thanks for the feedback. Currently we have had our sunpeak for about 5 months. No problems yet, and we really enjoy it. Currently using it about 4-5 times a week, very relaxing.

As we live in Vermont though, we are concerned about our electric usage for this winter. We have been tracking our usage by comparing 2007 usage to 2008 usage. Though not exact of course, on average we have been using an additional 362KW per month for the period of May-Sept. At 13 cents per KW, this has added $47.00 to our monthly bill.

As winters in Vt average about 28 degrees during the day and around 10 degrees at night, we are worried that the bill will double or more.

We are considering adding insulation, but was concerned that it may overheat in the summer. Any problem with yours this past summer? We first want to add the spray on insulation foam to the shell of the tub and then insulation.

Currently we have the tub on the Economy mode. It filters twice daily around 4:30 for 2 hours. We normally try to use the tub during that time, to help limit the amount of time the heater is on.

We are trying to figure out though what setting to used during the winter. Standard, Economy, of Sleep. Any suggestions? From Dec-March we anticipate using it more like twice weekly at most.

Thanks for your feedback.

Biz,

Unlike Ken, who added the rigid foam panels and then wrapped everything with plastic and taped it, we just added the foam panels cut snug to fit the framing. We figured that we were sacrificing some energy efficiency in order to be able to get to the inside of the spa more easily if we had to. In May, when temps started to warm up, we just unscrewed the front side of the cabinet, removed the foam panels, and stored them in the shed. About a week ago, as temps here started dropping, we just popped the foam panels for the front back in place for the winter. We keep the spa in economy mode all the time. The filter cycle is set for 2 hours and goes from 6:30 - 8:30. We only use the spa in the evenings and almost always around 7 - 7:30, so the water is always at the set temp by the time we get in. If our son and friends use it late at night, he just sets the spa to standard mode while he's in so the water will heat if needed and then sets it back to economy when he gets out. Even in the coldest temps of winter last year, the water temp was never more than 3 degrees below the set temp when the spa started filtering so it didn't take long at all to heat up (our winter low temps rarely go below 20 degrees though and winter daytime temps are in the 30s). So economy mode works fine for us. I'd definitely recommend a floating blanket and adding extra insulation. When we bought our cover lifter, we bought a covermate from rhtubs.com - they throw in a floating blanket with the price of their covermate lifters - good deal. Enjoy your spa!

Sandi

[Roger]

Work them tubs hard for the next year. I got a feeling Infinity is gona tank.

[kengorman]

WOW ... an intro ... with my name and everything ... I feel famous!

We used the directions that Ken Gorman posted on the forum about a year ago to add rigid foam insulation to all 4 sides of the spa

Ditto. Roger mentions Sandi's name and now Sandi mentions mine.

After reading much negative about the Infinity Sunpeak, I am curious on how reliable they have been for people who have had one for a year or more.

I think if you carefully review everything that's been written about Infinity Spas, most of the negative posts come from the same 3 posters.

Would like a summary of any repair work and electrical usage they have experienced in the past year.

My Infinity spa was delivered near Labor Day weekend 2007, so I've had it for a little over a year now. I had one repair done on the spa in January 2008 when the spa shut down and kept blowing a fuse. Infinity sent a spa technician out who diagnosed and fixed the problem. Some independent spa technicians have stated on this board that they charge the customer who then has to follow-up with Infinity for reimbursement if the repair was under warranty. The technician that Infinity sent out didn't have this policy. I got home from work when Jim from Ever-Clear Pool and Spa (Telford, PA) was finishing up the repair. I simply signed a work order and off he went. I didn't have to pay for the repair and deal with reimbursement - Jim handled everything.

As far as electric usage goes, I really can't make any definitive statements without having the tub actually metered. I do, however, track my electric usage and a more thorough posting can be found here in another thread started by Biz.

Even in the coldest temps of winter last year, the water temp was never more than 3 degrees below the set temp when the spa started filtering so it didn't take long at all to heat up (our winter low temps rarely go below 20 degrees though and winter daytime temps are in the 30s).

I'll concur with Sandi. I'm a little north of Sandi in suburban Philadelphia - the air temps are about the same for southern Delaware and suburban Philadelphia. Even in economy mode, the water temp didn't drop much at all during non-filtering times. My tub will raise the temp of the water 1 degree in about 7-8 minutes. We have our economy mode timed to periods of peak tub usage which is usually 8 or 9 pm so the tub is often at set temperature when we get in.

We are trying to figure out though what setting to used during the winter. Standard, Economy, of Sleep. Any suggestions? From Dec-March we anticipate using it more like twice weekly at most.

