Having a New Spa Custom built? Pumps, Jets, etc?

[Hottubguy]

It's 10k for the tub with 2 motors and a blower 65 jets (any combo of water/air). I added another pump and more jets for another 1000.00

My personal opinion is that's a lot of money for that tub. Looks like very dated shells and not so up to date controls.  I couldn't find a single review positive or negative for them on line anywhere. It's your money and if your comfortable with it then go ahead. Just out of curiosity did you wet test anything else to compare it to something else?

[p0opstlnksal0t]

So far I have wet tested a few used tubs. One was an older looking morgan, a used dr wellness, a used sundance and a used hot springs all were enjoyable honestly. We've also tested a new coast mirage and a big D1 spa that accent spa had. We actually enjoyed the jets on on of their accent custom made spas. I guess we aren't very picky. Honestly I prefer the non digital controls over digital stuff... call me old fashion lol. The accent custom spa we priced out was actually much bigger interior wise than the coast mirage. The mirage felt cramped and thus far I have not been real fond of all of the molded bucket seats. We also tested an artesian but it had these wierd shoulder bulges that dug right into my deltoids when seated in the corner chairs. I could imagine the pain of those things gouging my shoulders after a nasty shoulder workout. I think we've grown fond of the bench style seating and we do like the lounges. Leg and feet therapy will be a big must as well. My wife has plantar fasciosis and I personally get lower back pain from time to time when I go on heavy deadlifting workout routines. Lower back pumps are pretty frequent as well during heavy back and leg training.

I think my perfect hot tub would be as big as possible (party sized good for 8 people or more comfortable) with good back, shoulder leg and feet therapy. Also as simple as possible with less stuff to break. I want it to last as long as possible and I'm a big fan of simple push buttons, manual dials and no fancy electronics. The simpler the better. Thus why I was attracted to this custom spa to begin with.

Should I ask about foam insulation? We are in houston so we might see 1 or two months of 30-50 degree weather. The rest of the time it's 60-100 degrees. Cold insulation probably won't be an issue. It's the sun and heat outside.that worries me.

[p0opstlnksal0t]

I got a quote for the artesian bimini at 16500.00 the problem is there is not one in stock anywhere so a wet test is impossible. The coast mirage is 15k and has all sorts of stereo equip and digital stuff on it with WiFi connect etc... all of which I have no interest in.

these guys quoted me 10k for their colossus which is 1500 gallons, all manual controls, ozonator system, diverted valves for controlling flow to different seats cover cover lift and custom 3 tall steps 6' wide delivered. I asked if I could add another pump and jet bank and they can for another 1k not that I've signed anything yet

[Hottubguy]

So far I have wet tested a few used tubs. One was an older looking morgan, a used dr wellness, a used sundance and a used hot springs all were enjoyable honestly. We've also tested a new coast mirage and a big D1 spa that accent spa had. We actually enjoyed the jets on on of their accent custom made spas. I guess we aren't very picky. Honestly I prefer the non digital controls over digital stuff... call me old fashion lol. The accent custom spa we priced out was actually much bigger interior wise than the coast mirage. The mirage felt cramped and thus far I have not been real fond of all of the molded bucket seats. We also tested an artesian but it had these wierd shoulder bulges that dug right into my deltoids when seated in the corner chairs. I could imagine the pain of those things gouging my shoulders after a nasty shoulder workout. I think we've grown fond of the bench style seating and we do like the lounges. Leg and feet therapy will be a big must as well. My wife has plantar fasciosis and I personally get lower back pain from time to time when I go on heavy deadlifting workout routines. Lower back pumps are pretty frequent as well during heavy back and leg training.

I think my perfect hot tub would be as big as possible (party sized good for 8 people or more comfortable) with good back, shoulder leg and feet therapy. Also as simple as possible with less stuff to break. I want it to last as long as possible and I'm a big fan of simple push buttons, manual dials and no fancy electronics. The simpler the better. Thus why I was attracted to this custom spa to begin with.

