Beachcomber Access Through Slats?

[Zoo]

Hi all,

Thank you for those who responded to my soft tub questions. Unfortunately that thread was deleted (perhaps due to the link provided in the third response). At any rate my question today has to do with Beachcomber. There does not appear to be any access panels at the side. I asked a rep about this yesterday at a local fair and she responded that due to the tongue and groove construction that whatever panels need to be removed can and then reattached. On previous posts to this forum I had read that the Beachcomber tubs have to be turned on their sides to deal with plumbing issues etc not related to Protec.
If Hottubman or Steve could give me their two cents on this I would appreciate it (due to their previous experiences with Beachcomber). Can individual slats be removed as this rep stated or would the tub have to be put on its side as I had previously read here.
      Thank you in advance for your information

[HotTubMan]

Zoo;

Yes the slats can be removed. Corners (one peice not 6 as it appears) can be challenging without flipping the tub onto its side.

HTMan

[TALKCalgary.com]

When our new Beachcomber tub was delivered the spa tech found that he had to move one of the decorative lights on the outside. To do this he removed two slats to gain access the cabling. The who process took him less than 10 minutes. After he was finished I could not tell which slats he had replaced.

Steve

[Zoo]

Hi Hottun man and Talk Calgary,

   Thank you for your reponses. TalkCalgary, based on your experiences I no longer worry about this as a consideration. By the way, are you having good experiences with your tub from a warranty perspective at the dealer and manufacturer level? I have heard that Beachcomber takes their customer service pretty seriously and will look after you. Have you found this to be true? How are you finding the power level from the jets? From what I recall from some of your earlier posts you had some concerns about the power etc with your tub pre-delivery. Would you buy Beachcomber again? Would you still buy a 7 series tub over a 5 series tub? I have been looking at the 578 and 530 tubs due to the fact that we have a small yard. Would it be really worth the extra $ to move up to a 720???

    Thanks as always for your feedback!

[TALKCalgary.com]

Hi Hottun man and Talk Calgary,

    Thank you for your reponses. TalkCalgary, based on your experiences I no longer worry about this as a consideration. By the way, are you having good experiences with your tub from a warranty perspective at the dealer and manufacturer level? I have heard that Beachcomber takes their customer service pretty seriously and will look after you. Have you found this to be true? How are you finding the power level from the jets? From what I recall from some of your earlier posts you had some concerns about the power etc with your tub pre-delivery. Would you buy Beachcomber again? Would you still buy a 7 series tub over a 5 series tub? I have been looking at the 578 and 530 tubs due to the fact that we have a small yard. Would it be really worth the extra $ to move up to a 720???

     Thanks as always for your feedback!

Hi Zoo

In answer to your questions. We have only had our spa for three weeks but have had first rate help from our dealer.

You are correct in saying that I had concerns about the power level from the jets, but these were unfounded. Prior to delivery we up-rated our spa to include two 4.5hp motors. On reflection, we would have been OK with the standard 3.5/4.5 pumps.

Although we looked at dozens of spa manufactures, in the Beachcomber range we only wet tested the 740 and 750. The reason we went for the 750 was the seats were deeper and we found we floated out of the lounger on the 740.

Would we buy Beachcomber again? In a heartbeat. We spent several months looking at and wet testing spas. For us the 700 series was by far the most comfortable spa we tested. But that was only part of the reason we went for Beachcomber. a large part of our reason fro choosing Beachcomber was the dealership, who we both trusted and felt safe with.

There is little doubt that Beachcomber make a good spa. Personally I feel they could make it better by improving on the filtration, putting a base on their product and possibly providing a more sturdy cover (such as the one Arctic provide). But you know Zoo, life is a compromise and at the end of the day, both my wife and I are very, very happy with our 750.

Steve
PS
If you do go for the Beachcomber, get your dealer to fit a suitable base.

[RDF]

What is the benefit of a plastic bottom if the outer most insulation is made from the kind that gets rock hard like Hot Springs and Beachcomber use, especially if it is sitting on concrete?

I realize there is always room for improvement, but I've had my 730 for over a year now with crystal clear water. What would be the benefit of better filtration?

Just curious..

[Bubbles]

I realize there is always room for improvement, but I've had my 730 for over a year now with crystal clear water. What would be the benefit of better filtration?

Just curious..

I would tell you to concentrate more on balancing your water than worrying about a system designed to do a good job as it is talkcalgary. RDF is right on. A 12 HP filtration pump is an option I guess? How dirty did you say you were?  

[TALKCalgary.com]

I would tell you to concentrate more on balancing your water than worrying about a system designed to do a good job as it is talkcalgary. RDF is right on. A 12 HP filtration pump is an option I guess? How dirty did you say you were?  

Well Bubbles, according to my wife I can be very dirty but that's another story.   Seriously though, when we were looking at other manufactures such as Arctic and Hot Springs, one of the things that impressed us was the filtration systems these companies used. After all, the more solids you can remove from a body of water the better. That's not to say that Beachcomber filtration is inefficient, just that it could be better.

As for the base, it just seems more logical to seal it. Our local dealer has for some years now attempted to do this by bolting pressure treated ply wood to the base of all the Beachcombers they supply. Their reason for doing so (not mine) is that it protects the spa. Apparently, (according to our dealer) Beachcomber themselves are planning to put a base on their spas in the very near future.

Steve
PS - Just for the record, I feel Beachcomber have an exceptionally good spa in the 750. I personally consider it to be the best we tested and believe it or not, I can be a very picky customer :-)

[HotTubMan]

More filtration (paper elements 20 micro) does not equal cleaner water, it equals less maintenance. Think of your filter element like a garbage can. The bigger the garbage can, the less often it has to emptied. The reverse is also true. Beachcombers philosophy is to take less room in the spa for filtration and have you empty it more often. Some people would prefer to rinse t less often and take more room in the spa.