Blower question

[benalexe]

The tub I am getting has a separate blower and 3 pumps. Do most spas have a separate blower? Is this a desirable feature?

Do most people use the blower?

[Swell-Tub]

The tub I am getting has a separate blower and 3 pumps. Do most spas have a separate blower? Is this a desirable feature?

Do most people use the blower?

IMHO it is great if you need to cool the water down on a hot summer day. If not it does add a fair amount of noise to the mix.

Scott  

[Bonibelle]

and it can make it seem like a bubble bath because it really churns up the water...let that be your bubble bath..My sister's kids love to turn all the jets on in my tub and have the air full open..the water will bubble up ..they call it the "human washing maching"!!

I use the air when I want a deep tissue massage..it increases the jet pressure and in my tub can give a punishing massage.

[loosenupspas]

Blowers add a vigorous aspect to the massage, Coleman refers to a blower as Turbo Boost, both pumps on high and go to the turbo mode is nice. Leave the therapy pumps off and turn on the Turbo Boost is a nice dimension to the massage experience.  Since the Coleman is a Thermo-Lock, thus very sound proofed, you won't hear the Turbo Boost.  Additionally, the T. Boost isn't externally vented and will not lower the water temp by drawing in cooler external air, as most blowers do.  So not all tubs are engineered the same and not all blowers are the same either.  It can be foamy though, particularly when using bromine.  

[benalexe]

I was in a spa store recently and the sales person said that the blowers are a trend that is going out and most manufacturers are getting away from it.

To me sometimes it is nice to soak without the force of the jets which I can see the blower a nice feature. BUt will let you know soon as the tub arrives next Friday.

[Hillbilly Hot Tub]

A blower usually comes out of separate blower jets. Most tubs have air that can be introduced through the jets that mixes with water. Some companies are getting away from blowers, as said above, they tend to be loud and the can also introduce dust and pollen into the water and cool it down. Some are set up so you can use them with aromatherapy, you put a scent into a chamber and it blows the scent through the water rather than adding a liquid spa scent to the water that can mess with your water chemistry.

They have their pros and cons, I personally like the added action to the water and the aromatherapy, but I hate the noise and in the winter the feeling of cold ice needles poking me(thats what it feels like with the blower on with cold air!) You also have to check the check valve because if it fails, water backs into the blower and fries it.

[loosenupspas]

Benalexe...what model did you buy?  

[drewstar]

I like the air blower.

As mentioned it can cool the water down rather quickly, and I only use the aire blower in the warmer months.  In the winter time, I forbid anyone from even looking at the air blower button.  


I would think the in the warmer climates the air blower would be a more popular feature. Here in New England, I find it a neat feature, but far from a must have.

[Spatech_tuo]

I'm not a blower fan but that's just me. Some like them; others would prefer to skip it. It may be nice in the summer if its too hot but in the winter it'll be counterproductive and in my opinion it has nearly no value from a massaging point of view, it just blows bubbles. Regardless of whether the spa is full foam or thermal pane they can also be loud as well. However, in reality it doesn't hurt to have it because you can choose to turn it on or leave it off.

[Bonibelle]

So from this post, Spatech,  I assume not all blowers are created equal.  Because there is a distinct difference in the feel of my jets with the air on. As I said before, the pillar on the Epic gives a very strong massage, but turn on the air and it is significantly more intense. .There is no question that it is an entirely different experience.  ..but maybe that is not the case in all tubs :-/

[drewstar]

So from this post, Spatech,  I assume not all blowers are created equal.  Because there is a distinct difference in the feel of my jets with the air on. As I said before, the pillar on the Epic gives a very strong massage, but turn on the air and it is significantly more intense. .There is no question that it is an entirely different experience.  ..but maybe that is not the case in all tubs :-/

2 different animals Bonnie  One method mixes air with the water and the mix goes out o you water jet.. This creates a more powerful feeling water jet off the nozzle. ( I think that's how those work. kind of a venturi). Is That is what you are describing? (move the lever and a specific jet feels more or less pwerful, However I am not talking about a diverter)

A blower is a dedicated fan and dedicated jets that blow pure air into the water  You push a button on the control panel and push air through dedicated air jets. (like blowing bubbles in your glass of milk with a straw).   This creates a neat sensation against the skin both in a masaage therapy and in temperature. The cooler air against the skin feels neat, howeverthe air bubbles remove quite a bit of heat from the water.

[Spatech_tuo]

A blower is a dedicated fan and dedicated jets that blow pure air into the water  You push a button on the control panel and push air through dedicated air jets. (like blowing bubbles in your glass of milk with a straw).   This creates a neat sensation against the skin both in a masaage therapy and in temperature. The cooler air against the skin feels neat, howeverthe air bubbles remove quite a bit of heat from the water.

Drewstar answered for me Bonnie. What you're talking about is air on or off to the water jets and you’re right, there is a huge difference between having air added to the water jets or having the air off to the water jets.

I'm talking about a blower that has dedicated air only jets which pretty much are just bubblers. It’s kind of like when you're a kid and you put the straw in the glass of chocolate milk and blow a bunch of bubbles to make a chocolate bubble bath. I just don’t see that the blowers add anything substantial but then again, you don’t have to turn it on.

[Bonibelle]

Gotcha, didn't know there was a difference  

[ssbraun]

Interesting, this talk about cooling the tub down with the blower.  On a couple of occasions, I wanted to quickly drop the tub from 104 to 102 for a longer soak.  I had no success whatsoever...ran the blower for a good 15 minutes with top off and heater off...it didn't drop 1 degree.  I remember someone saying that the air blower discharges warm air to prevent the water from cooling down.  Maybe this is a Sundance thing?  All I do know is that it did not drop the temp as I expected either time I tried it.  As far as use goes, I seldom use the blower...and the aromatherapy feature is a gimmick as far as I'm concerned.

Steve

[windsurfdog]

Maybe we can categorize the 2 methods of air induction as "active" and "passive"--active using a blower and passive not.  I prefer the passive as it has a direct effect on the the massage at the jets instead of adding air through dedicated air holes in the shell.  Plus, the blower motor sounds similar to a vacuum cleaner...a little too close to work for me especially when soaking... 8-)

Oh, and I forgot to mention, the blower could be yet another point of failure...