Should I ask about foam insulation? We are in houston so we might see 1 or two months of 30-50 degree weather. The rest of the time it's 60-100 degrees. Cold insulation probably won't be an issue. It's the sun and heat outside.that worries me.

Ok gotcha. Anyway to test the tub you are getting or are they all custom built?  Foam insulation isn't as big a deal to you as it would be in the colder states. Hopefully it works out for you

[p0opstlnksal0t]

It is just a shell right now I have no way of testing the model we are getting. Knowing this I'm guessing my best way to proceed would be to find other tubs using these jets and copy similar layouts and jet arrangements haha. Also I'm guessing I will end up with combinations of cluster, mini storm and poly storm jets to suit our needs. I could also use power storm jets but they run from 12-20 gpm so I would be using less which is not a big deal but it would be an upcharge especially if we are adding more diverter valves. Should I go with the basic formula of dividing out the flow of the jets into the flow rate of the pumps? How much loss is expected in the actual tubing? How.much loss should I account for with the filtration, heater,etc...

[Jacuzzi Jim]

 It's your money but 11 grand for that spa is insane,  JMO.  16,000 for the Artesian Bimini 3 year warranty is way high probably MSRP.   You should be able to get into a Sundance Aspen or Jacuzzi J-495 possibly the HS gleam in the 12000+ range if you negotiate. If you can afford 11 for that, you can afford more for a premium spa.    You want something that will "last long term" they would be a good option.    When I look at what you want in that spa the quality just isn't there at that price point at best even with the free ozonator. 

  One other thing to mention, the spa you are looking at is 137x95x44  @ 1500 gallons.   The Jacuzzi is 110x90x41 @ 520 gallons (that's generous)  no way it's a 1000 more gallons than the Jacuzzi or the Sundance.  I want you to know I have no card in this game, hell I don't even sell Jacuzzi any more.   But I see someone ready to spend that kind of money on that spa and it's a head shaker, specially when you say you can't wet test the others yet you can't wet test this thing either until it's built and delivered.   Again good luck to you in your purchase and I hope it works well for you. 

[p0opstlnksal0t]

Another issue is the financing. All of the hot springs, jacuzzi, sundance, artesian dealers out here use the same bank for financing. Unfortunately my credit is not good enough for these. Accent sells d1, coast and their own custom spas they build using water way parts and marathon shells. They are able to finance me so I could potentially get financed for the coast mirage at 15k. I ddint get a quote on the big d1 spa though. I'll find out what the Serena Bay is going for while I'm at it. The coast mirage for some reason looked sigificantly smaller when looking inside versus this other custom one. I don't however believe it could be anywhere near 1500 gallons.

This is the actual she'll builder: http://www.marathonspaandbath.com/Spas.html

[amy2421]

Is it possible that the 1500 gallons comes in because it is very deep? The only thing I'm looking at those 2 "loungers" side by side, and I can't see any way for the upper lounger's occupant to have water on their shoulders without the lower lounger's occupant's head being underwater. Maybe it's just how I am looking at it?? Otherwise the upper lounger will only have water to your belly.

Also, if the financing is the issue, it might be worth approaching your bank to see if you can get approved for a secured line of credit. The interest rate will likely be lower and then you can have more freedom to choose whatever tub you want.

[Jacuzzi Jim]

Another issue is the financing. All of the hot springs, jacuzzi, sundance, artesian dealers out here use the same bank for financing. Unfortunately my credit is not good enough for these. Accent sells d1, coast and their own custom spas they build using water way parts and marathon shells. They are able to finance me so I could potentially get financed for the coast mirage at 15k. I ddint get a quote on the big d1 spa though. I'll find out what the Serena Bay is going for while I'm at it. The coast mirage for some reason looked sigificantly smaller when looking inside versus this other custom one. I don't however believe it could be anywhere near 1500 gallons.

