Thank you for the detail overview - we are looking to get our first hot tub and really like the Hot Springs Envoy. Question : you mentioned that your old hot tub had ceramic filters that cracked and I believe Hot Spring still uses ceramic instead of paper filters - do you also notice and increase is quality of the filters or do you think you will still be replacing them under the promised 5 year life expectancy?
5 year is BS. Let's face it. That is company marketing. If you take care of them and handle them the right way they can last a while. 3 years or so. You have to handle them around the top. Never touch the sides. If they crack grab a new one off of Amazon. You DO NOT want that stuff breaking off and running through the pumps.
Also when you get your new tub go in and clean the inside of it and remove any dirty water you create. That will help the filters early on. Remember to never use any soap or bubbly stuff in it. Also Bathing suits and bikinis DO NOT wash with soap like regular clothes. Just rinse them out and hang dry. The jets in the tub will push the laundry detergent out of them and make a mess of the water and PH.
Interesting video.. Envoy is a great hot tub.. I have mine since 2019. You refer to the salt system as ACE but it is actually their redesigned Freshwater Salt System. As you know, it's much more reliable and advanced than ACE. How bad was you old Grandee? Why did you trade in? You described having to change 2 pumps and heater. I have an extended warranty that covers anything in the motor compartment for 8 yrs. Did the Grandee have a catastrophic failure like major leak from within the foam areas? 7 yrs seems too soon to replace. I'm assuming the Grandee wasn't so bad if you bought another Watkins product. Sounded like you were upset that that NXT came out the year after you bought your Grandee and wanted the upgrade. I know how that feels.
My old grandee was a mess in the end. Parts became brittle and broke. You are right. The old ACE sucked. We learned our lesson for sure. The new system is much better. We are much better hot tub owners now with the new TUB. We know what to do and what not to do. Here is our 1 year water change video. ua-cam.com/video/p6_1JTcqguI/v-deo.html&ab_channel=ClayDog
@@claydog6422 would you agree that alot of issues that people have comes from poor maintenance. Balanced water is critical, especially proper PH, to preventing leaks and corrosion. My equipment carpartment looks like brand new and it's been 2 years. Real easy to maintain once you get the hang of it.
I've had my Envoy for 3 months. I'm on well water and had a hard time with the salt system at first due to high metal and phosphate content in my water. I couldn't keep a chlorine residual and my salt cartridge burned out in a month. Eventually, the water came into balance and has remained steady with the second salt cartridge. Over a month in and the salt system needle has held at 12 o'clock. My advise for new owners. It's incredibly important to have balanced water before activating the salt system. When I need to refill the the tub I'll do a full clean, refill using a pre-screen filter on the hose, have water tested at dealer to verify no metals and no phosphates, balance all the normal chemicals on the test strip, and not activate the salt system until that point. I think the benefits of the salt system are worth it but it is expensive to maintain and you will go through a steep leaning curve, especially if you're on well water. If I have similar issues on my second fill as I did on my first then I'll probably switch to the traditional bromine system.
You are correct. It is almost like you need to set up a filtration system to pre treat your water before a change. I know my mom had to deal with that on a well water based salt water fish tank. It is a huge hassle.
Very well said! We got our new Limelight Flash in January and we have well water with lots of metals and phosphates (fortunately calcium is naturally on the low side which is helpful for the Salt System). All this to say, I wish I had known to get the water stabilized before starting the Salt System (though feel like my dealer could have been more helpful with that). Working like a champ now, but it took about three weeks to get there.
It is very intimidating. We spent a lot of time when we got the 1st hot tub trying to dial in the chemicals. We learned later that you just need to treat the chlorine. I have lots of tips and tricks if you have questions
1st thing you should do right now is get your water 💦 tested. See what the PH and the Hardness is. That will give you an idea 💡 what chemicals you will need. Also tells you what chemicals NOT to buy. HOT TUB 🛁 places will sell you anything
@@louisbensinger4239 The Grandee back in the day was $22k-$23k. Not sure exactly because we lumped it in a line of credit with a big Trex deck to hold it on the back of our house. Our old deck was rotting off the house. The Grandee also added around $25-$30 a month to the electric bill. Plus all the chemicals/filters to run it for the year and to do 6 month water changes. This new tub is once a year!!! + we are way better at taking care of a hot tub now.
I just bought the Aria and the the salt cartridge burned out in a day. Filled up from garden hose and had too much calcium hard water. Not sure what to do?
