Costco Platinum elite spa

[jmendoza17]

$125 for the first month????

I have had mine since the begining of July and I am in a very cool region and has already in the 20's at night and my electric has been between $25 and $30 extra a month. Not sure I buy that....

I found it hard to beleive also, but since the dog died and just collects dust in our yard, the elec bill has plummeted. But, hey, forget the electrical cost. The Hydrospa platinum elite is plain junk and the company will only call you after someone like Costco gets after the. i have read many post where some poor soul buys a Hydrospa from a dealer, has trouble and gets the shaft. At least Costco is great at customer service and will take it back.

[New NW tub owner]

Dave,

We bought one in June and have had nothing but trouble. Hydrospa is horrible at customer service. Thank God for Costco return policy. Now we just have to get crane to remove the piece of junk. Save your time and money. Don't buy Platinum Elite. Don't even get me started on electrical bill. More than $125 during first month.

I called up the 800 number in the manual a few weeks ago to order spare filter cartridges and didn't have any trouble. The Costco spa has a warranty that should cover any defective components and Hydrospa seems to be pretty easy to get in touch with. Your $125 for electricity in a month is just ridiculous. The only thing that uses much power is the 'heater' and it's a 4000 watt unit. If the thing runs every minute of the month, the MAXIMUM power usage would be:

4kw x 24hrs/day x 30 days/month x $0.08/kwh = $230

Your $125 figure would require the heater to run more than half the time. You can see if the heater is on by the little light that comes on on the control pad on top. The only way your heater could be running that much is if you lleave the cover off all of the time and the weather is cold. Try putting the cover on when you are not in the tub and you'll see a big reduction.

[New NW tub owner]

update, warranty repair crew came out for second visit, replaced spa kit, spa top control and replaced blower hose which had blown off. Things seem to be working. Did discover one foot jet is not working and one air control is not working. Hopefully those are easy fixes. Be persistent, call back often, hit O for Operator and don't hang up till you talk to someone, send emails and pray.

The foot jet is probably just turned off. Each jet can be turned off or on to suit the user. Just 'gently' rotate the jet collar 'clockwise' to turn a jet off or 'counterclockwise' turn it on. As for the air control, they only work when the blower is on and they control the air flow to the bubblers associated with the control. There is a larger 'diverter valve' that looks like one of the smaller air controls but it does something different. It sets the water flow balance between the lounge seat and the seat next to it so if you are wanking on that and the air flow is not changing, that's why. I have no idea what you are referring to when you say 'spa kit' but the spa top control has membrane buttons that are scanned by the computer. The computer only polls the buttom status every second or so if y ou stab at the button and nothing happens, just count to 3 and press it again. Pressing a membrane buttom HARDER (what most people want to do) does NOT make it work better but you can damage the membrane pad if you push hard enough on a button. Just push the buttons gently, only push ONE button at a time, and wait a few seconds before pressing a different button and life will be good. Yes, Hydrospa will replace the control if you break it but think of all the hassle involved to you.

[flibotte]

All monthly costs stated in my post were with the cover on when not in use (I suspect all the other posts were too but I guess you never know). The monthly cost formula you used is accurate for the heater but I remind you this doesn't include the pumps or anything else.

[spatech (the unreal one)]

The foot jet is probably just turned off. Each jet can be turned off or on to suit the user. Just

As for the air control, they only work when the blower is on and they control the air flow to the bubblers associated with the control.

1) He certainly wouldn't be the first person whose jet was turned off and he thought it didn't work. then again, since he's owned the spa he possibly knows they do turn on/off individually so it may be an issue. No way for us to know but easily checked into when/if he can get ahold of service.

2) Since it's one jet not getting air he may have a real problem. No way for us to know but easily checked into when/if he can get ahold of service.

