“The Duke” And Hot Tubs
I’ve recently written a few blogs where I brought up some movies and characters in movies. It got me thinking about one of life’s great questions:
“What would John Wayne think about Hot Tubs?”
I never met the Duke but he was always one of my favorites. The only thing better than a John Wayne movie was a John Wayne AND Jimmy Stewart movie. But back to the question: What would he think about a hot tub?
He’d obviously like ours! They are American made. They enhance family time. They soothe aching muscles after riding the range or chasing cattle rustlers. They’re romantic rendezvous escapes. So I have no doubt that he’d approve of hot tubs and I’ll bet he had one.
Now…what would Kevin Costner think? —Max
Hot Tubs! Hot Deals! Hot Times!
One of my responsibilities here at Eastgate Pools & Spas is the ‘Spas’ part of the name. I simply love hot tubs and over the last twenty-four years I’ve owned three. As such, I know them pretty well and I know what makes them tick. We currently have 22 models on display. That’s a lot to choose from. I also know that for many, there isn’t quite as much liquidity as there was a few years ago and that’s one reason I have brought in quite a few models that are designed to sell for under $4000. With our Winter Clearance sale in progress, I actually have 10 models that go for $3999 OR LESS!
Keeping Your Spa Jets Working Properly
Many spas have adjustable jets that allow you to control how much water goes through the jet. These are referred to as ‘turn-down’ jets. You simply rotate the jets open and closed. I recommend that about once a month, while using the spa, open and close each jet one at a time. If you don’t, calcium can build up and make them difficult to open or close. The once-a-month program insures that you can adjust them with ease when you really want to. I also recommend adding our Stain and Scale Remover once a month. It keeps calcium from building up inside the element or the jet nozzles. This keeps the spinning jets spinning and the pulsating jets pulsating. – Max
SWIM SPAS – GROWING IN POPULARITY
Our clients love their pools and they love their hot tubs. Now they can have both contained in the same vessel. 
We started selling swim spas a couple of years ago and didn’t know what to expect as far as sales. While we had done our research we were still surprised to see that the market for swim spas is growing rapidly. While it used to be ‘get a spa and sit there’ or get ‘get a pool and float around’, people are demanding more. Our Swim Spas allow you to have a small pool where you can do resistance swimming against a water current generated by special jets that move about 270 gallons a minute through them. Want to relax? Just turn off the jets and you have a traditional pool, albeit smaller. Then again, the entire swim spa is over sixteen feet long so it’s really not that small. One end is equipped with a standard hot tub so it truly is the best of both worlds. For those of you out there that have a swim spa, I’d like to hear what you like the best about it. –Max
ALL HOT TUB FILTERS ARE NOT THE SAME
There is a common misconception that all spas use the same filter cartridge. Turns out there are several HUNDRED different ones. A hot tub manufacturer might even have one cartridge on a particular model and a completely different cartridge on another so it’s not good enough just to know the hot tub’s manufacturer. But there is a way we can help. We try to stock about thirty of the most common filters. If you got your hot tub from us, we almost always have what you need in stock. If you got your tub elsewhere (boo!) we are still able to help. Simply measure the old filter. We need the height, diameter of the entire cartridge and diameter of the hole. We also need to know if it is closed on the top and if it screws in at the base. Better yet, bring us the old filter and we will do the measuring for you. We might have it in-stock and if not, we will be happy to order it for you. -Stacey
The Insulation Bamboozle
Speaking of hot tubs…people always ask me how much insulation is needed to hold heat. There’s evidence that an R-30 factor is enough to thoroughly insulate the shell. One inch of foam gets you to about R-7 so just a little over four inches is enough in most cases. I get a kick from some spa experts that talk about ‘their spa’ having 12-20 inches of foam at some places and ‘isn’t that great!’. Personally, I’ve always wanted to ask that salesperson how they explain the 4-inch thick cover on top of their spa. Heat rises so the cover is far more important than being solidly encased with foam. How much foam is in your attic?
—Max
Worried about a Frozen Spa? Don’t Panic!!!
Recent snow and ice storms knocked out power for many of our customers and led to a boatload of calls for people wanting to know if their hot tub would freeze up and what they should do. In most cases, you will have at least 2-3 days before you have to worry about damages from freezing. Rule #1 is: LEAVE THE LID ON! Don’t keep opening and closing it. This lets heat out and hurries the freeze process. It’s kind of like your refrigerator. Leave the door closed and keep the food cold. Leave the cover on and keep the water warm. I definitely don’t recommend draining the hot tub as there will always be water left in the pipes and it will definitely freeze faster if there is no water in the vessel.
– Max