Hello, The Lady Wants A Spa.

[Jlb]

Hello all. Looking to buy a new spa. The wife wants one, and when she gets it in her head, there is no getting out of it. So alas, here we are. Here's the deal, it will sit outside right next to the house. I'd prefer a 110v convertible, just to try 110 at first. From what people have said, it's not much difference. I come to you. In really don't want to pay more than 3500, and even that's tough to swallow. There is one online at a major site, but I'm hesitant. I'm unsure of ordering. I would post it here, but im not sure if that's frowned upon. It has great reviews, but just would like a little of your insight. So, let me know if I can post the link, and I'd be happy to hear from you all. Cheers!

-Jared from NY

[Dan The Spa Man]

110v are very different from 220v.

If your aim is for fun, a 110v is a great entry-level spa. Most are low cost and will get the job done. However, if you are looking for something longer term or specifically for hydrotherapy, 220v is the way to go. I am a dealer who has carried both types and I typically recommend 220v. Yes- They cost more so I understand exactly how this sounds. However, with a 220v, you are able to run your pump(s) and your heater at the same time, have multiple pumps/options, and longer warranties/longer lifespans, and so on, so forth.

Most 110v (convertibles inc.) max out at a single 1.0/1.5HP and 10-15 jets, with a smaller "turn over" rate (The volume of water the spa can move per hour). Moreover, the 110v tends to be built with lessor quality parts upon a lessor quality designed frame/shell/equipment. It is true that there are better quality 110v models and manufacturers out there, but the point of most 110v units is to make a price point spa.

As per cost- Prices vary by region. If you are looking for an affordable 220v unit and there are no dealers in your area that can meet your price point, you might consider a used/refurbished unit.

But, this is just my opinion and I am just one guy. But as a small business manager who doesn't advertise I rely heavily on "Word of Mouth" to continue to generate leads. The better-informed my clients are, the better the decisions they make, and the more-likely they are to be satisfied in the long run, and the better my reputation grows.

Good Luck!

[Spa_Guru]

The less you spend, the more it costs to keep, and the smaller it is, the greater the hassle of maintaining the water.

If you are going to be cheap about it, buy a used 240v 6 person (90" sq or larger) spa of a major manufacturer that you can wet test before buying.

A three year old spa is less than half the price of new.

[Hot Spring Ace]

Hello all. Looking to buy a new spa. The wife wants one, and when she gets it in her head, there is no getting out of it. So alas, here we are. Here's the deal, it will sit outside right next to the house. I'd prefer a 110v convertible, just to try 110 at first. From what people have said, it's not much difference. I come to you. In really don't want to pay more than 3500, and even that's tough to swallow. There is one online at a major site, but I'm hesitant. I'm unsure of ordering. I would post it here, but im not sure if that's frowned upon. It has great reviews, but just would like a little of your insight. So, let me know if I can post the link, and I'd be happy to hear from you all. Cheers!

-Jared from NY

If you're looking for something around $3500 and 110V I'd look at Freeflow spas made by Watkins (they also make premium brand spas, Hot Spring and Caldera). If your budget stretches further then I'd look more at the Hot Spring Hot Spots but if its truly $3500 I'd check these out and use their dealer locator to see who might carry one near you.

http://www.freeflowspas.com/index.html

[north_of_boston]

What it comes down to - you get what you pay for!

Keep that in mind.

[Spa_Guru]

What it comes down to - you get what you pay for!

Keep that in mind.

Ask a Yugo owner. If you can find one.

But seriously, if you really want to spoil you wife, man up and quit being cheap.

My wife has a collection of handbags worth more than that paid for by --- cheap spa owners.

[Jlb]

What it comes down to - you get what you pay for!

Keep that in mind.

Ask a Yugo owner. If you can find one.

But seriously, if you really want to spoil you wife, man up and quit being cheap.

My wife has a collection of handbags worth more than that paid for by --- cheap spa owners.

Thanks for the responses. Spa Guru, you don't know me bro. I am not cheap, all I said was that was my budget. That's great about your wife's extensive bag collection. I'm real proud of you. Based on your tone, I'm sure you're real great with your customers. Helpfulness and education is one thing, and I'm sure that's why some people come here. For advice. Not to be talked down to. Thanks Guru, if there is anything else that you claim to be a master at, please do tell, so I can come to you first. Now if you'll exuse me, I have to figure out how I'm going to man up and pay for a new tub.

