Infinty Spa - Not From Costco

[kengorman]

I've been following all of the Costco threads for a while now. I was in the market for a spa and seriously considered the Infinity Sun Peak spa from Costco when it went on sale for 2999 back on July 2nd.

Because my wife and I entertain a lot, the seating layout of the Sun Peak wasn't our first choice because of its lounger. We were leaning more towards a tub that didn't give up all the space towards a lounger. We had visited 2 local dealers and were somewhat sticker shocked. I had mentioned in another thread that the local Sundance dealer gave us a quote knocking 2grand off the sticker price of $10,999 for a Sundance Chelsee - making the out-the-door price of $8999.

For 1/3 of that, I could get a Costco Infinity Sun Peak spa. Not being a spa expert, I started investigating the value of what you get with the Sundance versus the Infinity. I won't get into the ins and outs here (it's been hashed out on multiple threads already), but in the end, I opted against a retail-showroom dealer spa.

I have had very good success with ebay over the years and have actually purchased 2 automobiles through ebay. I am not afraid to make large purchases over the internet (or through ebay). I found an ebay seller - GotWholesaling - who was auctioning off tubs with reasonable "buy-it-now" prices. The 99.3% positive feedback rating of the seller increased my confidence level. I started contacting past purchasers of the tubs and asked questions. I asked the seller questions and received responses in a timely fashion.

Without getting into all the details (and there are many) of my purchasing decision, I opted to purchase a tub through ebay from GotWholesaling. The seller has a web-site - BlueWaterSpas.com that has additional information.

I ordered my tub on July 7th with a promised delivery date "the week of August 20th". August 20th came and went and I received an e-mail on August 22nd indicating they were a week behind schedule and my tub would be delivered the following week.

For me, a week delay wasn't a big deal because:

a. I hadn't done anything about having the electric installed.

b. We're planning on extending our existing patio and our friend who is going to do the stone work for us hasn't even started yet.

quick aside....

I do, however, understand that there are many people who want the spa delivered when it was promised to be delivered and are not tolerable of delays. Advice for spa sellers - instead of over-promising and under-delivering, do the opposite.

Costco was promising 4 week delivery times, but many people got their spas in 6-weeks. If Costco had promised 8 week delivery times and then delivered early, people would be thrilled.

I got a call from the shipper on Wednesday, August 29th indicating the spa would be delivered at 8am on Thursday, August 30th. I took off work on Thursday and waited for the spa. By 11am when the spa hadn't arrived, I called the dispatcher who gave me the mobile number of the driver.

I called the driver who said "the truck broke down". He also indicated he was 1 day behind schedule and my tub would be delivered on Friday at 10am. The delivery window came and went without a call from the dispatcher or the driver. I called and left messages with both. At 3:00pm Friday, I got a call from the driver indicating they were 15 minutes away. It was the first truthful thing I heard from the shipping company. Within 15 minutes, an 18-wheel truck pulled onto my street and stopped in front of my house.

This is what it looked like.

stay tuned for updates.....

[104 Degrees]

stay tuned for updates.....

Dont you have a better return policy with Costco??

[Rob W]

"stay tuned for updates....."

Arghhh! I was all set for a good story

[kengorman]

Infinity Spa Experience - Part 2

So the driver approaches me and wants to make a "side deal". I paid for curb-side delivery, but they'll unpack the spa and deliver it to where ever I want for a negotiated price. After some quick haggling we agree to $100 cash to place the tub on my back patio.

Even though I'm planning on expanding my patio specifically for the spa, I figure moving it 10 feet across the patio would be a lot easier than moving it from my driveway.

The drivers unpack the spa and I give it an inspection. The first thing I notice is that the spa control panel says "Infinity Spas"!

Turns out "Blue Water Spas" sells "Infinity Spas". They are the same company. The driver told me they've been busy all of July and August delivering spas - the majority are the Sun Peak from Costco. They stack them on their side and pack 15 of them in a trailer and then off-they-go. I was the 7th tub on their route. I live in suburban Philadelphia and I was the last Pennsylvania stop they had. The driver said they had 7 deliveries in New Jersey and then their last delivery was outside of Boston.

After the inspection, I sign the sheet. I now own a pretty nice looking tub.

stay tuned for updates....

[kengorman]

Infinity Spa Experience - Part 3

So the spa is unpacked, sitting on my patio, and the wife says, "How hard would it be to run the electric? I want to use the tub."

I hadn't placed "run electric" on my weekend list of chores, but within minutes something I was going to get to "soon" became something I was doing "now".

Here's a look at how things looked when I started.

some 6 gauge wire, disconnect panel, 6 feet of flexible conduit, various connectors, etc.

Let's crack open the main panel, run some 6 gauge into it, and hook it up to a 60-amp circuit breaker. Boy, this 6-gauge stuff is thick! It doesn't bend easily and is tough to work with.

