Just installed a H2X 15D Swim Spa - intro and some questions

[Peter Shupe]

Hello all, my name is Peter.  My wife purchased a swim spa back in June and it was delivered about 2 weeks ago.  I have just completed the electrical and the water is warming as we speak.  I live in Canada, so it is taking a long time to warm up the 1900 odd gallons in the tub.  I did the electrical myself and had an electrician check it out.  I found it very difficult to jam the larger gauge wire required into the heater box, which seemed already quite full.  It's all done now and working fine, so I will quickly forget all the swearing. 😉

I would love to hear from others that have a similar Swim Spa.  It came with the "upgraded" insulated covers, which seem like average hot tub covers to me.  I have had a hot tub as well for about 20 yrs.  We just got rid of it. I have a few questions and maybe I'll make a list.

1. How long does it take to get up to temperature?  The water was about 43 degrees when I filled the tub and it is taking a long time to warm up, for obvious reasons.  So far it has been about 16hrs and it's sitting at about 58 degrees.  So far about 1 degree /hr.  Is that normal.  Looks like it'll take about over 2 full days to get up to temperature.

2. It was recommended to not have anything around the spa within about 3'.  Even a deck.  The spa itself is about 5' high to the top edge.  I have to come up with some way of getting in and out.  Obviously stairs would be the easiest but considering a deck around one corner.  I will build it to be able to remove a section to get at the controls, if needed.  I would like to hear from others as to how they access.  Did you listen to the warning or put a deck all the way around?  I'm a little stuck now as it is in the middle of the yard.  We were going to do hardscape around.  I'm thinking small deck at one end at corner with small steps up to get in.

3. Covers - I have had hot tub covers prior and am always angry when the cover starts to get heavy.  Have there been any solutions in this area lately?  Why can they not make a type of foam that does not take on moisture?  Is it purely to sell more covers?  They are getting more and more expensive every year, it seems. Currently it will cost Can$2000 to replace my covers.  I am not looking forward to this.  How long will they last?

3a. Has anyone looked into or purchased the hard shell or Covana.  We looked into Covana but it was going to be Can$16K to start.  Apparently the hardshell can be had for about Can$10k.  That is more reasonable if it would last 20 yrs based on the current rate of hot tub cover degradation.

3b. Cover lifters - Does anyone have recommendations for cover lifters?  The Spa place recommends the Cover Valet Pro at Can$500 a piece, I'd need two.  See attached image.

I would really like to enter the spa at the end.  The problem with that is the lifters all seem to be in the way.  Are there any options for lifters that may not go to the end.  I was looking at the roller system and possibly mount them on the back side of the spa.  That would solve my issue but it is not the recommended location to mount and also the salesperson did not recommend the rollers.  Possibly because they were about Can$300 cheaper than the other lifter.

 

I think that is about it for now.  Any other tips and things to be aware would be greatly appreciated.  Looking very much forward to being in my Swim Spa soon.  I may have to wear a wetsuit though. 😉  Thank you.

Regards Peter.

 

 

 

 

 

[RDspaguy]

1) Sounds about right.

2) You will pay for the convenience at repair time. What a homeowner considers "access" and what I actually need to be able to work on it are never the same thing. I charge $100/hr plus $50/hr for each additional man. I spent years crawling around under decks and it can quadruple my time on any given repair. And if I have to bring a crew to get it out of a deck...

And gaining access is NOT covered under warranty, so if you restrict access you will get billed even on a new tub under warranty.

3) The main cause of covers getting heavy is the owners maintenance practices. Harsh chemical fumes trapped under your cover will break down the moisture barrier and turn the foam into a sponge. I have see covers last a decade when well maintained, but 5 years or so is the norm. With bad maintenance practices you can ruin a cover in a couple of years.

3a) $10k for 20 years worth of cover is your budget? That's a new cover every 2 years or so. And the chances of your swimspa still being there in 20 years are pretty slim in my experience.

3b) I am not a big fan of piston lifts. But pretty much any lift will block off the ends. Not familiar with rollers, so can't advise you there.

After 25 years of fixing spas I have 2 pieces of advice.

1) Keep your water balanced. This does not mean balance it once a week. That is just 6 days of bad maintenance followed by 1 day of overcompensation. Keep it balanced and it just might still be there in 20 years.

2) Do not winterize, or otherwise leave it unused and not running.

I also recommend you use Ahhsome spa jet cleaner on any new-to-you spa.

[Peter Shupe]

Thanks for the quick response.  These swim spas are very tall.  I think I will build some very thin steps for now and see how we use it, to determine where we may want to put a deck.  I will design in such a way that I can remove sections to get at any of the panels with at least 3' of space around.  Or maybe just until the warranty is up. 😉  I would normally fix things myself after warranty.  I was a little disappointed to see that most of the stuff under there was the same size as my 7'x7' 20 yr old hot tub.  I haven't looked at model #s of pumps or the heater but doesn't look much different.  It is a Swim Spa so it has an extra pump in there.  This may be good in the long run as it looks like commonly had equipment.  We got over 20yrs out of our old hot tub and 3 covers in that time, so if we treat this one the same, hopefully, we will get that longevity.

 

Regards Peter.

 

[ChrisRuck]

Hello,

I just purchased an H2X and I am trying to figure out how to bring wire into the unit before it comes so my site is ready.  There are zero pictures and little information about how people do this.  Do you have pictures of how you did it?

[arnspa]

Spa Access:  Twelve years ago I built steps to access the side of our H2X.  They are easily skidded away if access to panels is needed, plus seem perfect for enter at side away from the sloping seats at end.
After years of new varnish every summer I plan to paint it green this year.

[arnspa]

Repainted Hunter Green, gloss with new safety strips for the steps.  Much better than redoing the varnish every year,

[Jday55]

Anyway to override the heat to go above 99 degrees