Beachcomber. Thought of the day

[TALKCalgary.com]

In a recent thread on this board the question was asked "should Beachcombers have a sealed base to protect against pests and mould getting into the foam insulation".

In a reply to this question "ebirrane"  had this to say:

"Ants will not nest in ground-contact rated lumber.  Nor will mould house in it.  Ground contact lumber is called ground contact lumber for a reason. "

So then, is it worth nailing a piece of ground treated plywood to the base of my Beachcomber? And if so, why don't beachcomber do this? To find out I called Beachcomber today and this is what they had to say. "We are aware of a few instances where ants have made nests in some of our spas, but most people didn't mind since they do no damage to the spa". Personally I would mind sharing my new spa with a few thousand ants. But perhaps that is just me :-)

I also asked about servicing Beachcomber spas in the event of a leak. They said that "leaks only become a problem as our spas get older. In which case, fixing them is only an issue if the leak is in the main enclosure" When I asked why they said "this is due mainly to difficulties in accessing the inside of our spa housings and then having to remove and replace the foam insulation.

I must say, I am impressed by Beachcombers honesty, but remain a little concerned about there construction methods. When I asked why they did not provide access panels like other manufactures, they said that. "We are unaware of any manufactures who do this". Then after a short pause they said "What would be the point anyway, if you took of the side you would still have to dig through the insulation" Not if the tub was not fully foamed I said. "but then how would it retain it's heat" they said.

The conversation was concluded with Beachcomber saying that they had been building spas this way for many years now and selling them to thousands of satisfied customers across the globe. Well perhaps they have. But times change. New construction methods have evolved and customers expectations changed. True, there was a time when people were content to sit in a barrel of hot water and call it a spa. But that time has long since gone and with the exception of a few nostalgia lovers so have those buyers. I don't doubt that Beachcomber build a good spa, (after all I am buying one myself). But that doesn't mean that they can't move with the times or perhaps make a good thing even better.  

Steve K
PS. Our own Beachcomber 750 arrives tomorrow  

[Mendocino101]

Hi Steve,

Your post is so interesting to me...in that you seem to question things that would seem to be of reasonable importnace and yet you still choose to go with Beachcomber.....I was wondering what the reasons in the end that lead you to purchase....I assume they must be of greater weight than the questions you raise....

[SteveL]

Thanks for your post. It helped a great deal in clearing up some issues I have with Beachcomber. I also think Beachcomber is an excellent well built tub with the exception of not having removable panels. I can only hope that Beachcomber rectifies this by adding this servicability to their new models. I won't be purchasing untill next spring. Jacuzzi, Sundance, and most of the other full-foam tubs I looked at provide access panels all around. Even if you remove these panels and face a wall of foam, it still has to be much easier, and considerably less expensive, than having to flip the entire unit over for repairs. This is no small issue in my mind. With all these informational forums and other sources available online, for no matter what interests you, people in general are becoming more informed and discerning. You would think manufacturers would key in on this and be interested in building a better product to gain the upper hand and to remain competitive. I'll be first in line to purchase a Beachcomber (530 model) if this servicability issue is improved. But without providing for reasonable access, (less costly servicing) I'll have to look elsewhere.

[Vinny]

The questions to ask is when do leaks occur and where. Is it possible that the leak will happen 10 years down the line and you never had problems before? Or did it leak in the Protec step where it's easily (relative) fixed.

Whenever you buy things, electronics, cars, houses and spas -  they will eventually break. If it gives years of service and enjoyment and it costs $300 to fix 8 years out and you never put a penny into it repair wise, was it a wrong choice? I drove a 1988 Honda Civic until last November when it died; it served it's purpose and I didn't put a lot of money into it in all those years I owned it.

As consumers and I will assume those who question about quality and serviceability of spas are consumers, you and I can't answer the almighty question as to how reliable that hot tub is - the service people here can. I have not read anything bad about Beachcomber or many other brands for that matter so it shouldn't be of too much concern. IF you read bad things about a tub, then you should reconsider.