Let's pop that circuit breaker into the panel.

Ok - main panel done. Let's run some conduit outside. I can dig a trench -or- how about I pound some conduit through a ....( a picture is a thousand words).

Let's take the retaining wall apart.

Let's pound the conduit using a small sledge hammer. Note: the small hammer didn't work. I had to borrow a big sledge hammer and then the conduit went in pretty easily. Also, I found the 1-inch schedule 40 pvc was bending as it was being struck, so I stuck a length of 3/4 inch thin-wall metallic tubing inside the PVC to give it rigidity. I was able to pound it in easily now. When done, I simply removed the metallic tubing.

Code doesn't permit direct burial of EMT. You can only direct bury schedule 40 (or better) PVC or rigid conduit.

Conduit complete:

Now, I had to mount the spa disconnect. Oops, drilled the hole in the wrong spot. Going to have to fix this.

Spa disconnect complete:

Final hookup to spa control panel. Let's see what it looks like inside:

stay tuned for more updates.

[spatech (the unreal one)]

I've always maintained that these type spas really are for DIYers but you certainly appear to be one of them and able to handle the work invloved. Besides the electrician, you'll be the service tech when issues arise but I get the feeling you can handle it. Good luck, let us know how things go as the days/months go by.

[Beeman]

How do you like your spa so far? I'd like to know more about it as Infinity is one of my choices as they're made close by me and I can pick one up on my trailer. Dynasty is another brand that is made close to me that I could pick up easily.

[kengorman]

Dont you have a better return policy with Costco??

I thought I replied to this post earlier - I mustn't have hit "Add reply" when I was finished.

Anyway, Costco's return policy weighed heavily into my decision. I was leaning heavily towards the Costco Infinity Spa based upon the return policy, Costco's reputation, and some of the reviews I had read about the Infinity spas other users had written. It was a hard decision not to purchase from Costco.

Ultimately, the feedback that Blue Water Spas / GotWholesaling had on ebay coupled with the price and features led me to choose Blue Water. I was happily surprised when the tub arrived and I found out that it was an Infinity anyway. The only thing I'm giving up is the return policy.

I purchased a Blue Water Santa Cruz model. It and the Infinity Sun Peak share the same:

motors (both GE 6-hp)

pumps

insulation (arctic wrap)

frame construction

ozone generator (Prozone)

jets (waterway)

controls( Balboa SUV )

Where they differ is:

Santa Cruz pros:

Santa Cruz is 92x92 whereas the Sun Peak is 84x78

Santa Cruz holds 450 gallons, Sun Peak holds 350

Santa Cruz lets you choose the shell color ( I chose Saphire blue) and exterior color (I chose redwood)

Santa Cruz has a few more jets (55 jets versus 39 for the Sun Peak)

Sun Peak pros:

Free shipping versus $575 for the Santa Cruz

Stainless steel jets standard versus $199 upgrade for the Santa Cruz

Better return policy

Costco reputation

Regards,

Ken

note: Regarding the 6-hp GE motors that are specified in Infinity spas, I'm planning on writing a follow-up post on this. As far as I can tell thus far, GE doesn't even make a 230V single-phase motor that puts out more than 3.25 hp. When buying predominantly on specifications, a GE 6 HP motor is a mighty impressive spec, especially when its compard against a 2hp motor found in a Sundance Chelsee. I hope to explore and explain why an Infinity 6hp motor isn't better or more powerful than a 2hp motor found in a Sundance.

[kengorman]

I've always maintained that these type spas really are for DIYers but you certainly appear to be one of them and able to handle the work invloved.

Hi spatech,

I'll hold off for now on whether these spas are for the DIYer. I went to a Sundance dealer and they indicated they would come and place the spa - the electric hook-up was left to the purchaser. The dealer had a list of recommended electricians. Thus far, all the work I've done would be considered routine work to an electrician. I just opted to DIMyself.

you'll be the service tech when issues arise

We'll see about the service. My tub arrived with 3 issues - I'll report accurately how Infinity handles the customer service issues with my tub.

Good luck, let us know how things go as the days/months go by.

Thanks - I hope to have another update in a day or two.

Ken

[kengorman]

How do you like your spa so far? I'd like to know more about it as Infinity is one of my choices as they're made close by me and I can pick one up on my trailer. Dynasty is another brand that is made close to me that I could pick up easily.

so far, I'd give Infinity / Blue Water Spas a 7/10.

The spa looks great. Its price was incredible compared to most other spas out there. I'm pretty i mpressed by the build quality - the fit and finish look great. The outside skiring is flush up against the shell with no visible gaps. The shell looks perfect - it has a deep, rich blue color. The tub has decent components - the balboa controls are M-7 SUV, the top-side panel is a Balboa Duplex Digital, the circulation pump is an Emerson and the 2 pumps are both GE.