[Apollo217]

In my opinion the. Best tub in that price range is the nordic line. There should be a few choices in that price point. I am a big fan of. The hot springs tubs but not the freeflows. You get good bang for your buck with the nordic line

[Hot Spring Ace]

In my opinion the. Best tub in that price range is the nordic line. There should be a few choices in that price point. I am a big fan of. The hot springs tubs but not the freeflows. You get good bang for your buck with the nordic line

LOL, so Nordic is a good entry level spa but not freeflow? Thats BS but its your opinion and you're welcome to it.

[Spa_Guru]

Well, just trying to put perspective to your quest.

It's like used car shopping with $700

[john44111]

Ill put my 2 cents in my wife said the same thing to me after our last cabin trip. (all we did was hot tub.. she said.. this is dumb lets get one for home 2 weeks later it was delivered right before the snow.

220v is going to save you money in electric bills and last longer/ heat better.

Dan The Spa Man NAILED IT in his post.. 120v is penny wise pound foolish. I wanted the 120v for EASE and speed but the limitations of 120v were huge.. plus the cost difference in electrical.

Running a 220V line isnt hard either. Just make sure your box is more than 5 foot from the tub

Dont get a small tub.. I did the research.. wound up with a Viking Royale ETS.

I checked the features and prices.. The viking had exactly what I needed. lights. power good heater, nice durable shell. nice cabinet (plastic) it is holding up GREAT

Come in there with Cash. Id been renting cabins in southern ohio for years. I talked to the maintenance guy.. which one out of your 45 properties gives you the least trouble.

"The vikings have been around for 12 years. Never had a problem with them and they are built great. They take a beating."

I went to my local store with 4000 cash.. The price was 4700 but that was the CREDIT price.. they say zero percent interest.. but they just charge you more. So.. pay it.. and get a better price. I did..

couldnt have been happier.. It isnt too big.. it isnt too small. For us two.. We dont need baller class hot tubs. It is PERFECT for us.. we just came in after an hour and a half outside.

Love it.

[Hot Spring Ace]

Ill put my 2 cents in my wife said the same thing to me after our last cabin trip. (all we did was hot tub.. she said.. this is dumb lets get one for home 2 weeks later it was delivered right before the snow.

220v is going to save you money in electric bills and last longer/ heat better.

Dan The Spa Man NAILED IT in his post.. 120v is penny wise pound foolish. I wanted the 120v for EASE and speed but the limitations of 120v were huge.. plus the cost difference in electrical.

Running a 220V line isnt hard either. Just make sure your box is more than 5 foot from the tub

That is inaccurate. Spas use a resistive heater, there is no real difference to the cost of the energy used to heat the water between a 110V spa and a 220V spa. Its a mistake a lot of people make. The differnce is the 220V spa will have 4x the KW as the 110V spa and heat 4x faster but in the end its the same energy. The pump ends up running a little longer on the 110V spa but its minimal and in the end virtually even when you also factor in the one time cost to adding 220V which is higher so its the end its all about even.

Having said that, 220v is always preferable to me unless there are one of two factors at work, 1) Some people just don't have the pwoer available to run a new 50a service in their panel cause they're tapped out (not usally the case but sometimes) or 2) there are budget constraints and you're only looking to spend maybe $4000 at which point spas like Freeflow which are durable entry level spas become an option and despite the talk above no one should feel like they're cheap or dumb for buying spas like Freeflow or nordic.

[Jlb]

Ill put my 2 cents in my wife said the same thing to me after our last cabin trip. (all we did was hot tub.. she said.. this is dumb lets get one for home 2 weeks later it was delivered right before the snow.

220v is going to save you money in electric bills and last longer/ heat better.

Dan The Spa Man NAILED IT in his post.. 120v is penny wise pound foolish. I wanted the 120v for EASE and speed but the limitations of 120v were huge.. plus the cost difference in electrical.

