MD Hot Tub Posted March 12, 2007 Report Share Posted March 12, 2007 I've always found this board informative -- especially in the months leading up to my purchase of a portable spa. At the risk starting another bout of name-calling between the premium dealers and the discount spa advocates, I provide below a summary of my generally positive experience purchasing a spa from Costco.com. My wife and I began considering a tub a year ago and went to all the dealers in the area. I was impressed with all of the offerings (especially Hot Springs) but somewhat surprised by the cost. We wanted a 7-person spa as we intend to do entertaining. Another factor for us was the complete lack of a place to put a tub. Therefore, we had to consider the costs of adding a deck (which came off the back of the house over the walkout basement), a patio for the hot tub (which would go underneath the deck), and electrical work for the tub hookup. We decided to pull the trigger at the beginning of the year when Costco.com was advertising a 7-person Keys Backyard Spa with LED lights and an "AquaSonic" sound system with CD Player. The model number is KS440DESS and the dimensions of the spa are 84 x 84". It pulls 240v and requires a 50 amp breaker. There are 2 pumps in the system (the main pump has two speeds) and one blower, which serve 39 jets. The spa package also included an ozonater. Total price was $3,999 (with free shipping to my house in Bethesda, MD). Within a day or two of placing the online order, Keys Backyard contacted me by email describing the shipping process and providing a spec sheet and picture brochure of how to locate the Accessory Bag upon arrival. Even though the web site suggested a 4 week delivery schedule, the tub actually arrived in just under two weeks. Given that we were constructing a deck and still waiting to get concrete poured, the tub had to sit on the pallet under wraps in my driveway for about a month and a half. The movers used to delivery the tub were helpful as expected. I moved the tub from the driveway to the back patio with the help of my concrete contractor, who dragged the tub while still on the pallet using a Bobcat. It took 5 guys to slide the tub onto the concrete underneath the deck. This process was actually much less of a headache than I expected. Finally, my electrician hooked up the hot tub and I began to fill with 42 degree water from the hose. Per the instructions, once the water was at the proper level, I turned on the power to the tub. The instructions said that I would go into "Pr" mode, which was meant to prime the pumps for a couple minutes. However, the coldness of the water immediately kicked the tub into "ICE" mode, which meant that both pumps and the blower were working overtime until it could get the temp up. It does not appear that this caused any damage to the pumps or motor. I turned the tub on at 4pm and by the next morning the water was up to 101 degrees. I was generally pleased with the first soak experience. One of the jet components was broken when I received the tub so I'll be in contact with Keys to get a replacement. A close inspection of the jets is where differences with Hot Springs' tubs are apparent. The jets work as promised in the Keys spa, but they are not as seemless and sturdy as those that we saw in the premium tubs. However, the setting I like most is to just have the main pumping circulating the water. Using the blower is pretty loud and drowns out the sound system. Overall, I'm pleased with the purchase. My comparison of the Costco brands to the premium tubs is that of a Toyota Camry to a BMW. They will both get you to the same destination, but the more expensive model is obviously going to have tighter seams and better features. For me, the Costco tub has been a success so far. I hope this is helpful to potentially tub purchasers. I will try to give another update as I deal with increased energy cost (hopefully not much!), the potential need for additional insulation, and Keys' response to my need for a replacement jet component. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
104 Degrees Posted March 12, 2007 Report Share Posted March 12, 2007 I know how happy you feel at the moment. I was so happy the next morning i was Giggly. Please keep us posted on how it works and the replacment part. What part of the conuntry are you in??? this will give us a better undestanding of your cost. does your's go to 104???? Happy tubbing 104 Degrees-----John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwillard Posted March 12, 2007 Report Share Posted March 12, 2007 Happy soaking! Ummm, pictures would be cool also! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MD Hot Tub Posted March 12, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2007 I'm in the Washington, D.C. area, and will try to include pictures. The tub does go up to 104. (I wish it went higher!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flibotte Posted March 12, 2007 Report Share Posted March 12, 2007 MD Hot Tub I have the same tub. I've had ot for about a year and a half. I think you will enjoy it but I would suggest that you consider adding insulation to it as the insulation they put in it isn't the greatest. There are several posts on here about adding insulation and it doesn't seem to cost too much to do. If you have any questions about the Keys I would be happy to answer it if I can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soakerman Posted March 13, 2007 Report Share Posted March 13, 2007 Did yours have foam panels in place or what did you have for insulation? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chas Posted March 13, 2007 Report Share Posted March 13, 2007 Congratulations. Welcome to SpaTopia. May you soak long and prosper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mader Posted March 15, 2007 Report Share Posted March 15, 2007 I have the same exact tub (aquasonic). I've had it up and running for 4 months now. It is great. No issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SJF Posted June 20, 2007 Report Share Posted June 20, 2007 Does anyone have experience with adding insulation to a Hot Tub? I see this referenced in the posting but I am wondering what method people have used to do this? I also own the Keys Backyard spa - and I am beginning to see the jump in my electricity costs monthly. Would appreciate any insight into which methods any of you have used or might recommend to add additional insulation (reflective insulation vs foam insulation vs other???). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parafly9 Posted June 21, 2007 Report Share Posted June 21, 2007 Does anyone have experience with adding insulation to a Hot Tub? I see this referenced in the posting but I am wondering what method people have used to do this? I also own the Keys Backyard spa - and I am beginning to see the jump in my electricity costs monthly. Would appreciate any insight into which methods any of you have used or might recommend to add additional insulation (reflective insulation vs foam insulation vs other???). I'm also curious. Wife and I are scheduled for our first hot tub soak on Saturday if all goes well with pouring the slab and building the deck tommorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Artic Cub Posted June 22, 2007 Report Share Posted June 22, 2007 Would appreciate any insight into which methods any of you have used or might recommend to add additional insulation (reflective insulation vs foam insulation vs other???). Surprised you need insulation, I'm near Frederick and in the summer I turn my tub down to 99' so that it maintains about 103'........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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