3) I found it comical that in the previous post you try to say JMendoza's $125 energy increase must be due to him having the cover off. I think we can assume that anyone having such an isuse knows to keep the cover on. Let's not belittle the spa owners with such diversionary nonsense repsonses when they say they have an issue. Personally, I'd advice that he looks into insulating the spa better. If I say my feet hurt please don't suggest that I consider walking around in shoes rather than in bare feet.

[dlynn]

As for the air control, they only work when the blower is on and they control the air flow to the bubblers associated with the control.

I wasn't going to post on this site again because there are so many bashers here, but I think your comment here is misleading. Most of the people on this site are only interested in bashing this spa and trying to get the owners to return it to Costco and buy their favorite brand instead of helping them. I have found their ranting has little merit and most do not have a clue what they are talking about when it comes to this spa. It is one of the best spa values available on the market. (that will bring them out)

There is only one control for the blower and it is on the control panel it is either on or off. (all air jets on or all air jets off)

The individual air controls turn air mixture to the water jets for the different seats, they are not related to the blower. There is one air control that I thought wasn't working on mine until I read the manual and realized why, it only controls the air to the two foot jets on that side. The seat it is located by is controlled with the air control for another seat. If you think this might be the one not working on yours, try this. Turn on pump 2, switch the water diverter valve all the way to either side (this gives you more pressure for the test, the foot jets work with the diverter turned either way, but have more pressure when diverted one way or the other). Turn off all air valves, then turn on the valve you thought did not work. Watch the foot jets and see if it turned on air to those two jets. Hope that helps. The air valve for the seat by that foot control valve is the same one as the middle seat across from the filters.

Adding some insulation does help. I found that the top of the cabinet where the shell goes over the outer walls is not insulated and all the heat can escape there, I stuffed some insulation in there and it made a lot of difference. I am also in the process of adding metalic thermal refelective insulation under my wall panels. I have already raised the minimum inside cabinet temp to 99 degrees at night from 80 before adding the insulation, and that is with night temps in the high 30's and low 40's at night. I have only added the thermal insulation on one of the 4 sides so far, plan to do the rest tomorrow. I can read the inside spa cabinet temp inside the house from a wireless transmitter inside the cabinet of my spa, (got it at Walmart for $13) it keeps track of the high and low temp and shows the current temp. (the high temps are around 117 when the motors are running)

[engineersteve]

I purchased the elite platninum II in February, and it's now leaking. I'm losing about 1 inch of water per day, and have had to shut the spa off because I don't always remember to check the water level.

I called Hydrospa and they found someone to come look at the spa, although not for almost 4 weeks. There is a large amount of water on the botton of the inside of the cabinet. The foam on the bottom is saturated and even looks moldly in some areas. I will post later about the problem, if it's found, and the result.

I'll try to read through the other posts, but did anyone else have a leak problem?

Just an update on this - after 4 weeks, the repairman came out and said that he checked everything he could and all looked fine, so the leak must be in the foot jets or something else near the bottom. He said he would return with help to lift the tub up to look underneath. However, they forgot to call so I finally followed up and now that can't come out for 4 more weeks (end of October) and the plan is to cut a hole in the bottom to look at those connections.

If he doesn't find a leak in these jets, what would HydroSpa do next? Any guesses? Will they send another repairman out to try to find the leak. Will Costco still take this back if it has a hole cut in the bottom?

[New NW tub owner]

All monthly costs stated in my post were with the cover on when not in use (I suspect all the other posts were too but I guess you never know). The monthly cost formula you used is accurate for the heater but I remind you this doesn't include the pumps or anything else.

The only pump that runs 24/7 on the Platinum Elite II is the circulation pump which is 1/15 hp whiich would be equivalent to 50 watts or 0.050 kilowatts. The monthly cost to run the circulation pump would then be:

.050 kilowatts x 24 hr/day x 30 day/month x .$0.08/kwh = $2.88.

The two jet pumps and blower are, of course, much larger but in our tub they only get used about 20 hr/month.

