Hot Tub Forum
Original => Hot Tub Forum => Topic started by: tileman on September 27, 2006, 05:31:38 pm
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I can not understand why every spa wouldn't be built with a floor drain. Some of the major brands actually put them up the footwell wall, about an inch or so. They should atleast come with a wet/dry vac or something. :-? Am I making a big deal about this or do others feel the same way.
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I can not understand why every spa wouldn't be built with a floor drain. Some of the major brands actually put them up the footwell wall, about an inch or so. They should atleast come with a wet/dry vac or something. :-? Am I making a big deal about this or do others feel the same way.
It would be nice if they all had the drain in the floor, but according to HS, they really have to beef-up the shell to accommodate the drain.
I don't see why leaving 3 or 4 gallons of water in the bottom after a water change is a big deal.
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First of all, I thought all spas had floor drains. What brand do you have tileman? And why did Augustus think it was a HS? Don't they have a floor drain? And if his statement is correct, what does that tell a consumer about the strength of their shell if they would have to "beef it up" just to have a floor drain? Makes one wonder about #1
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First of all, I thought all spas had floor drains. What brand do you have tileman? And why did Augustus think it was a HS?
I didn't mean to insinuate that he had a Hot Spring. That is just what the HS dealer told me.
No, all spas do not have floor drains. Some spas have the drain on the floor, some have the drain on the sidewall near the floor, and some spas don't have a drain at all.
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Wes, the brand i'm leaning toward is Jacuzzi even w/o floor drain. As far as HS, the do have floor drains.
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First of all, I thought all spas had floor drains. What brand do you have tileman? And why did Augustus think it was a HS? Don't they have a floor drain? And if his statement is correct, what does that tell a consumer about the strength of their shell if they would have to "beef it up" just to have a floor drain? Makes one wonder about #1
Ouch! You're gettin pretty good at throwing those subtle shots at HS. Something as simple as a floor drain shows you the strength of the shell. I know it sounds pitchy, but it's the truth. Reason why others don't have(I think), $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$. Next, you'll be hammering the moto-massage, the filtration, the jets, etc... ::)
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Bottom drains are SO overrated. Heck, any drains are overrated.
In reality, no drains are needed. To me, it's so much easier throwing a couple of hoses into the tub and syphoning out the water without having to make a hose connection to an exterior drain access. And when the water level gets to the bottom, I usually jump in and position the hoses to the lowest points in the tub. I bet there's no more than a gallon or so left after all is said and done. This way, the drain access is always closed and never leaks as well. Works for me anyway...
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I have a botom drain on my tub, but alas....I don't use it either....to slow. As was stated a shop vac and a pool dain hose and, poof 15-20 minutes I'm refilling.
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I use a sump pump as well and I too have a floor drain, but my point wasn't to claim that it's better to have, rather it was to diffuse the uneducated. And I mean that in a totally spa speaking sense. ;)
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Hey pkud, I like your style - even though we can agree to disagree at times. Ok, now do I understand correctly HS does NOT have floor drains. You're a dealer and you say no they don't. Augustus agrees with you (via a HS dealer) that they don't, but tileman says HS does have drains. I will assume you are correct pkud (I hope you know your own product.)
So what ARE you saying about the strength of HS's shells? That indeed they are too weak to support a drain in the floor? If that's correct, I give you a lot of credit for the admission. (It sure beats some of the BS I read from some of the dealers on this site.)
No, actually I liked some of the special features on the HS like the moto-massage and the sooothing
seven. They're nice features and HS should be credited for inventing them. I have no problems with the brand other than I thought there were better values in the market like Artesian and Arctic. :)
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Bottom drains are SO overrated. Heck, any drains are overrated.
In reality, no drains are needed. To me, it's so much easier throwing a couple of hoses into the tub and syphoning out the water without having to make a hose connection to an exterior drain access. And when the water level gets to the bottom, I usually jump in and position the hoses to the lowest points in the tub. I bet there's no more than a gallon or so left after all is said and done. This way, the drain access is always closed and never leaks as well. Works for me anyway...
Geez dog, doesn't siphoning out hundreds of gallons take forever? I would think gravity fed is much faster, but then my spa hasn't come in yet. Plus, I'm not sure I want to get in my tub in the middle of a Chicago winter and getting my feet wet cleaning out the last few gallons.
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Hey pkud, I like your style - even though we can agree to disagree at times. Ok, now do I understand correctly HS does NOT have floor drains. You're a dealer and you say no they don't. Augustus agrees with you (via a HS dealer) that they don't, but tileman says HS does have drains. I will assume you are correct pkud (I hope you know your own product.)
So what ARE you saying about the strength of HS's shells? That indeed they are too weak to support a drain in the floor? If that's correct, I give you a lot of credit for the admission. (It sure beats some of the BS I read from some of the dealers on this site.)
No, actually I liked some of the special features on the HS like the moto-massage and the sooothing
seven. They're nice features and HS should be credited for inventing them. I have no problems with the brand other than I thought there were better values in the market like Artesian and Arctic. :)
HS does have a floor drain. Where was the confusion?
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Wes, listen:
[size=24]HOT SPRING SPAS HAVE DRAINS IN THE FLOOR![/size]
Is that clear?
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Oh, ok. Your post read that the "reason why others don't have including yours truly" I took to mean the HS, your brand. (Heck, sometimes we write too fast that the meaning is lost.)
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Wes, listen:
[size=24]HOT SPRING SPAS HAVE DRAINS IN THE FLOOR![/size]
Is that clear?