On the minus side, the delivery company setup a delivery time and missed it without a phone call. This isn't a case where they say the tub will be delivered in 4 weeks and it takes 5. This is a case where I get a phone call on Wednesday night telling me my spa will be delivered between 8 and 9 am on Thursday. I take Thursday off from work and the spa never shows. I never get a phone call and when I do get in touch with the shipper, I get a lame "my truck broke down" excuse.

The spa did arrive with 3 issues -

1. the top side control LED panel is extremely dim. I cannot read the LED segments in daylight at all. I thought it was broken until I went outside later the first night and noticed I could read the display. The display is extremely dim.

2. One of the jets (out of 55) pops out when it is rotated. I have seen other people report this same problem. Apparently, this is an easy fix and Infinity has been sending replacement jets in the mail.

3. Circulation pump not working. Don't know what this is. Haven't really diagnosed this - I'm waiting to see what Infinity says.

If my 3 issues are resolved to my satisfaction, I'll probably give the spa an 8/10. Infinity loses points for the shipping fiasco and for the 3 issues. They can get points back if they fix the issues.

Regards,

Ken

[104 Degrees]

if they fix the issues.

Regards,

Ken

Or you Do.

Good luck Ken. Happy tubbing.

John 104 degrees

[Bond]

Thankgoodness for your INTERESTING POSTS and the GREAT PHOTOS.

I get so fed up with all the other posts about nothing and the constant bickering back and forth again about nothing.

Yes as you have shown if you have the ability it is not hard to install a spa yourself and youll save a bundle.The troubleshooting is easy as well.

If only more people would add postings and photos like this this could be a great online site.

Thanks again I for one really appreciate the time you have taken to do this.

[deepchillie]

Ken! Buddy! Your AWSOME! I have been reading this forum since I first decided to get a tub in MARCH! Its a nice to finally read a post where there are no members "flaming" other people for the choices they make. All the pics are GREAT and the posts are well written. Im sure you will get "flamed" after you actually fill it with water and the damm thing works! There is gonna be some member some where saying you used the wrong type of water! My hot tub is coming in s few weeks and you kinda inspired me to take some pics and post how I did it. So far I dug a 8 foot square by 8 inch deep hole.. and packed it with 3 yards of crusher dust (ran the plate tamper over it) and put 2 inch thick patio blocks. I was wondering about this stuff http://www.prodexsa.com/

Its like the tin-foil wrap insulation, but its foil-foam-foil, somone said its about R9. I was thinking of getting a 7 foot square piece and placing the tub on in. If you have any other ideas... please post them!

[jwillard]

Nice looking tub...the blue looks really good! Glad you had a positive experience! Enjoy it!

[soakerman]

Looks great! The spa looks sturdy and well built. Love the pics!

[spatech (the unreal one)]

Looks great! The spa looks sturdy and well built. Love the pics!

LOL, now how can you tell from those pics whether or not that spa is sturdy and well built? I'm not saying it is or isn't IMO but when people start analyzing a spa's quality based on a picture I know the site has taken the Lord of the Flies route.

Heck, I always thought it was even a bit of a stretch to takes the sides off a spa to view it's inards and come to a conclusion as to its quality. Now we've gotten to the point of looking at a pic of the shell and siding to determine the spa's overall viability?

[soakerman]

Looks great! The spa looks sturdy and well built. Love the pics!

LOL, now how can you tell from those pics whether or not that spa is sturdy and well built?

Unlike your assumption, I have seen one up close "buddy"

[spatech (the unreal one)]

Unlike your assumption, I have seen one up close "buddy"

Umm, bud, you stated "The spa looks well built and sturdy. Love the pics.". I can only read what you type, I can't determine what you meant to convey.

[deepchillie]

I agree, Looks great! The spa looks sturdy and well built. Love the pics!

[jwillard]

I agree, Looks great! The spa looks sturdy and well built. Love the pics!

Wouldnt it be funny if this site posted IP addresses?

[104 Degrees]

Wouldnt it be funny if this site posted IP addresses?

Mr willard whats an "ip" address?

[jwillard]

Mr willard whats an "ip" address?

DEFINITION: The Internet Protocol (IP) is the method or protocol by which data is sent from one computer to another on the Internet. Each computer (known as a host) on the Internet has at least one IP address that uniquely identifies it from all other computers on the Internet.

Hope this helps...

[104 Degrees]

DEFINITION: The Internet Protocol (IP) is the method or protocol by which data is sent from one computer to another on the Internet. Each computer (known as a host) on the Internet has at least one IP address that uniquely identifies it from all other computers on the Internet.

Hope this helps...

So what you are saying is----people would not type the way they do if the other person knows where they are. Am i correct.

John

[flibotte]

"Wouldnt it be funny if this site posted IP addresses?"

It would be cool because then I could play with the IP Spoofing tool I got at my Ethical Hacking class.

[deepchillie]

Ummm, do you think were off topic yet?