I will fully admit to not remembering everything I have said on this blog over the years, but just the other day I was faced with a spa request that is always tricky to explain. I had a customer walk in and say they wanted a small spa with lots of jets. Now, I understand that people are wanting more than just a couple of jets in a spa, but I think there is confusion out there that more jets equals better therapy and that simply is not the case. Jet count is important, but effective movement of water through those jets is even more important. All spas mix air with water and the air mixture is equal to every jet. Because of this smaller jets tend to have a higher psi and aren’t quite as effective at delivering the heat and massaging benefits of true hydrotherapy. Many manufacturers take advantage of consumers just looking for a high jet count by using a great deal of these small jets that may look impressive but fail to truly deliver the therapy they are supposed to provide. Since very few people actually wet test the spas they don’t really get a fair comparison of a spa that does things the right way and one that uses smoke and mirrors (or excessive jet counts). Hopefully that all makes good sense, if not stop in and I will be happy to show just what I mean…and I will be sure to show you exactly why the products we carry do things the right way.
Customers often ask which spa mode they should operate their spa on for peak energy efficiency. The two most common modes are “standard” and “economy”. The standard mode operates much like setting the thermostat on your home HVAC unit, one places the temperature where they would like it and the spa will stay there all the time.
The economy mode will allow the spa to drop 20 degrees off of the set temperate, (if it’s set at 102 it will drop the temp. to 82). To most, it sounds like this would be the most efficient method to heat the spa. It might be, but it all depends on the usage. If one uses the spa once a week or less, then the economy mode would absolutely be the best and most efficient mode for the hot tub. Most spa owner’s however, use the spa more frequently then this. So, in this instance, let’s say the spa is at 82 degrees and we want it at 102, then the spa would have to run for roughly 4 hours straight to get to the desired temperature. This alone loses any savings that one would hope to benefit from by setting it on economy (unless there is a big gap between uses, like a vacation).
If one is looking to save money on their energy consumption, then adjusting the filter cycle would be a good place to look. One can set the filter cycles down to as low as 4 hours a day on most spas, and this will keep an already efficient low cost system running at its lowest cost to the home owner.
We have a little satellite radio tuner here that we play in the store. In my time here we have played stations with steel drums and Jimmy Buffett, 80’s tunes, adult contemporary, and 70’s hits…which is really just a bunch of Disco music. I guess I’m just one of those people that cannot block out background noise, but I wish we could find a station for customers to appreciate while not driving those of us that are here five days a week insane. Christmas music is here, which means I will have a reprieve from the mundane, but that station tends to be even more repetitive. Anyhow, I suppose I’m just venting a bit, but ultimately I’m curious as to what our “audience” here at Eastgate Pools & Spas would find most pleasing. I know you never what to play music that is too risqué, but I’m always wondering what our patrons really would enjoy. Let me know what you think and it might your own personal soundtrack playing next time you stop by!
Ugh. I’m not one of those people that “just love winter”. Personally, give me an inch of snow on Christmas day and I’ll then be happy with 60 degrees and cloudy the rest of the winter. I heat my home with propane and I do not look forward to the monthly re-fill and the subsequent bill that mysteriously and magically appears three days later! I think that if you look up the word ‘sucks’ in the dictionary, there will be a picture of my propane tank right next to it. But I have found a way to keep the bill down a little. Actually a lot…and I can still stay warm. I use two of our room quartz heaters in different areas of my house. I have an Infinity heater in my bedroom and an EdenPURE in my son’s room. This lets me turn my thermostat way down at night and everyone is still comfortable while sleeping. They pour the heat out and operate for about 6-7 cents an hour. We know that is correct as we have a meter set up here at the store and have done the calculations. That’s half of what my ‘95% efficient’ propane furnace costs me. It’s easy to figure: “95%” means only 5% of the gas is not being used to generate heat. At $2.50 a gallon, 5% is 12.5 cents.
Save some money—get an EdenPURE or Infinity quartz heater and turn your thermostat back. –Max
If you’ve been considering a hot tub purchase, you should stop in as soon as possible. We just made a special purchase of hot tubs from Four Winds Manufacturing. These are display tubs from Home Shows and State fairs. They are all brand new and carry full manufacturer warranty. There may be some small cosmetic scratches on the cabinet or a mark or two on the shells, but these are some great deals and you can save thousands on some models. Priced in lower to mid-range price points, these are pretty much upper-end spas—big, with lots of options such as backlit jets, digital perimeter lighting, stereos, iPod connections, and water show fountains and waterfalls. Each is unique and each is a one-of-a-kind.
Stop in before your neighbor stops in and gets your hot tub! –Max
Every year in October you can expect to see some major changes in products shown in each of our showrooms. Just a couple of weeks ago I took off my salesman hat and helped to move the bulk of our casual furniture to our second showroom and we loaded up the primary showroom with all the fun game tables for those cold months indoors. There are still countless options for casual furniture, several fire pits, and plenty of patio room options to be had. We are loaded to the brim with options for every category so please stop in and we will help you find just what you’re looking for.
First of all, I don’t understand why anyone would want to winterize a spa. Most of our customers find that using “their spa on a cold winters day, is just the thing their body needs to warm up the bones and take care of all of their aches and pains. The tough part of using the spa in the winter, is getting to the spa in the cold. Once you are in a spa, one could care less if there is a blizzard raging! Getting out is easy as well, the entire body is warm to the core and one barely feels the cold on the way back to the house. For those that are resolute on winterizing their spa, here are some tips.
1. Turn of the power to your spa.
2. Drain the spa using your floor drain or a submersible pump.
3. Using a shop vac on “blow”, starting at the top jets and working down blow out all the excess water in the plumbing.
4. Disconnect the spa pumps and take out the drain plug.
5. Remove any excess water in the foot area using shop vac.
6. (This step is completely optional. Some people suggest it others do not.) Using a funnel or turkey baster, pour roughly 2 gallons of swimming pool antifreeze into the jets. The reason I like this step is that invariably, not all of the water is going to get removed. Every spring there is a parade of customers with Frankenstein reconstruction plumbing jobs because a spa was not winterized properly. I would rather be safe and do too much then risk damaging the spa and undertaking a very difficult and expensive repair. If you opt for step 6, you will need to fill your spa up in the spring, drain it, then refill to expel the antifreeze. (you’ll be out a few dollars in water)
If you’ve been considering a hot tub purchase, you should stop in as soon as possible. We just made a special purchase of hot tubs from Four Winds Manufacturing. These are display tubs from Home Shows and State fairs. They are all brand new and carry full manufacturer warranty. There may be some small cosmetic scratches on the cabinet or a mark or two on the shells, but these are some great deals and you can save thousands on some models. Priced in lower to mid-range price points, these are pretty much upper-end spas—big, with lots of options such as backlit jets, digital perimeter lighting, stereos, iPod connections, and water show fountains and waterfalls. Each is unique and each is a one-of-a-kind.
Stop in before your neighbor stops in and gets your hot tub! –Max