[New NW tub owner]

3) I found it comical that in the previous post you try to say JMendoza's $125 energy increase must be due to him having the cover off. I think we can assume that anyone having such an isuse knows to keep the cover on. Let's not belittle the spa owners with such diversionary nonsense repsonses when they say they have an issue. Personally, I'd advice that he looks into insulating the spa better. If I say my feet hurt please don't suggest that I consider walking around in shoes rather than in bare feet.

I don't think that's comical at all. I have seen other people not put the cover on their hot tub because it's a little more involved to put the cover on than just leave it off for a little while if they or because someone else is planning on using the tub later. I just don't believe that the heater on JMendoza's tub could have run 12 hr/day, every day, if his cover was in place. Or course, maybe he lives in Barrow, Alaska or something.

[New NW tub owner]

Adding some insulation does help. I found that the top of the cabinet where the shell goes over the outer walls is not insulated and all the heat can escape there, I stuffed some insulation in there and it made a lot of difference. I am also in the process of adding metalic thermal refelective insulation under my wall panels. I have already raised the minimum inside cabinet temp to 99 degrees at night from 80 before adding the insulation, and that is with night temps in the high 30's and low 40's at night. I have only added the thermal insulation on one of the 4 sides so far, plan to do the rest tomorrow. I can read the inside spa cabinet temp inside the house from a wireless transmitter inside the cabinet of my spa, (got it at Walmart for $13) it keeps track of the high and low temp and shows the current temp. (the high temps are around 117 when the motors are running)

I think that I did somewhat the same thing, if I understand you correctly. On my tub, there was a 1/2" gap between the top of the cabinet panels and the edge of the shell all of the way around. I got two 20' rolls of 5/8" diameter tubular foam stuff at Home Depot and just unrolled it and pushed it into the gap. It took about 5 minutes to do the whole tub. I think it cost about $3 per roll and it took about 1 1/2 rolls. I didn't actually measure to see how much it helped but it seemed like a good thing to do.

[dlynn]

Just an update on this - after 4 weeks, the repairman came out and said that he checked everything he could and all looked fine, so the leak must be in the foot jets or something else near the bottom. He said he would return with help to lift the tub up to look underneath. However, they forgot to call so I finally followed up and now that can't come out for 4 more weeks (end of October) and the plan is to cut a hole in the bottom to look at those connections.

If he doesn't find a leak in these jets, what would HydroSpa do next? Any guesses? Will they send another repairman out to try to find the leak. Will Costco still take this back if it has a hole cut in the bottom?

There is already a hole about 15" round in the center of the base to provide access to the foot jets, so they will not have to make a hole to gain access. I would recommend draining the tub until the leak is found. You might be able to drain the tub, tip it on its side and see the leak without waiting for them. Thru the hole in the bottem you can see the conections to all four foot jets. I would call HydroSpa and tell them the guy said he couldn't come back for 4 weeks and tell them you already waited 4 weeks and you want them to see if they can find someone that can come sooner. And, I am sure Costco will take it back if they can't fix it, they are good about that.

[JSW]

Sorry for the delay Stevo, been on vacation.

Insulation:

I added radient barrier foam insulation to the inside of the cabinet secured with construction adhesive.

Between the cabinet and the shell I added 6" of plastic wrapped fiberglass (John Mansville - Comfort Therm) secured using velcro for easy removal. I am very happy with this setup. The cost to run my spa is comparable to my neighbor's full foamed Marquis and I still have easy accessabilty if needed. Total material cost was about $125.

NightRyder

NightRyder:

I would like to add insulation to my Elite Platinum II as well. Could you please elaborate on your insulation? What is "radient barrier foam"? How thick? What is the R value? Is there any danger of over-insulating to the point that the pumps may overheat?

Thanx.

