Ozone- Is it worth it?

[bob snader]

There seem to be a lot of selling gimmicks, imo.   

LOL!
Yup.
I guess they figure that if you can afford to buy an over sized bathtub to stick on your lawn... then you've got money to burn!

[rosewoodsteel]

Tman122, can you suggest any manufacturer, in particular, with reasonably priced upgrades?  I am looking for a quality 6 person tub that is easy to work on, has a rot / pest proof frame, fiberglass reinforced shell, one or two loungers approximately 40 jets and a top warranty.  It would be nice to have exterior shell lighting, as well.   If options, such as ozone and an air are available without getting the suppository treatment, I might be interested.

[rosewoodsteel]

Bob,

I don't doubt your wisdom there. 

[Tman122]

There are several manufacturers out there that can meet your needs. Who is in your area?

I don't understand the rot pest proof frame part though. Wood can rot if not cared for properly but most high quality manufacturers warrant them for the maximum amount of time. Metal can rust if not cared for properly but again they are warranted for the maximum amount of time. I think someone may have convinced you that one frame material is better than another but that is simply not true. Now a plastic frame may solve the rot rust problem however if the frame last for 100 years and the tub for 15-20 who cares?

[rosewoodsteel]

Tman122,
I have convinced myself that a wood frame is not what I want.
The 2 x 4 frame of my old Horizon 450, rotted out.   The so called "All heart, vertical grain, redwood cabinet" (as quoted from their brochure) was thin veneer glued onto particle board. I had to pull the veneer from the particle board and glue it onto marine grade plywood to keep the cabinet in one piece.   
The hot tub is on a pad, in a wooded area of my yard.   I want a water proof, pest poof, rust proof frame.   To me, it's what is not seen in a hot tub that makes it a quality product.  Since I'll be putting down around 10K, I expect it to last much longer than the warranty period.    Until recently, our vehicles were 28, 18 and 17 years old.   I performed all of the maintenance on them and for that matter everything else at my household.  (I just replaced the 17 year old vehicle, a pos Sebring that was a maintenance nightmare.)  Sorry to digress, but I am not really interested in a wooden frame.

[Sam]

I agree on the frame,  Rosewoodsteel.  I have seen too many wood framed hot tubs fall apart.  Even the so called premium brands. 

Bullfrog has a nice injection molded plastic frame with a lifetime warranty and a sealed ABS base pan.  You can decide which jets you want and customize it yourself.  They are also ozone ready so you can put an inexpensive ozonator on it if you want.  They make a double lounger as well.  Bullfrog is by far my favorite hot tub brand.  I love the jetpak concept, though Tman will probably say it is gimmicky.

Clearwater spas also has a good synthetic frame and makes a nice tub. 

Those are the only 2 synthetic frames that I know of, but I'm sure there are others.

What part of the country do you live in?

[Tman122]

Great Lakes hot tubs out of Michigan has a model that will meet your needs also. I've never disposed of a hot tub because the frame was rotten. I've seen rotten wood in frames and skirts but it was never the reason the tub was disposed of. The tubs were all long past there life expectancy. But you sound like a handy enough guy to keep a tub going past it's life expectancy. So by all means get a plastic framed tub. There's other besides the three mentioned also. Do some browsing. I think you can find one that you won't need to add so many expensive options.

[rosewoodsteel]

Thank you guys!   I was afraid I was going to be torn apart on my last post.   It's good to know that there are some stand up people here.     John

[hottubdan]

So, are ozone systems really worth it in the long run?
Do they shorten the life of your cover?
I used my Coleman for years and never missed it.

Hottubdan, what manufacturer would you suggest?   
After looking into tubs for the last few weeks, the one thing I have learned is that a HT company makes it's bread and butter with their options.    $1100 extra for enhanced lighting?  $1995 for the "top of the line" music system.
$800 for "our" best ozone system..

Ozone with circ pump is standard in a Hot Spring Highlife series. 

[clover]

Rosewood, keep an open mind as you search for the right tub.  Your projections are well thought out, and you are looking to not repeat what you know.  However, hot tubs today are not made like they were 10 years ago, as they have made advances in every decade over the past 3.  It used to be shells went bad, then components, then the longevity of wood, all contributing to the affects of what you have experienced.

With that said, I would suggest you review the artesianspas.com site and look at the Elite Series and the Island Series.  The Elite leaves only the high end options of superfluous stuff that some chose to afford, while the island Series allows you to build and equip your spa to meet your expectations with an ability to control cost.

The Spas are made with pressure treated framing to eliminate some of your concerns, and can be equipped with a permabase ABS pan that is standard in the Elite Series, but optional in the Island Series.  You can also chose to include gate vales on the pumps to facilitate service if and when needed without draining the spa.  Find your size, look at the variations of jets, and equipment options, then hit the "design" key to view the various color options and the synthetic cabinet colors.

There are a lot of other good hot tubs out there to look at, but at least you can get some bench marks on what you can expect to see and compare.