Re: whats the best tub for energy

[Brewman]

There are no pat answers to anything you've asked.
Most of the "premium" spas cost about the same to operate, given they are similar in water capacity, etc..
Your electric rates, climate, and usage patterns will impact your power costs more than anything.
Circulation pumps are great according to those that offer them, and unnecessary according to those who don't.
Brewman

[nicker]

what Breman said!

That is really a loaded question.  You do have to take into consideration all factors.  Size of tub, climate amount of use and the quality of tub.  All the tubs you mentioned would be up there in quality.

Circ pump question is a choice you will have to make on your own.  My tub has one and I do like it.   Not to say my second tub would have to have it.   If you love a certain tub are you not going to buy it because it does or doesn't have a circ pump?    

[Kyle]

Brewman love your way of thinking.

[Rayman]

what Breman said!


Circ pump question is a choice you will have to make on your own.  My tub has one and I do like it.   Not to say my second tub would have to have it.   If you love a certain tub are you not going to buy it because it does or doesn't have a circ pump?    

I have had 2 new tubs this year same model with all the same options except the second one has a circ pump, I would never buy one without it.

Ray

[Poohbear66]

I would never own a spa without a circ pump.  Why add an ozonator that only runs when the 2-speed pump kicks on?  Ozone does not last in the water so you would lose the advantages of ozone without a circ pump! Plus stagnent water is prime breeding ground for bacteria and algae.  I also have seen from personal experience in Michigan that the costs of running the spa are a little less with a circ. pump.  Just my opinions...good luck!

[scott10367]

I will admit to my bias after 20 years of selling HS I am a fan! :-)  I would say the Sovereign has the lowest energy costs.  I sold one to my mom and my sister...so I must believe in that model.  As far as circ pumps go...most of the 'major' brands offer them as standard equipment and have for years! Research both spas and then wet test them, then ask friends who own either model/brand, then wet test again...then buy your favorite and start enjoying spa ownership.

[Mendocino101]

I would never own a spa without a circ pump.  Why add an ozonator that only runs when the 2-speed pump kicks on?  Ozone does not last in the water so you would lose the advantages of ozone without a circ pump! Plus stagnent water is prime breeding ground for bacteria and algae.  I also have seen from personal experience in Michigan that the costs of running the spa are a little less with a circ. pump.  Just my opinions...good luck!

Did you know that the water in the main lines is not filtered when running that circ pump ? it only gets drawn in to the filters when the main pump is turned on so if you do not run your spa and it does not have a purge cycle than the water in the main plumbing remains stagnant and depending on use this of course can go on for days or weeks. Also the there is much debate as to weather 24 ozone in a spa is always a good thing .....In Europe I recently read where it a may not be permitted in Hot Tub use ....so there are other sides to the story other than it being a blanketed answer as to all of its benefits ...there is also the strong argument of having the water in spa being filtered between 60 and 80 times a day with the 2 speed vs the approximately 20 times a day that it is with the average circ pump ....both have there advantages .... to add in todays spas most all of them with proper water care will keep your water clean.....

[Chas]

Did you know that the water in the main lines is not filtered when running that circ pump ? it only gets drawn in to the filters when the main pump is turned on so if you do not run your spa and it does not have a purge cycle than the water in the main plumbing remains stagnant and depending on use this of course can go on for days or weeks.

Actually, HotSpring ties the small circ pump into the main plumbing lines so there is a very small amount of movement in the water in the plumbing even when the spa is not in use.  This is a dual-purpose system which also drains down all the plumbing at water change or if you ever shut down the spa for the winter/summer.

Caldera runs a purge cycle twice a day instead.

Many of the major makers use a purge cycle - I guess I should explain "purge cycle," the system simply turns on the jet pumps and blower one at a time for a couple of minutes twice a day to be sure the water in all systems is pushed out and replaced by fresh.

One other tidbit: HS runs all water through a filter before the pump. This means that all water in all plumbing is filtered water. So when you run the jets and then shutdown, the water left in the plumbing has been filtered. This may not keep everything perfect by itself, but in conjunction with the above, it works quite well!

[Vinny]

Don't let energy efficiency or circ pump be the deciding factor.

I agree with what Brewman, Mendo and Chas said and here's my view as a consumer.

As Brewman said - energy efficiency depends on usage, weather and the like but if 2 tubs were side by side not being used and TUB A cost $3 to $10 a month less than TUB B and you like TUB B, it's a McDonald's Big Mac meal or 2 a month - not a big deal based on YOUR enjoyment of the tub. Of course if a tub is that much $$$ more to run than yes, you have to take that into consideration.

My tub used approx 190 KWH (this is estimated usage) for July. Part of that was a refill (Chas' Law) plus a party turned water cloudy. I use the tub almost every night (maybe missed 6 nights due to heat and humidity and l had 2 parties on back to back weekends. Since the tub was refilled and had to heat the water I used an additional 44 KWH (approx) to heat the water and who knows how many KWH's for the parties. I don't expect to use anything like that for Aug since - no refill and no parties.

One thing Mendo didn't say and it may be that Marquis moves all the water in all the pipes during a filter cycle. Usually a circ pump moves water only through it's circuit but some (many?) manufacturers only run Pump 1 on low speed to filter. So if you have a 3 pump system and Pump 1 runs 4 hours a day - the rest of the pumps and lines won't get filtered water IF there's not a purge cycle run to clear the water.

Sales blurbs are just that. Almost everyone has clean water, those who have problems (such as myself) need to figure out why they have problems. Unless a tub is not manufactured correctly, I doubt the tub is the problem.

My advice: Buy the tub you like the best!

My 2 cents!!