I put my tub in Sleep mode this past summer - the summer-time air temps combined with the heat of the pumps was more than enough to keep the water heated all summer long without the heater ever kicking on.

There is definitely a trade-off between Standard and Economy mode. In Standard mode, the tub will be at Set temperature anytime you want to use the tub. The downside is, your electric usage will be higher. How much higher? I don't know. Using Sleep mode in the winter may make it inconvenient to use the tub. Sleep mode allows the temperature to drop 20 degrees below the set temp. If you anticipate going days between soaks, the temp may drop the whole 20 degrees. These tubs heat at about 7 degrees an hour, so it'll take 3 hours to heat your tub up to set point again should you decide to use it.

Economy mode works best for us. If you find you use your tub during the same time period every day, economy mode is probably the best choice balancing convenience (of having the tub at the right temp) versus cost.

From Dec-March we anticipate using it more like twice weekly at most.

I find that Dec-March is the time we use our tub the most. There were some weeks last winter we got in the tub every night. I can't wait for the temps to turn colder - I love getting in the tub when it's really cold outside. We hardly used our tub at all this summer - I just couldn't get motivated to get into a 100 degree tub when it's 90 degrees outside.

I hope other Infinity owners step up and share their experiences.

Regards,

Ken

[Roger]

I think if you carefully review everything that's been written about Infinity Spas, most of the negative posts come from the same 3 posters.

Ken

Yes...of the hundreds of folks who come here with there complaints of the tub. Only three of us respond. We are very busy giving our professional analysis of this brand and help with repairs.

[navydiver]

I think if you carefully review everything that's been written about Infinity Spas, most of the negative posts come from the same 3 posters.

Ken

Yes...of the hundreds of folks who come here with there complaints of the tub. Only three of us respond. We are very busy giving our professional analysis of this brand and help with repairs.

So here I am - a brand new Sun Peak Infinity Spa Owner ( yeah we cheaped out and bought it at Costco - on Victoria, BC, Vancouver Island). So here's the deal - received an email that my tub is on the way and will take 4 - 7 weeks to arrive - First I even heard we were getting a tub (and I'm the husband) - so we worked out our little family comms problem and I've actually warmed up to the the idea of a tub even with the generous Costco return policy as an out. Sooo - the tub arrives - which is when I find out it's curbside service for drop-off only - no delivery to the cement pad I had to build in the 4 - 7 week delievery period (was building that fun? - Not!). We did luck in though as it arrived on a saturday and a bunch of friends were at the Lacrosse/soccer field across the street for games that afetrnoon - there was my instant work party for moving this 750 lb monster! Any other time and I would have been S.O.L.! Then it took a few days to get it wired up to a sub-panel we had put in when we did an addition to the house where we hooked in a new square D 60A breaker - which of course doesn't work (tooks us 10 days and two breakers later to figure that one out) - kept tripping when we tried to power up the tub - so we thought we had a duff tub - Arghhhh! Turns out after this 10 day gong show and three electricians later (and I question their credentials at this point) that the 60A breaker doesn't have a White ground insert so we then bought the right 50A breaker with ground terminal into the breaker (made for hot tubs - Doh!)- plugged it in and whoopie it works - then after a few instructions, I got the chemicals all done correctly and the thing purrs like a kitten for the better part of a week - Did I mention previosuly that the manual that comes with the tub is absolutley deplorable (same manula I am sure they give for every tub they sell no matter what the guts are inside) - no diagrams or specific instructions to tell you exactly what you have under the hood (except the Costco info page that I luckily printed out before they no longer carried them here) is the worst thing. So I have a few questions issues I need to resolve. Here they are in no particular order:

1. The first week it was running - it ran continuoulsy on the slow speed pump 24/7 - is this normal - should there be a circ pump running all the time on this model?

2. We had a power failure in the neighbourhood 3 days ago and since then every time I go doawn to the tub it is absolutely still - no circ pump running continuously - it seems to run intermittantly now as it still circs on low some of the time (not sure when since there is no timer I can see. Is this normal?

3. I see talk above on th three modes (ST, SL, EC) and I all I got from the Balboa controller was a cheat sheet that mentions them but not really what their purpose is or how to set cycles for the pumps if they can be set. We have been running in ST mode set at 102 - we just use it in the evening every day - what is the best mode for that and how can I set it so it circs and heats just before we get into the tub each evening?