Ok....WOW...That is not good. I don't know where to start. If you hose water is coming from the township/city water system you should run a test strip to see where you levels are before you fill your tub up. If the hardness is up high you need to get a hardness remover kit. It is bean bag looking thing that you put over your return in the bottom of the spa. Leave it there for a while right after you fill the tub. Let the pump run water through it. Once you are down to a better level (run another strip) take it out. You need some hardness in your tank or your hardware will suffer. Now add salt and fresh water care to the water. Run a salt test after 10 mins and make sure you have a good level of salt for your size tank. Now shock it with chlorine. Turn your tub's water care system on. After that let it run overnight and test another strip in the AM. It should be normal. Here is my 1 year water change video on my tub. Might help you more. ua-cam.com/video/p6_1JTcqguI/v-deo.html&ab_channel=ClayDog
They paid me $2000 for the old tub. They have a place in NJ where they fix them up and resell them. The old tub was a good one. The cover was replaced. It just needs some of the old parts underneath fixed and it is good to go.
Thanks for the review. I have an Envoy on the way. Question, do you believe the filter cover stout enough to support an adult... like to use for a cool off seat?
NO!!! Do not sit there ever. If you have a set up like the one we have the middle seat is higher up, the one next to the "chair". You can sit on the middle part of the lounge seat...But if you have all the jets on you get one up your butt...PS: it's more fun for girls =)
The hot tub is out on our deck right? No cover...Elements take a toll. And we got the last hot tub before the major change in design that you see today in stores. Also you have to go with a tub that can be serviced in your area.
@@claydog6422 right, i'd still expect way longer before a such expensive piece starts leaking water, for thst thre is bo excuse. Sure the cover gets beaten up but other stuff should be fine. I understand that you partly bought to have a new model you could probably repair the old one and get couple more years out of it. Thanks for sharing anyway, good video.
@@giftowercom They gave us $2000 for the old tub and took it away. Parts were becoming the problem. You would fix one thing and something else would start to leak. So you would spend to fix that part and do a whole water change. That means all new chemicals. It gets expensive. Getting rid of it was a great move. The new tub is sooooo much better and nicer looking.
This was a VERY informative video, thank you! I confess, I'm thinking about becoming a first time owner of a hot tub and doing a lot of research. All the experts say stay away from the big box (Costco, etc.), they are value priced and won't last 20 years. But then you purchased a top of the line Hot Springs, which is an undisputed top tier brand, and you only got 7 years. Makes me wonder if I should just plan on purchasing a brand new Costco hot tub every 5 to 7 years. I may decide I don't want a hot tub for 20 years anyway. I typically buy quality, but at $15k to $20k for a top tier hot tub gets me 2 to 3 brand new big box spas over the same period of time. Hate to think of a spa as disposable, but the numbers suggest they are? Thoughts? Thanks again!
@@georgevallillee9199 hey, with big box tubs the biggest downside is lack of insulation, which results in expensive running cost. With the hotspring besides top notch insulation and better overall product, unfortunately you get a product that is virtually impossible/very expensive to repair because digging through the foam takes a lot of work and is costly. so if you are a handy man you can try to insulate an affordable hot tub yourself OR buy a affordable line hotspring spa for a pretty good price and good insulation and dont let them trick you into buying a higher line. you dont need the extra circulation pump or ceramic filters or some salt system even ozonator is not a must, these things just break. get a simple tub with one 2-speed pump. So what if it breaks in 5 years, you swap it for 300 bucks and you are good for the next 5. just do not skimp on insulation because that part is your best investment. so go with the cheapest hotspring line (not rotomolded). that will give you simplicity and good insulation. and dont let them sell you expensive models with gimicky technology. good luck!
I also had this generation of Hotsprings tub. Leaks, rotting frames, faulty expensive parts, absolute junk. European brands such as Wellis make them better and cheaper.
Thank you for the detail overview - we are looking to get our first hot tub and really like the Hot Springs Envoy. Question : you mentioned that your old hot tub had ceramic filters that cracked and I believe Hot Spring still uses ceramic instead of paper filters - do you also notice and increase is quality of the filters or do you think you will still be replacing them under the promised 5 year life expectancy?
5 year is BS. Let's face it. That is company marketing. If you take care of them and handle them the right way they can last a while. 3 years or so. You have to handle them around the top. Never touch the sides. If they crack grab a new one off of Amazon. You DO NOT want that stuff breaking off and running through the pumps.
