Arctic hot tubs

[Rayman]

Can you imagine if this ever happens and gets published.  Posts would decline prertty fast.

http://www.poolspanews.com/2001/052/052topnews.html#a

I don't know how old the article is though.

Ray

[stl-rex]

I've always wondered about that thermal area that uses the pumps heat to keep costs down.  If the spa has to be running to keep heat generateing around the spa cabinet area.  How can that be efficient?  Air space in cold weather will become cold very quickly.  I have a feeling that the 3-4 amp motor will have to run a lot during the day to keep temperature in the water.  Has there ever been a third party test from Coleman, Arctic or Master that stated official testing standards by equipment and not theory?

I wish there was a third party unsponsored test.  The ARC test posted on the Arctic site was sponsored by Arctic.  I don't believe the numbers on the test are fabricated, but it would be more credible if completely unbiased.  Of course the only way to do that is for someone to purchase spas from a dealer, much like Consumer Reports, and report the results.  Sorry, I'm fresh out of the $100K or more necessary to conduct the test.
If they come out with a Chiller and it was thermoelectric based, the Peltier technology has been around for a while and is proven.  Sure it's something else to break.  

But the truly bottom line is how the spa fits for you.  I may be mistaken, but many who dismiss Arctic haven't wet tested one or more models.  They're not for everyone, but neither is every other spa.  While we haven't made our minds up, we happen to like the sculpted seats on the Tundra model and find them as comfortable or more so than anything else we tested.

[ebirrane]

While we haven't made our minds up, we happen to like the sculpted seats on the Tundra model and find them as comfortable or more so than anything else we tested.

That's the most important part.  Take the worst case scenario: You get an Arctic spa and it has problems, leaks, whatever (referencing Bill's comments from another thread) what would you rather have:

A hot tub with 100% uptime but less comfort or a hot tub with 95% uptime and more comfort?

In the long run it is about comfort.You gotta find the spa that fits your body height/weight/pressure points/whatever (and those of your family).

-Ed

[Steve]

Ed's right (as always) but I would also add the quality of the dealer as a deciding factor as well.

Steve

[Hot Tub Guru]

Any spa can leak.  Arctic. Hot Springs, Cal Spa, D-1, Sundance, etc...  If a customer asks me what can break on my spa, I will flat out tell them everything.  Not that everything will break, but everything can break.  Every jet, every pump, every hose line, the heater, the electronics, the topside, the list can go on and on.  Every spa that anyone sells will break just the same.  Every car will break, every TV will break, and every mechanical thing will break.  So every spa will have down time.  So the question is can you fix it and how fast?  With an Arctic you can see everything, so the down time will be reduced if there is a problem.  

Michael
www.HeavenlyTimes.com

[Duffman]

Hi there. listed below are my personal findings from wet testing the Tundra LE, Summit LE, and the Frontier LE. I cannot stress enough how important it is to wet test Arctic spas due to the specialized sculpting of the seats. Some people absolutely love the feel of the seats and the layout, but they definitely don't fit everyone; myself included (5' 6" ~205 lbs).

P.S. My full wet test report is located at http://www.members.cox.net/duffman471/Spa_Wet_Testing_Analysis.htm

Arctic Spas Review:  
---------------

As a neutral comment I would like to state my observations on the insulation design they advertise. I have read the “independent” study available on the Arctic website that evaluated efficiency for numerous competitors. While Arctic came out on top in this report it should be noted that the conditions for the test went as low as negative 13 degrees C (8.6 deg F). I contacted Arctic and two dealers who agreed that unless you have very cold winters, the cost to operate would not be significantly different then other spas. Personally I like the engineering of Arctic’s design but since I live by Washington DC, I would not expect to save a significant amount money on electricity. If I lived in Minnesota I might have a very different opinion.  


The features I liked best include:  

(a) Spa shell material and thickness. I have heard of few cases where a spa’s shell cracked but I felt comfortable that I would not have any concerns in this area with the Arctic.  

(b) I liked the variety and placement of jets in the upper-level packages. There is also a very powerful whirpool jet which adds a great massage option to the spas.

