Hot tub newbie help!

[cgg1211]

Completely confused here.  Just started my hot tub search.  We know we want a 7x7 and with 2 pumps.

So far we went to one store that carries Artesian.  For our size and price range, he suggested the South Seas Spas 735L which has 2 pumps--one a 5HP pump & the other with a 2-3 (forget which) horsepower pump. It has 48 jets.   One of the things this guy told us is we have to shock it, do a weekly PH test & 2 different chemicals floating in the pool (one being mineral).  He said our electric bill will probably go up 20-30/month.

Then we went to another store and they had a Sunrise Spa.  For our price range & size, we were looking at the Meridian.  It has 2 5HP pumps.  It has 40 jets.  She said we'd only have to do the minerals & shock weekly.  No PH test/chemicals (it's not a pool she said).  She insisted that they are so efficient now, our electric bill will not be affected.

I also went to a hot tub expo but it was for some warehouse, not a retailer.  They had Pinnacle there.  I wasn't too serious and the guy wasn't too helpful, but he insisted the only thing you needed in the pool was cartridges that get changed every three months.  He also insisted that there would be no impact on our electric bill.

So now I'm completely confused & here are my questions:
1.  What is the appropriate way to care for a hot tub?  Does it vary by manufacturer & that's why we have 3 different explanations?
2.  I know that you want to stick with a company that has been around for a while.  But how do you know who has been around for a while and how do you know it's reputation for repairs and customer service?  I had difficulty in finding any reviews on these.
3.  What do you think of having the 5 HP and then a 2/3 HP one?  Is that just silly and go with the 5HP?
4.  Between Artesian and Sunrise, is there a clear winner between the two?

Completely confused.

[Chartreux]

Others will come by with answers to your techincal questions and you should pay attention, they are great on here for helping out!

Look online at Jacuzzi, Sundance and Hot Springs...The Sundance has a 7' x 7' tub called "The Victoria" is very nice top of the line and so wish I could get that one! 
Worth looking at these tubs might be something on their websites in your price range...Maybe There'll  be 4th of July specials...You can also sign up online for specials to be sent to your e-mail.

[Vinny]

Both are somewhat wrong.

A hot tub is definitely not a pool but it is something that you need to take care of more than a pool. There are 2 sanitizers that are mostly used - bromine and chlorine. You do need to worry about PH and alkalinity. Since it is usually about 400 gallons or less and warm the tub can get away from you if you aren't diligent in your water care. And you need to dump the water and refill every 3 to 4 months of operation.

Is it hard - NO! But you need to understand what water care is all about. Once you get past the learning curve which is usually happens during the first month of ownership it does go onto autopilot for how you take care of the water.

It sounds like both dealers are talking bromine since they're selling it as you don't have to do anything, maybe someone with bromine experience can chime in but I do think there's more to it then shocking once a week.

Here's a sunrise spa review google: https://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&aq=&oq=sunrise+hot+tub+reviews&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4MXGB_enUS514US514&q=sunrise+hot+tub+reviews&gs_l=hp...0j0i22i30l2.0.0.0.6161...........0.TjaBf-SoG48

here's a Artesian spa review google: https://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&aq=&oq=sunrise+hot+tub+reviews&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4MXGB_enUS514US514&q=sunrise+hot+tub+reviews&gs_l=hp...0j0i22i30l2.0.0.0.6161...........0.TjaBf-SoG48#q=artesian+spas+hot+tub+reviews

I own an Artesian and have nothing but good to say about it. My spa has 3 pumps in it and the question on HP depends on how it's plumbed and how many jets each pump has.

The answer to #4 is - it depends on the dealer and how they take care of their customers!

[silverbullet]

As a newbie here to I was wondering if there was some kind of Q & A fact sheet here somewhere on this forum.
Answers to questions like.
What color should your water be,
What to add when you get green slime in your water,
Whats wrong when you come out & your skin's itchy.
How can you tell when its time to refill your bromine,
Whats the difference in using clorine vs bromine?
Etc, Etc,

[Vinny]

With the amount of info available with Google a single place couldn't possibly have every scenario that is going on with water. I gave advice to Quickbeam and Top line Mike gave opposite advice and Mike's advice works and mine doesn't. But the advice I gave is what I use and it works great for me.

