Master Spa Initial Fill

[Robsonj]

Hi There,

Since I last posted, the spa arrived, we had a concrete pad poured for it, moved the tub onto the pad (waiting till tonight to start the fill - 6 days after pour) and today the power should be hooked up so I intend to start filling. I wondered if there are any tips or gotchas I should know about an initial fill? The kit I got with the spa said I should first clean the tub with fastgloss, which I have done, it then recommended that on the first fill I should tip a bottle of Metal Gon into the water. I tested our water, I think it may be a little high on the ph side - around 8 and low on calcium. I was wondering what sort of water maintenance program, and what products other Master Spa owners use? Any other tips for the initial pour other than fill through the filter hole.

Thanks for any advice

Cheers

Jonathan

[spawn]

Jonathan - Your dealer should be able to help you out. It sounds like the tub was deliverd before you were ready to receive it - not sure why they did that but I am sure that they will be happy to stop by, check your water, get you set up and oriented. Most people don't need to use Metal Gon. The dealer should know what is needed in your area or can test and get you set up. You don't need to buy products from the dealer to maintain your spa although many buyers choose to do so as part a satisfying long term relationship, but you will probably pay more for the chemicals. In the end it probably won't be a huge cost difference unless you don't have a good dealer who may sell you things that you don't need. You'll figure out pretty quickly what your dealer is like. Most people try to get a good feel for this before purchasing and factor that into the decision. If you find that you are uncomfortable with your dealer there is a wealth of information in this forum and people who will help you - check the Hot Tub Water Chemistry forum. However, the best place to start is with your dealer. They should be able to help you much more quickly and set up and orientation should be part of what all local dealers provide included in the purchase.

[Robsonj]

Thanks, unfortunately I bought the hot tub from one of the expos that everyone hates so much on here, that was before I discovered this forum by which point we had committed. That said all is well with the spa so far. Tonight I did fill it and added the metal gon, everything started up fine, the pumps all ran, the heater is heating it now at about 5 degrees an hour uncovered - we stood watching it for half an hour, cover on now .

I plan to test the water tomorrow evening, adjust and shock it, then jump in once the water is ready.

My biggest fear is lack of support when the day comes that it needs some maintenance, but not much I can do about that right now.

Cheers

Jonathan

[spawn]

Thanks, unfortunately I bought the hot tub from one of the expos that everyone hates so much on here, that was before I discovered this forum by which point we had committed. That said all is well with the spa so far. Tonight I did fill it and added the metal gon, everything started up fine, the pumps all ran, the heater is heating it now at about 5 degrees an hour uncovered - we stood watching it for half an hour, cover on now .

I plan to test the water tomorrow evening, adjust and shock it, then jump in once the water is ready.

My biggest fear is lack of support when the day comes that it needs some maintenance, but not much I can do about that right now.

Cheers

Jonathan

Jonathan, I know that the reputaton of Master Spas could make you nervous but the situation may not be so bad. I think most people are more concerned with the sales tactics and deception rather than the spas themselves - as you have noted so far all is well. One of the Master Spa people, Kreg, posted recently that Master does not sell spas where they do not have an authorized Master Service Center. If this is ture, you should be able to contact them for help. He listed their toll contact info as:

Master Spas Customer Service

800-860-7727

customerservice@masterspas(dot)com

You may want to look into this sooner rather than later so you know if they will be there for you, and hopefully, they can help you now with your set-up . As I said before, if they can't help you there are many people on this forum that are extremely helpful. Good luck.

[Robsonj]

I took your advice SpaSavant, I contacted MasterSpa via email initially (sent late in the evening) regarding the part number for the filter so I can buy a spare, they responded very promptly at 6am the next morning. I followed up by asking about the local dealer/tech as the one listed on their site is the expo center that we bought the tub from, again they responded very promptly with the details of a tech about 60 miles away. I contacted the tech who said they did cover our spa and our area, so am feeling much better about the whole thing now. Gotta say so far - and that could of course change, I've had a pretty pleasant experience with the spa. Thanks for the advice.

