Outdoor Hot Tub- Heat loss?

[Pastor_Mac]

Greetings all- I had a 2001 SOVEREIGN inside a glass Florida room in my old house I sold to a pastor friend. I'm looking for a hot tub now for my new house and this one will be outside on a deck. I went back to HS dealer today and also went to Jacuzzi too (first time) Jacuzzi dealer is saying that 50 amp system on SOVEREIGN will shut off heater once jets go on high and that the J-480 Jacuzzi with 60 amp system will continue to heat while running jets. My concern is this- With being outside in Ohio in winter and I sit in hot tub for 1/2 hour to 45 minutes at times will I experience water cooling and noticing in that amount of time?

Also what other factors do I need to consider for an outside elevated deck install (besides deck being sturdy enough) ? I'm concerned that I should have a gazebo or some other type of cover to protect the hot tub.

I'm looking for another longue since I had back surgery 3 years ago. Any suggestions? The SOVEREIGN moto massage was nice but it would 'stick'. So I'm after something a little more reliable this time around. I'll be wet testing some this week.

Thanks for your time.

God Bless all of you! :-)
John

[Tman122]

Greetings all- I had a 2001 SOVEREIGN inside a glass Florida room in my old house I sold to a pastor friend. I'm looking for a hot tub now for my new house and this one will be outside on a deck. I went back to HS dealer today and also went to Jacuzzi too (first time) Jacuzzi dealer is saying that 50 amp system on SOVEREIGN will shut off heater once jets go on high and that the J-480 Jacuzzi with 60 amp system will continue to heat while running jets. My concern is this- With being outside in Ohio in winter and I sit in hot tub for 1/2 hour to 45 minutes at times will I experience water cooling and noticing in that amount of time?

Also what other factors do I need to consider for an outside elevated deck install (besides deck being sturdy enough) ? I'm concerned that I should have a gazebo or some other type of cover to protect the hot tub.

I'm looking for another longue since I had back surgery 3 years ago. Any suggestions? The SOVEREIGN moto massage was nice but it would 'stick'. So I'm after something a little more reliable this time around. I'll be wet testing some this week.

Thanks for your time.

God Bless all of you! :-)
John

I'm not sure the sovereign needs 60 amps? Someone else will catch that. There however are several tubs that only require 50 amps to heat and pump. I live in Northern Minnesota and use 50 amps to heat and pump under the stars. And it has never cooled enough for it to be a problem, no matter how cold. We use our tub more in the fall, winter, and spring than we use it in the summer and I would never take away my view of the sky.

[Hammster]

I have a Sundance Capri model 880 and I can run the jets pump, air pump and heater all at the same time on a 50 amp circuit. It has a lounge seat. It doesn't have "moto" massage jets, but the all the jets are in the right position for me.
Maybe Sundance could be an alternative? Here in San Diego the Capri cost around $6000. It seats 2 - 3 comfortably.

I'm not in a cold weather part of the country but I've done my share of driving through those areas and I'd think you would want to insulate the underside of the raised deck. I always read that ice forms on bridges first because there isn't anything to insulate the underside of the bridge. So it seems to make sense to insulate the underside of the deck to help protect the equipment inside the spa. We have our Sundance under a covered patio and I'd like to think that it will help the cover and the rest of the spa last longer since it is less exposed to the elements. Maybe the same idea behind a gazebo?

[Vinny]

Welcome!

I have a tub that runs on 50 amps. It has a 4500 watt heater and in the winter (here in NJ) I will lose about 1º in 45 to 55 min. My heater doesn't run when 2 pumps (I think - it has 3 therapy pumps and a circ pump) are on and I've noticed that my heater can't raise the temp of the tub with the cover completely off. Maybe a 5500 watt heater (usually in a 60 amp tub and in some 50 amp tubs) would heat the water faster and be able to maintain the water's temp but it isn't so bad for me.

Also the thing to consider is how often the whole tub is being used - I typically only have 1 or 2 pumps running at the same time and it may or may not be the same for you.

As for other considerations - the only thing I can think about is wind protection if the area is windy.

There's a lot of nice tubs out there, look at Marquis, Artesian, Dimension 1, Sundance, LA Spas to name a few. We all have our favorite brand but pick the one that you like by way of the tub being comfortable and confidence in the dealer.

[Alex1]

I have a Marquis Epic on a 60 amp line. With both pumps on high it will still heat fine. If we are in for a period of time we find that we don't keep the pumps on high the whole time. It also has a lounger. And one last opinion, we enjoy the stars at night. Try it first without a roof, I think you will enjoy!! especially in the snow. (we use a baseball hat if it's coming down heavy).