I think understanding water chemistry is an integral part of owning a pool or tub and usually it happens during the first months of ownership. You'll do something to the water and screw it up, adjust for your screw up and it gets worse ... Then something clicks and you start to get it.

The good thing is if you do have a problem a place like this can help a lot and can get detailed if you need to get detailed.

All of us were newbies once, it does get easier.

[wmccall]

Welcome to the forum!  I can only add, I've seen Artesian and know they aren't a bad brand.  That third guy would leave me  scratching my head. .

[Topline Mike]

I'm a newbie too, 5 months ago I didn't know squat about hot tubs and water chemistry.  Today, I would feel comfortable going to anyone's house to test their spa water, and direct them on what to add to balance and sanitize their spa.  I've read and re-read forum posts about water chemistry. 

There are 2 main concerns to the water in your hot tub.  The first is balancing your water.  You are looking for a pH reading of somewhere between 7.2 and 7.8.  The human eye has a pH of 7.5, which is perfect.  You will also be checking your TA (total alkalinity) and CH (calcium hardness).  You need to have these three parameters in the zone to have balanced water. 
Once your water is in balance, then you need to sanitize it.  The three main sanitizers are dichlor/bleach method, bromine, and Nature2.  Can you sanitize before you balance?  Absolutely.  The only problem with this is that if your sanitizer level is very high, it can throw off some of the tests you use to balance the water.  That's why I recommend balancing first, sanitize second. 

So, you need to test your water.  I've read time and time again on different websites that the best way to do this is to get a good water testing kit, especially if you are a newbie.  Test strips work, and they give you quick results and are fairly cheap, but they are also very vague.  You can also bring a sample of your water to the pool/spa store.  I've seen posts where a person took their sample to three different pool stores, and you guessed it, he got three different results.  If you consider the time and gas money going back and forth to the spa store for your water test, having a good test kit at home pays for itself in a short time, with accurate results.  I recommend a Taylor Test Kit, which will run about $50 to $60.  Test kits are specific to the sanitation method you are using. 

I used bromine on my first fill, and I had no problems.  I am now using the dichlor/bleach method, just to try it out.  My wife commented that the water looks fabulous with this method.  We are not using the tub nearly as much in the summer heat, so that may be the reason our water looks so good right now. 

cgg1211, your question #1.  It doesn't matter which tub brand you buy, you need balanced water with a sanitation method. 

silverbullet, I know you just got your tub.  I hope you don't have green slime in the tub already.  This means your sanitizer level is below where it should be.  I am from the Madison, WI area.  I'd be more than happy to help out a fellow cheesehead! 

[cgg1211]

Thanks all!  I appreciate the feedback.  Someone mentioned a water chemistry forum.  Can you advise which one for a newbie?  And yes, they recommended bromine, except for the 3rd guy who said it didn't need anything.  Second place said no need to test water and first place is in line with what you seem to be saying:
PH Test
Bromine
Shock

But the Bromine--that was one side of the chemical holder & there was a different chemical on the other side.  They both floated together in the water.  Any ideas what the other one was?

[Lionheart_CHP]

If you're looking at the Sunrise Meridian as fitting your desired price range, the Bullfrog A7 is going to be close to double that (at least in my area).  I wet tested Jacuzzi, Bullfrog, and Sunrise before deciding on the Sunrise S104. Sunrise isn't one of the big names on here, but what I've found leads me to believe they are well worth your consideration.  The biggest things are a dealer you can trust and rely on, and a tub that fits you well in terms of style and comfort.