4. One of the two speakers "crapped the bed" on day one of using it. What bright spark thought it was a good idea to place electrical speakeres (supposedly waterproof) on the inside of the tub close to recommended fill level of the the tub (generic manual says 1 to 2 inches below the pillows as the optimum fill level)? Even a two year old numpty can figure out that if you fill to that level and you put four to six bodies into the tub for which it is rated the water will go over the top - so I eyeballed it and filled it to a lesser level so it goes just below the speaker with 4 adults in the tub. Still didn't prevent the inevitable speaker failure though (did I mention I have teenage kids?)

5. Has anyone heard whether infinity has gone out of business? - no answer form this end and that is what we are hearing from Costco on this end - they have severed their ties - I'm sure due to lusy service.

All Ican think of for now butI'm sure I'll have a few more questions when I stop seeing red over this yutzy thing...

navydiver

[sandi]

1. The first week it was running - it ran continuoulsy on the slow speed pump 24/7 - is this normal - should there be a circ pump running all the time on this model? The spa probably got set somehow on FC, filter continously.

2. We had a power failure in the neighbourhood 3 days ago and since then every time I go doawn to the tub it is absolutely still - no circ pump running continuously - it seems to run intermittantly now as it still circs on low some of the time (not sure when since there is no timer I can see. Is this normal? The default filter setting is F2 meaning the water filters for 2 hours every 12 hours so when you lost power, the spa went back to the default. It can also be set to F4, F6, F8, or FC. This setting is changed by pressing the temp button then the jets button closest to the temp read-out, then the temp button again to adjust the setting. Press the jets button again to exit programming (this is assuming that your topside controls are like mine which they may not be).

3. I see talk above on th three modes (ST, SL, EC) and I all I got from the Balboa controller was a cheat sheet that mentions them but not really what their purpose is or how to set cycles for the pumps if they can be set. If you google Balboa owner's manual or something like that you'll find it online. We have been running in ST mode set at 102 - we just use it in the evening every day - what is the best mode for that and how can I set it so it circs and heats just before we get into the tub each evening? Since we use our spa only in the evenings at about the same time of day, we have been happy keeping it in Economy mode which only heats the water while the spa is in the filtering cycle. We have the spa set to filter from 6:30 - 8:30 (to set the filtering time, you need to flip the breaker off and then turn it back on at the time that you want the spa to start filtering - don't be upset if it doesn't power up right away. It will go into a priming mode first for about 4 minutes before it starts to circulate the water.) The water temp tends to drop about 3 degrees in the 12 hours between filtering cycles (I'm in Delaware so the climate is more temperate) so, by the time we use the spa around 7 - 7:30, it's back up to temp. (Our spa was assembles with a 5.5 kw heater, others have a 4 kw heater which will take longer to heat the water). If we wanted to use the spa at another time of day, we'd just set it to ST mode and wait about a half hour for the water to heat up. ST mode keeps the water at the set temp all the time, good if you like to hop in the spa at different times of the day. SL keeps the spa within 20 degrees of the set temp and only heats the water during filtering - we've never used that setting. To adjust the modes, press the temp button, then the light button to get to the mode you want.

4. One of the two speakers "crapped the bed" on day one of using it. What bright spark thought it was a good idea to place electrical speakeres (supposedly waterproof) on the inside of the tub close to recommended fill level of the the tub (generic manual says 1 to 2 inches below the pillows as the optimum fill level)? Even a two year old numpty can figure out that if you fill to that level and you put four to six bodies into the tub for which it is rated the water will go over the top - so I eyeballed it and filled it to a lesser level so it goes just below the speaker with 4 adults in the tub. Still didn't prevent the inevitable speaker failure though (did I mention I have teenage kids?) Our Sunpeak doesn't have a stereo so no speakers to worry about.

5. Has anyone heard whether infinity has gone out of business? - no answer form this end and that is what we are hearing from Costco on this end - they have severed their ties - I'm sure due to lusy service. Infinity HAS gone out of business. I called Costco to find out who is going to handle warranty issues. The guy I spoke with didn't know but said that, for now, folks should call Costco if there are warranty issues. If you want to send me your email address in a PM, I'll forward the email that the guy sent me with his name, phone, number, and extension.

All Ican think of for now butI'm sure I'll have a few more questions when I stop seeing red over this yutzy thing... We like our spa, have had only a few minor problems with it, and don't regret our purchase. BUT, living in Canada, you had better add insulation! Do a search on this forum for Ken Gorman's directions for insulating an Infinity Sunpeak spa - he posted a supply list, photos, and step by step instructions. If you don't, you'll hate your electric bill! Good luck! Sandi

navydiver

[Roger]

1. The first week it was running - it ran continuoulsy on the slow speed pump 24/7 - is this normal - should there be a circ pump running all the time on this model? The spa probably got set somehow on FC, filter continously.

