Wet tested Caldera

[Chas]

Well, we have thirteen shiny new Caldera spas on our brand-new showroom floor. I thought it was about time I did a wet test. Sheesh - some folks would have done this before buying just ONE!

Here are my thoughts from the wet test last night:

It was about 9pm. The store isn't officially open yet, but even if it was this would be an 'after hours' test soak. The isles are stacked with boxes of patio furniture and there is a scaffold tower just over there.  The spa has a big fat cable snaking across the floor and a sub-panel lays prone with it's face open to the passing observer like some sort of electrical casualty in a retail war. There's most likely electrical blood all over, but fortunately it's invisible to the naked eye...

The spa is a Utopia Niagra. The system can automatically turn on the lights inside and outside of the spa everyday for you, and somebody has triggerd that so the tub is sitting in a glow of color-changing light washing around the floor on three sides as we enter the darkened building and begin putting towells onto the waiting towell rack.

A small problem arises, as I asked the guys to fill and wire the Aquatic Melodies Elation right next to it, but they have no idea which spa is which yet, so I now see that they filled the wrong tub. No real problem, eventually I want to try them all...

No lifter for the lid yet, so we slide the cover easily over onto the spa in the next display and begin trying to figure out how to run one of these things. Wow - what a major difference from a HotSpring tub! What's this air button do? Oh - that looks like a real selling tool there... as a cloud of chlorine odor wafts up to meet our noses.

And the light system is very different: to get it to change color you have to make use of the owners manual. Well, we did anyway. Turns out you hold the 'set' button and then tap the light button to start and stop the color-change. You can pause it on the color you like or let it do it's own thing. It dims just like a HotSpring: tap the light button once and it comes on full bright. Each following tap of the button yeilds a 20% decrease of the light inside the spa until it acheives oneness with the dark of night..

Suit on, towell at the ready and both my daughter and my wife chicken out. I guess the store isn't familiar enough yet, and there are large glass doors nearby, so we have a fine example of why some customers simply will not do a wet test. We are still building, and there will be a 'mood room' at the other end of the shooroom with two running spas in it ASAP. They say they can wait.

I hop in. Actually, the guys put quite a bit of water in this tub, and I carry a lot of weight to a tub... that is, I am overflow-challenged in most tubs. But this one is large, and easily handles the rise in water level as I slide gently in.

The tub is set for 101 as I enter, and I noted that after running the jets (both pumps) and trying everything out for about a half hour, the temp is now 102. I do like the fact that there is a read-out of actual spa temperature. Same control system does not offer that in a HotSpring...

I think that the temp change was all in the 'mind' of the control system. They put a temp sensor in the wall of the spa. It is quite likely that the water in that area of the tub may not be in motion as much as it should be for the thing to get an accurate reading. Once the jets and blower are active, the water moves around much more - of course- and I guess the probe gets a better 'idea' of the temp of the water. Hmm.

Continued when I get the time...

[autoplay]

It probably raised 1 degree as...you had everything running.  Mine does the same thing,bout 1 degree.

What color is your speedo?

[obi wan]

must be all that great insulation. i've had my niagra for a few months now, and it will rise a degree or even 2, if its warm outside. we had friends over yesterday for cookout. by evening (8pm) we parked all the kids, (their 4 and our 4) in the fam room to watch to latest harry potter flick. the 4 adults got into the tub. ihave been keeping the temp at 100 and bump it to 101 or 102 when i get in, in the evenings, as it has been down in the 70's some nights. been very warm here recently here in va, and last night it stayed quite warm. after 45 minutes, the temp was at 103, and our guests took turns on the cool down / entry seat.
now that it staying warm, im toying with swapping it over to summer mode, where i think the 24 hr circ pump only runs for 16 hrs a day. will kind of wait and see how the temps run for the next few weeks.
i like it at 102-103, so if it will get htere with out having to use the heater, sounds great! less heat=less $. not much though...
our tub is used everyday1-2 hours on average, occasionally more, and i am very pleased to report that my utility bill has gone upless than $15 month. it will be more come this winter, but very happy, and relaxed, so far.......

[Chas]

Well, I hesitate to post this: but I like some of the jets on the Caldera line better than some of the jets on the HotSpring line.

Specifiaclly, the ones that you can swap from straight to spin by just 'toggling' the nozzle over a bit. Also, the smal jets in the Accolade in my back yard hurt when they are on full blast.  I am going to try the mini-spinners, and if that doesn't do it, I will screw in some bigger orifices - very easy to do, btw.

I still think the MotoMassage is the best jet in the world. I think I will stay with HS in my backyard - especially the new Grandee - but Caldera would be my second choice in a heartbeat.

I don't know why, but I really like the waterfall on the Caldera. It's so simple how they just added it onto the skimmer lid. My kids think it's lame, but I also like the little lights which shine into the skimmer area to sort of back-light that area.

[drober30]

I like the Cadera Niagra. Caldeara dealer would not let me wet test the Niagra or I might of just ended up with one.

I will say nothing beats the HS BellaFontana IMHO. Even though I ended up with the wellspring which is not as cool as a waterfall.

[leesweet]

What sort of dealer 'does not let you wet test' a certain model?  They don't think you're serious? Don't want to sell it? Or what?

Anybody that flat out told me I couldn't wet test something I was interested in would see my back as I headed for the door!  

[drober30]

What sort of dealer 'does not let you wet test' a certain model?  They don't think you're serious? Don't want to sell it? Or what?

Anybody that flat out told me I couldn't wet test something I was interested in would see my back as I headed for the door!  

As they did and I bought a HS.

They sold pool tables, furniture and all kinds of other stuff.

They had one tub filled for wet testing which was the Geneva. I wet tested it and liked it but did not want the lounger.

I was very interested in the seating in the Niagara but was not willing to buy without testing.

[leesweet]

Ah, I got it...  I wouldn't call them a dealer, then.  Some one that has one on display (with no water) and uses it to perhaps hold the fireplace and pool table accessories isn't serious.