[Spatech_tuo]

So now I'm completely confused & here are my questions:
1.  What is the appropriate way to care for a hot tub?  Does it vary by manufacturer & that's why we have 3 different explanations?
2.  I know that you want to stick with a company that has been around for a while.  But how do you know who has been around for a while and how do you know it's reputation for repairs and customer service?  I had difficulty in finding any reviews on these.
3.  What do you think of having the 5 HP and then a 2/3 HP one?  Is that just silly and go with the 5HP?
4.  Between Artesian and Sunrise, is there a clear winner between the two?
Completely confused.

1) It will vary by dealer as much as anything but I wouldn't sweat this too much, the dealer should be able to get you going.
2) I'd look for a reputable brand like Caldera, D1, Hot Spring, Jacuzzi, Sundance ... but that's half the battle. The other half is the dealer itself. Ask each dealer how long in business, how long with this brand, do they service in house, how long service guy has been there... whatever else you can think of to get a feel for what they know and how helpful they'll be after the sale.
3) That 5 HP is probably really 5 BHP which equals about 2.5 in real HP. Quoting BHP ratings  is very deceiving and enough for me to stay away from those who use it.
4) If those are your final two brand options in your area I'd probably call em a wash and go with whichever dealer you seem more comfortable with.

[Vinny]

Thanks all!  I appreciate the feedback.  Someone mentioned a water chemistry forum.  Can you advise which one for a newbie?  And yes, they recommended bromine, except for the 3rd guy who said it didn't need anything.  Second place said no need to test water and first place is in line with what you seem to be saying:
PH Test
Bromine
Shock

But the Bromine--that was one side of the chemical holder & there was a different chemical on the other side.  They both floated together in the water.  Any ideas what the other one was?

Some people use mineral sticks - Nature 2 and Spa Frog along with their chlorine/bromine; I believe the Frog is the one used in a floater.

As far as water chemistry this was a presentation I found online by Taylor: http://www.njeha.org/Past%20Atlantic%20City%20Conference/2011%20Conference/2011%20-%20Conference%20Presentations/Basic%20Water%20Chemistry%20&%20Testing-%20Taylor%20Technologies.pdf     It is addressing commercial pool/spa people but most of it applies to personal as well.

Water chemistry sounds like it's a daunting task - but it is relatively easy once you get the hang of it.

I would stay away from "expos" as they tend to be flighty and you may end up with no warranty or at least the local dealer not honoring the warranty. Back when I was shopping which was a while ago I found that every major brand of tubs had an equivalent in the other major brands at every price level. You'll find through internet research (at least) that some brands are better then others. Don't be brainwashed by some of the sales gibberish that some sales people will give you.

If you can wet test - do it.

[Shan]

We bought an Artesian spa a few years ago. 748L. It is a really nice tub, but the electric bill is higher in the winter for obvious reasons. Toronto area. Double what the salesman told me. Winterized it this year.

I got a starter chemical kit when I bought it.

Initial fill,  use 80ml of Prevent 2, which prevents scaling and build up. Run pumps for 1 hour.

Use your spa.

After using it, add lithium, spa shock and spa clear together. Run it for 20 min and done.

Suggests to use lithium after every use.
Spa shock when water is cloudy.
Prevent 2 weekly.
Spa clear to boost levels of chlorine. Makes water sparkle.

All depends on your use really, went back to buy some more chemicals from the guy, really expensive.
Home Depot or Canadian Tire had similar stuff for cheap.

Now I just adjust to use, and don't add anything I don't have to.

Really happy with our purchase, actually draining it right now. Getting ready for Canada Day.

[cgg1211]

I want to thank everyone for their advice.  We just bought our hot tub yesterday! We went with Sundance!  The dealer has been around 30 years and they told us PH, shock 1x/week, bromine & minerals.  Change one filter every emptying (2-3 times/year), rinse other filter every emptying & change it every 2-3 years.  This is more in line with what you were all saying and I feel better knowing I'm going with a brand that has been around a while as well as a dealer who has as well!

[Quickbeam]

Congratulations on your new tub!

Which Model Sundance did you get?