2. We had a power failure in the neighbourhood 3 days ago and since then every time I go doawn to the tub it is absolutely still - no circ pump running continuously - it seems to run intermittantly now as it still circs on low some of the time (not sure when since there is no timer I can see. Is this normal? The default filter setting is F2 meaning the water filters for 2 hours every 12 hours so when you lost power, the spa went back to the default. It can also be set to F4, F6, F8, or FC. This setting is changed by pressing the temp button then the jets button closest to the temp read-out, then the temp button again to adjust the setting. Press the jets button again to exit programming (this is assuming that your topside controls are like mine which they may not be).

3. I see talk above on th three modes (ST, SL, EC) and I all I got from the Balboa controller was a cheat sheet that mentions them but not really what their purpose is or how to set cycles for the pumps if they can be set. If you google Balboa owner's manual or something like that you'll find it online. We have been running in ST mode set at 102 - we just use it in the evening every day - what is the best mode for that and how can I set it so it circs and heats just before we get into the tub each evening? Since we use our spa only in the evenings at about the same time of day, we have been happy keeping it in Economy mode which only heats the water while the spa is in the filtering cycle. We have the spa set to filter from 6:30 - 8:30 (to set the filtering time, you need to flip the breaker off and then turn it back on at the time that you want the spa to start filtering - don't be upset if it doesn't power up right away. It will go into a priming mode first for about 4 minutes before it starts to circulate the water.) The water temp tends to drop about 3 degrees in the 12 hours between filtering cycles (I'm in Delaware so the climate is more temperate) so, by the time we use the spa around 7 - 7:30, it's back up to temp. (Our spa was assembles with a 5.5 kw heater, others have a 4 kw heater which will take longer to heat the water). If we wanted to use the spa at another time of day, we'd just set it to ST mode and wait about a half hour for the water to heat up. ST mode keeps the water at the set temp all the time, good if you like to hop in the spa at different times of the day. SL keeps the spa within 20 degrees of the set temp and only heats the water during filtering - we've never used that setting. To adjust the modes, press the temp button, then the light button to get to the mode you want.

4. One of the two speakers "crapped the bed" on day one of using it. What bright spark thought it was a good idea to place electrical speakeres (supposedly waterproof) on the inside of the tub close to recommended fill level of the the tub (generic manual says 1 to 2 inches below the pillows as the optimum fill level)? Even a two year old numpty can figure out that if you fill to that level and you put four to six bodies into the tub for which it is rated the water will go over the top - so I eyeballed it and filled it to a lesser level so it goes just below the speaker with 4 adults in the tub. Still didn't prevent the inevitable speaker failure though (did I mention I have teenage kids?) Our Sunpeak doesn't have a stereo so no speakers to worry about.

5. Has anyone heard whether infinity has gone out of business? - no answer form this end and that is what we are hearing from Costco on this end - they have severed their ties - I'm sure due to lusy service. Infinity HAS gone out of business. I called Costco to find out who is going to handle warranty issues. The guy I spoke with didn't know but said that, for now, folks should call Costco if there are warranty issues. If you want to send me your email address in a PM, I'll forward the email that the guy sent me with his name, phone, number, and extension.

All Ican think of for now butI'm sure I'll have a few more questions when I stop seeing red over this yutzy thing... We like our spa, have had only a few minor problems with it, and don't regret our purchase. BUT, living in Canada, you had better add insulation! Do a search on this forum for Ken Gorman's directions for insulating an Infinity Sunpeak spa - he posted a supply list, photos, and step by step instructions. If you don't, you'll hate your electric bill! Good luck! Sandi

navydiver

Good job Sandi.....you wana be a regular?....LOL....your in.

[sandi]

Good job Sandi.....you wana be a regular?....LOL....your in.

Rog,

If I was a regular, I'd have to tell navydiver that he has a cheap, piece-of-crap spa and he should take advantage of Costco's guaranteed return policy and then run, not walk, to the nearest spa dealer to buy a "good" spa! I'll leave that to you and Spatech! How about this - I'll stick to being the resident forum expert on Infinity Sunpeaks? Heck, I figure that, by the time I'm finished owning this tub, I can become an independent spa repair guy and make a lot more per hour than I make teaching middle school (though teachers DO get Veteran's Day off with pay which is why I'm sitting here on the computer at 9AM!)

