Sun Peak Spa - Costco

[Warlord]

Here is the CostCo Spa Skinny.....

I received my CostCo Infinity 6-person spa 1-week ago. It arrived in 25-30 days, the delivery crew ONLY dropped it off in my driveway - just like the on-line advertisement says. I hired a crane operator/truck to lift it into my backyard ($150/hr). I already had the electric professionally hooked up and pavers were already laid.

I had already poured water in to the spa - not throug the filter as per the instructions - just into the spa. The electrician connected the wires and the spa went immediately into "primer" mode. This lasted about 2-minutes and the jets kicked on. I set the temperature for 102-degrees, it took a long time to get the temperature at 102 (over 5-hours). All the jets worked except the 2-side panels. I called "Infinity Spas" technical support, after a 30-minute wait, the technician came on line and was very nice. I had several questions for him.

1. How are you able to connect the hose to the drain bib to drain the spa? Once you remove the drain cover, and insert the hose, the area is so tight, you cannot turn the nozzel counter clockwise in order to start the drainage. The instructions neglected to say that you must "pull out the drain cover" and then unscrew the cover, insert the hose and then turn the nozzel counter-clockwise.

2. How do I start the 2-sets of jets on the right side of the spa??? Should I drain the spa and fill it inside the filter or what??? The technician told me to open the fron panel - completely (release all the screws - -it's a mess!). This was quite a chore, it's hard to access the plumming and it's really hard to get that cover back on. Once the cover is removed - run the jets and open all the valves, locate the first black plastic pump on the left - - it has 2-white hoses connected to it. at the end of the pump, there are 2-thumb screws, unscrew them until water comes out - about 1-cup of water and then screw them back tigh. this opend the jets immediately. The technician also said to do the same thing to the second pump, but my jets opened with the first pump, so I did not need to repeat this process with the second pump.

Overall, I think this is a very good spa for the money. I noticed that you can not be too heavy handed with the diverter valves and opening the jets, be gentle.....it's not meant for a gorilla to handle. The lights work really nice, the temperature maintains well, the control panel's process to activate the timer, temp and other features is cumbersome, so you will have to take the manual outside to go though the processs - - make a copy of the manual, you don't want to lose the original one or get it wet!!!!

Also, once you have that incredilbly, very cumbersome and awkward panel open, WRITE DOWN ALL THE SERIAL NUMBERS, MODEL NUMBERS, TECHNICIAN NUMBER, ADDRESS... ETC. You do not want to have to open that panel again!!!! if you must, take pictures of the inside.

That's my early experience, it's only been less than a month, I've relaxed in the spa 3-times and have enjoyed it very much. My first spa was a CalSpa PS-4 and it was meant for a gorilla to handle and the access panel had a latch and was very easy to access.

[Apple]

I also purchased the Infinity 6-person spa from Costco. We finally got it hooked up this past weekend. My question is - all we received was a small 5x7 light blue generic handbook, did anyone actually get a owners manual. Also, they refer to the chemical kit, did anyone get any chemicals with their spa?

My spa runs continuously, I have reset the cycle to 8, but it still runs all the time even with the mode set to "EC". Any help would be appreciated. What can I set the cycle to so it won't run all the time?

Thanks

[TinyBubbles]

Would love to see pictures of both your spas. Day & night pictures please!

[nebulous]

More pictures of my Sun Peak project than you probably care to see. It arrived yesterday and we got it into the backyard with only one audible muscle snapping injury. The broken corner is most likely my poor handling it into the back yard, but I'll call Infinity and see what their customer service can do. Will hopefully be shimming it to level, attching the electrical cables, and filling it up tonight, so I'll continue to post progress. The initial quality from first glance seems about the level I would expect for a $3k tub. If it works it should be fine for my needs, but that remains to be seen.

[kengorman]

More pictures of my Sun Peak project than you probably care to see.

Love the pictures - thanks for posting and keep 'em coming. Congratulations on your tub!

The broken corner is most likely my poor handling it into the back yard, but I'll call Infinity and see what their customer service can do. Will hopefully be shimming it to level, attching the electrical cables, and filling it up tonight, so I'll continue to post progress. The initial quality from first glance seems about the level I would expect for a $3k tub.

I didn't see any dollys in the pictures - did you move the tub completely by sliding it on the 2x4s?

I notice the electrical wire is coming through the center of the stone area - I'm assuming you drilled a hole through the bottom of the tub. How did you line up the hole with the wire as you tipped the tub into place?

Let us know also if Infinity is responsive to your call for a new corner piece.

