Jacuzzi J-335 or Jacuzzi J-345 or Marquis Wish

[Quickbeam]

We are going to wet test the Marquis Wish on Monday and then the Jacuzzi tubs on Tuesday. We are going out of town right after that, but at my first opportunity I will post and let everyone know our thoughts.
I also did some digging and found out that the water feature on the Jacuzzi runs off the circ. pump, so when it's time to just relax, we could have the water feature running without the main pumps on.
I also want to thank you all once again for all your help and insights. Just don't know what I would have done without this forum. Also a special thanks to Jacuzzi Jim, who a while ago spent some time with me on the phone. All of it has been very much appreciated.

[Mudheadsports]

Good luck!!!!!

[rosewoodsteel]

Good luck finding your spa!

[Quickbeam]

Thanks everyone, for the good wishes. We have now finished our wet testing and have decided to get the Jacuzzi J-345. It really came down to the J-335 or the J-345, and while I thought I would want the lounge in the J-335, we found that both my wife and I floated out of it. I also didn't think I would like the foot dome with the jets in the J-345, but once again we were proven wrong as we both really liked that feature. Just goes to show how important it is to wet test.

We haven't actually bought the tub yet, but the price is agreed to - we just have to make the phone call. We even told the dealer we were buying, we just said we wanted to go home and make sure it was the 345 we wanted and we are now definite that's the one for us.

The only other decision we need to make is on the electrical. We built a new home and had it wired for a hot tub on our roof deck, but the electrician wired for 50 amps. He didn't talk to me about it, he just went ahead and wired for 50 amps. I think he should have known to wire for 60 amps, and at the very least he should have talked to me about it, but he didn't, he just went ahead and did it. So now I'm trying to work out something with him that is fair for both of us. Not sure what we will do at this point. If I can't get him to budge on the price I may end up just with the 50 amp service, but I can't say I'll be real happy about it.

I've heard from some on here that it's not an issue with the 50 amps, but even so I would still like to have the full 60 amp service if it doesn't break the bank to do it.

And sorry, for those who don't have either Jacuzzi or Sundance, with these hot tubs if you are wired for 60 amps, you can have both jet pumps running with the heater on. If however, you only have 50 amp service, if you run both pumps at the same time the heater kicks out.

I'll let you all know how this all turns out. Thanks again for all the help!

[Jacuzzi Jim]

 Really good choice, I do love the changes to the J-335 but the 345 rocks!

[Topline Mike]

Congrats, quickbeam. 

I have a 60 amp wire to our hot tub.  I was under the assumption that I would have heat with both pumps running on high because of the wire.  And the fact that the previous owners said they had the 60 amp service to the tub.  I'm not an electrician by any means, so I called the Jacuzzi help line.  It turns out that I have to move some jumpers around inside the control panel to get this working as 60 amps, simple enough.  They directed my to the page in my manual that showed the configuration I needed.  I'm not worried about it now with the somewhat warmer weather coming, but I will definitely do it this fall. 

Welcome to utopia, Bro!

[Quickbeam]

Really good choice, I do love the changes to the J-335 but the 345 rocks!

Thanks Jacuzzi Jim,

And thanks as well for spending the time with me on the phone a couple of weeks ago. It was very much appreciated!

[Hottubguy]

Congrats, I don't think you could've made a wrong choice with the 3 you were considering. You did it the right way and ended up with the tub the felt best to you

[Quickbeam]

Congrats, quickbeam. 

I have a 60 amp wire to our hot tub.  I was under the assumption that I would have heat with both pumps running on high because of the wire.  And the fact that the previous owners said they had the 60 amp service to the tub.  I'm not an electrician by any means, so I called the Jacuzzi help line.  It turns out that I have to move some jumpers around inside the control panel to get this working as 60 amps, simple enough.  They directed my to the page in my manual that showed the configuration I needed.  I'm not worried about it now with the somewhat warmer weather coming, but I will definitely do it this fall. 


Thanks Topline Mike,

Just curious since you have a Jacuzzi that is only running at 50 amps. Has it been an issue for you with not having the heater run when both pumps are engaged? Have you felt the water getting colder at all? If you didn't have your tub wired for the 60 amps, do you think it would bother you with only the 50 amps? And finally, if you don't mind me asking, what general area do you live in? I'm only asking so I can get an idea of your climate. We live in Vancouver, B.C., Canada so while our winters do get cold, it's not like it is say in the Prairies.