JSW

[dlynn]

I have added insulation to mine, I did not check the power usage before adding the insulation, last month my power bill was $18 more than last year during the same period, it said on the bill the average daily temp in Sep was 2 degrees colder than last year (I do not know how much that colder temp affected the bill). The coldest night I remember last month was 39, most nights were in the 40's. The added insulation was just fiberglass insulation poked in up under where the shell goes over the cabinet. With the added insulation the inside cabinet temp never dropped below 80 in all of Sep with an average low night time temp inside the cabinet of 84 (avg high inside temp 103). I have a wireless temp transmitter inside, got it at Walmart for $13.

On Sep 30, I added that metalic reflective insulation on 3 of the 4 outer walls just under the siding, outside the styrofoam panels, my inside cabinet temp hasn't dropped below 99 since then, with the average low night time temp inside the cabinet of 101 (avg high inside temp 111). I plan to finish the rest as soon as I can get to it.

The metalic reflective insulation comes in rolls, it is only about 1/4 inch thick but has a high equivalant R value because it reflects heat. It has reflective film on both sides with a bubble pad between. It is totally air tight so you need to leave some vented areas for the motors. I just left about a quarter inch gap at the bottem of the two corners where the motors are and only put the insulation on the top half under those corner panels. I still have one side lift to do. I bought it at Home Depot. It comes in 2' wide rolls 10' long, it takes 4 rolls to cover the entire outside of the cabinet. I just removed the panels stapled it on and put the panels back on. On the center panels I overlapped it so I could fold it up and down and gain access easier, I just stapled the top and bottom and let the panels hold it in place. To see it go to the Home Depot web site and search for Reflectix.

The reason I first stuffed the insulation up under the lip of the shell is because there is about a half inch gap there where the heat can escape. I can tell that the added insulation has really helped, the heater light almost never comes on when I am in the tub, and it use to come on everytime before adding the insulation. I will be interested in my next power bill.

[JSW]

dlynn:

My Elite Platinum II, which I purchased in May 2006, came with the type of insulation you describe. I wonder if this is a recent improvement to this model? It also has 1/2" thick styrofoam panels. Since I live in Winnipeg, Canada, which has pretty severe winters (-30 to -40 degrees celsius), I wondering if my electric bill is going to sky rocket this winter. I'm considering adding a 1" layer of P2000 foam board (R27).

[dlynn]

dlynn:

My Elite Platinum II, which I purchased in May 2006, came with the type of insulation you describe. I wonder if this is a recent improvement to this model? It also has 1/2" thick styrofoam panels. Since I live in Winnipeg, Canada, which has pretty severe winters (-30 to -40 degrees celsius), I wondering if my electric bill is going to sky rocket this winter. I'm considering adding a 1" layer of P2000 foam board (R27).

I considered adding the foam board but the plumming is kind of in the way, so I elected to add the Reflective bubble insulation and I have been pleased with the results. I am sure you could add some type by moving the manifolds a little.

[WPG DAN]

dlynn:

My Elite Platinum II, which I purchased in May 2006, came with the type of insulation you describe. I wonder if this is a recent improvement to this model? It also has 1/2" thick styrofoam panels. Since I live in Winnipeg, Canada, which has pretty severe winters (-30 to -40 degrees celsius), I wondering if my electric bill is going to sky rocket this winter. I'm considering adding a 1" layer of P2000 foam board (R27).

I too live in Winnipeg and have added some extra insulation. Regular pink insulation in plastic bags in the cabinet. I also noticed the loss of heat through the gap between the cabinet and the shell just below the controls. I wedged some foam insulation into the gap and now there is no loss of heat. I also put the bubble cover on top of the water. Have noticed a decrease in operating costs by doing this. I calculate that my average monthly cost has been around $30 to run the tub. I stll wish there was a way to shut the jets off from turning on twice a day for circulation. I guy 20 or so posts ago suggested a way which did not work.

I have noticed recently since it has been getting cooler out that soon as I lift the top off and jump in the heater cranks on within minutes. I have not had too many problems with the tub and overall I am satisfied.

What have your experiances been in Winnipeg?