This is the actual she'll builder: http://www.marathonspaandbath.com/Spas.html

 The dimensions just don't equate to a extra 1000 gallons.   If your cash flow/credit is struggling, as a dad I would say get something you can afford.  Go for a 8x8 spa in the 6500 to 7500 range. You can have a pretty good party in that as well.     
   Don't blow the money on something that is just not going to last as long as you think it might, or achieve what you think you need to achieve.  Good friends will be impressed with what ever you have.   In time you might find it's just you and the hot little lady sitting in a big f'ing spa by yourselves 80 percent of the time thinking why did we get this thing.. 
 
  I am done with the fatherly advice now, your a big boy make the decision you need to make and in 5 or 10 years if you are still where you live now, you can say you feel good about the decision you made.

[Quickbeam]

Have to agree with Jim on this one. I can't imagine borrowing money to pay for a spa, let alone borrowing the money if I didn't have a good credit rating. That's just not in my DNA. If I can't pay cash, then I just don't need it.

[p0opstlnksal0t]

I work in the oil/gas and back in 2008 we had a downturn that hurt houston pretty bad. I was laid off for a year and lost my house. This tore up my credit and ive been piecing it back together ever since. I am not interested in playing the envy game but I have my parents (both with arthritis/rheumatoid) that will be in here all the time, as well as 4 sisters, 2 brother in laws, and multiple nieces/nephews. So size is really a big factor. The 16.5k for the Artesian Bimini is too much (but it does come with extended 5 year warranty, cover, steps, etc...). Ive heard of deals on here for much less though and the only dealer in town will not budge on the price. They are also overpriced on the Jacuzzi 495. actually its weird. All of the dealers Ive called locally seem to be overpriced compared to pricing ive seen on this board. I took the liberty of calling around 3 local spa repair guys and asked them about Accent custom spa's. They all said basically the same thing. The controls are dated, one guy went into detail about how he prefers the manual buttons and pneumatic switches over the LCD control boards. One guy mentioned that the s

[Quickbeam]

Really sorry to hear about your situation and what you went through. Also didn't mean to sound judgmental. Hope you find something that works for you.

[p0opstlnksal0t]

Ok it uses a 50 sq ft skimmer filter

[p0opstlnksal0t]

Really sorry to hear about your situation and what you went through. Also didn't mean to sound judgmental. Hope you find something that works for you.

No worries bud, I did not plan well enough. Anyways, usually I would buy this with cash only. I also do not really like taking out a line of credit but Accent has a Black Friday finance deal for 0 percent interest for 12 months which I could easily pay off. The other dealers other than doctor wellness will not finance us.

Would a tub this size need a filter that uses two of the 50 sq ft waterway skimmers? they make a dual 50 sq ft skimmer filter I was looking at online...

Also If as far as pump/jet ratio would I need to use a quantity of jets that divide equally into the flow rate of the pump? say 25x 10 gpm jets for 1 250gpm pump or would the loss of flow in the plumbing mean that I should lower my jet numbers to pump ratio? If I were to utilize 25x 10 gpm jets and use a diverter valve to shut off roughly half of the jets to one seat would this strain the pump? Would this increase the pressure significantly now that the pump is trying to flow 250 gpm though 12 or 13 10gpm jets, etc...?

[JustAnotherNewbie]

I feel you poop, get what ever is right for you and the family. But these guys on here are very truthfull and their advice/opinions have proven true time and again. You can get a Paradise H2 right now for about $11k also. (At least in my area)  http://laspas.com/paradise-h2/   Nearst dealer to you is in Belton.
BLUE CREST POOLS & SPAS INC (153.98 mi / 247.81 km)
Address 1:   1404 N MAIN
City:   BELTON
State:   TX
Postal Code:   76513
Country:   USA
Phone:   (254) 939-8250

Maybe check them out. I know there are a couple H2 owners on this site who are very happy. The last thing you want is to be sitting in your new $11,000 tub wishing you got something different.

Good luck keep us posted.