Arctic Spas Pump Horsepower

[kman]

There is no information on any of the arctic spas literature with regards to the pumps used in the arctic spas or their hp. The dealer informs me that they use a 1 hp pump. This is much smaller than the 2.5 hp on the caldera cantabria. We are looking at the Arctic tundra model which has more jets and more gallons than the caldera (both have three pumps). I was worried that the 1 hp would not be enough to get the same massage. We did notice that when we wet tested the kodiak and the diverter valve engaged for one of the seats that the other seat got virtually no power. Could this be due to the low hp?

[paulmn]

There is no information on any of the arctic spas literature with regards to the pumps used in the arctic spas or their hp. The dealer informs me that they use a 1 hp pump. This is much smaller than the 2.5 hp on the caldera cantabria. We are looking at the Arctic tundra model which has more jets and more gallons than the caldera (both have three pumps). I was worried that the 1 hp would not be enough to get the same massage. We did notice that when we wet tested the kodiak and the diverter valve engaged for one of the seats that the other seat got virtually no power. Could this be due to the low hp?

I can't help with your hp question but I own a Summit Ultra and aside from having a lot of problems with it (you name it, its probably been replaced) I would also say it seems to lack hp. Not bad when 2 people are in it but when you have to share it seems to lack massage, just as you said. I've read a lot of posts and one of the themes seems to be to wet test, wet test and wet test. It doesn't seem to be the hp or number of jets, its more about how it feels. Sounds like the Arctic didn't feel that great, I would definitely try different brands. Good luck!

Paul

[spatech (the unreal one)]

There is no information on any of the arctic spas literature with regards to the pumps used in the arctic spas or their hp. The dealer informs me that they use a 1 hp pump. This is much smaller than the 2.5 hp on the caldera cantabria. We are looking at the Arctic tundra model which has more jets and more gallons than the caldera (both have three pumps). I was worried that the 1 hp would not be enough to get the same massage. We did notice that when we wet tested the kodiak and the diverter valve engaged for one of the seats that the other seat got virtually no power. Could this be due to the low hp?

While the Arctic website does not give pump specs that dealer either isn't up on his product very well (there is no way those are 1HP pumps) or he was possibly referring to the air pump.

I also think you're getting some less than accurate information on sizes, jets, and pumps. From the manufacturer websites it shows the Tundra is 7'8¾" x 7'8¾" x 38¾" and 540 gallons with 75 combined air/water jets (I think 61 water jets and 14 air jets assuming its the top of the line setup) while the Cantabria is 9' x 7'7" x 38" and 550 gallons with 74 water jets and 14 air jets.

[medicineman]

Arctic used to use waterway 4 hp and now they use an Italian built 5 hp I think......(maybe still 4hp though).

Blowers are usually 1 or 1.5 hp. This customer is mixing up the information.

The only 1 hp water pumps are on small, round "plug in" 110 volt spas.

[paulmn]

Arctic used to use waterway 4 hp and now they use an Italian built 5 hp I think......(maybe still 4hp though).

Blowers are usually 1 or 1.5 hp. This customer is mixing up the information.

The only 1 hp water pumps are on small, round "plug in" 110 volt spas.

Any idea why Arctic quit using the waterway pump?

[spatech (the unreal one)]

Arctic used to use waterway 4 hp and now they use an Italian built 5 hp I think......(maybe still 4hp though).

Hmm, three 5 HP pumps? Are those the Brake Horsepower (BHP) ratings or are they real HP ratings?

[JerimiahR]

A true 5HP pump would be pretty excessive / overkill for any residential hot tub to say the least. My guess would be 5HP BHP. Simply can't imagine the need for a 5HP jet pump in a portable hot tub.

Also, keep in mind that although the Caldera actually has four pumps, but only three of them are Jet Pumps. The fourth pump is the 24/7 circulation pump (which is key to energy efficiency). This little pump allows for continuous, silent circulation/filtration, and can reduce heating costs since you're not using a larger jet pump to cycle water during heat cycles.

[Water Boy]

Arctic used to use waterway 4 hp and now they use an Italian built 5 hp I think......(maybe still 4hp though).

Hmm, three 5 HP pumps? Are those the Brake Horsepower (BHP) ratings or are they real HP ratings?

Well the answer is somewhat unknown, because HP is a measure of power consumption, not performance. Here is the forumula I have always been told:

1HP= 750 Watts

and Watts =Amps x Volts

On the Arctic Pumps, the max amps reads 12.9 amps. So, at its max performance, the HP would be 3.956 HP. I have never heard anyone associated with Arctic Spas say 5HP, so not sure where someone got that number. But the normal operating amps is probably somewhere around 9 amps, so that would make the HP around 2.76. So I would say that the HP is somewhere between 2.5 and 3.96 HP.

[Water Boy]

Quick side note. I just had my service tech put a meter on one of the spas here in the store, and it was reading between 12.2 and 12.3 amps. That would put it right at 3.77 HP or so. Must customers seem to be happy with the power per jet. Sometimes they will even sit in there on low speed, or use the diverters to decrease power. To each his own.

[spatech (the unreal one)]

Quick side note. I just had my service tech put a meter on one of the spas here in the store, and it was reading between 12.2 and 12.3 amps. That would put it right at 3.77 HP or so. Must customers seem to be happy with the power per jet. Sometimes they will even sit in there on low speed, or use the diverters to decrease power. To each his own.

It’s not really that simple. You also have to take into account the efficiency factor of the motors. If those were true 4 HP pumps you wouldn't be able to run all three at the same time on a 50A circuit so I imagine they’re more like 2.5 to 3HP each. This is one thing I really wish was clearer in this industry because it confuses a lot of people, especially when some use that BHP on their websites to fool people.

For instance, if you look at the Sundance Maxxus and the Caldera Cantabria those spas both have three 2.5 HP pumps and even then if you run all three on a 50A breaker the heater automatically has to disable itself to keep the amps below the threshold. If those spas used 4HP pumps you wouldn’t be able to run more than two pumps at a time (even with the theater disabled).

[kman]

There is no information on any of the arctic spas literature with regards to the pumps used in the arctic spas or their hp. The dealer informs me that they use a 1 hp pump. This is much smaller than the 2.5 hp on the caldera cantabria. We are looking at the Arctic tundra model which has more jets and more gallons than the caldera (both have three pumps). I was worried that the 1 hp would not be enough to get the same massage. We did notice that when we wet tested the kodiak and the diverter valve engaged for one of the seats that the other seat got virtually no power. Could this be due to the low hp?

While the Arctic website does not give pump specs that dealer either isn't up on his product very well (there is no way those are 1HP pumps) or he was possibly referring to the air pump.

I also think you're getting some less than accurate information on sizes, jets, and pumps. From the manufacturer websites it shows the Tundra is 7'8¾" x 7'8¾" x 38¾" and 540 gallons with 75 combined air/water jets (I think 61 water jets and 14 air jets assuming its the top of the line setup) while the Cantabria is 9' x 7'7" x 38" and 550 gallons with 74 water jets and 14 air jets.

Spatech,

Thank you for your response. You were right on the number of jets ( I was looking at the hotsprings grandee). On the gallons, the website for Arctic does show 540 gallons but their brochure shows 602 gallons. I did call the manufacturer but have received no response. The pumps, when the dealer rechecked, were 3 hp which sound about right. Anyway, we got a good deal on the Cantabria and decided to purchase that.