Hot tubs in MI/Legacy Whirlpools

[newtubber09]

I've read in other forums that owners who have had a Legacy Whirlpool hot tub (by Master Spas) have had issues with losing heat due to low insulation.  Anyone out there have any problems/concerns or thoughts on these hot tubs?  Ours is due to be delivered in a few weeks and I just wanted some addition input on these tubs.  By the way, it's a 2009 that we will be getting if that helps any?
  I just found this board...yea!!!

[Jacuzzi Jim]

 First off welcome to the forum!

   Second is I have seen a few happy master spa owners and A LOT of unhappy customers, so hopefully you will be a happy one, there are a few here that have been happy and they were the ones that bought from a master dealer not from a road show,I could be wrong and hope they will chime in.

 As far as insulation I don't know about your particular model,use varies,temps vary but going into Summer??  you may not really know till next Winter what it will run you when it gets really cold?

 Just enjoy the spa and try not to have doubts about your purchase, if you bought from a dealer they should take care of you should a problem arises? power wise just hope for the best.

[TubsAndCues]

I don't want to open a huge can of worms on this one, but I can't keep my mouth completely shut either.

I'm a dealer in Michigan, and have found from customers as well as 2 friends that have Master Spas (not Legacy, that I know of) that their bill from their tub has increased their total bill anywhere from $45 on the low end to supposedly $100 on the high end in the winter.

I'm saying this cautiously since this is hearsay, and I never saw their bills to verify it.

There are a number of other tubs that are less expensive to run, as well as some that cost more here in the winter.  My rule of thumb for my friends is if a dealer tells you "it will cost about a dollar a day" to walk out of the store and look elsewhere.

The thing I never understood about Master Spas was this, if they say you don't need full foam insulation, then why is it an option on their spas?

[newtubber09]

Thank you for your replies, in regards to the insulation they had one of the side panels off from a tub and it was clearly insulated with spray foam.  I recall the salesguy saying to us that he will put in writing a guarantee on the cost of running it to be $20-30 a month...but now that you mention it I'm not sure what he will do if that isn't the case.  I will be calling him today on that one....  The tub we have purchased is a 2009 if that makes any difference (ie, perhaps they are built differently?)

[tpdtopcop]

Here is my story,

In 2007 we decide to buy hot tub and we go to local dealer her called Inside Out  Recreation in Toledo. First spa we buy in Oct 07 was a Cal spa. Run it first month and bill goes up by $125 from the previous year. No problem we attribute to filling and heating. Next month bill was $85 more than previous year with temps roughly the same. Call dealer he comes out looks at everything and notices the pump will only run on low speed. So he says could be causing your problem. Replace pump and wait for Dec bill and still bill was $92 more than previous year. Call dealer state hey you said no more than $30. We argue and then we come to agreement.

Dealer states we have a Hot Springs sovereign brand new on show room floor would you try that one for the same price? I pay $6,000 for Cal spa and the Hot spings is $8,900. They dealer states to me how Hot Springs is a much better tub and the insulation is twice the Cal spa. I say ok. Hook up Hot springs and notice they have different hook up as heat works off 220 and pumps run 110.

First month bill in Jan is $135 more than previous bill okay attribute to really cold and first fill and heat. Next two months bills are double and I come to realization that these hot tubs cost a bit more than $30 to run. Anyhow tubs go back I get my money back and dealer is still telling me that something is wrong and that it should only cost $30-$40 per month more to run.

So who is right? It might be $30-$40 per month maybe if you average it over 12 months but the winter months definitely cost more than the $30.

[cburk0677]

$135 increase in your power bill??? What are you doing leaving the cover off 24/7, jets on high, and heating to 104 degrees?

I live in Indy and have a hotspring vanguard. Use it 2-3 times per week year around for 30-45 mins at a time. I pay 11 cents per kwh. When in use tub is at 100 degrees and when not in use I set it back to 98 degrees.  My power bill went up maybe $25 at the most this past winter and we had a very cold winter. In summer the tub costs maybe $12 a month to run.

If your power bill went up that much something is seriously wrong with your power meter or your use of the hottub.

[newtubber09]

Thanks for the replies...keep them coming as I think the information is very important to all.  I was going to pay cash for the tub but now thinking I should put it on a credit card and then pay it next month so that I can get the backing from my cc company if it doesn't work out?  Good idea?

[Spatech_tuo]

Thanks for the replies...keep them coming as I think the information is very important to all.  I was going to pay cash for the tub but now thinking I should put it on a credit card and then pay it next month so that I can get the backing from my cc company if it doesn't work out?  Good idea?

I'm not sure who else you have to choose from in your area but I just think there are far better choices on the market than Master but paying with a CC is wise for any spa you purchase, not just because its Master we're talking about.

[Jacuzzi Jim]

 After all that I cant imagine the Master spa is going to cut the mustard either?  How much is your KW??

[michiganwinter]

My electric bills have been from $90 to $125 more per months since we purchased our Sundance spa. I attribute much of this to excessive use (2 times a day typically, if not more) plus the added time in the dryer for towels and the additional washing of those towels.  I don't know how much is actually the tub, but it is getting a heck of a lot of use. I can't fathom these are really that cheap to run in the weather we have had over this past winter...