[The_Bends]

Hate to toot our horn *honk* but our spas may go up a degree in temperature with the lid off and the pumps on.  

Heatlock baby!

[Gomboman]

Pastor_Mac,

The new Dual Moto-Massage jet is very nice--much better than the original IMHO. If you like a lounger, you should consider the Hotspring Envoy. It has more power and some other cool features over your last spa. Good luck.

[East_TX_Spa]

Welcome to the board Pastor_Mac.  It's good to have another ethically minded person here as I am outnumbered by the heatherns.

Two points:

1.  The Jacuzzi dealer is lying to you.  The Sovereign heater will run even with the jets on using a 50 amp service.  I will pray for him to turn from his wickedness.

2.  Two reasons the MotoMassage will stick:  Dirty filters (99%), damaged MotoMassage assembly (1%).

You might experience a 1 to 2 degree temperature loss on a very cold night.  This will be the case no matter what brand you choose (unless you go with one of the poorly insulated spas and then you might lose 10-20 degrees rather quickly).  However, the HotSpring Spas can be turned up as high as 108* should you need more heat.  I do believe every other spa tops out at 104*.  Just some information that might be pertinent to your situation.

Good luck with your shopping.

St. Terminator

[anne]

Jacuzzi dealer is saying that 50 amp system on SOVEREIGN will shut off heater once jets go on high and that the J-480 Jacuzzi with 60 amp system will continue to heat while running jets.

The sovereign comes with two different "power levels" right? 110 and 220? Perhaps this is what the Jacuzzi rep is trying to represent? (Albeit poorly)

[hottub.pool_boy]

one sovereign- the classic series in white endurol is convertible 110v/220v.

the typical one sold today is 220v only. Heater will heat if necessary with jet pump running. Term is right.

Spa shelters- top quality- "Sequoia spa shelters"- complete rooms, mounts, pavillions. These babies hold to new england's heavy wet snow loads.

[spahappy]

Welcome to the board Pastor_Mac.  It's good to have another ethically minded person here as I am outnumbered by the heatherns.

Two points:

1.  The Jacuzzi dealer is lying to you.  The Sovereign heater will run even with the jets on using a 50 amp service.  I will pray for him to turn from his wickedness.

2.  Two reasons the MotoMassage will stick:  Dirty filters (99%), damaged MotoMassage assembly (1%).

You might experience a 1 to 2 degree temperature loss on a very cold night.  This will be the case no matter what brand you choose (unless you go with one of the poorly insulated spas and then you might lose 10-20 degrees rather quickly).  However, the HotSpring Spas can be turned up as high as 108* should you need more heat.  I do believe every other spa tops out at 104*.  Just some information that might be pertinent to your situation.

Good luck with your shopping.

St. Terminator

ROTFL

From gun toating, cigar smoking, beer drinking, to?

[Tatooed_Lady]

ROTFL

From gun toating, cigar smoking, beer drinking, to?

to St. Terminator in 2.5 seconds flat.

[Tman122]

Hate to toot our horn *honk* but our spas may go up a degree in temperature with the lid off and the pumps on.  

Heatlock baby!

I'll give you a 100 percent garuntee it won't raise in temp in Northern Minnesota in the winter. Unless it's somehow above 40 or so. Because 10-20 degrees is a way to low of an ouside ambient for jet pump motor heat to keep up. I have experimented with this extensivley, About 40 degrees with the cover open is where the warmth from the motors starts to loose it's effectivness and heater help is required..

[wmccall]

Finally, something I know about, having a hot tub outside in the winter in Ohio with a 50 amp breaker!  

In my 3 years, heat loss with the cover open was only a problem once.   We soaked once for 40 minutes when our tub was at 104 and it was 4 degrees F.  I think it only lost one degree.   My daughter was in the tub once when it was almost that cold out. Her and her friends were in there for close to 2 hours before it lost 4 degrees.

Welcome to the forum, Ohioans get two posts for the price of one during football season.

Where at in Ohio? Perhaps in Columbus where the Jacuzzi and HS dealers are practically next to each other.

[wmccall]

Welcome to the board Pastor_Mac.  It's good to have another ethically minded person here as I am outnumbered by the heatherns.

Two points:

1.  The Jacuzzi dealer is lying to you.  The Sovereign heater will run even with the jets on using a 50 amp service.  I will pray for him to turn from his wickedness.
St. Terminator

A trurly ethical man would say the Sundance dealer is misinformed.