If it works it should be fine for my needs, but that remains to be seen.

I noticed in the photo titled "firstsoak.jpg" that the inside of the tub was wet indicating it was wet-tested prior to shipment. I have every confidence this tub will work as did every other Costco Infinity tub review posted on this site. I don't think I've seen a negative post yet about Infinity.

note: there have been several negative reviews about the Costco sold HydroSpa tubs, but not the Infinity ones.

Regards,

Ken

[104 Degrees]

note: there have been several negative reviews about the Costco sold HydroSpa tubs, but not the Infinity ones.

Regards,

Ken

[nebulous]

Love the pictures - thanks for posting and keep 'em coming. Congratulations on your tub!

No problem, I'll try to get a couple more tonight.

I didn't see any dollys in the pictures - did you move the tub completely by sliding it on the 2x4s?

Moved it entirely by sliding on 4x4s and rolling on those 3" lengths of PVC. Thats why I wouldn't blame Infinity or the shipping company for the damage, it could have easily been my fault. After I get it up and running I'll call to see if we can arrange a replacement. If not, no big deal, I'll just replace that corner with the one on the opposite corner and epoxy the more hidden side.

I notice the electrical wire is coming through the center of the stone area - I'm assuming you drilled a hole through the bottom of the tub. How did you line up the hole with the wire as you tipped the tub into place?

Infinity was kind enough to send me a PDF indicating where the drill hole should go several weeks ago. I put the hole in the patio at that location, measured and drilled the tub while it was still on its side, and if you look closely you can see that the tub is rolling on PVC when its on the patio. We pulled the wires thru, then rolled it over where it was to go (after trimming the conduit, it was just left that high to avoid getting debris in it while constructing the patio) and pulled it off the PVC

Let us know also if Infinity is responsive to your call for a new corner piece.

Will do. It's something of an unreasonable request to get a replacement for free, but it will do very good things for Infinity's customer service reputation if they handle it quickly and without runaround.

I noticed in the photo titled "firstsoak.jpg" that the inside of the tub was wet indicating it was wet-tested prior to shipment. I have every confidence this tub will work as did every other Costco Infinity tub review posted on this site. I don't think I've seen a negative post yet about Infinity.

That's true, but only in part. It did have a small amount of water in it when we flipped it up onto its side to move it which would indeed indicate that it was wet tested (since it did not rain between TN and me during the one day travel time to my house), but I sprayed a little water in the bottom to make sure there were no cracks, before I decided that was a waste of time and stopped.

[Dipstick]

[

I do not understand why some with such a nice house, truck, backyard... would put such a low quality spa in. I wish you the best with your spa but odds are you will have issues and your electric bill will take quite the hit.

[Dr. Spa]

"Shim the tub level"????? This goes against most manufacturers requirements and shimming could cause the shell to crack, the cabinet to split apart, and not be covered by warranty

[nebulous]

I do not understand why some with such a nice house, truck, backyard... would put such a low quality spa in. I wish you the best with your spa but odds are you will have issues and your electric bill will take quite the hit.

Hah, well the house won't be mine for another 15 years according to the bank, the truck is the big guy in the blue shirt's and the spa from what I can tell so far is of a quality I'm happy to live with. This thread is not about the cost/value debate, I think thats been covered, and recovered, and covered some more. I have the house because I drive 20 year old cars, fix everything myself, and don't always get the most pricey thing on the market because of the overused mantra "you get what you pay for." Its also true that my electric bill will almost certainly go up, and in the winter time go up a lot. I calculated the watts required to raise 350 gallons of water up to 102 degrees from several temperatures related to the average temps in my area and at worst case (at present electric costs) it would cost around $300 per month if the tub had zero insulation at all, as in the tub itself didn't exist and it was water floating in the air. Since the tub does have some insulation(although from what I can tell the cover sucks: I'll probably get another one), I don't need to keep it at 102 degrees at all times, and the time required to recoup costs of a higher quality tub are longer than worth it to me personally, I chose this tub. Fortunately the climate here isn't nearly as severe as it is in some of the member's regions, and its divided by three people .

[powernoodle]

Whats counts is that your happy and you enjoy the spa....

Happy soaking

[nebulous]

"Shim the tub level"????? This goes against most manufacturers requirements and shimming could cause the shell to crack, the cabinet to split apart, and not be covered by warranty

I'll have to check my warranty info. My skills as a mason are to say the least lacking, so I'll need to adjust the level of the tub. The only structural support seemed to be from the edges, so when I say shim, I mean put purpose-cut sections of wood under the tub around the entire thing, which would certainly (from my limited understanding) be better than leaving it on my domeish shaped patio.