Running a 220V line isnt hard either. Just make sure your box is more than 5 foot from the tub

That is inaccurate. Spas use a resistive heater, there is no real difference to the cost of the energy used to heat the water between a 110V spa and a 220V spa. Its a mistake a lot of people make. The differnce is the 220V spa will have 4x the KW as the 110V spa and heat 4x faster but in the end its the same energy. The pump ends up running a little longer on the 110V spa but its minimal and in the end virtually even when you also factor in the one time cost to adding 220V which is higher so its the end its all about even.

Having said that, 220v is always preferable to me unless there are one of two factors at work, 1) Some people just don't have the pwoer available to run a new 50a service in their panel cause they're tapped out (not usally the case but sometimes) or 2) there are budget constraints and you're only looking to spend maybe $4000 at which point spas like Freeflow which are durable entry level spas become an option and despite the talk above no one should feel like they're cheap or dumb for buying spas like Freeflow or nordic.

Thank you for your responses. I do appreciate all of them. Well, most of them. Haha.

[Apollo217]

In my opinion the. Best tub in that price range is the nordic line. There should be a few choices in that price point. I am a big fan of. The hot springs tubs but not the freeflows. You get good bang for your buck with the nordic line

LOL, so Nordic is a good entry level spa but not freeflow? Thats BS but its your opinion and you're welcome to it.

It's not BS by any means. Compare the 2 warranties. Nordic is far superior to freeflow

[Spa_Guru]

One of the reasons 240v is more efficient is the amount of time the spa spends losing heat while it is heating to a usable temp.

240v system - the spa loses heat for 8-10 hours while heating from cold, 120v the spa loses heat for 4 to 5 times the length of time.

IF you are going to run it 120v, make certain it is on a DEDICATED circuit regardless of the salesman telling you "Just plug it in".

NEVER use an extension cord.

The amperage draw from a 120v tub, if shared with other items, causes severe voltage drop, which shortens the life of your pump and mother board.

[Dr. Spa]

HUH????? I think not. Heating the spa at a slower rate, according to the physics of this universe, will cause less heat loss.

Newton's Law of Cooling states that the rate of change of the temperature of an object is proportional to the difference between its own temperature and the ambient temperature. In other work, the greater the difference in temperature, the faster the exchange of heat.

As an example, if you heat a spa with 240 it will heat up in 5 hours, and the same spa heating 120 will take 20 hours. Ok, so yes, during the 20 hours to heat at 110v there will be more heat loss than the 5 hours heating at 220v. HOWEVER, over a total 20 hour period, there will be LESS overall heat loss from the 110v spa as compared to the 240v spa. Additionally, about the only time this would matter is the few times a year when you change the water and are heating it up from cold. Just maintaining the temperature there wouldn't be any difference (ok, so maybe there would be a difference of 1/10 of a penny a month).

One of the reasons 240v is more efficient is the amount of time the spa spends losing heat while it is heating to a usable temp.

240v system - the spa loses heat for 8-10 hours while heating from cold, 120v the spa loses heat for 4 to 5 times the length of time.

[Hot Spring Ace]

In my opinion the. Best tub in that price range is the nordic line. There should be a few choices in that price point. I am a big fan of. The hot springs tubs but not the freeflows. You get good bang for your buck with the nordic line

LOL, so Nordic is a good entry level spa but not freeflow? Thats BS but its your opinion and you're welcome to it.

It's not BS by any means. Compare the 2 warranties. Nordic is far superior to freeflow

You said "not the Freeflow", now you're saying the differnce is the warranty. Thats fine if there is a difference and the shopper can compare that and prices and the spas. I was disputing what seemd like you dismissing the overall Freeflow spa which is comparable and made and backed by Watkins which is a plus.

[Jlb]

In my opinion the. Best tub in that price range is the nordic line. There should be a few choices in that price point. I am a big fan of. The hot springs tubs but not the freeflows. You get good bang for your buck with the nordic line

LOL, so Nordic is a good entry level spa but not freeflow? Thats BS but its your opinion and you're welcome to it.

It's not BS by any means. Compare the 2 warranties. Nordic is far superior to freeflow

You said "not the Freeflow", now you're saying the differnce is the warranty. Thats fine if there is a difference and the shopper can compare that and prices and the spas. I was disputing what seemd like you dismissing the overall Freeflow spa which is comparable and made and backed by Watkins which is a plus.

Hot Spring, sent you a message.