Yes, you may be handy (I repair medical equipment) but you have to ask yourself as a SPA OWNER - am I going to wrestle that thing and repair it myself or am I going to pay a professional to do it. I will tell you, yes I will tackle the heater,  circuit board and sensors and no I'm not going to wrestle a 700 lb, 8'x8' beast (the beast will win). That $300 is well worth that professional who has repaired 100's of them will fix it quicker (and hopefully in less pain afterward) than I would.

Interesting true story. As I go shopping for a tub I ask A LOT of questions - one that I asked was if the tub is going on a deck 48" high is that going to be a problem - one dealer said "you're going to need extra people to put it up that high so it'll cost you $$$ more unless you can round up some buddies"; another dealer said "no - my guys do this for a living, we put that thing in the back of a truck thats about that height. We'll tip it off the truck when we get to your house and they'll tip it up onto the deck". Now I wasn't talking about a 2 person vs 8 person tubs, they were comparable in size. So that forklift story may just be that - a story!

Actually Beachcomber is one of the brands I'm considering to purchase, the other is Emerald. Both get good feedback and seem to be well constructed.

Ants get into everything (look at houses), I had a hard wired swimming pool timer that was "closed" to the elements.  Every summer I would open it up and find 1000's of ants inside - obviously it wasn't as closed as I thought and neither is any spa. If you bought the Protec it has openings in the front for air, ants can get in there. If a spa has removable sides, ants can get in there too.

I'm sorry for being too long winded but I think as consumers we worry about things that may not matter.  I say to Steve K. - don't worry, you bought a quality product that will probably last years without problems so go enjoy spatopia! ( I'm jealous)

[HotTubMan]

Fact: Beachcomber will not spend $1 to improve/re-engineer their product. I met with the owner of Beachcomber and made many recommendations including improved jet placement. Did anyone notice that other than one seat in most 7 series models, the jets are all on the spine? Is there a thrapeutic benefit to massaging the spine? I do not beleive so. Does it make more sense to massage the muscles on either side of the spine? Hmm, ya that does.

Just my 2 cents. Why are Beachcomber customers paying $500+ more this year than last year for the same model?

[poolboy34]

FYI:  most spas will have a price increase this year due to among, but not limited to, these factors.  Increae in the cost of oil, this causes a trickle down effect as it effects everything about and associated with the pool and spa industry (not to mention our way of life), cost of health insurance, and homeland security (god that must make importing MAAX spas, beachcomber spas, and arctic spas a tad more expensive to get states side, not to mention the delays in getting them here. B/c lord knows it affects the time it takes us to get our spa & pool care products from our distributor!).  Just my 2 cents!

[TALKCalgary.com]

Hi Steve,

Your post is so interesting to me...in that you seem to question things that would seem to be of reasonable importnace and yet you still choose to go with Beachcomber.....I was wondering what the reasons in the end that lead you to purchase....I assume they must be of greater weight than the questions you raise....

Hi Mendocino101

In answer to your question. Yes, I did (and still do) have a number of questions and concerns about Beachcomber. But to be fair, I had questions and concerns about every manufacturer I researched. The fact is, that as you correctly surmised, for me, the benefits provided by the Beachcomber 750 coupled to outstanding support from our local dealer far out weighed the negative points.  

In order that I may give something back to this forum  I will try and write a full review of the 750 and my reasons for choosing it over the next few days.

Steve K

[Pooldevil]

Hi Talk
I used to sell Beachcomber here in the UK and I do beleive that one of their faults is the lack of protection to the base and insulation.
I was called out to a 550x that was making strange noises and when we emptied it out and put it on its side we were all amazed to find large holes and cavitys caused by mice !   then they started appearing and at least 6 ran off into the grass !   There was no actual damage to the pipework or wireing but I am sure it would have caused a problem if left .   We coveed the base with a sheet of  1/8" PVC.
Its very wet here in England and I am not convinced that the wood floor beams are a good idea ... should be ok in Canada though.
As for leaks .... I don't think I should even comment.