[lparsons]

I'll have to check my warranty info. My skills as a mason are to say the least lacking, so I'll need to adjust the level of the tub. The only structural support seemed to be from the edges, so when I say shim, I mean put purpose-cut sections of wood under the tub around the entire thing, which would certainly (from my limited understanding) be better than leaving it on my domeish shaped patio.

I would certainly say your masonry skills far exceed my own - looking at your stonework in comparison to mine is like comparing Macchu Picchu to the surface of Mars. If you laid a patio that large and its only slightly dome-shaped, I tip my hat to you.

As for shimming versus warranties, the manual for my tub (Tiger River) explicitly states where to shim in order to level the tub. My tub has numerous cross members on the underside, and the manual shows something like 16 points to shim to level it. I don't know why that would be against someone else's warranty.

[biggz]

Nebulous, Your tub looks great. Take more pics when you have it running. Ya did goooooood!! I know some dealer in your area is scratching his head.

[nebulous]

I would certainly say your masonry skills far exceed my own - looking at your stonework in comparison to mine is like comparing Macchu Picchu to the surface of Mars. If you laid a patio that large and its only slightly dome-shaped, I tip my hat to you.

You flatter me, but truly the flash covers a multitude of evils. I'm going to check more closely when I get back from work as to where the structural points are in the tub and work from there.

As for shimming versus warranties, the manual for my tub (Tiger River) explicitly states where to shim in order to level the tub. My tub has numerous cross members on the underside, and the manual shows something like 16 points to shim to level it. I don't know why that would be against someone else's warranty.

I just so happen to have the warranty information with me at work and this is what it says "The spa must be set on a level cement slab and/or a level deck surface sufficient to support the entire length and width of the spa. ... Damage cause by failure to have a properly leveled and supported foundation under the spa is not covered by warranty."

So basically it looks like a standard catch-all so they can decline coverage if they don't like the base. I'll have to be careful in how I proceed from this point.

[Dr. Spa]

With most spas the outer edge of the skirting supports the LEASE amount of weight. Shimming in just this area will possibly cause the entire spa to sag downwards and possibly crack or break off part of the outer rim of the spa.

[spatech (the unreal one)]

I just so happen to have the warranty information with me at work and this is what it says "The spa must be set on a level cement slab and/or a level deck surface sufficient to support the entire length and width of the spa. ... Damage cause by failure to have a properly leveled and supported foundation under the spa is not covered by warranty."

So basically it looks like a standard catch-all so they can decline coverage if they don't like the base. I'll have to be careful in how I proceed from this point.

You obviously need a proper base and if you don't have one they will look to blame you if issues arise. Cement slab is simpl enough but there are other options like a deck, pea gravel and proeprly done pavers.

However, as far as "properly level" goes there are two types of "off level". One is a continuous slope but that shouldn't cause any kind of damage. You'll have a high water end and a low end and depending on how off much slope there is you'll have to decide whether it warrants an adjustment (and not shimming with most spas due to structural integrity) but not an adjustment to avoid damage really unless its a huge slope. The other is where you have a low spot or a high spot. This is the "off level" issue that you must address because this is where you'll run into problems over time as the frame and shell sag.

[deepchillie]

N-E-B-U-L-O-U-S ! Nice damm tub! Don't listen to the other guys who are going to bash your choice in tubs...they are like crazy religious zealots where if your not buying their brand of tub or worshiping their god your going to HELL! But you tub looks nice and will keep you warm... you should get acclimatised quite well for your stay in hell (look for me, I'll be there joining you). I like the 2x4 and pvc pipe for rollers, was it easy to move? My buddy got the Aruba from costco and we just lifted it off the trailer and placed it on the pad. What did you do for the initial start up and settings on your control panel?

And who the heck is that "DIPSTICK" member? The guy just joined today and the first thing he starts doing is bashing and flaming people and their personal choices? Hmmmm, wait a second. Maybe hes a hot-tub teck guy thats using an alias name..... naww thats too crazy even for this forum.

[Roger]

And who the heck is that "DIPSTICK" member? The guy just joined today and the first thing he starts doing is bashing and flaming people and their personal choices? Hmmmm, wait a second. Maybe hes a hot-tub teck guy thats using an alias name..... naww thats too crazy even for this forum.

I agree, no reason to bad mouth someones spa choice!

As long as they are noy saying "it's the same as a ten thousand dollar unit" or there's no difference between this and a dealer unit except price. These are the things that need to get pointed out. Someones choice of tub should never be chastised.

