Hot Tubs???

I recently found a great deal on a hot tub.

Does anyone have or has anyone heard of "Gulf Coast Spas"?? Any insight to their quality would be helpful.

Thanks

[EricNY]

I recently found a great deal on a hot tub.

Does anyone have or has anyone heard of "Gulf Coast Spas"?? Any insight to their quality would be helpful.

Thanks

[luvnaturism]

That brand isn't sold where I live. If your area has Hot Springs Spas, be sure to look at them as well.

A key item in spa shopping is to find out how good their warranty service is. The combination of heat and chemicals tends to make spas need more service than a swimming pool. The support after the purchase becomes really important.

Also pay attention to how long the company has been in business. Spa companies tend to come and go, and no warranty will help much if the company has gone toes up.

[SLNudeCouple]

I had a CAL Spa once. It was very well constructed. Be sure to check the quality of the tub construction. Don't want cracks in the tub. Electrical wiring and pumps are standard. Try to get some names of people that have bought from the company a few years back.

[Rik]

Can I jump in here to save starting a new topic, and ask a spa related question which I asked on a UK newsgroup recently and got virtually no response.

I am thinking of buying one but am undecided between those which have 5 or 6 seats in a circle and those which have a couple of loungers and a couple of seats.

Most of the time it will be used by just two of us but there will be times when we want to accomodate 5 or 6 people.

Someone suggested that there's a tendency to float out of the loungers and that the more traditional type of spa is a better all round solution. Are they right?

I'd welcome any comments.

Rik

[neanderpaul67]

I have a spa that has the seats in a round, if you will, and it works good for a conversation pit, but sometimes I'd like to have the loungers w/multiple jets for the massage they give. Calculate how many people you might have w/you in the tub, and be sure you get a fairly deep one if you're tall, so all of you can be submerged without contorting yourself to fit underwater. [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_cool.gif[/img]

[luvnaturism]

A lot of choices just hinge on personal preferance. I used to own a spa that included a lounge along with the more traditional seats. The lounge wasn't used much (we did tend to float out of it, and so it wasn't that relaxing).

When that one died we replaced it with a larger one that has seats only, but it does have a lot of jets. You can massage every inch of your body in it by moving from position to position.

Larger tubs are more comfortable than small ones, even if only two of you are using it. But the extra size comes at a cost, both to buy and to maintain.

Two items to look very closely at are how effectively is the water filtered and how energy efficient is it. If appearance is important, make sure the tub is made from a material that won't check or craze.

[sawdust]

The experiance of Luvnaturism could be my own. When we bought our replacement spa we too gave up on loungers as every one who tried it ended up floating off. It is hard to relax when you are constantly fighting to stay in place.
One of the things we gave serious consideration to was the size of the foot well. It is not really an issue if you have a large spa and it is just two of you in it. When the spa has eight or more people in it, knowing where to put all those feet becomes an issue. All this to say, Besure there is plenty of room for feet. Sawdust

[EricNY]

Well...I bought it. It is now up and running, Have not been in it, as the water is heating up. So far it seems nice, it is 8 feet by 8 feet and 35 inches deep. 57 Jets, Aroma therapy and a waterfall. Best of all no chemicals, or so they say.

Gulf Coast Spas boasts of 24/7 Tech support and service. Thay have been around since the 70's so thats a good sign.

I hope to be in it later today.......Can't wait!!!

[sawdust]

What are you using to keep your water sanatized? Just filtering it will not due. Sawdust

[Naturist Mark]

quote:

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Originally posted by sawdust:
[qb] What are you using to keep your water sanatized? Just filtering it will not due. Sawdust [/qb]

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Gulf Coast Spas use a system of Ozone sanitation, heavy filtration and catalytic action to keep water clean with (almost) no chemicals. Gulf Coast Spas

[luvnaturism]

Enjoy your spa. They really are quite wonderful. I hope you have it close to the house and under cover. If not, you won't use it much in bad weather. It's a wonderful thing to sit in a hot tub while cold rain comes down all around, provided that the rain isn't falling on your head.

I'm not familiar with the catalytic action you mention. My spa has an ozone maker, and it was way oversold. Ozone will kill bacteria, but it doesn't remove them from the water?and of course no filter will either. The end result is that I can't tell that the ozone maker saves any chlorine at all.

[sawdust]

Luvnaturism,
Again we have some very similar spa experiances and with the simular results. I have a South West spa with an ozonator and run the filter system twice per day for a half hour each. Still the water can get cloudy. Rather then chlorine or bromeine I use a product called Nature2. It is a bit pricey, but last a long time, gives us good results with no left over chemical smells on our skin. After each spa use, I apply two tbs of Non-Clorine oxidizer which so far has kept my PH in ballance. Sawdust

[luvnaturism]

Sawdust -

There are several types of oxidizers available, and I suppose they all do the same job. It becomes just a matter of personal preference. We're not that sensitive to chlorine, and it's convenient to use. Except for a nice fresh scent, it doesn't smell if you have enough of it in the water; generally when people complain of a strong chlorine smell it's because there's not enough present.

Several times a year I take my pool and spa water to be tested at a pool supply store. It's a free service, and they do many more tests than I ever would. The computer program tells me how much of the various chemicals my spa and pool need, right down to the last teaspoonful.

The combination of heat and moisture in a spa makes an ideal breeding ground for bacteria and mold, so keeping enough chemicals in is essential. But the combination of heat and chemicals is potentially deadly to the pumps, so it gets very expensive if the chemical balance is off.

We love our spa and would hate to be without it, but it does take more attention than the pool.

[EricNY]

My wife and I used the spa last night.....INCREDIBLE, so relaxing I slept afterward better than I have in a long time.

The filter system so far is working good. the water is crystal clear, and it smells like a fresh rain. So far so good, but I amsure I will have to add something sooner or later.