anyone used pool heater and pumps to drive hottub?

[plsbcheap]

I am building a pool right now.  I was not pleased with the spa inserts (fiberglass or plastic) or a Gunite built spa/hottub.  The pool builder recommended that I look at hottubs that are stand alone if I want "better action".  The ones usually built into a pool have only 1 or 2 jets per person and are not very comfortable.  I do like the "spill over into the pool" feature for beauty but want to end up with a therapeutic spa.
He suggested that maybe we could plumb the hottub/spa into the pool plumbing so that the pool still filters and heats the hottub but I get better action and comfort from a pre-made / designed tub like a Hot Springs, Sundance or the likes.  I would REALLY like the pool to keep the water clean and heated automatically and not have to fool with filters, draining and the extra power bills from a separate system.  Does anyone have advice on this and does anyone have a set up as I am describing?  Even just filtering and heating the hottub from the pool and still using the pumps in the hottub for the jets to massage would be great I just don't know about the practicality of this idea.

All help and suggestions are appreciated, including a recommendation of a "shell" with jets that could be installed with the pool that is comfortable and has good "action".
THANKS
!!!

[Micah]

One thing you have to remember is that a "spillover" takes all the hot water out of a spa and dumps it into the pool.  Dumping all that hot water into the pool is a much bigger energy waster than having a second set of equipment to keep both bodys of water seperate.  We have incorporated the "Vault" method to sink a portable spa next to an ingrond pool.  We then incorporated a waterfall that recirculates the cold pool water and makes it look like its coming out of the spa.  This way the spa remains hot and the pool remains cold.  You need to hook up the waterfall to the filter pump so it runs with your smaller .75 h.p. pump and not with a big 2.0 h.p. pump.  This is what I encourage everyone that is building a new pool to do

[Drewski]

Hi Please Be Cheap:

If you use the pool pump, heater and filter for water maintenance, you'd still end up with a seperate circuit for therapy jets in the spa.  I'd also wonder how the pool heater could maintain higher temp in the spa and lower temp in the pool using 1 circuit unless you use a 2 circuit heater? Is there such a thing?

Maybe a better solution is to have 2 remote equipment sets housed in the same space, one for the pool and one for the spa, but still allow spill over between the pool and spa for effect? If your sinking 30+ large in this project, is it really THAT much more?

Others on this forum may provide a better answer, there are still some "in ground" contractors here...

Good Luck!

Drewski

 

[hymbaw]

Sundance does sell plumbed shells for inground applications. I don't know too much about them, not much market for them up hear in the frozen tundra.

[Drewski]

OK Please be Cheap, a follow-up:

Looks like Jandy offers a duel circuit heater for your application. Click here for more info. It looks like you would also need to use Jandy's controls and valves to facilitate this arrangement.

Here's another link for pricing.

BTW, this stuff looks pretty cool, I didn't know someone actually made it...

Good Luck!

Drewski

[Vanguard]

Have the builder build a wall the height of the hot tub you buy, he can put in a water fall in that wall.  Then, slide the hot tub into the wall, I've seen it done where three sides of the tub have a wall around it.  When done, it looks like the tub is part of the pool and spilling over into the pool.  Yet, you don't have to do all kinds of funky pool plumbing to a stand alone hot tub.

[plsbcheap]

Follow up information... Drewski is spot on with his ideas and that is really where I was going with this.  Most of the pool contractors I have talked to and seen their work are using Jandy valves.  I think the heater is a Pentar/Pentair and has about 400K BTU's.  The electronic control (on your wall and in a remote) allow you to select spa heat only.  This changes the valve and the spa heats up but does NOT spill into the pool when you are using it as a hottub.  Your pool stays the same temp and the tub gets to 104 or whatever.  When it cools down you can then cause it to "spill over" into the pool with a waterfall effect that is nice and the water in the spa is always filtered through the same process as the pool.  
I like this idea so I don't have to keep up with two separate systems.  I am paying big bucks for the pool to be heated and electronically controlled so I'd like to take advantage of the automation for the spa as well.  HOWEVER I want the "therapeutic spa" action and most of the "spill over" spa tubs appear very simple with only 6 jets or so.

I didn't know if some of the tub manufactures that are on this forum (i.e. Hot Springs, SunDance, more) have a "inground" application as HYMBAU mentions above.

Bottom line the more research I do the more I "think" it is necessary to find an "inground" tub designed to hook to the pool heater/filter and thus using the electronic valves OR buy a separate spa and NOT hook them together.  I'm not worried about dumping the hot water in the pool as you don't usually run the spill over with the heat running on the pool or spa.  What I am hoping for is the ability to run the hottub year round and heat it when I want to use it but keep the pool filter/tub filter running year round to keep it clean.  The extra jets and "therapeutic action" was what I was hoping to find from some of the manufactures here and get away from the basic tub offered by pool companies.  If you sit in a Gunite hottub, you really just get heated up and enjoy very little therapy.

Post any links to spas that might fit the bill here.  Again, all your comments are very much appreciated.
THANKS!!!
Here is on link I found with a basic (that looks like the builders grade) spill over spa and a nicer one that is larger.  This picture is the better of the two.  I guess you still have to add addtional pumps to provide the action...http://www.partypools.com/hottubs/spill-overs/index.htm