Alissaf121 Posted March 29, 2020 Report Share Posted March 29, 2020 Hi, everyone! I am very new to this forum and new to the hot tub world in general. I recently hooked up my Lifesmart LS450DX 7-person 22-jet spa. It is 110V and a plug and play. The problems we are encountering are: it takes many hours to reach the max temperature of 104F; as soon as we remove the cover and get in the tub, the temperature drops quickly. I understand that Lifesmart tubs use thermal friction technology for heating (I really don't have any idea what I'm talking about). My husband and I are wondering if it is possible to convert this kind of tub to a regular heater/much stronger heater? What can we possibly do to resolve this issue? Would converting to 220V help? We are located in NJ. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thank you so much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanadianSpaTech Posted March 30, 2020 Report Share Posted March 30, 2020 Yes converting to 220V would help but you would have to replace the entire control system and possibly do some plumbing. If you can post a photo of the entire equipment area we could have a better idea of what is possible. The system you currently have cannot be converted to 220 and is 110v only. Might be more cost effective to sell it and get one 220v rated Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ratchett Posted March 30, 2020 Report Share Posted March 30, 2020 1 hour ago, CanadianSpaTech said: Yes converting to 220V would help but you would have to replace the entire control system and possibly do some plumbing. If you can post a photo of the entire equipment area we could have a better idea of what is possible. The system you currently have cannot be converted to 220 and is 110v only. Might be more cost effective to sell it and get one 220v rated Wow! I thought all 110AC spas could be re-wired for 220. Had to check the product description on HD to confirm: Quote Electrical configuration: 110-Volt plug and play; 15 Amp dedicated circuit, cannot be converted to 220-Volt 3 hours ago, Alissaf121 said: My husband and I are wondering if it is possible to convert this kind of tub to a regular heater/much stronger heater? There sadly isn't much you can do - the problem here is that your heater and your jet pump cannot run concurrently. That is a limitation of running on 110AC. I have a flagship Hotspring 3-seater spa which also runs on 110AC but even on a 45F night I only lose 2-3 degrees over a 30-40 minute soak with the jet pump running. My heater is offline that whole thirty minutes but I only lose a 2-3 degrees because my tub is fully insulated with spray foam which weighs a lot (note on warmer 55-60 degree nights, I lose only one degree). Budget spas like yours are not adequately insulated in order to reduce costs on shipping. Moreover they seem built to live about 5-10 years at maximum so you might not want to put too much money into upgrades (maybe longer with proper care, but that's pushing it). I am by no means an expert at all. But I think you should look into a spa grade insulation like Fibercor filler material. This loose filler can be stuffed into the walls of the cabinet (all three walls, leaving plenty of space around the access cavity for the motor and heater to operate safely). Although like I said, I'm just a hot tub enthusiast surfing these threads soaking up the knowledge in this industry lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDspaguy Posted March 30, 2020 Report Share Posted March 30, 2020 "Thermal friction technology' is marketing-ese for "doesn't have a heater". Every spa, pool, bathtub, sink, and garden hose uses "thermal friction technology". You can get spa packs for under $400. If you or your husband can do the install it is not a huge investment. It will probably cost more to get it wired 240v. Even at 120v, it still has an actual heater so will heat much faster, but will still lose temp when jets are on high. If it has air control valves it will help to close them. As for insulation, I am not a fan of fiber fill insulation. I usually get 1" foam board and cut to fit between frame boards under side panels. They must recess between the frame, just screwing them on will leave gaps in your side panels. You can do this in the equipment area as well, just be sure not to cover any vents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanadianSpaTech Posted March 30, 2020 Report Share Posted March 30, 2020 8 hours ago, RDspaguy said: "Thermal friction technology' is marketing-ese for "doesn't have a heater". Every spa, pool, bathtub, sink, and garden hose uses "thermal friction technology". You can get spa packs for under $400. If you or your husband can do the install it is not a huge investment. It will probably cost more to get it wired 240v. Even at 120v, it still has an actual heater so will heat much faster, but will still lose temp when jets are on high. If it has air control valves it will help to close them. As for insulation, I am not a fan of fiber fill insulation. I usually get 1" foam board and cut to fit between frame boards under side panels. They must recess between the frame, just screwing them on will leave gaps in your side panels. You can do this in the equipment area as well, just be sure not to cover any vents. The plumbing will need to be adapted as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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