How many pumps

[kc]

How many pumps should a hot tub have. I'm Looking at Beachcomber 750 which have 2 pumps 3.5 and 4.5. Master spas 850 have 4 pumps 6.0. Please help.

[Chris_H]

How many pumps do you think is enough?

[kc]

I don't really know thats why I'm asking this question.

[Chris_H]

When a dealer is talking about pumps it means they do not have anything else to talk about.  The number of pumps should have little factor in determining your purchase.  Yes, I am serious.  

The number of pumps don’t mean much of anything.  Arguably the most popular spa ever made, Hotspring Sovereign, has only one jet pump.

However, is there a possibility you could try the Beachcomber and the Master and use that as a guide on how many pumps are important to you?  Quite honestly, that is the best thing to do.  

[dpgtech]

Chris says it well, and hp does not mean much either, wet tests will give you the true measure of jet power,not horsepower.  if you are going to try comparing hp to hp make sure it's continous duty.

[Vinny]

It really has to do with the plumbing, jets, how many seats are running at the same time and how the tub feels to you.

As mentioned, some tubs have only one pump and may feel great but if someone is sitting in another seat, they may get a light message or none. Some tubs have a pump for every seat.

Wet testing is hard to do for some people - I didn't do it. I might do it on the next tub, this is really the only way to know how a tub fits you. Sitting in a dry tub isn't the same. If you don't wet test, try to get a feel for the tub by having them turn it on ... at least you'll see the jet action.

Quite honestly the two brands have people who love them and I'm sure either one will be a good choice if you decide not to wet test.

[Wisoki]

I ALMOST agree with every one else. There is only one statement I take issue with, but the poster disclaimed it by useing the word "arguably" in front of the rest of the statement. None the less, This whole pump number and hp thing just astounds me. If you really want to research this, find a pool builder that DOESNOT sell spas. Ask him to show you a 6 hp pump. You will soon realize that the sheer weight and size of a pump of that size is prohibitive in use in a self contained spa. A true 6 hp motor, WITHOUT the wet end is about 2 feet in length, add the wet end and now the complete pump is 2'6" now add the discharge and suction plumbing and the dang thing will never fit inside a cabinet. However, if you like their sales presentation and you think the product will work for you, then buy the thing, just be sure you realize what you are buying.

How many pumps should a hot tub have. I'm Looking at Beachcomber 750 which have 2 pumps 3.5 and 4.5. Master spas 850 have 4 pumps 6.0. Please help.

[kc]

Thank you for your feed back, You have all been a great help.
Thanks Again
KC

[marks]

I have a Beachcomber 580, it has one 4.5 hp pump.  I wet tested the 750 and liked it but did not purchase because I did not like the lounge seat.  The seat when not in use as a lounge hit me in the wrong place on my side.  The one advantage of the 750 having two pumps is that you can direct on pump to the foot jets and the other pump to half the seats in the spa.  This allows you to get full power on some seats as well as full power on the foot jets.  My 580 with both the foot jets and the seat jets on reduces power in both.  My dealer never mentioned the pumps or HP, I had to look it up in the manual.  

On another not, I would buy the Turbo option, it is only $300 and is fun sometimes.

[bob5820]

Generally the more pumps, the less piping and diverter valves will be needed. You may also find that as the number of pumps increase their HP drops. So is it better to have one or two higher HP pumps, with more piping, or 3 or more smaller  less powerful pumps with less piping. We could argue the merits and down side of each for months and never come to a conclusion. The number of pumps, and the number of jets, do not make a tub a good tub or a bad tub. Look for a tub that fits you well, made by a reputable manufacture, and sold by a dealer you can rely on. Also keep in mind that the HP figures you will be shown are break HP, or the power that the pump generates when it first starts. Continuous HP (what your pumps will really be running at) will be about 50% of break.

[J._McD]

While everybody has made very good points and they are right, let me take this perspective:

You can only sit in one seat at a time.

If you have "more" jets they require more gallons per minute, which either require a more powerful delivery system or a multiple delivery system.

95%, if not greater, 2 people or less are unsing the Hot Tub, that is of course unless you are a party animal and are buying it for social reason and you need to consider that too.

Different spas have differnt numbers of jets, but if you can sit in only one seat at a time, focus on what each seat has to offer.

Considering your significant other will most likely use the Hot Tub with you, focus on what you can do with the plumbing system.  This means what can you power up.    If you can not meet all of YOUR criteria, then maybe you need more pumps.

IF you are going to have multiple guests in the Hot Tub, family, friends, a party then be sure what ALL works or does not work.

As for the pumps themselves, ask about gallons per minute, because there are no horses coming out of the jets, and every body uses different hp rating most of which are mis-leading, and most of those are "overstating horsepower" numbers which is a nice way to say you are being feed a line of bull$hit, and you need to reconsider EVERYTHING they say.

Brake horse power is the rating of a pump on initial surge start up WITHOUT a work load.  

Continuous horse power is the rating of a pump that is continusly under a WORK LOAD and is the truest numer that relates to the "delivered" power.

More jets, more bells, more whistles, MORE MONEY.  This is the other factor that usually tells the truth.  4 to 5 pump systems are going to have more jets than a third world air force, and yet 1 pump systems are simply going to have fewer jets, requiring less gpm's, maybe ALL of the jets do not work at the same time, but they are usually less money and considered by some to be not what they are looking for.

Consider first what you want to afford, keep in mind every one is trying to impress you with what you see.  Sit in them to get the feel, and considering that not everyone water tests the spas before they buy, at least ask what works when and if they all work at the same time.  Sometimes the water test reveals more about what you didn't know or didn't think about, so encourage your significant other to water test with you.  

After all, you are going to own it for a very long time.

[marks]

I do not know about Master spas but the HP numbers on the Beachcomber are continious HP.  Not Break HP like Bob declared.

[salesdvl]

I looked at Beachcomber's website and it doesnt say anything one way or another about HP, that I could find.  However, it does offer an upgrade of 1 HP so you can "maximize your massage".  My concern there would be that most manufacturers that I am aware of will match their pump output to that of the jets.  Having the ability to order an "upgrade" HP without adding jets would mean that either it's under powered at the beginning or they are overpowering what the jets can handle and creating back pressure.
In my opinion, if you are going to add HP or pumps, you should be adding jets as well to stay balanced.

[Vinny]

In my opinion, if you are going to add HP or pumps, you should be adding jets as well to stay balanced.

I thought eating vegetables keeps you balanced!

[marks]

To find the HP of a Beachcomber hot tub down load the owners manual and they have a chart with the data.