24 hour circulation pump: is this a must hav

[solo]

That's just a sales tactic to make his particular brand appear more favorable to you.  Ignore it.  The FACT is that a 24-hour filtration system (like Jacuzzi/Sun Dance and many others) work EXACTLY as well as the periodic systems used by other mfgs (such as Bullfrog and Beachcomber).

One thing I noticed in this particular thread are dealers pointing you to the lower cost (and smaller) spas.  That should NOT be the case.  Pick a SIZE you want to fit the price range (i.e. a MINIMUM 400 gallon tub for $7K vs. just the price target).  That will help you figure this out quicker (and will also stop the dealers from trying to fit you into a smaller/less costly tub).

Thank you.  I appreciate your advice.  I am starting to feel like a small fish in shark infested waters...

[ndabunka]

The secondary lines are a VERY good way to get a large percentage of what you want in a quality tub.  If hte lowest you can get the Sundance guy to go on an Cameo (Optima with a lounger) is $8,200 and that's over your budget, you can look at the lower end line by Sundance to see what does fit and see if you can get the price down.  One caution is that you pretty much have to start over from ZERO when you change the line.  Most dealers want to take the easy way out and say, I can get you into the 2nd line for $7,000 but what they don't tell you (because they leverage your information) is that the 2nd line only started at $7,500.  So, although you've worked the Cameo down (sometimes over a number of weeks) from $9,500 to $8,200 ($1,300 discount), you may only be getting a $500 discount on the 2nd line product (where you may have been able to get a similar percentage discount on it).  So, when the dealer does try to move you from X to Y, ask them ....what do you "normally" sell the 2nd line for?  Then, do a little math in your head and then repeat out loud.."OK, so you were willing to sell me the Cameo for $8,200 which is approximately an 14% discount off your asking price.  Does that mean that you can sell me the (2nd-line product) for ($7,500 * .14 = $1,050) for a price of $6,450, right?  Needless to say, this tactic retains the discount you battled so hard for previously and also short-circuits the dealers "automatic profit % increase" they normally see when moving form one line to the next.  They will reply with things like "We don't make as much on that line and therefore can't discount it as much" and the like.  Your reply should be something like "Well, that's too bad because that is what it would take for me to buy this from you TONIGHT.  And you need to be able to MEAN it before you say it so figure out what you want IN ADVANCE of such a discussion.  Good luck!

[webboy]

Here are my two cents.

I have asked my dealers about the circ pump and do they push it (it's an upgrade on our spas), these where there answers.

What is the proximity of the spa to your house, is it right outside your bedroom window? The circ pump is sooo quiet compared to the regular pump, not to say that the regular pumps are loud, but at 1 in the morning when all is quiet... Without the circ pump it will sound like someone is getting into your spa in the middle of the night when the circ cycle starts.

They are more energy efficient, pennies on the dollars, but in the long run...say who knows, 300 years, it should pay for itself .
 
later

[leaky]

Solo,

I have a 24-hour "hush" circ pump in my Beachcomber.  It's documented in another thread on this forum, but after enduring month after month of outrageous electric bills, I altered the factory setting and programmed the pump to run from 6:00-8:00 in the morning, and from 4:00-10:00 in the evening.  With water filtering only 8 hours per day, my bill was cut from over $200 to frequently around $100.

The duration has worked fine for the most part, although a couple times I've had to add some extra chlorine and shock to catch water that was starting to cloud.

[In_Too_Long]

Are you saying that a .6 amp draw pump was running you $200 a month to run 24 hours a day?

[D.P. Roberts]

Solo,

I have a 24-hour "hush" circ pump

Hush pumpies? Aren't they those fried balls of biscuit dough? Maybe this should be in the state fair thread.

[Steve]

Are you saying that a .6 amp draw pump was running you $200 a month to run 24 hours a day?

That was my first thought too...

The funny thing is, people have no clue unless they meter their spa. I did exactly that many times here in Alberta over the winter months and most spas averaged $30-45 per month Nov-Jan on a 24 hr cycle with a Hush pump.

I remember this guy coming into our store telling us how his spa was running over $200 per month to operate and was really upset. The next day we installed a meter and told him to track his usage, outside temperature, water temp and leave it on 24 hr circulation with the Hush pump.

2 months later he came with the most detailed document I've ever seen (he was an accountant   ) and he averaged $37 per month in those 2 months operational cost on his spa. We kept that letter and used it in our presentation for people who were really concerned about operational costs.

so $100 or $200 per month.... Naaaaa, I don't think so....

Steve

[In_Too_Long]

Steve,
What do you guys pay per Kwh up there?

[Steve]

11.101¢/kWh