August 1999

What makes a good spa

I judge spas by value per dollar, and not by advertising hype. Advertising hype means misleading statements, that imply things that are usually not true.

Here are some of the things that make a quality spa.
 

•  Powerful pumps with clean plumbing that allows the most water flow to the jets; no diverter valves that restrict water flow, then in a few years get stuck so you can't turn them, and leak after five years or so.  Diverter valves are on the top of the spa and are used to turn on some jets while others are turned off.  It is a lot better to be able to operate all the jets at the same time, so bathers do not have to "wait their turn for jets".
• Acrylic shells made with proper fiberglass, bonded with a vinyl ester resin. This is a strong shell.
• Manifold plumbing with at least 2 inch on the pressure side, and 2.5 inch on the suction, for a modern pump.
• No tiny 24 Hour circulation (under 20 gallons per minute) pumps. The only thing these pumps do is cost you money. They do not move enough water to filter much at all. They are worthless for ozone. They break down within a few years and cost a small fortune to replace. Call a service company and find out.
• Full therapy with jets that are based upon the human body and air jets, or air injectors, the recommended therapy for skin, arthritic conditions, and overall blood circulation.
• 2x4 structural framing inside the cabinet. Using pressure treated lumber to last.
• Fully insulated cabinet with no venting of the spas equipment heat, unless you live in Florida or Arizona.
• Not full foam being used for structural support. This design is now 22 years old and antique. It is very difficult and expensive to repair a leak in this dense foam.
• Filtration with a bypass on the filter, so the jets do not get weak as the filter gets dirty. This in not a 100% suction blocked by filters.
• Redwood ( or good cedar) on the cabinet, that is at least 3/8 inches thick, with out particle board for support. This looks the best and is also the most expensive and it lasts longer with proper care. (Our spas have 1/2 inch redwood tongue 'n groove
• The spa must have a sealed cabinet for sound proofing the equipment.  The less you can hear the equipment the better. Nice!
• No loose filter lids to slip and hurt people.
• Places to put drinks on the top lip of the shell. The first thing you will want is a drink in a spa. The hot spa water makes you dehydrated, if you don't drink water.
• Large foot well, large enough for the number of people in the spa. If there are six people in the spa, there better be room for twelve feet. No humps in the middle of the foot well for people to trip over.
• Seating that helps hold you in place while the jets are on, particularly in lounges. Contoured seating with arm rests, foot rests, and bucket seating is much more ergonomic, especially in the powerful therapy seats. If you like "barrier free", we have some like that.
• A variety of seating heights. There are times when you want full immersion and times when you want to sit higher.
• Smaller jets at neck height. If you go to a spa supply house and ask for neck jets, I guarantee you will not see them bring out large jets.
• Heavy traces on the circuit board. Either with null switching or large sealed relays.
• Modular equipment with room between each device so you don't have to, for instance, remove the heater to get the pump out. All devices can be removed without having to drain the spa. It shouldn't take more than 30 minutes to remove and replace most devices. (I like to get off my knees quickly!
• All side panels are removable to get access to all the plumbing without having to put the spa up on blocks. This does not happen with fully foamed spas.

Haven spas are spas we have custom made for us. After a fiasco with our old spa supplier, who decided to put an awful diverter valve on the spas; we had to get control of the quality some how.
Here is my opinion on our Haven and Emerald Spas.

I can't tell you in more than ten or twenty thousand words how wonderful these Haven spas are. We are shipping them all over the country and now to Hawaii and Scotland. Don't they have spas in Hawaii or Scotland?
Yes, but nothing like these. The same is true in your town. You can look high and low. Spend all day for ten to twenty weekends and never see spas like these. You can wet test 'til your fingers are all wrinkled. You can go to all the spa stores in your town, and never see anything that compares.

You can spend 8, 9 or 10 thousands of dollars and not get the quality of these spas. http:/www.spaspecialist.com/haven.html
The value per dollar cannot be beaten by anything! 

There I have got that off my chest!

You also can't get service like we offer to all of our customers. No matter where you live. We have service people all across the country. We are the Spa Specialist Inc. There has never been a spa supplier with the knowledge, and caring that we have. We do not offer fluffy words or a bunch of inferences that verge on lies. We have the best quality for your dollar anywhere!