Ok, I hear you. Now quit screaming. You're hurting my ears!!! (Your first post was a little confusing if you re-read it.) I just wanted to get my facts straight.
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Hey, the last few posts have been good advertising for HS!! And free to boot!
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Oh, ok. Your post read that the "reason why others don't have including yours truly" I took to mean the HS, your brand. (Heck, sometimes we write too fast that the meaning is lost.)
i fixed my previous post as to avoid any confusion. I've never been charged of typing to fast. My wife calls me two finger tommy. (Insert perverted comment here) ;D
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Price is probably a big issue. To put a drain in the floor the entire spa will need to be about 3" to 4" taller for the drain to fit underneith.
So, ya got the extra cost of the drain and plumbing, cost of more framing material and extra 4" of siding all the way around plus the extra insulation to fill in the additional space. . Probably an increase in shipping costs as I bet you'd lose room for at least one spa in a 53" trailer (or 40' container). You also now would need a wider opening (gate?) to get into many peoples backyards.
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Oh, ok. Your post read that the "reason why others don't have including yours truly" I took to mean the HS, your brand. (Heck, sometimes we write too fast that the meaning is lost.)
i fixed my previous post as to avoid any confusion. I've never been charged of typing to fast. My wife calls me two finger tommy. (Insert perverted comment here) ;D
Much better. Thanks for clarifying that. And we would rather not hear about your sexual proclivities!
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Artesian's have floor drains.
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Go to Home Depot and buy a $99 submersible pump. Drains the tub in about 30 to 45 mins right down to the last 1/4 inch. Who cares if the Jacuzzi has a drain or not they make a good tub.
Our tub has a floor drain and I will probably never use it
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How long does it take using the gravity drain? If its longer than a couple of hours, that submersible pump would be a great investment IMO. Wes, you should never assume anything just because they are dealers and I am not. It only takes an average spa shopper to spot a drain on the floor. I know now that you were mislead by his confusing post, but I wouldn't have said they did unless I knew for sure. I'm a man of my word.
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The sidewall drain in my Optima takes about 45 minutes. I run the hose into a pond behind my house, and the grade drops probably 8' along the run- which is about 60'.
I also use a 3/4" garden hose instead of the standard 5/8" sized one.
Not sure the drop in grade or additional hose diamater helps or not, but I'm just fine with a 45 minute drain time. Since it's not a floor drain, there is a few gallons of water in the footwell, but I don't consider that a really big deal.
I know a few people who have built in drains that take many hours.
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If you own a pool(or your neighbor), try using your pool vauum hose and the weighted vac head. Start a siphon with this 1.25"-1.5" hose, works sweet.
All spas should have floor drains. ;D
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All spas should have a panel that displays the current water temperature, too! ;D
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Geez dog, doesn't siphoning out hundreds of gallons take forever? I would think gravity fed is much faster, but then my spa hasn't come in yet. Plus, I'm not sure I want to get in my tub in the middle of a Chicago winter and getting my feet wet cleaning out the last few gallons.
My comment re: syphoning is exactly the same as your gravity fed comment...any syphon is started and then gravity takes effect...at least that's how it works here in Florida. 8-)
My spa is on a deck 8' off the ground...2 standard water hoses takes the same time to drain as a thorough 303 application on my cover and headrests take...about 1 hour. Another hour to fill while opening the cabinet for regular inspection and filter cleaning and I'm done.
As for the last bit of water, I don't see how a couple of gallons over, in my case anyway, 450 gallons is going to make any difference so, if I lived in Chicago, I'd just ignore it if it were too cold to jump in. Then again, I'd probably plan my drains around the coldest weather as well. Obviously, tub draining in Florida has its advantages. ;)
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Brew, I'm probably missing something you're referring to from another post.
Some spas don't display temp?
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My Tiger River has a floor drain that feeds to 2 valves on the outside of the tub for draining. It's incorporated into the over all design of the tub, the water from the heater enters the tub from the floor grate, (kinda neat to place your foot over it and feel the hot water from the heater entering the tub). Also the Ozonator discharges from there as well. When emptying the tub, it is the drain.
My older tub didn't have a floor drain, and we I bougth the new tub, I thought it would be a big improvement. ...eh. Nice to have, but really not that great. I use a submersable pump to drain my tub it works a lot quicker than the drain. I do open the valves up to remove any water in them, and do attatch hose to assist in draining the water away from the tub, but the majority of my water is pumped out via my sump pump.
Floor drains are a plus, but far from being a critical item in my book.
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HotSpring and Tiger River have a bottom drain - I think that point is fairly clear.
But on my spa at home I put in one very large hose and syphon the water out. Much faster.
BTW- a syphon IS gravity fed. And if I put the hose in the right spot it will drain any tub to the bottom.
Wes - there's an admission for you: I'm a HS dealer, I like the fact that the drain is on the bottom - but I don't use it in my own home. How's that? And to say that a bottom drain fitting changes the strength or weakness of a tub's structure is salesmanship.
In our store, I use a syphon if I am dumping the water, and a pump if I am transfering it to another spa for a wet test.
Any time I am draining a spa to leave it empty on display, I use both. The large hose is very fast, but the bottom drain makes it very easy to get that last bit of water out of the bottom of the tub. Also, I can just splash the water out of any bucket seating areas and it goes out the bottom.
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Thanks for all the feedback again everyone. Man am I I glad I found this site. :) :D :)
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Brew, I'm probably missing something you're referring to from another post.
Some spas don't display temp?
Yeah, I probably shouldn't have posted that.
It was referring to another thread that generated a debate about the usefullness of having the current temperature displayed on your spa control panel.