[spatech (the unreal one)]

I too live in Winnipeg and have added some extra insulation. Regular pink insulation in plastic bags in the cabinet. I also noticed the loss of heat through the gap between the cabinet and the shell just below the controls. I wedged some foam insulation into the gap and now there is no loss of heat. I also put the bubble cover on top of the water. Have noticed a decrease in operating costs by doing this. I calculate that my average monthly cost has been around $30 to run the tub. I stll wish there was a way to shut the jets off from turning on twice a day for circulation. I guy 20 or so posts ago suggested a way which did not work.

I have noticed recently since it has been getting cooler out that soon as I lift the top off and jump in the heater cranks on within minutes. I have not had too many problems with the tub and overall I am satisfied.

What have your experiances been in Winnipeg?

Since the spa does turn on twice per day, make sure you leave the air controls in the OFF position when you exit so it will not be drawing in cold air during those cycles when you're not in it.

[dlynn]

I also noticed the loss of heat through the gap between the cabinet and the shell just below the controls. I wedged some foam insulation into the gap and now there is no loss of heat. I also put the bubble cover on top of the water.

Did you get the gap all the way around the cabinet top or just below the controls? I stuffed fiberglass insulation up there all the way around the top from the inside.

With the bubble blanket on the water does the bottom of your cover still have water drops on it when you open it?

[JSW]

I too live in Winnipeg and have added some extra insulation. Regular pink insulation in plastic bags in the cabinet. I also noticed the loss of heat through the gap between the cabinet and the shell just below the controls. I wedged some foam insulation into the gap and now there is no loss of heat. I also put the bubble cover on top of the water. Have noticed a decrease in operating costs by doing this. I calculate that my average monthly cost has been around $30 to run the tub. I stll wish there was a way to shut the jets off from turning on twice a day for circulation. I guy 20 or so posts ago suggested a way which did not work.

I have noticed recently since it has been getting cooler out that soon as I lift the top off and jump in the heater cranks on within minutes. I have not had too many problems with the tub and overall I am satisfied.

What have your experiances been in Winnipeg?

When you say $30 per month to run the tub, is that averaged out over a full year including winter? Is that just electricty or chemicals too? If its both, how much is just the electricity? I think fiberglas insulation would be easier to install than rigid foam board. What kind of bags did you put the insulation in? How did you seal them? How did you fasten the bags to the tub? The automatic jet cycles don't blow the bubble blanket out of place?

We're also very happy with our tub - the only problem so far is that it arrived with some of the skirting panels damaged. I'm still waiting for Costco to supply new ones. I understand that Hydro Spa's local service rep in Winnipeg is Crown Pools & Spas - so hopefully the service will be good if we ever need it.

[WPG DAN]

Since the spa does turn on twice per day, make sure you leave the air controls in the OFF position when you exit so it will not be drawing in cold air during those cycles when you're not in it.

Thanks for the advise. I will have to make sure to do that. I am assuming that more pressure in the jets means more air being introduced. Therefore shutting down to low pressure means air is off?

[WPG DAN]

When you say $30 per month to run the tub, is that averaged out over a full year including winter? Is that just electricty or chemicals too? If its both, how much is just the electricity? I think fiberglas insulation would be easier to install than rigid foam board. What kind of bags did you put the insulation in? How did you seal them? How did you fasten the bags to the tub? The automatic jet cycles don't blow the bubble blanket out of place?

We're also very happy with our tub - the only problem so far is that it arrived with some of the skirting panels damaged. I'm still waiting for Costco to supply new ones. I understand that Hydro Spa's local service rep in Winnipeg is Crown Pools & Spas - so hopefully the service will be good if we ever need it.

I have only had it since May and the $30 includes only electricity. I assumed that my average electricity bill over the summer used to be around $30/month and now it is roughly $60. On a weekly basis I read my meter and calculate my total electricity consumption just to compare week to week to see if there is a problem. I haven't seen it really go up since the weather has been getting cooler. That could be because I just recently added the the bubble top and sealed the gap??

