New to buying a hot tub... looking for some help !!!!!!

[rosewoodsteel]

hey Rose any update on your tub ? should be on your pad verry soon !!

Tub has been built and shipped to Spokane Washington.   Not sure when it will ship from there.  My driveway is badly iced, so I hope the tub comes later on in the week when it is supposed to warm up a bit.  This will give the salt I put down a chance to work.   We are parking our cars at the bottom of the driveway now, because of how icey it is.  (We have a long gravel driveway that winds up a hill.)
Anyway, I am supposed to get a call a few days before it arrives.    I'm hoping the timing works out.

[Ryan VSO]

hehe yeah , keep us posted .

[Sam]

The JetPak concept is about so much more than just moving massage to different seats, though as stated above that is nice.  If the lounger is your favorite seat, you can have one of 16 different massages in that seat at any given time.  From deep tissue, to light and soothing.  From neck and shoulder, to lower back.  From oscillating, to pulsating, to direct pressure. 

With Jetpaks, there is just a 2" line around the bottom that feeds the jetpaks instead of a spaghetti monster of plumbing.  The more plumbing, the more friction created as the water passes through it, hence less pressure.  You can demonstrate this to yourself by pulling out a 75' garden hose with a bunch of kinks in it (i.e. plumbing elbows and manifolds).  How much pressure comes out of the end of that hose?  Now take a 10' hose without all of the kinks and compare the pressure.  I assure you that there will be significantly more pressure out of the short hose with less elbows or kinks.  This is also demonstrated in the fact that most hot tubs use diverter valves.  You cannot get full pressure out of all of the seats at the same time, you use the valve to switch between different seats.  In a Bullfrog, you get full pressure in every single seat simultaneously.  Go to every hot tub store that you are interested in and ask the salesperson to show you every jet on at the same time in their wet model.   Then reach your hand in and feel the pressure.  See for yourself, don't take my word for it.,

Additionally, JetPaks allow you to decide which type of massage you want when you purchase it.  Every other hot tub comes the way it comes.  If you don't like the jets in the seat that fits you best, you have absolutely no recourse.  The 16 different jetpaks are all very different in their massage, as is every person's preference for massage.  Also, should your therapy needs ever change, you can simply purchase a new jetpak that suits you, rather than purchase a new hot tub.  Bullfrog spas are infinitely upgradeable.  As they come out with new jetpaks, you can upgrade your old tub.

For every jet in most hot tubs, there is a hole drilled in the shell and 2 different plumbing pieces and fittings to bring both water and air to the jet.  They connect underneath the shell and are usually buried in foam.  Should a leak ever develop, the process can be very frustrating.  With a Bullfrog, most of those jets and fittings are in the water with you.  You don't need to dig through foam to try and find the leak.  You just pop the jetpak out.  It doesn't even require a tool and the water does not have to be drained out of the tub, as is necessary in most other tubs.

It's not just JetPaks either.  Bullfrog makes a solid tub from top to bottom.  Their frame is 100% injection molded plastic, not wood or metal like most tubs.  The frame carries a lifetime warranty.  Now someone will chime in and say that they have seen plenty of 20 year old tubs with wood frames.  That's good and true.  I have also seen countless wood framed tubs fall apart when we try to remove them.

Bullfrog Spas are still made in the USA, if that means anything to you.  Their pillows are made of a very durable rubber, rather than foam like most.  The foam pillows look great for the first couple of years.  The open cell foam ultimately becomes water logged and falls apart.  I have never replaced a Bullfrog pillow.  You can also pump them up with a bike pump to change the feel from soft to firm.  Kind of like a sleep number bed.  The motors are mounted on rubber bushings to dampen sound and vibration.  The solid ABS base has electrical chaseways so that you can bring power in from any side without having to trench around the spa.  There are a million little things like that go into a Bullfrog.  Their design philosophy is to find a way to improve every minor detail in a hot tub.  They aren't just playing follow the leader like most brands. 

I could go on and on, but will leave it there for now.  I firmly believe in the brand and truly feel that they have built a better mouse trap.  I'm not here to say Bullfrog is better than anything else out there.  I just feel the need to correct people when they say, "why do you need to move your jets, just move to another seat".  This statement shows a distinct lack of understanding about the product and gives a false impression to those looking for insight during the confusing purchasing process.  This is all just my opinion though.  They may not be right for everyone and that's fine.  There are quite a few great brands out there.  I just want to make sure that accurate information is portrayed.

[habs]

Sam.... Thank you for your response... it sound like you sell the bullfrog brand and that is why I got on this site to get info from users and sales reps..... It is to bad that the retail store rep in my area was to much a "Smoke and Mirrors"  type of a sales rep for us and turned us off of the brand......I had never heard of the Bullfrog brand and it was this site that made me consider it......I am not the type of person to jump into a 8-10 thousand dollar invest and not do my homework....when you get right down to it some of these brands are just a few hundred dollars difference and I am looking for the after market support for the next 10-15 years.........I appreciate you taking the time to make me look at the brand from a different point of view....I just might have to take a wet test.... I have the Hot Spring brand wet test scheduled for the end of the week

[Tman122]

  You don't need to dig through foam to try and find the leak.  You just pop the jetpak out.  It doesn't even require a tool and the water does not have to be drained out of the tub, as is necessary in most other tubs.

