Marquis Spirit and the spa frog

[doodle]

I decided to give the Marquis dealer another chance and made the decision to get a Marquis Spirit.   So now the real questions begin!   This tub comes with a spa frog and an ozonator.   It only has one pump so will the ozonator work?   Is the spa frog good to use or should I just skip it (I've read a few older posts about it but found it confusing).  This tub did not come with a cover lifter but I negotiated a discounted price on purchasing one.  Do the small tubs like this still need a cover lifter?  AND, on that note is it better to get a Marquis branded cover lifter -- I'm not sure if what I ordered is or not.

I'd appreciate anyone's comments on their experience with this tub.   I'm not sure how much this tub won me over versus just being tired of shopping!

[Hottubguy]

Good choice as that's a great tub. Ozone will work just fine in that tub. I personally like the spa frog system. I would try it and if you don't like it switch. I would get the lifter because even though the tub is small the cover opens kind of awkwardly. The one from marquis works the bear on that tub as it's made to fit the radius corner.   Did you get the tub with the bigger motor or did you go with the plug and play version?  Post some pics when you get it. That tub is by far marquis best selling tub and the craftsmanship on it is 2nd to none

[doodle]

This is actually pretty laughable if you know me and if you knew how much time I have spent reading up about the various tubs and being rather obsessive during this process, but I have no idea which pump I ended up with.     Seriously, I've been driving my husband mad.

We ended up purchasing the floor model and I did so in a very spur-of-the-moment fashion.  I forgot during the visit that this tub had two different pumps available and don't remember discussing what pump was in it.  Guess I will need to call tomorrow and find out -- we are planning on going with the upgraded electric and not plug in which we did discuss with the dealer.   The tub struck me as being a quality build -- the matching steps that came with it seem really heavy duty and well made and it boosted my confidence that if the steps were that nice then the tub itself must be well made also.  Plus, the tub in the store was just plain pretty.  Isn't it funny how the little things can sway somebody's decision ...

What's funny is that even as I realize today some of the details that I didn't work through during the purchase, I am not nervous but still totally excited and can't wait to get the tub delivered.  The dealer is storing until the electrical work gets done.   BTW, what really swayed me was that this tub has higher sides that the Jacuzzi J315 and seemed just a little bit roomier.  It seemed like a good compromise between the small tubs and full sized tubs.

Thanks very much to the forum -- I haven't posted much, but I certainly have been appreciating all the advice stored here.

[Krsy]

Hi Doodle,

I forgot to mention in my message reply to you about the spa frog.  Not sure what that is.  We have a cylinder with chemical cartridges in it (bromine and minerals) and we add a few doses of other stuff once a week.  We have never had trouble.  We do shower before entering or we come directly out of the pool to the spa.

We didn't get the spa lifter either, and I can take it up and down myself without a problem.  The included stairs are sturdy and we are happy with them, too. We got the 220v version since we were re-surfacing our whole back area, pool and all. This spa is always ready and a charm, we still love it.

Good Luck! :-)

[Bill]

Doodle,  I have a Marquis (different model) with the spa frog and love it.  I use a bromine and mineral cartridge. Once you get familiar with the tub and your how much its used, you will be able to fine tune the bromine cartridge in order to keep sanitizer levels proper. Occasional shocking and minimal adjustment of alkalinity is about all that's needed.  Not much attention required.

[MarKee]

The Spirit is an awesome spa.  If you can I would upgrade the pump to the MP160, it can be converted at the dealer or in the field, it doesn't have to be installed at the factory.  Congrats on the new tub.

The SpaFrog system works well and most people like the convenience and easy maintenance.  The ozonator will be running whenever your spa is filtering, and it also runs when your spa does an automatic "SmartClean" clean-up cycle after you use it.

The cover lift you got is likely a Cover Companion, which is a slight variation of a Leisure Concepts CoverMate 1.  It's a nice thing to have for getting the cover on and off.

[doodle]

I ordered the pump upgrade, the dealer will swap it out before they deliver the tub.  Thanks again for pointing that out! 

The cover I am getting is the Covermate II.    Should I order the bracket to install this under the tub rather than attaching to the skirt?  Is there any real advantage to doing that -- the bracket will be $48 which seems like a lot for a couple of brackets, but if its better that way, I'll get them.  Maybe they are more substantial than I'm imagining.

[Jacuzzi Jim]

   Congrats on your purchase!     And I wouldn't worry about the under spa lift parts,  I never understood using bromine with a mineral cartridge though?   Post some pics when you get it!