Ready To Purchase First Hot Tub. Would Welcome Feedback And Advice

[jtbj]

Hello,

We are looking into purchasing our first hot tub. It will be used mainly for massage therapy and relaxation. We have looked at the Hot Springs Envoy and the Jacuzzi 365. We wet tested the Envoy because we thought that would be "the one", after the wet test, we are stumped!! I was interested in the lounge and just floated away! We are now looking at the Marguis Wish or Euphoria. That dealer is nearly two hours away and I really would love some input before we travel out there. Thank you in advance for any advice you can share.

[Apollo217]

I would consider all 3 to be premium tubs. They all will be highly theraputic. I am a marquis dealer so if you have any specific questions on the marquis I would be more then happy to help

[jtbj]

Thank you Apollo, we are going to wet test the Euphoria Monday night. I am already impressed with the dealer...he is setting up the hot tub for us to try out. Will post again after the wet test. I can say that from what I have read, the Marquis is pretty much what we are looking for.

[mURPH]

Apollo,

Make sure you get quality tub that is well built -- the less bells and whistles to go wrong the longer it will last as you want Heat and water pressure and sanitary (Ozonator). Without offending anyone I would not take salesmens' statements if I were buying one like I did some 10-20 years ago.

A good design to make sure it is easily serviceable system is important --- make them take off the skirting and show you the pumps, heater, filters and control board -- better to see it is quality now then in a year. If they refuse go elsewhere. Get in it for an Hour, make sure pumps suit your needs.

Filtering is very, very important so it needs 2 minimum and the bigger the better --24 sq. yards is small (and what I have, 2 filters so total of 50) and they run $30-$90 each and you must change them regularly depending on use so get 4 -- they should throw them in if buying a $3000 tub. Then you rotate them so you have a clean one on hand at all times as not changing filters is the #1 reason for failure of tubs -- we all have oils and stuff on us they dissolves in 105 degree water.

I have had hot tubs for 20 years and maintain them myself, including replacing pumps and heaters and recently the main board. The reason is service calls are $90-$120 each just to get there, not including parts and so this is the min. you will pay -- make sure you learn the basics of the system as calling them because a circuit or GFCI tripped (with nothing wrong but a spike or something) is expensive -- if it goes back on and no more problems you just save some money -- as I would expect a well maintained tub to last 1-2 years before needing any service if it is quality to begin with ----, so #1 is maint. of water as this is THE MOST important issue in all aspects. Get a good filter to fill your tub and use it should go down to microns and make sure you have little solids. get a PH and Solids test meters (electronic) to check your water. Keep your filters clean at all times as every use puts some more crap on them -- if you have people over in addition to reg. usage you will need to change them sooner.

People also need to note the Heater as that is the #2 thing what you want-- as HEATED water around 104-106 is the whole point of a "hot" tub --- So keeping the water specs ( PH and others) is critical to start, have someone show you with your local water what it needs to be spot-on for your tub (7.6ph ) and this will help in keeping the heater working well year round, it should have coated element in the heater so it lasts longer and it always needs circulating water at all times otherwise they destroy themselves, and with well maintained water should go for many years -- a 240 V 4k heater is what I have settled on, used to have a 5kilowatt but it eats energy and who cares if it heats the tub a couple hours faster from start as this is usually a once-a-year event. I use my tub every might for relaxing, so cleaning the filters weekly at a minimum and I rotate filters, remove and replace then clean it and wait till the next time in a month or so to do it again -- being extra vigilant about clean water, well balance PH is critical to long lasting tubs (if made quality to start).

Easy serviceability is important too, as it eventually will need some service you cannot do (unless your like me who does it all). hence saying to make them take the skirting off, everything should be easily serviceable and well laid out so the serviceman can get to it -- if he has to take it all apart to replace the heater that is poor design IMHO.

The best thing you could do is go online and research. then talk to others online about the quality of the system, problems, cost of service, filters, ect... of the system they bought.

A elec. installed 240v dedicated power line, with GFCI, is required. If you do not want to pay through the nose to heat esp. in winter, get the best cover, that slopes so rain and snow run off and fits tight is CRITICAL as that is what keeps the heat in and the cold out. take care of it. Get the system to open it and that it is supported properly and not hanging on the seem -- the cover is a critical part and should be treated well, and I even have a floating inner cover on top of the water in Winters (Michigan) to add another layer of insulation.

Bottom line, get the best one you can and maintain it, expect $50 month in heating cost even if not used, more depending on use. It is also a good idea to keep an eye on them daily just to make sure nothing goes wrong they cannot be allowed to freeze. Using them year round, is what they are made to do and mine, even with replacement parts (something you might want to price) has been going 10 years now. I love it. I really could not live without it as I have a back/neck injury and 106 degree water for 1/2 hour every evening makes sleep better and relaxes one better than the best Irish Whiskey !!

Good Luck, do not let them rip you off with talk about stuff that does not matter -- heat and pumps to pressure the water is really all they do, its a tub and other than keeping the water to temp (106-7 for me, warmer then most beginners as 104 is the norm to start) the pressure, hence HP of the pumps is what matters.

An Ozonator is REALLY needed today and they are inexpensive ($99) if you do NOT want to not use tons of Bromine (like chlorine in pools, its needed but keep it to a minimum and the Ozonator helps with this so it is a requirement) as all this is for Hygiene and Sanitary concerns....keep the needed water readings (a daily requirement to check) in spec., and check usually right before use but starting right is critical even with well filtered good water -- this is the key depending on where you live and water quality. If your in a bad area "water wise", it might be good idea to bring in a pool fill truck with filtered water (but this is an extreme depending on your area) as it will make your tub last longer if you have the best quality water-- SAME AS DRINKING WATER as there is no difference -- making sure water then stays clean and within ranges is critical and this is why daily measurements -- then you know you should have no problems as you did your part....changing filters to get the crap out of the water is again, the best way to maintain a tub !!!

They are the best thing in the world....

Good Luck,

Cheers,

Murph

[Apollo217]

Murph, not sure where one would find a quality hot tub for 3k. The amount of filters isn't really that important as is the way the system operates. I would hope you get more then 1-2 years out of a quality tub before service work is required. Most of the equipment on the euphoria has a 5 year parts and labor warranty. A 5kw heater doesn't use anymore energy then a 4kw. Ozone is nice but absolutely not needed as it won't make a huge difference in chemical consumption.

[Roger]

A lot of inaccuracys in that post.

[Markee]

You can't go wrong with Marquis. Make sure to have the dealer show you the front access panel, these spas are put together very well. The Euphoria is an awesome tub, I also like the lounge in the Wish, the way it positions you makes it a lot harder to float out of. Good luck in your search!

[jtbj]

Thank you everyone for your input. We bought the Marquis Euphoria! The panel was open and ready for my husband ...the engineer, to check out. I was truly impressed with the positioning of jets, the whirlpool, cooling seats and so much more. Because of the different positions and seating, I know we will use this tub for sore muscles and just relaxation on a regular basis.

Now I have to decide on how I want to keep the water clean. We talked about the Bromine ?frog system that is I think normally used and the Spa Marvel which I need to do more research on. Comments? Observations?

Thank you again...much appreciated.

[Markee]

Congrats, you're going to love that spa. The SpaFrog system is a nice feature, most customers seem to love it. If it's dialed in right, you can have a very low level of chemicals in the water. Hopefully the dealer gives you a start-up kit so that you can try it out. Enjoy the tub!