Steve told me to let it go ... and I will try !!!

The 750 is a great tub and I hope you enjoy....

[TALKCalgary.com]

Hi Pooldevil

Thanks for your feedback, it's good to know that I am not alone in seeing the shortfalls of Beachcomber reluctance to protect their customers investments by installing a suitable base.

Our dealer has now started installing bases on "all" Beachcombers at their own expence. It's sad however that Beachcomber just will not listen to their customers or dealers.  

Pooldevil, I looked back over some of your older postings. If "three out of five of the tubs in your showroom leaked", I feel it is disgusting that you "did not even receive an apology". On the other hand, you may have been the victim of some very bad luck. If Beachcomber's quality control was generally that poor, boards like this one would be full of people complaining. All the same, as I have said in the past, Beachcomber do seem to be very reluctant to make changes. Even ones that have been shown to be beneficial.

Just out of curiosity, had Beachcomber been more sympathetic to your problems would you still be selling them?  

Steve K

[RDF]

Just curious how a mouse can get in and start digging around? Tub weighs about 4000 pounds full, I know they aren't getting in the bottom. Pull the step away and their is some plumbing cut thru the wall, insulation is wrapped around the pvc so tight ,you can't jamb a knive past it. As far as service, I had the jets pop out a few times problem, dealer offered to get me a new tub, I asked for some more jets before it got to that and it has been fine.

[Bubbles]

Thanks for your feedback, it's good to know that I am not alone in seeing the shortfalls of Beachcomber reluctance to protect their customers investments by installing a suitable base.

Personally, I think you should cancel your order Steve. I've never read so much crap from someone who purchased a particular model and whined about it so much prior to even getting it? I don't feel one bit sorry for you as these questions/concerns [though somewhat flippant] of yours should have been made clear to you or addressed prior to the purchase. If they were, what's your point? If not, cancel. I’m sure you will be going out of your way to find more faults once the tub eventually gets there contrived or not.

I’m wondering how you feel you are perceived on this forum about purchasing a product and coming up with all of these horrendous faults after researching it? Are you are poor shopper or do you just prefer to be a pessimist? Let it arrive and then blast the company at least. It will give you far more credibility. Am I the only one who's tired of the sniveling from someone who doesn't even have their tub yet?

[TALKCalgary.com]

Bubbles

I am not blasting Beachcomber just pointing out some of the shortfalls, such as Beachcombers reluctance to install a suitable base. By the way, this is something which our dealer feels is SO important they are doing this a retro fit to ALL the beachcombers they sell!

The idea of this forum is for people to share information. The good, the bad  and the ugly. The Beachcomber 750 is a good spa, that’s why I am buying one. But Beachcombers do have drawbacks. It’s up to individuals to weigh the good points of any product against the bad points.  

Steve K

[RDF]

How many tubs use a plastic base?

[HotTubMan]

Coleman, Dimension1, Sundance, Arctic, Elite all have plastic bottoms. Would anyone else like to add to my list? I wasn't sure about Sundance, I just heard that from a potential customer.

[SteveL]

Steve K,

Thanks again for your post, that I personally found informative. I agree that your concern about the Beachcomber not having a suitable base, and my concern with Beachcomber not providing removable skirting is a legitimate concern. Most of these posts, including yours, come across to me as being constructive rather than bashing. In my shopping for a tub, I'm finding out that the more research I do, the more I realize that compromise will come into play when I decide what to purchase. It seems to me that the perfect hot tub just doesn't exist. Anyhow, I think that many of these posts indicate that Beachcomber produces a good product, but like with all other brands has some shortcomings. Nothing unusual there.

SteveL