[navydiver]

Thanks everyone for the excellent feedback - I'm with Rog on this one but my Commander In Chief Home Fleet, aka wifey, is still siding on the wait and see approach. Partly because, and I see her point, humping that 750 pound monster off the pad we built is not something any of us look forward to arranging. I did try to say "let's cut our losses while we are ahead" but like a good hubby I didn't push my luck for fear of getting stomped on too hard. If only we got a decent manual with the crappy thing in the first place - no wonder they went out of business. Nowhere in any of the documentation we received did they even come remotely close to the great explanation Sandi provided - thanks muchly Sandi - I'll back away slowly with my rent-a-jack-hammer option for now since it has actually been working quite well {except the frickin' speaker} now that we've been enlightened. As for weather here, for those that may be geographically challenged, we are actually closer to Seattle than Vancouver (as the crow flies) here on the west coast and have even milder weather than both do - essentially we are in the Florida of Canada if there can be such a thing. That why we have our share of snowbirds out here as well - There is a saying about the folks that live out here - They are either the newly wed or nearly dead (for all the retirees) - sums it up pretty good. Mostly rains all winter and rarely snows (if it does it is usually just a dusting). Having lived in Indian Head, Maryland for three years on exchange (1998 - 2001), I find the winters here are even milder than there. Despite this fact, I will definately look at adding insulation to improve thermal efficiency - every little bit counts these days. Last thing - sorry about all the typos and grammar faux Pas' in my previous post - was in a hurry to get to my hockey game that evening and didn't get a chance to proof read, was also pretty frustrated at the time - Egad it was brutal... (This is too probably).

Anyway I wanted to say thank you all again. I will continue to lurk here and try to glean more tidbits from this goldmine of knowledge.

Strength in Depth!

Navydiver

[Roger]

Rog,

If I was a regular, I'd have to tell navydiver that he has a cheap, piece-of-crap spa and he should take advantage of Costco's guaranteed return policy and then run, not walk, to the nearest spa dealer to buy a "good" spa! I'll leave that to you and Spatech! How about this - I'll stick to being the resident forum expert on Infinity Sunpeaks? Heck, I figure that, by the time I'm finished owning this tub, I can become an independent spa repair guy and make a lot more per hour than I make teaching middle school (though teachers DO get Veteran's Day off with pay which is why I'm sitting here on the computer at 9AM!)

This is not fair Sandi, my opinion towards this tub is that it is exactly what you pay for and nothing more, or less. It IS NOT THE SAME as a 6-8 thousand dollar tub and it's cost reflects that. But lumping me into a person who says nothing but they are a piece of crap is not fair.

Quite frankly I am suprised to hear you say that about me.

[navydiver]

I see by the forum string that I may have mis-quoted Rog as being the one who said the spa was a piece of crap - My apologies if this is incorrect. The forum is a bit confusing wrt how replies are made and who is attributed to what is said (at first glance). Regardless, I appreciate all the comments (good or bad) as it gives me the ammo to make decisions I otherwise couldn't make by remaining ignorant.

Thanks to all for weighing in...

See you on the bottom!

Navydiver

[sandi]

This is not fair Sandi, my opinion towards this tub is that it is exactly what you pay for and nothing more, or less. It IS NOT THE SAME as a 6-8 thousand dollar tub and it's cost reflects that. But lumping me into a person who says nothing but they are a piece of crap is not fair.

Quite frankly I am suprised to hear you say that about me.

Roger,

Let me say first and foremost that it was NEVER my intention to upset or offend you. For that I am deeply sorry - you have been incredibly helpful with regard to my spa, both privately and on this forum. That said, I spent some time rereading your posts for the past 5 months. Below I have copied and pasted ones that pertain to Infinity spas (a few are in reference to Costco spas in general). While it is true that the words "piece of crap" do not appear in any of your posts, I hope you can understand why I drew that conclusion. Here we go:

