Hot tubs. A discussion.

[philth]

Advice needed. I’ve got a Baja 6 person tub . Thing ran perfectly for 24/7 for 15 years straight. It shat the bed last week. Getting service tech is impossible right now in SoVt. I’m punting till spring. What do I need to do so it survives the winter. Drain, antifreeze etc??


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[east or bust]

Other advice that I've gotten is to not put it on a deck if you can avoid it as the deck will wear out eventually from the moisture, weight, etc. But hey, over-engineer the fuck out of it and you'll probably be fine.

People still make decks out of wood?

[Name Redacted]

People still make decks out of wood?

Entire houses too! Its crazy!

[old goat]

Advice needed. I’ve got a Baja 6 person tub . Thing ran perfectly for 24/7 for 15 years straight. It shat the bed last week. Getting service tech is impossible right now in SoVt. I’m punting till spring. What do I need to do so it survives the winter. Drain, antifreeze etc??


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There's good advice on that on google. Drain. Take out the filter. Blow the water out of the jets with compressed air or a leaf blower. Look it up to get the details right re getting all the water out. Not antifreeze.

[riser4]

It's hot. In the hot tub.

[BC.]

Got ours 3 weeks ago...still waiting for an electrician though.......the few we have are slammed with jobs from the mass exodus of NY/NJ families to our lake community.

This is why we need more trades in HS programs....we are dying for good electricians/plumbers/builders, etc......(they could be raking it...instead of paying 100,000 dollars for online classes in their bedrooms.)



*Shout out to BobMc for his recommendation on that Polymeric Sand last spring/summer....as u can see it was put to good use....lol.

[hawkgt]

Fuck. What brand? Model?

some off brand, 6 person tub got from a "warehouse sale." 14 yrs old and keeps going.

i would not recommend a lounger seat, waste of space.

i wish i had the jet mushroom on bottom for feet, that would be sweet after a long tour day

[fatnslow]

Advice needed. I’ve got a Baja 6 person tub . Thing ran perfectly for 24/7 for 15 years straight. It shat the bed last week. Getting service tech is impossible right now in SoVt. I’m punting till spring. What do I need to do so it survives the winter. Drain, antifreeze etc??


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Are you at all handy ?Hot tubs aren't that complicated to diagnose if you describe the problem.

[old goat]

I had a hot tub a little older than 15 years, probably 20, with a leak. 2 repair guys refused to look at it because they said if they started taking the plumbing apart everything would leak because of the age of the pipes and I would blame them. One of them left me some random gaskets and I fixed it.
So you might still wind up having to fix it yourself.
I've heard youtube can make anyone an expert on anything, maybe give it a try.

[plugboots]

Hmmm... 1 year wait list to buy a hot tub?
OK, who wants a very well taken care of, just leak repaired, 4? person, 1700 gallon Bullfrog?
#bringatrailer, #bringastrongfriend, #bringaforklift

[gretch6364]

+1 exact same story with us. We got a 'end of year' discount when the new models were coming in. Got a good deal.

A good dealer is key - some parts will need replaced. A few parts on ours have blown (warranty) and they are always same day/next day service. Jake and his service team are great.

Yes, we are very happy with the team at Crystal River Spas. Would send my best friend or mom to them if they were looking.


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[jackattack]

Hmmm... 1 year wait list to buy a hot tub?
OK, who wants a very well taken care of, just leak repaired, 4? person, 1700 gallon Bullfrog?
#bringatrailer, #bringastrongfriend, #bringaforklift

talk to me. in Wenatchee.

[John_B]

Plug I'm kinda intrigued too. I'm seeing 6 person tubs at ~500 gallons. What do you figure it weights dry?

[gretch6364]

Are you sure on the 1700 gallon figure for a 4 person?


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[old goat]

I have a Hot Spot rhythm--"7" person spa--ie seats for 7 bumping knees and playing footsie, 4 comfortably, 330 gallons
845 lbs dry 4820 filled

[plugboots]

Are you sure on the 1700 gallon figure for a 4 person?

Nope.
Quick google search says it must be about 300 gallons, and it’s like the X6R. I said:”How big is that thing?”, Mrs. Plug says: “1700 gallons?”

[dannynoonan]

Nope.
Quick google search says it must be about 300 gallons, and it’s like the X6R. I said:”How big is that thing?”, Mrs. Plug says: “1700 gallons?”

Always love a woman who over-estimates any measurement

[Core Shot]

Advice needed. I’ve got a Baja 6 person tub . Thing ran perfectly for 24/7 for 15 years straight. It shat the bed last week. Getting service tech is impossible right now in SoVt. I’m punting till spring. What do I need to do so it survives the winter. Drain, antifreeze etc??


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What's the issue?

Pretty easy to just swap out the spa pack. Heater/controller/controlpad
around $500-800 and a few hours labor. Balboa seems to be the main brand.

Or, search online for individual components if its still in production.

https://www.hottuboutpost.com/baja-spa-packs/

[old goat]

When we got our spa 20+ years ago the gfi, timer, temp control etc were inside a door easily accessible from inside the spa, along with the pump, wiring, etc. At some point the code changed--shutoff has to be remote from the spa, all other controls are on the top rim of the spa, everything else is behind a screwed on panel--all presumably so people don't electrocute themselves. When did the codes change? Might influence whether parts are available for philth's 15 year old spa.