(c) I felt that the two motor systems had a good power level for most users but require use of the diverter valve to get the most out of any seat. The versions with three motors provided significant improvement in performance.  

(d) From the brands I have researched I think Arctic provides the most solid cover. It has a metal sheet inside it for reinforcement. I will not confirm Arctic’s claim that it insulates better then other covers, but I do believe it is likely the strongest and will probably last much longer. However, it is heavy enough that you will probably want a cover lifter for it.

(e) The "forever floor" used on the base of all Arctic spas appears to be the most durable compared to any other brand I have inpected. It looks like there is great seal for protection from insects getting inside. Also, it is the only floor that I have seen that does not require a solid base (e.g., wood, brick, pavers, packed gravel, or concrete). Arctic claims you can place their spas on level ground without any special base.



The features I disliked were:

(a) Arctic seems to have the most seat sculpting for any of the spas I have seen. Not only does this type of shell use up a lot of space in all the tub (the Tundra model is an exception), some of the corner seats were actually snug and a bit uncomfortable for me (I'm a big guy but not huge <5'6", 210 lbs>). To better understand what I mean about using up space, note that four out of the six "8 foot" Arctic spas only hold 380-418 gallons of water (of course if you like these models, the decreased volume will certainly cost less to heat). Only the Avalanche and Tundra models hold 490-540 gallons which is more consistent with most 8' spas I have seen (typically around 500 gal). It should also be noted that when I asked about small side seats in the Tundra and the small corner seat in the Frontier and Summit, the dealer and Arctic rep I talked to said these seats were designed with women in mind. You’ll just have to try it yourself. If you have a smaller waistline, these seats might be perfect for you. To be fair though, I really liked the sculpted upper and lower arm rests, and the wrist jets were well placed on the corner seats.  

(b) I felt the availability of foot jets was limited, even on the top end models. On the Tundra model, there are dedicated foot jets for two of the corner seats but you have to be 5' tall or less to comfortable use them. I had to bend my lower legs back underneath my knees to get my feet on them. On other models the foot jets were more difficult to reach from the large captain's chairs

(c) When inspecting the plumbing inside one of the 8' models I noticed that there was a bit of water seeping from multiple tube connections. The dealer's response to this was that the water in that spa was at room temperature, and that once the spa was heated to operating temperature, the silicone in the PVC connectors would expand and provide a proper seal. When I initially wrote up my opinion on this I figured the dealer was just giving me a reason not to look at the Arctic negatively. However, I just talked to another Arctic rep today who confirmed that this can indeed happen. I have to wonder if this happens with other spas.

[Tman122]

Any spa can leak.  Arctic. Hot Springs, Cal Spa, D-1, Sundance, etc...  If a customer asks me what can break on my spa, I will flat out tell them everything.  Not that everything will break, but everything can break.  Every jet, every pump, every hose line, the heater, the electronics, the topside, the list can go on and on.  Every spa that anyone sells will break just the same.  Every car will break, every TV will break, and every mechanical thing will break.  So every spa will have down time.  So the question is can you fix it and how fast?  With an Arctic you can see everything, so the down time will be reduced if there is a problem.  

Michael
www.HeavenlyTimes.com

Now lets put this into perspective Mike. If a repair guy must fix your tub and the leak takes 1 hour to fix on a 3/4 foam tub (which is what I call any of the number of brands that have foam on the shell but are not full foam.) and it takes 45 minutes on the Arctic. How much is he going to bill you.....yep 1 hour. So I am not sure a cost savings is realized in the repair. Now in a FF tub there may certainly be more cost to a repair to a line but if it leaks in the lines 50-75 percent less and if 90-95 percent of all leaks are in the equipment area is there truely a cost savings there worth using as a sales pitch?

I don't sell tubs I am a 25 year plumber.

[ebirrane]

Ed's right (as always) but I would also add the quality of the dealer as a deciding factor as well.

Steve

*yes* Steve is absolutely correct.  Sometimes the only difference between a tub that is down for 2 days or 2 weeks is going to be the quality of the dealer!

-Ed