planetary's 2012 Jacuzzi J-470

[planetary]

Bought labor day, 2012.

Full gallery here.

Photos of delivery, setup, and first uses in late September, 2012.

[Bonibelle]

Awesome!! Even the install was exciting!  Some of the best family conversations occurred with our two boys in the hot tub..Enjoy spending time with your family in your new tub!

[JohnnyK45]

Some of the best family conversations occurred with our two boys in the hot tub..

So very true!  I have two girls, and more so with my 4yr old, I hear about her school day, stuff she wants to do and we chat about the stars above - priceless time and fun memories...

Great photos; wonder if they asked anyone in the house to step out while they hoisted it over your roof? 

J

[wmccall]

I do like the looks of Jacuzz's control panel and lighting.  I was so close to buying the J345.

[jonnyboy2807]

I do like the looks of Jacuzz's control panel and lighting.

Ditto.  I know aesthetic preferences are very personal but I thought this model was the most attractive tub of all the ones I saw, even in daylight in a showroom without the lights on.

That's a very nice set up, makes me want to move south....

[TdiDave]

I love the picutres, it looks great.
 Would you happen to have a shot of how you feed the electrical into the tub?  I have a j-480 coming in a few week and interested is some way to feed the power.

[planetary]

Dave,

Just added a few pictures of the wiring to the main gallery.  I'll include them here.

First, my electrician drilled a hole into the bottom of the spa:


Then he secured the conduit to the concrete:



I previously had my landscapers provide an underground run from the hot tub to a nearby breakerbox location:


This is where the GFCI box is.  You'll see two condiuts, of course -- one coming from the tub, and the other going to the main house panel:


Inside the GFCI, it's pretty simple.  I recommend you go with the 60 amp wiring choice (not 50), so you can run all the pumps and the heater simultaneously.  It's a relatively small expense next to the tub, and it just guarantees that the temperature won't vary that much while you're using the tub:


Hope all this is roughly what you wanted to see!

[TdiDave]

Those are great, thanks for the update.

Did you have to put the hole in the spa?  I assumed it was already there. I was thinking about running hard conduit up along side and strait into the side with the sealtight so I can keep all of it very tight to the tub. Im not sure i can do it that way before the tub arrives (it would need to line up perfict)  But I see you just used sealtight the whole way up and bent right in, that maybe a easier option, but I think my electrician said no more than six feet of flexible.

[planetary]

Yes, my electrician had to drill a hole in the side of the spa.  Claimed it was pretty normal.  I spent a minute to check to see if there was an existing port or other method of ingress, but couldn't find one.  In any case, I don't notice anything now that it's set up, so I'm absolutely not sweating it. 

[planetary]

It is with mixed emotions that I provide this potentially final update to my Jacuzzi J-470 story -- for I have sold my home and alas, the Jacuzzi cannot come along with us.

Our new home (assuming all continues to go well) will be a little under an hour away, and has a built-in pool and hot tub in a much larger back yard.  The new pool will be really great, but the hot tub... despite being "custom" and built-in is honestly a step down.  I weep for the lost therapeutic jets and tasteful design!

But the J-470 has been a great companion to our family over these scant 7 months, and much easier to maintain and enjoy than I thought it would be.  I shall miss it greatly!  However, the new owners of our home are thrilled with the Jacuzzi, and have asked all about it.  I hope they enjoy it for many years to come.

[Jacuzzi Jim]

    Hope the new place works out better for you!