Is this a good deal?

[hottub63]

I"m considering buying a mint condition, maintained perfectly 2007 Hot Spring Envoy Hot Tub for 2000 dollars. (Plus 300 for delivery.)

He had it listed for 3500 but is moving and will take 2000 for it. The tub looks brand new. The cover looks great, it has the optional fold back cover, light, etc...

What are your thoughts on this? Thinking of buying it tonight.

[TwinCitiesHotSpring]

good deal, make sure you get the GFCI panel to go with it, otherwise you'll have to buy one from a Hot Spring dealer, because of the "split breaker" system you can't source that box from home depot, menards, etc

[hottub63]

Yes, that's what I've read. The company I am hiring to get the hot tub said they will get that for me.

I have no experience with this, so do they just put electrical tape on the wires they take out of that box?

As far as the price, do you think I'm getting a good deal, or just an ok one? Should I try to go lower you think? (I'm not sure if he'll take it, but it's worth a try if you think I should.)

Also what do I need to do once I get this hot tub and fill turn it on? Do I need to run some sort of deep cleaner in it? If so what should I do...then what sort of ongoing maintenance should I use? This is our first hot tub. The guys at the local hot springs store suggested I used the silk stuff.

I'd like to get in it as soon as possible! I plan on having the electrician come over today to hook everything up, so hopefully I can enjoy this thing asap!

[TwinCitiesHotSpring]

Yes, that's what I've read. The company I am hiring to get the hot tub said they will get that for me.

I have no experience with this, so do they just put electrical tape on the wires they take out of that box?

As far as the price, do you think I'm getting a good deal, or just an ok one? Should I try to go lower you think? (I'm not sure if he'll take it, but it's worth a try if you think I should.)

Also what do I need to do once I get this hot tub and fill turn it on? Do I need to run some sort of deep cleaner in it? If so what should I do...then what sort of ongoing maintenance should I use? This is our first hot tub. The guys at the local hot springs store suggested I used the silk stuff.

I'd like to get in it as soon as possible! I plan on having the electrician come over today to hook everything up, so hopefully I can enjoy this thing asap!

the price is very fair, I would easily sell that tub for 4-5k out of the showroom....as far as setup goes this is what I would do, don't take it as gospel just as my opinion....

1. obviously have it delivered and wired using a certified electrician (complete wiring diagram available on hotspring.com)
2. give it a light wipe down (don't go nuts on cleaning just yet, you'll see why below) fill it, and verify everything was wired correctly and working
3. take 6-8oz of your tap-water in a clean container to your local dealer
4. purchase 'Clean Start' its a "flush/purging" product made by the same company who makes Silk Balance...at the same time have them test your water and give start-up recommendations, I also recommend stocking up on chemicals at this point, let them know you'd appreciate a discount if you buy a half-year/years worth of chemicals....stick with the basics (chlorine granules, pH up/pH down, non-chlorine shock, test strips, filter cleaner, a bag of clean start as mentioned above, and maybe some foam down to have on hand
5. get home and use the clean start as per the instructions on back (you will need a 5 gal. bucket for dilution purposes) and yes you will have to drain the water out but this way you will start 100% "fresh and clean" so to speak, once you've done the clean start and drained the spa you can now give it 1 more thorough cleaning/wipe-down (also a good time to clean the filters if they need it)...hit all the nooks and crannies, behind the pillows, inside the filter compartment, etc.
6. refill the spa and add chemicals per your instructions you were given from the dealer (or post results on here and we can help you)
7. BOOM...your set, everything is 100% clean fresh and ready to roll inside and out so to speak
8. use the hell out of it ;-)

[hottub63]

Thanks so much for your help. The dealer suggested that same fresh start stuff...quick question...is that needed if the previous owner took good care of it?

Also the Hot Spring dealer told me I should really use the silk stuff instead of all the other chemicals...I told him I heard it was much more pricey then other chemicals and he said when it's all said and done it's really doesn't cost all that much more.

Thoughts on this?

[TwinCitiesHotSpring]

Thanks so much for your help. The dealer suggested that same fresh start stuff...quick question...is that needed if the previous owner took good care of it?

Also the Hot Spring dealer told me I should really use the silk stuff instead of all the other chemicals...I told him I heard it was much more pricey then other chemicals and he said when it's all said and done it's really doesn't cost all that much more.

Thoughts on this?

I wouldn't say the clean start procedure is 100% necessary, but again just my opinion and I happen to be very particular with nice things I own, so to me starting up a used tub as clean as possible is important to me....also regardless of how well it was taken care of biofilm, small calcium deposits, etc can still form inside the spa and this product is the best I've ever used for purging the spa...long story short, its completely up to you if you wanna use it or not but as a professional I do recommend it

Silk Balance is a not a product I personally use, has nothing to do with it being bad or good, its just that I am 100% comfortable with using traditional methods so I cannot personally justify the extra cost of it...1 important thing to remember, there is no magic pill for your spa...you still need to balance pH, Alk. and calcium hardness properly at startup and you still need some form of sanitizer to maintain a safe hottub

[hottub63]

Thanks!

It's amazing how much some of the dealers try to hard sell you on the silk...the margins on that stuff must be huge!

This hot tub has the ozone filter as well...although I don't really know what that means. This is a 2007...so is there something I need to add to the ozone filter? What good does this do for me? Does it mean I use less chemicals?

[TwinCitiesHotSpring]

Thanks!

It's amazing how much some of the dealers try to hard sell you on the silk...the margins on that stuff must be huge!

This hot tub has the ozone filter as well...although I don't really know what that means. This is a 2007...so is there something I need to add to the ozone filter? What good does this do for me? Does it mean I use less chemicals?

first i would verify if your ozonator still has life to it because they do not last forever, you can purchase an "ozone test kit" for very cheap from your dealer...the effectiveness of ozone will depend on your usages, if your using the spa on a regular basis the ozone is a good item to have, but if your usages are very sporadic ozone will actually deplete your chlorine levels a little quicker so if that is the case I wouldn't worry about replacing if/when it "dies"