• there stratagy is to produce very very low quality, cut every corner possible and produce a product that meets the exact spec of the big box store. Very inexpensive and produced to match. Follow that with no hands on customer service and very very shoddy warranty and the manufacturer becomes the controller of the contract with the box store instead of vice versa as the box store thought.
• If you manufacture kitchen utinzels and hair brushes you can survive through cheap manufacturing and bulk sale to the box store.
• These units are a very low end unit and there price reflects that.
• Yes...of the hundreds of folks who come here with there complaints of the tub. Only three of us respond. We are very busy giving our professional analysis of this brand and help with repairs.
• Or...if you want one with a warranty, dealer backing and support and will last more than a few years!! Then paying more will be well worth it.
• We will revisit this post in a few years. At this point it is meaningless except to say about one out of 10 runs when purchased yet still had pillows missing.
• Who is rating these tubs a B?????
• Anything they ever sold was a scratch, don't work, or dent.
• And they get there tubs for alot less because manufacturers make comprimises in quality to achieve the price point asked by the store.
• You will enjoy your Infinity very much. It is a good introduction into the spa experience. As long as your expectations are where they need to be when you purchase a lower quality unit.
• But Costco is a price point hot tub retailer, they buy cheap tubs and sell them cheap.
• I have talked to service people for Infinity and have more experience with the components and design and the tub than you. With out even touching one. Palletized equipment area, stapled together 2x2 or non 2x4 treated frame constuction, thin ABS plastic sheet covering on the floor (which I have removed from dozens of tubs for repair) Thin sprayed on shell foam and cheap reflective bubble wrap insulation with gaps all around. Sprayed on fiberglass fibre backing on the acrylic shell sheet. Inexpensive waterway jets, CDW tubing, sched 20 glued PVC fittings and slice valves.
• I have done Hydrospa and Keys....they are the same as Infinity. Inexpensive Balboa Controls and whatever pump and pump motor flavor they got the best deal on that particular buy period. Same with Plumbing and jets...all the same.
• Yes my repair data and experience tells me that Infinitys quality is the same as 10 other cookie cutter spa companys out there that come in to the industry build a whole bunch of inexpensive tubs for the mass market using low end components and poor construction.

Roger, I will say it again. If I drew the wrong conclusion from your comments, I apologize and hope that you will forgive me.

Sandi

[Roger]

I think if you investigate and research from folks who know tubs you will find a whole lota facts in all my statements. But you missed my October 11th post regarding Infinitys future. Here I will repost it. I'm afraid I was wrong in this one, they tanked in a month not a year!!

Work them tubs hard for the next year. I got a feeling Infinity is gona tank.

[ALASKA RECREATIONAL]

If your lucky enough to have bought your Spa/hot tub from COSTCO.

There is good news... COSTCO holds back money from these hot tub makers

Hydrospa-Keys-Infinity. And their ready to spend it on tubs that they sold !!

I own the Warranty Hot Tub ONLY service company in N.W. Washington,

and have been fixing thse 3 companys tubs for COSTCO for years..

Now with this new company called "Hot Tub Services" that is in the process of trying to figure out how they are going to fix all these COSTCO hot tub & have no idea what they are up against..

If you are a GOOD SPA repair service person, then you should go talk to your COSTCO store manage cause Hot Tub Services hasn't returned any of our e-mails or phone calls. and COSTCO wants these tubs fix and COSTCO doesn't like its client having to wait.....

IF YOU BOUGHT YOUR TUB FROM COSTCO, THEN TALK TO YOUR COSTCO STORE MANAGER.

OR TRY CALLING HOT TUB SERVICES...... Tell the store manager that you want your tub fixed NOW !!!!!!!!! buy local & keep the money in your town !!!!!!

[ALASKA RECREATIONAL]

I think if you investigate and research from folks who know tubs you will find a whole lota facts in all my statements. But you missed my October 11th post regarding Infinitys future. Here I will repost it. I'm afraid I was wrong in this one, they tanked in a month not a year!!

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx

Roger, Dave knew that it was over when He had sold his Ford GT in Aug.

He told me (sept) that he blames the BOX STORES for holding back all the money.

So Roger, Who is next ???? you can PM me if you don't want to post

RWSP

[KIALDA]

Thanks everyone for the excellent feedback - I'm with Rog on this one but my Commander In Chief Home Fleet, aka wifey, is still siding on the wait and see approach. Partly because, and I see her point, humping that 750 pound monster off the pad we built is not something any of us look forward to arranging. I did try to say "let's cut our losses while we are ahead" but like a good hubby I didn't push my luck for fear of getting stomped on too hard. If only we got a decent manual with the crappy thing in the first place - no wonder they went out of business. Nowhere in any of the documentation we received did they even come remotely close to the great explanation Sandi provided - thanks muchly Sandi - I'll back away slowly with my rent-a-jack-hammer option for now since it has actually been working quite well {except the frickin' speaker} now that we've been enlightened. As for weather here, for those that may be geographically challenged, we are actually closer to Seattle than Vancouver (as the crow flies) here on the west coast and have even milder weather than both do - essentially we are in the Florida of Canada if there can be such a thing. That why we have our share of snowbirds out here as well - There is a saying about the folks that live out here - They are either the newly wed or nearly dead (for all the retirees) - sums it up pretty good. Mostly rains all winter and rarely snows (if it does it is usually just a dusting). Having lived in Indian Head, Maryland for three years on exchange (1998 - 2001), I find the winters here are even milder than there. Despite this fact, I will definately look at adding insulation to improve thermal efficiency - every little bit counts these days. Last thing - sorry about all the typos and grammar faux Pas' in my previous post - was in a hurry to get to my hockey game that evening and didn't get a chance to proof read, was also pretty frustrated at the time - Egad it was brutal... (This is too probably).