Sorry for all the questions, but we have really struggled with the question of 50 amps vs. 60 amps. Our sales guy says I won't notice the difference with just having the 50 amps. He says the heat from the pumps is enough to keep the water warm, even in the winter. I'm just not sure. And I also know that to go to the 60 amp wiring, even with a good deal from the electrician, it is still going to be a healthy expense. So anything you can share about your experience on the 50 amps would be really appreciated.


Welcome to utopia, Bro!

[Quickbeam]

Thanks Topline Mike,

Just curious since you have a Jacuzzi that is only running at 50 amps. Has it been an issue for you with not having the heater run when both pumps are engaged? Have you felt the water getting colder at all? If you didn't have your tub wired for the 60 amps, do you think it would bother you with only the 50 amps? And finally, if you don't mind me asking, what general area do you live in? I'm only asking so I can get an idea of your climate. We live in Vancouver, B.C., Canada so while our winters do get cold, it's not like it is say in the Prairies.

Sorry for all the questions, but we have really struggled with the question of 50 amps vs. 60 amps. Our sales guy says I won't notice the difference with just having the 50 amps. He says the heat from the pumps is enough to keep the water warm, even in the winter. I'm just not sure. And I also know that to go to the 60 amp wiring, even with a good deal from the electrician, it is still going to be a healthy expense. So anything you can share about your experience on the 50 amps would be really appreciated.

Sorry for the double post, but my attempt to quote in the previous post didn't work for some reason.

[Hottubguy]

I would bump that up to 60 amp.  It gets cold up in canada so your going to lose a couple degrees over a hour or so. My first hot tub was a 110 nordic and I could tell the difference between a 101 degrees and a 100 degrees.  I'm in a colder climate also. It can't be much more to make the switch

[Quickbeam]

It's actually pretty expensive to re-wire for the 60 amp. Right now, if I leave it at 50 amp, it will cost about $500 to finish off the wiring. He's given me one quote of $1,500 to re-wire for 60 amp, so that's an extra $1,000. He knew I wasn't very happy, so he said he would look into it further. I just get so many conflicting reports of the 50 amp vs. the 60 amp. We really are torn in what to do.

[Topline Mike]

50 amp to 60 amp is the size of the wire, right?  I believe the wire my electrician bought was No.6 wire.  You would also buy a different circuit breaker.  I paid $250 for all my wiring supplies.  This included an outdoor box, (made for spas), 50 ft. of No.6 wire, and another circuit breaker for the panel inside the house.  My 15 year old son dug the trench for the wire (future hot tub on the way was his pay), and that was about it for hard labor.  The electrician is a friend of mine, and he did the work for nothing, although I gave him a Ben Franklin for his fine work. 

I live in Southern WI, Madison area.  You might have it colder than we do, but ours is still cold.  We don't run our 2 pumps on high for very long, certainly not more than ten minutes.  If I turn the diverter valve to run one seat on high, it blows you away, so to speak.  I'm not sure anyone would sit in that seat for 20 minutes.  I like a good 5 to 10 minute blast, and then the pumps go off and I soak.  With the pumps both on high, I have lost 1° at most.  Now if you think you are going to keep the pumps running for more than one cycle (20 minutes), you probably should spring for the 60 amps.  Now take what I say with a grain of salt, because I've been a hot tub owner for 12 days.  BUT, it doesn't take but a few sits to figure out what you like.  We have settled on a temperature of 102°.  Another option to consider is to keep your spa at 104°, and if the temp drops two degrees or so, you're still HOT. 

If it was me, I wouldn't worry about it, and leave it at 50.  Now get that tub!

[Quickbeam]

We are now one step closer. We worked out a deal with our electrician for the 60 amp wiring. In fact, he is here right now working on it. Probably still two to three weeks away from actually getting the tub, but I can finally see light at the end of the tunnel. Am already starting to get excited.

And on another note, a Very Happy Easter to all of you.

[Quickbeam]

Well, today has been a pretty good day for us. Bought tickets to Elton John in the morning and then submitted our down payment for a brand new Jacuzzi J-345. Still need to set a delivery date, but we are pretty excited! And in just a bit we are going out to dinner with an out of town cousin. All in all, a pretty good day!!!