[cravenmorhead]

Final roundup of reports from hot tub repair operations that DON'T SELL hot tubs. I asked them what brands to seek out and avoid. Here's what I got:

#1: The hot tub brands you don't want are any Canadian Watkins Products (
Hot Springs, Tiger River, Caldera or Aqua-Terra ), Jacuzzi ( having
quality problems last two years ), Tuff or Strong hot tubs with Balboa
Mini-Spa Pack only, ones with full size Balboa Spa Packs are good.

Better American brands are; Master Spas, Wind River Spas, Marque Spas,
Garden Spas, Sundance Spas and Cal Spas. Better Canadian Brand; Arctic
Spas.

But basically you want a hot tub that has a Balboa Control system-best
on market, Stay away from Gecko, Watkins IQ2000 and IQ2020 Spa packs (
lots of problems with these systems.

#2: Hot spring, sundance, marquis are the best

#3: Viking spas are good, Wind River Spas are good and made in Colorado. Dynasty spas are good as well as Jacuzzi. Sundance spas are good and they are joined to Jacuzzi. I recommend any spa that the equipment has easy access and commonly available parts. Artesian spas are good and I believe they stand by their products.

#4: my favorite brands are Marquis Spas, Bullfrog, Artesian, Windriver. Master. I would go and sit it them first. All have good equipment in them.

We ended up putting in an order for a Wind River, since they're local to me and came up in all of the detailed recommendations.

[AK47bp]

In my blue collar world I picked up one of these a few months ago, it was only $300 at the time.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Coleman-S...&wl13=&veh=sem

Best $300 I ever spent. Next long holiday camping trip with full hook ups I'm bringing it along. It's really only big enough for two people, but it works well for that.

Old post to reply to but I have a similar tub and great purchase.

It heats at about 1.5 degrees per hour. So if using 50 degree hose water it takes 32+ hours to get it to 104 degrees. Longer if it’s cooler out.

Not ideal for camping.


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[nickwm21]

Final roundup of reports from hot tub repair operations that DON'T SELL hot tubs. I asked them what brands to seek out and avoid. Here's what I got:

#1: The hot tub brands you don't want are any Canadian Watkins Products (
Hot Springs, Tiger River, Caldera or Aqua-Terra ), Jacuzzi ( having
quality problems last two years ), Tuff or Strong hot tubs with Balboa
Mini-Spa Pack only, ones with full size Balboa Spa Packs are good.

Better American brands are; Master Spas, Wind River Spas, Marque Spas,
Garden Spas, Sundance Spas and Cal Spas. Better Canadian Brand; Arctic
Spas.

But basically you want a hot tub that has a Balboa Control system-best
on market, Stay away from Gecko, Watkins IQ2000 and IQ2020 Spa packs (
lots of problems with these systems.

#2: Hot spring, sundance, marquis are the best

#3: Viking spas are good, Wind River Spas are good and made in Colorado. Dynasty spas are good as well as Jacuzzi. Sundance spas are good and they are joined to Jacuzzi. I recommend any spa that the equipment has easy access and commonly available parts. Artesian spas are good and I believe they stand by their products.

#4: my favorite brands are Marquis Spas, Bullfrog, Artesian, Windriver. Master. I would go and sit it them first. All have good equipment in them.

We ended up putting in an order for a Wind River, since they're local to me and came up in all of the detailed recommendations.

Thanks for this.

I think that Wind River is a good buy. If they were local I would have gone with them.

We looked at the Marquis. Holy moly. If you want to spend $20k on a tub, those are the ones... Fit and finish reminds me of a high end ski boat.

We put a deposit down on a Viking the other day. Definitely built way cheaper, full HDPE shell and siding, not wood and fiberglass/acrylic. Only way we could get into our budget. But All Balboa internals... and all reviews say it’s a good way to go if your going cheap.


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[fatnslow]

Old post to reply to but I have a similar tub and great purchase.

It heats at about 1.5 degrees per hour. So if using 50 degree hose water it takes 32+ hours to get it to 104 degrees. Longer if it’s cooler out.

Not ideal for camping.


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For about $200 you can add a rv water pump and a portable propane water heater in-line to make it a 4 season tub. You can go from 75-105 in about 2 hours.

[divegirl]

I understand this thread is a technical discussion on types and brands of hot tubs, but I'm disappointed it doesn't have more selfies of y'all sitting in your hot tubs. As an aside I'm following this thread...Lego and I have electrical for a hot tub but no concrete pad or hot tub yet. When we get one, I will assure some legit hot tub selfie pics, obviously.

[old goat]

I understand this thread is a technical discussion on types and brands of hot tubs, but I'm disappointed it doesn't have more selfies of y'all sitting in your hot tubs. As an aside I'm following this thread...Lego and I have electrical for a hot tub but no concrete pad or hot tub yet. When we get one, I will assure some legit hot tub selfie pics, obviously.

Careful what you wish for. And I think you're trying to trick some of us into dropping our phones into the spa.