I just through the insulation in thick garbage bags and sealed them with duct tape. I know that garbage bags don't seem the smartest thing to use but I haven't had a problem yet. I just jammed them in and once i replaced the side board they kept in place. I also kept them away from the pumps.

As far as the jets blowing the bubble blannket off. Yes it did the first night but I now make a point of turning the top jets on the left side of the tub off before covering it and I haven't had a problem since.

My tub also arrived with cracked panels. I contacted Hydrospa and they sent me out the wrong ones twice. I now have enough skirting to go completely around my tub. It's good to know that Crown is their service rep. Before I bought my tub I called Hydro Spa a few times trying to find out who their rep was but they wouldn't tell me.

[wesj53]

I have posted in the past here and on What's the Best as to reasons why I decided not to buy from HydroSpa. I guess WPG Dan's post succinctly explains some of the reasons for my decision - having to put insulation in garbage bags, running up $30/month electric bills during warm weather months, inserting thermal blankets near hot pumps, incorrect replacement parts being sent out, and no dealer support (at least here in Chicago) are just things I didn't want to deal with after spending $7k on one of their branded models (Omni). When I read these kinds of comments about HydroSpa I really wonder what kind of company this is and who is responsible (if anyone) for QC. I suppose that these are some reasons why they can sell so cheaply thru Costco and why there are NO dealers here in the 7 million person Chicago market!

[New NW tub owner]

I have posted in the past here and on What's the Best as to reasons why I decided not to buy from HydroSpa. I guess WPG Dan's post succinctly explains some of the reasons for my decision - having to put insulation in garbage bags, running up $30/month electric bills during warm weather months, inserting thermal blankets near hot pumps, incorrect replacement parts being sent out, and no dealer support (at least here in Chicago) are just things I didn't want to deal with after spending $7k on one of their branded models (Omni). When I read these kinds of comments about HydroSpa I really wonder what kind of company this is and who is responsible (if anyone) for QC. I suppose that these are some reasons why they can sell so cheaply thru Costco and why there are NO dealers here in the 7 million person Chicago market!

It is rare for someone to do so many posts about the reasons they decided not to buy something. Should I start posting about the reasons I decided not to buy Cal Spa or Hot Springs? Believe me, there's PLENTY to say. No one has to put insulation in garbage bags inside their cabinet...it's just what he decided to do. As far as $30/month electric bills during warm weather months, it all depends on what 'warm' is. Where I live, warm weather is when the average temperature makes it all the way up to 60F. In Florida, that would be 'winter' and 'warm' weather' would be in the 90s. For a hot tub at 102F, it makes a difference if the outside temp is 40 degrees lower or 10 degrees lower.

[wesj53]

It's a forum NW tub. Just exchanging thoughts. Sorry to bother you.

[New NW tub owner]

It's a forum NW tub. Just exchanging thoughts. Sorry to bother you.

Okay, here's what bothers me. You've gone around in several threads here trashing Hydrospa by saying that they have a lot of BBB complaints (false), implied that their dealers are dropping them (misleading since they mostly don't even sell through dealers), and suggested that they had"ongoing mfg problems, defects, and [a] lack of response and service" (also false). You have repeatedly quoted two anonymous dealers in Chicago as your reference for all of this. As an actual owner of a Hydrospa hot tub (unlike you), I know that the truth is that Hydrospa makes a very nice hot tub that meets the needs of a lot of people. It would be a shame if your kind of trashing comments were able to do them in. Yeah, dealers (I wouldn't be surprised if you are one, or connected with one in some way) don't seem to like Hydrospa, probably because they have gone to selling directly to the public rather than through dealers as the other big hot tub makers do. My guess on this is that must be a huge dealer markup on hot tubs in the industry and Hydrospa just decided to see if they could do away with that in an effort to bring hot tubs to a wider group of people who don't want to shell out $10k or $15k for a hot tub. I commend them for that and I think it's great that their hot tubs are sold at Costco, too.