Filter Question; What Does The Sq. Ft Mean?

[roromissd]

I'm confused about the difference in filter effectiveness and whether it really matters all that much. Our spa says it filters 65 sq. ft. Is that per minute, per day, per hour? What? And then what does "no bypass filtration" mean?

Anne

[sapoole]

Anne, the way I understand the no-bypass filtering is that every drop of water is filtered even when the jets are running. The Limelight only has 1 filter where the HS may have 5 filters. How is the water clearity with the 65ft? Oh, and the 65ft^2 is the effective area of the filters. If you laid them out on the ground, they would cover 65 square feet (roughly 6'x10.5') so it isn't a flow rate, but rather an area.

[r5ran]

Well, I'm no expert, but the sq. ft number is the total size of the filter area for your spa. So if you were able to undo all the pleats in your filter and measure the actual amount of material, it would equal 65 sq. ft.. This is how they measure all pleated type filters, (i.e. automotive oil and air filters, etc...) Since the H/S's have 5 filters, their total sq. feet is 325 sq. ft. (65 x 5 = 325). They have one filter for the 24 hour circulation pump, and 2 each for the 2 jet pumps. Most spas, (and I may incorrect here, so nicely correct me if I am in error guys), can't pass enough water through a single filter when the jet pumps are on, so they bypass the filter during those times. The H/S's do not have the bypass, they simply use the other 4 filters for filtration when the jet pumps are in use.

Does it make a difference? Well, I have many friends that have single filter spas, and they seem to have no problem keeping their water clean, so probably not. It's probably more marketing, then anything.

But I can say, that after 2 months of using my H/S Vanguard almost every night, I checked the filters. While the circulation pump filter was somewhat dirty, as I expected. I was surprised to see that the other 4 filters were also somewhat dirty, too, (but not as much as the circ. pump filter) and had collected quite a bit of debris in them. So they really do help filter the water.

But I sure wouldn't be concerned, you'll be just fine. Hope this helps.

Randy

I'm confused about the difference in filter effectiveness and whether it really matters all that much. Our spa says it filters 65 sq. ft. Is that per minute, per day, per hour? What? And then what does "no bypass filtration" mean?

Anne

[roromissd]

Thanks, this makes a lot of sense. I'm not too concerned about the clarity of our water. We've used our tub every night for 3 weeks straight and the water is still crystal clear. I'm sure some of the extra filters is marketing more than necessity. What I'm thinking is the more filters you have, the higher the cost to replace every 2 1/2 years. That's a lot of savings there. I guess time will tell. My parents just ordered the HS Jetsetter and it will arrive on Friday, so we will be able to compare over time with their filtration.

Again, thanks for the explanation!

Anne

[sapoole]

Great. We are going to wet test a Flair today and possibly order assuming we like it. We have done a ton of homework on these since we are a first time buyer and it seems like the Flair packs a lot of value for the dollar.

[r5ran]

Don't be afraid to shop around, though. I was very interested in the Limelight Pulse initially, but was able to find a H/S Vanguard for about the same cost. The Limelights are new, and most dealers seemed less flexible on prices versus H/S. For the same price, H/S seemed the smarter purchase, but that is just my opinion...just making you aware what I found.

Thanks, Randy

Great. We are going to wet test a Flair today and possibly order assuming we like it. We have done a ton of homework on these since we are a first time buyer and it seems like the Flair packs a lot of value for the dollar.

[roromissd]

Don't be afraid to shop around, though. I was very interested in the Limelight Pulse initially, but was able to find a H/S Vanguard for about the same cost. The Limelights are new, and most dealers seemed less flexible on prices versus H/S. For the same price, H/S seemed the smarter purchase, but that is just my opinion...just making you aware what I found.

Thanks, Randy

Great. We are going to wet test a Flair today and possibly order assuming we like it. We have done a ton of homework on these since we are a first time buyer and it seems like the Flair packs a lot of value for the dollar.

I'm all for shopping around to find the best deal. We were lucky to have a dealer who quoted us a saleprice during a dale they were having, and then she actually ended up basically throwing the covercradle, and ozonator in for fee in the end. So, we were happy.

You want to get the best you can for the price you pay.

Anne

[sapoole]

I agree with everything above. For our budget ($6500) it seems the Flair is the best choice for us. We initally wanted the HS Envoy until we almost passed out from the sticker shock ($9500). I think HS makes a great product, but is out of our price range for a 1st time buyer. We also looked at Sundance, Caldera, Lake Erie?, and a couple others but usually didn't feel comfortable with the dealers. So we are down to the Tiger River Bengal and the Flair. We didn't really like the formed seating of the Bengal though and it just looked a little dated. Plus my wife I think really loved the lighting on the Flair. Wet test is scheduled for tonight so we'll see.