Anyway I wanted to say thank you all again. I will continue to lurk here and try to glean more tidbits from this goldmine of knowledge.

Strength in Depth!

Navydiver

One thing to consider. If you go to a reputable dealer in your area and explain your situation I am sure they will help you. I know many dealers that would sell you a new spa and when they deliver your new one, load up your old one for you and deliver it back to costco as part of the deal. Just an idea that would eliminate you having to deal with that part of the chore.

[Roger]

I think if you investigate and research from folks who know tubs you will find a whole lota facts in all my statements. But you missed my October 11th post regarding Infinitys future. Here I will repost it. I'm afraid I was wrong in this one, they tanked in a month not a year!!

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx

Roger, Dave knew that it was over when He had sold his Ford GT in Aug.

He told me (sept) that he blames the BOX STORES for holding back all the money.

So Roger, Who is next ???? you can PM me if you don't want to post

RWSP

I'm going to speculate that some negotiating is going on right now between Costco (insert your own box store) and a few manufacturers. There are about 3-6 others that make "that type" of tub and may want to make 30-50 thousand special tubs for Costco.

I don't know who do you think will get the box store bug next? A company up in Michigan?

[Biz]

I received a phone call from a Rep for Hot Tub services. He was located in Connecticut. We live about 250 miles away in Vermont. His call was to find out what repairs we will need for our Infinity tub. Though our tub is running ok, it was delivered without the 2 inch foam insulation that Costco advertised, along with only a 4 kw heater and not the 5.5 kw heater they advertised.

I had been working with Infinity for about 3 months this past summer n these problems. After attempts to get one to come to our home to service the tub, they finally suggested to send us a new tub, with the foam and larger heater already installed. Well, about one week after they agreed on this, I find out that Infinity went out of business.

At this point, we need to resolve the insulation problem quickly. On average now, the water in the tub is losing about 15 degrees daily. If we have it set to 101, it goes down to about 86. The heater then comes on for about 2 hours (we have it in Economy Mode, filtering for 2 hours) and it only gets back up to about 95 after this time. We have had to then switch it to Standard Mode and wait another 2 hours to get it back up to 101 degrees. Now, this is only November, and the temps in our area during January are much colder. Whenever we use the tub now, we have to run our heater for 4 or 5 hours instead of only 2.

We are hoping that Hot Tub services will at least come insulate inside the cabinet with 2 inch rigid foam panels which we hope will help minimize the loss of water temps for us. We also want the larger heater, hoping that it will speed up the warming process by at least 1 degree per hour. I have been told that it is not recommended to add the 2 inch foam to the shell of the tub now.

Hot tub services indicated that they are hammering out a contract with Costco now, and will get back to us soon about repairing our tub.

Anyone have any idea how their service will be? After all we are located about 250 miles from them, about a 4 hour drive.

If your lucky enough to have bought your Spa/hot tub from COSTCO.

There is good news... COSTCO holds back money from these hot tub makers

Hydrospa-Keys-Infinity. And their ready to spend it on tubs that they sold !!

I own the Warranty Hot Tub ONLY service company in N.W. Washington,

and have been fixing thse 3 companys tubs for COSTCO for years..

Now with this new company called "Hot Tub Services" that is in the process of trying to figure out how they are going to fix all these COSTCO hot tub & have no idea what they are up against..

If you are a GOOD SPA repair service person, then you should go talk to your COSTCO store manage cause Hot Tub Services hasn't returned any of our e-mails or phone calls. and COSTCO wants these tubs fix and COSTCO doesn't like its client having to wait.....

IF YOU BOUGHT YOUR TUB FROM COSTCO, THEN TALK TO YOUR COSTCO STORE MANAGER.

OR TRY CALLING HOT TUB SERVICES...... Tell the store manager that you want your tub fixed NOW !!!!!!!!! buy local & keep the money in your town !!!!!!