[TinyBubbles]

As a fellow do-it-yourselfer, I greatly appreciate all the pictures. You did a great job. I'd love to see it running and at night. A part of me is jealous that you got a spa you'll really enjoy at a price that is enjoyable too. Please keep us updated.

[Dipstick]

As a fellow do-it-yourselfer, I greatly appreciate all the pictures. You did a great job. I'd love to see it running and at night. A part of me is jealous that you got a spa you'll really enjoy at a price that is enjoyable too. Please keep us updated.

My intent was not to bad mouth but I can see how it came across that way.

My question though I think is valid; You have a nice house, car, you buy quality items for that house and car, you have a nice watch... but when it comes to the spa a lot of people will sell themselves short.

If you are buying lets say a stove and you find two, they both have four burners and many of the same features. One cost $750 and one is $250. I think the average consumer would question the quality of the lower cost one, but when it comes to spas most do not. I do not understand that.

[kengorman]

If you are buying lets say a stove and you find two, they both have four burners and many of the same features. One cost $750 and one is $250. I think the average consumer would question the quality of the lower cost one, but when it comes to spas most do not. I do not understand that.

Using the same logic, let's suppose the same consumer came across two stoves. The GE one cost $450 and the Viking unit is $2500. I think the average consumer would question how much additional value they're getting with the higher priced stove. Sure, the Viking stove is top-quality, but that GE stove will surely serve the purposes of most consumers.

Ken

[Dipstick]

[using the same logic, let's suppose the same consumer came across two stoves. The GE one cost $450 and the Viking unit is $2500. I think the average consumer would question how much additional value they're getting with the higher priced stove. Sure, the Viking stove is top-quality, but that GE stove will surely serve the purposes of most consumers.

Ken

If the difference was 5.5 times as much I see your point but from a low quality spa to a high quality one with comparable options may only be twice as much (probably less than that).

If you find a $23K tub it better fill, drain, maintain, by itself and serve you a cold beer.

[kengorman]

[using the same logic, let's suppose the same consumer came across two stoves. The GE one cost $450 and the Viking unit is $2500. I think the average consumer would question how much additional value they're getting with the higher priced stove. Sure, the Viking stove is top-quality, but that GE stove will surely serve the purposes of most consumers.

Ken

If the difference was 5.5 times as much I see your point but from a low quality spa to a high quality one with comparable options may only be twice as much (probably less than that).

If you find a $23K tub it better fill, drain, maintain, by itself and serve you a cold beer.

"may only be twice as much" - twice as much is a big chunk of change to most folks. I don't have an extra $4-5k lying around.

In my particular case, after the dealer graciously offered to take $2,000 off the $10,995 list price of the Sundance Chelsee (making the out-the-door price $8995), I saw that Costco was selling the Infinity Sun Peak for $2999 delivered, including ozone. That is a 3x difference in price representing $6,000.

Both tubs have similar features and are similarly sized. There have been tremendous debates about the value, longevity, and operational cost to operate one over the other. I won't get into all that here. I just had a really hard time convincing myself that a tub, to my uneducated, uniformed mind, was a better value at three times the price.

If, however, the more expensive tub served me a cold beer, I may have been swayed.

Regards,

Ken

[Roger]

[using the same logic, let's suppose the same consumer came across two stoves. The GE one cost $450 and the Viking unit is $2500. I think the average consumer would question how much additional value they're getting with the higher priced stove. Sure, the Viking stove is top-quality, but that GE stove will surely serve the purposes of most consumers.

Ken

If the difference was 5.5 times as much I see your point but from a low quality spa to a high quality one with comparable options may only be twice as much (probably less than that).

If you find a $23K tub it better fill, drain, maintain, by itself and serve you a cold beer.

"may only be twice as much" - twice as much is a big chunk of change to most folks. I don't have an extra $4-5k lying around.

In my particular case, after the dealer graciously offered to take $2,000 off the $10,995 list price of the Sundance Chelsee (making the out-the-door price $8995), I saw that Costco was selling the Infinity Sun Peak for $2999 delivered, including ozone. That is a 3x difference in price representing $6,000.

Both tubs have similar features and are similarly sized. There have been tremendous debates about the value, longevity, and operational cost to operate one over the other. I won't get into all that here. I just had a really hard time convincing myself that a tub, to my uneducated, uniformed mind, was a better value at three times the price.

If, however, the more expensive tub served me a cold beer, I may have been swayed.

Regards,

Ken

What if that tub at 3 times the cost lasted for 20 years and the inexpensive one started to become no longer cost effective to repair in 6?