Take care,

Jonathan

[spawn]

I took your advice SpaSavant, I contacted MasterSpa via email initially (sent late in the evening) regarding the part number for the filter so I can buy a spare, they responded very promptly at 6am the next morning. I followed up by asking about the local dealer/tech as the one listed on their site is the expo center that we bought the tub from, again they responded very promptly with the details of a tech about 60 miles away. I contacted the tech who said they did cover our spa and our area, so am feeling much better about the whole thing now. Gotta say so far - and that could of course change, I've had a pretty pleasant experience with the spa. Thanks for the advice.

Take care,

Jonathan

That is good news Jonathan - good luck with your spa!

[spatech (the unreal one)]

I took your advice SpaSavant, I contacted MasterSpa via email initially (sent late in the evening) regarding the part number for the filter so I can buy a spare, they responded very promptly at 6am the next morning. I followed up by asking about the local dealer/tech as the one listed on their site is the expo center that we bought the tub from, again they responded very promptly with the details of a tech about 60 miles away. I contacted the tech who said they did cover our spa and our area, so am feeling much better about the whole thing now. Gotta say so far - and that could of course change, I've had a pretty pleasant experience with the spa. Thanks for the advice.

Take care,

Jonathan

You wanted info and they answered quickly, very nice. As far as the service guy, 60 miles is far but not too far though its also certainly not around the corner. Just so that you won't have any surprises later when you need him you should consider calling him back and finding out what the "trip fee" will be for him to drive out for warranty service (I'm pretty sure there will be one charged to you in this case and its best to know up front). Also confirm whether he'll bill Master directly for everything short of that trip fee (probably the case since they referred him but best to find that out now) rather than you pay him and you have to get reimbursement.

[Robsonj]

They answered promptly on both occasions, I didn't say I was gonna buy anything as regards the filter, I just asked for the part number. The level of skepticism on here is like nothing I've ever experienced before. Thanks for the advice about the tech I will follow up on that.

[Kreg]

Enjoy your new Master Spa! We are a dealer in Michigan if you ever need any help.

Leisure Works

734-668-7665

www.PoolandSpaSale.com

[Huskytub]

They answered promptly on both occasions, I didn't say I was gonna buy anything as regards the filter, I just asked for the part number. The level of skepticism on here is like nothing I've ever experienced before. Thanks for the advice about the tech I will follow up on that.

The level of "skepticism" on here directly relates to most of the posters and "haters" of Master Spa's are dealers. Plain and simple. If you read enough, you will see what I mean. I have had a Down East Portsmouth going on 4 years now that we bought at the "show". My Master dealer is (believe it or not) 59 miles from my home. Since we purchased the spa, only the ozone generator thingy had to be replace @ about the 2 year mark. My dealer, West Chester Spa's, came out, repaired the spa at NO COST at all to me. I paid nothing. We love our spa and would recomend a Master spa.....because we actually own one.

BTW, look down the first page of ALL the folks asking for help on mechanical issues with their spa's........now, take note of the brands that they are asking about.......how many Master Spa owners?

Make you wonder, right?

Relax and enjoy your spa......we are

[YankeesFan]

Hi Robsonj.

I am so happy to see your thread. My husband and I have never owned a hot tub and recently bought a Master Spa Twilight Series tub at a show. It looked fantastic and the dealer is local, so I'm hoping we'll have good luck with the delivery and service. After our "impulse" buy we did a comprehensive search on Master Spas and found almost unanimously negative reviews, which really scared us. But we saw a sample of the model we're getting and it was very well made. How are you enjoying yours, now that it's up and running?

I realize that a lot people don't like the idea of going to a show to buy a pricey product like this, but other than that I'm not sure what the beef is with the actual quality of the hot tubs themselves. It looks like you get a lot of power and great features. Can't wait for ours to arrive in a month!