Air Blower Confusion

[dazedandconfused]

Do all spas have air blowers?  What is an air blower?

For example, on a HS, you have 2 size knobs - the bigger one is a diverter (diverting ONLY WATER between regions in the spa) and the smaller one is for ONLY adjusting the force of WATER in that respective seat?

I am thinking that an air bloer is for the aroma therapy on the Sundance line?

I am confused!

[ZzTop]

An air blower is a separate air pump which forces air throught the jets.

No most spas do not have air blowers.  The consensus seems to be that they do not add much to jet therapy and tend to introduce cold air into the water which lowers the temperature.   The only real advantage I can see is in very hot weather it might be refreshing.  It is a personal choice, but remember the more features, the more things to fail or go wrong.

Do not confuse an air blower with the standard air controls which are on every spa which work from suction (venturi) of the pumped water pulling air into each jet.  You will find a diverter or diverters on your spa which controls the amount of air introduced.  This is a good thing and all that is really needed.

Aroma therapy can be introduced simply by pouring a liquid scent (one approved for spa use) and usually a teaspoon full directly into the spa water.  For most people it is not a big thing.

[dazedandconfused]

Thanks

But what is an air blower - does it just blow air thru the nozzles along with water?

Does SD, HS, D1 use air blowers?

[Brewman]

An air blower is just that.  Only air is blown thru special "jets" located throughout the tub.  No water is pumped thru these.  There is a special air pump made for this purpose, doesn't use the main pumps.
This is how the aroma therapy on our Optima works.  
I don't think all spas have this.  We like the affect, but it does tend to introduce cooler air into the water, which is something the heater takes care of in a couple minutes.

Perhaps you are confusing the air mixture controls for the therapy jets.  With these, you open them to add air to the water running thru the jets.  I think the effect with air mixed in is better than just water alone.


Brewman

[Spatech_tuo]

Brew and ZZ have it. Air blowers add very little if anything to a spa IMO and nothing is free so I prefer not to have them if I'm buying. I'm not saying they are a negative but they are not needed IMO.

[dazedandconfused]

So air blowers are for aroma therapy?  So I guess SD has them?

What about HS and D1, do they have them?

[ZzTop]

NO, air blowers are for blowing extra air bubbles into the tub.
.
Aroma Therapy is absolutely secondary and can be achieved in every make of tub simply by putting a few drops in the tub, without paying for a costly extra like an air blower.

Every post I have seen regarding air blowers and aromatherapy says it does not work well.  

There is a better and cheaper way to get aroma therapy for what it is worth.

A WARNING.

Watch out for all the flash and  gimmicks used to sell hot tubs.
They have little real intrinsic value compared to basic hydrotherapy, seating comfort, good engineering and long term quality and satisfaction.

Things I don't particulary like are waterfalls, stereos, misters, pillows, AIR BLOWERS, overkill on the number of jets and pumps which add up to more costs of operation and maintenence and  of course higher failure rates over the life expectancy of the Spa.

If you are looking for, "Look What I Own  bragging rights "by all means get the whole nine yards.  You will surely pay the price in the end.

Well - thank you for letting me get that off my chest!  LOL

Regards, Zz.

[ebirrane]

Hot spring have aromatherapy and no air blower.  I was in a cameo last night and, while great, the air blower kept shooting (what felt like) icicles into my legs and back (I was in the lounger).

Also, oddly, when I covered the holes with my legs the air bubbler (I *think* it was the air bubbler) made a weird whirring sound.

Dropping smelly liquid in the water and then agitating the water gives you the smells.  Jets can agitate the water just as well as air bubblers and without the icicles.  Heck, dropping aromatherapy oils in the water and slapping it alot with your hand will probably do the trick.

-Ed

[Chas]

I think the question has been answered, but that has never stopped me from posting before....  

An air blower is just that: a machine that moves only air. It contains a series-wound motor, which is a very high RPM device. As such, they make a sound exactly like a shop vacuum - in fact the motors are virtually identical to those found in a shop vac.

Now - as to how they are plumbed into a spa: some makers hook them up to a set of small outlets scattered around the spa - usually at exactly the same depth in a sort of a ring - and when you power up the blower, these outlets will blow air. Only. No water moves, other than what gets moved around in the tub as the bubbles climb to the surface.

Other makers add a directional valve to the air blower so you can force air into the hydromassage jets. You see, these jets are designed to draw in air as the water passes through them, and most makers put air controls on these systems to adjust the feel of the jets. Adding the ability to force air into the air system of the jets is like turbocharging: it adds a ton of extra activity.

The drawbacks to blower systems are many. First: most people don't use them after the newness wears off. They cool the water because of the larger volume of air moving through the water. They also tend to bring up a cloud of sanitizer right to eye level. They are either noisy in the extreme, or if they are quiet, it means that they are buried in a hard-to-reach place, which is bad news if you ever need to fix it.

The noise of the blower can be very annoying, but even if the machine itself is quiet, the noise the bubbles make is pretty loud. You will find yourself speaking loudly to make yourself heard if you have a blower running.

Yes there are people who like the blowers in their tubs. But I have come across lots who do not. The one group of people who really love blowers would be spa salespeople who can watch the look of wonder on the face of a prospect when they hit the blower button and watch the fantastic action in the tub as the bubbles hit the surface. Of course, if those same people knew about what I have told you above, they might not look so enthralled...

By the way, in case you couldn't guess: HotSpring has never put a blower in a spa in 27 years.

[ZzTop]

Chas, Exccellent post

[Electro]

dazedandconfused,                

Sundance was the first company to offer a built-in aromatherapy system in 1992.  By 1999, when they designed and offered their latest hot tub for sale, they elected to not include the air blower (aromatherapy) system.

Interesting, huh!

This was a gimmick that didn't pan out.

Electro

[poolboy34]

Air blowers serve one purpose in my opinion................to make spas look cool in the showroom !!!!!!!!!!   I gotta be honest.........caldera has air blowers on their Utopia series spas, and I have yet to see where they would ever offer any type of hydrotherapy.  watkins sales reps claim they are for "soft tissue therapy" (guess they stole that from the marketing geniuses at thermospas) which i honestly don't see.  The air blower is nosiy and sounds like a friggin vaccum cleaner!!!!!!!!!  Seriosly though, i gotta say the utopia geneva "Looks Impressive" with all the jets gong and the air blower on..............water raging everywhere  Point being.........I don't know what and have yet to find the reasoning behind having an air blower, other then to make the spas look tim taylorish at shows and fairs to get the impulse buyers.  I like caldera spas, I sell them, but let's be honest the air blower does nothing and is noisy to boot............like a mother in law   .........oh boy I'm gonna get heat for that, thank god I'm still single  Anyways if the spa you like has an air blower, don't let that be the deciding factor and force you to go with your second choice.  You can simply choose not to use it in the end.  case in point, My buddy's parents own an Optima, it has an air blower.......they simply don't use it, and BTW that's an awesome tub with GREAT jet action.  

[poopsy]

how would you compare the optima to the caldera tahitian utopia? i have wet tested both and like both...the geneva was nice but i felt the lounger in the geneva was a bit small for the wife at 5 foot 1....

[Spatech_tuo]

Poops,
I'm not sure you'll find a lounger anywhere that will work well for someone who is 5'1". Even in some of the other seats she may need a seat cushion.