There's a lot in this post that is nothing but salesmanship but alas who has the time.

Most tubs have slice valves that will isolate where 99% of the leaks I repair are. The equipment bay. And with no diverter valve how do you control the pressure if you prefer it lower? A diverter is not a bad thing.

[TwinCitiesHotSpring]

  You don't need to dig through foam to try and find the leak.  You just pop the jetpak out.  It doesn't even require a tool and the water does not have to be drained out of the tub, as is necessary in most other tubs.

There's a lot in this post that is nothing but salesmanship but alas who has the time.

Most tubs have slice valves that will isolate where 99% of the leaks I repair are. The equipment bay. And with no diverter valve how do you control the pressure if you prefer it lower? A diverter is not a bad thing.

it's not a bad thing at all, I'll honestly say when I got a good look at all Bullfrogs tubs at the Vegas show I was impressed with the overall look and fit and finish...however I felt 6-8 various jets packs and there were all severely underwhelming, small nozzles and the pressure was not special at all.  I'd rather have diverter(s) and adjustable bezel jets so I can dial it in the way I want it

[Jacuzzi Jim]

 Actually each seat has it's own diverter, I also like the fact they have 2 ea 2spd pumps vs just one..   Overall I think it's a very nice and well built spa.  As far as individual jets opening and closing and being able to "dial" it in,  I believe HS just changed that what a year ago, so it must not be that big of a deal...   

[meriflower]

Each jetpack has its own dial that you can control the pressure however it controls all the jets on the pack.  On the jets that are not part of the jetpack you can dial them individually.  For me personally, I get a variety and awesome therapy with my Bullfrog and I don't have to deal with multiple diverters to power off one set of jets to turn another set on.  On my Bullfrog I can have all the jets running at the same time. 

Is important to go and wet test as many tubs and brands as possible.  When wet testing learn the different controls, take your time.   Unfortunately you may run into bad salespeople (smoke and mirrors or who bad mouth the competition) is all part of the experience - LOL!

[dunecritter]

Actually each seat has it's own diverter, I also like the fact they have 2 ea 2spd pumps vs just one..   Overall I think it's a very nice and well built spa.  As far as individual jets opening and closing and being able to "dial" it in,  I believe HS just changed that what a year ago, so it must not be that big of a deal...   

Not sure about how long ago HS introduced the Jets that you can "Dial In" or adjust down individually but My 2007 HS Vista model had all these jets as well. It sounds as tho some people think you have to divert the pressure to one set of jets or the other ..This is not the case... You can simply leave the diverter control in the center and equal pressure will be sent to all jets at the same time and all jets can operate at the same time. But the cool part about the diverter you can actually put way more pressure to certain seats that you choose with the diverter and allowing 100% of the pumps pressure to just a few jets and it will certainly have some crazy power that you will most likely turn down after a short while as it is pretty darn strong. So like I stated...leave the diverter in the middle and have an equal pressure across the board or tune it in with stronger seats if you wish using the diverter. HS High Life models are very tunable. So altho the second pump is one speed (High ONLY) one can turn down the jets individually if they desire. So no need to have two speeds in my opinion. I know Jim...Spoken like a true salesperson.

[Isaac-1]

My 1998 Jetsetter also has these adjustable jets

[meriflower]

 [/quote]
It sounds as tho some people think you have to divert the pressure to one set of jets or the other ..This is not the case... You can simply leave the diverter control in the center and equal pressure will be sent to all jets at the same time and all jets can operate at the same time.
[/quote]

For the spa I previously owned that was the case.  It wasn't a HS.

[Hottubguy]

Merriflower you prevoiusly owned a marquis I believe?  The only jets you cant run at the same time as the others are the HK40 jets.  You can run all the others at the same time by putting the diverter in the middle or you can divert it to give you more power to individual seats.  The HK-40 are specialized jets that take 40 gpm on each jet whick is why they can't be run with the other jets.  Some people like that feauture some people don't that's why it's great there is so many different tubs in the market

[meriflower]

I did own Marquis, two in fact.  The first one, a 2003 Euphoria, the second a 2006 Epic.  I could not get all jets running on the adirondack chair or the deep therapy chair.  For the adirondack chair I could get a combo of thighs/calves or calves/feet if I put the D diverter in the middle between the numbers but no jets going on my back.    The times that I put the diverter in the middle and not on the exact number it made a loud hissing noise. which was annoying as it was close to my ear.  Dealer said that was normal as I wasn't exact on the number and it was water pressure.

[habs]

Had a wet test today at the Hot Springs brand... Tried the Vanguard and did not care for it... Kept being pushed out of the seat... He did not have a Pulse on the floor to test....

[richierich]

Try a tub that has a center foot jet dome. I have a Sundance Optima and the dome helps keep you in your seat by giving your feet something to push against. Caldera tubs also have places molded into the floor to use as foot anchors. I liked the Caldera  Niagara very much. Good luck in your search and make sure you continue  to wet test and enjoy the process. It will pay off in the long run.