[kengorman]

Though our tub is running ok, it was delivered without the 2 inch foam insulation that Costco advertised

I had archived the original Costco ad for the Sun Peak when I was shopping for my spa. The costco ad that I have doesn't mention anything about 2 inch foam insulation. The specifications pertaining to insulation were:

*High-density foam insulation

*Double-sided Artic wrap insulation

The spa I received did have a thin layer of spray on insulation, however, it wasn't 2 inches of foam. I don't know of any Infinity spas that were ever advertised specifying 2 inch foam insulation.

Regards,

Ken

[Olivia]

I still work for Infinity and yes we are having to file bankruptcy because our major suppliers won't pay us so we don't service Costco, Home Depot or Sams Club anymore. I would imagine that any manufacturer who does business with them will end up in the same position. Our bad, thinking we could be different.It is nice to see that someone online has some positive things to say. Yes, we have had issues but a lot of them have been out of our control. When you are receiving incoming money, you have to cut corners in any way you can to keep going but we never changed our suppliers. We just laid off over 100 people and Dave, the owner of the company did it himself. He did not send some one to do it in a suit and had the option. He barely got the words out between the tears. Seems to me that if you guys need any parts, Costco, Home Depot or Sams Club should pay them. After all, they have your money and not us. We are currently working on another owners manual that is a lot more informative than the previous one. I will be happy to post it when it's available. I wish all our customers could have had the good sense that you have in figuring out simple problems. Air locks are frequent when filling and refilling a spa and seems you guys have just breezed through that. If any of you need anything at all, please feel free to contact me at whlsllsrandrctn@gmail.com. I will help you in anyway I can. I can probably even get a speaker out the door for the guy in need of one. Just need to know how old the Sun Peak is so I get the right one. Infinity is trying to pull back out of this but we'll see. They have every intention of paying people they owe that serviced the spas correctly and needless to say, there are a lot of rip off spa techs out there so ask for references if you happen to need one. Thanks again everyone for the positive. Seems like when you are down, people just keep on kicking and I just don't get that.

[Biz]

Hello Ken:

I too, archived the Costco ad and you are correct that the did not specifically indicate "2 inch foam insulation". They did however indicate "high density foam insulation" which again, I have no foam insulation at all, NONE.

Also, I have the following email from a rep at Infinity that I emailed prior to buying my Sunpeak. Her answers to some of my questions follows:

Hi,

The Sun Peak and the Dundee are the same spa. The Sun Peak is offered thru Costco and the Dundee is the name of the tub on our website, www.infinityspas.net. Costco chose what specs they wanted of the Dundee and we had to change the name for them as our dealer. The main difference is that Costco didn’t choose all of the optional upgrades that we offer with the Dundee.

1. Yes, we sale our tubs in Canada and do not come across any problems with insulation. Our tubs have the 2lb high density foam insulation sprayed on the cavity of the tub (most spa manufacturers use 1lb or 1.5lb spray foam). We also have the artic wrap, aka subzero, insulation that goes around the cabinet of the tub and this keeps the hot air in and the cold air out. It is the same insulation used for in-ground pools and looks like silver bubble wrap. For the Sun Peak, most people see $30-$40 increase with their power bill each month.

2. The cabinets are made of a resin synthetic wood material and they are heat retaining. There is no maintenance with the cabinets and the warranty is 10 years for your frame and cabinets.

3. Cold weather has never seemed to effect the shell, but you do have a 5 year warranty on the acrylic of the tub.

4. For all electrical parts, pumps, packs, topside control, all plumbing… is all 5 years. If anything goes wrong we have to send the new part for you and you do have a labor warranty for the first year.

Let me know if you have any other questions, I have pasted the tub modes below so you will get an idea and also have attached what I have for the Sun Peak spa

As you can see her answer to my question on insulation clearly indicates "2 inch foam insulation". Currently our tubwater is loosing about 15 degrees

daily, going down to around 85 degrees. To get it back to 100, means that we have to run our heater about 5 hours, which is why her answer to my question on insulation was very important. Our neighbors have foam insualtion on their tubs, and indicate that their tubs are only going down to about 92 degrees right now.

Though our tub is running ok, it was delivered without the 2 inch foam insulation that Costco advertised

I had archived the original Costco ad for the Sun Peak when I was shopping for my spa. The costco ad that I have doesn't mention anything about 2 inch foam insulation. The specifications pertaining to insulation were:

*High-density foam insulation

*Double-sided Artic wrap insulation

The spa I received did have a thin layer of spray on insulation, however, it wasn't 2 inches of foam. I don't know of any Infinity spas that were ever advertised specifying 2 inch foam insulation.

Regards,

Ken