Also when you get your new tub go in and clean the inside of it and remove any dirty water you create. That will help the filters early on. Remember to never use any soap or bubbly stuff in it. Also Bathing suits and bikinis DO NOT wash with soap like regular clothes. Just rinse them out and hang dry. The jets in the tub will push the laundry detergent out of them and make a mess of the water and PH.
Pump motors are 500-700 max. Buy it yourself and change yourself in 15 min. Many diy videos. Filters are only $75 each online also. Nice tub.
That is a good idea. Can’t be that hard.
This was a great video! Very informative
Hot Tub care can be a pain in the A$$...We learned the hard way with our 1st tub
Appreciate the thoroughness of your experience.
If you have any questions let me know
Interesting video.. Envoy is a great hot tub.. I have mine since 2019. You refer to the salt system as ACE but it is actually their redesigned Freshwater Salt System. As you know, it's much more reliable and advanced than ACE. How bad was you old Grandee? Why did you trade in? You described having to change 2 pumps and heater. I have an extended warranty that covers anything in the motor compartment for 8 yrs. Did the Grandee have a catastrophic failure like major leak from within the foam areas? 7 yrs seems too soon to replace. I'm assuming the Grandee wasn't so bad if you bought another Watkins product. Sounded like you were upset that that NXT came out the year after you bought your Grandee and wanted the upgrade. I know how that feels.
My old grandee was a mess in the end. Parts became brittle and broke. You are right. The old ACE sucked. We learned our lesson for sure. The new system is much better. We are much better hot tub owners now with the new TUB. We know what to do and what not to do. Here is our 1 year water change video. ua-cam.com/video/p6_1JTcqguI/v-deo.html&ab_channel=ClayDog
@@claydog6422 would you agree that alot of issues that people have comes from poor maintenance. Balanced water is critical, especially proper PH, to preventing leaks and corrosion. My equipment carpartment looks like brand new and it's been 2 years. Real easy to maintain once you get the hang of it.
@@jackdawson3276 Our set up is outside. So you have to contend with the elements and bugs and spiders and bees...Bird poop...all the fun stuff
I've had my Envoy for 3 months. I'm on well water and had a hard time with the salt system at first due to high metal and phosphate content in my water. I couldn't keep a chlorine residual and my salt cartridge burned out in a month. Eventually, the water came into balance and has remained steady with the second salt cartridge. Over a month in and the salt system needle has held at 12 o'clock.
My advise for new owners. It's incredibly important to have balanced water before activating the salt system. When I need to refill the the tub I'll do a full clean, refill using a pre-screen filter on the hose, have water tested at dealer to verify no metals and no phosphates, balance all the normal chemicals on the test strip, and not activate the salt system until that point.
I think the benefits of the salt system are worth it but it is expensive to maintain and you will go through a steep leaning curve, especially if you're on well water. If I have similar issues on my second fill as I did on my first then I'll probably switch to the traditional bromine system.
You are correct. It is almost like you need to set up a filtration system to pre treat your water before a change. I know my mom had to deal with that on a well water based salt water fish tank. It is a huge hassle.
Very well said! We got our new Limelight Flash in January and we have well water with lots of metals and phosphates (fortunately calcium is naturally on the low side which is helpful for the Salt System). All this to say, I wish I had known to get the water stabilized before starting the Salt System (though feel like my dealer could have been more helpful with that). Working like a champ now, but it took about three weeks to get there.
Great vid, hope you've been enjoying the new tub!
Should be getting my first hottub by the end of the year. We went with the Grandee, I can't wait. The water care does look a little intimidating.
It is very intimidating. We spent a lot of time when we got the 1st hot tub trying to dial in the chemicals. We learned later that you just need to treat the chlorine. I have lots of tips and tricks if you have questions
1st thing you should do right now is get your water 💦 tested. See what the PH and the Hardness is. That will give you an idea 💡 what chemicals you will need. Also tells you what chemicals NOT to buy. HOT TUB 🛁 places will sell you anything
If you don't mind me asking what was the total cost of the Grandee. Good luck and enjoy your hot tub
@@louisbensinger4239 The Grandee back in the day was $22k-$23k. Not sure exactly because we lumped it in a line of credit with a big Trex deck to hold it on the back of our house. Our old deck was rotting off the house. The Grandee also added around $25-$30 a month to the electric bill. Plus all the chemicals/filters to run it for the year and to do 6 month water changes. This new tub is once a year!!! + we are way better at taking care of a hot tub now.
@@claydog6422 appreciate the heads up and the advice thank you
I just bought the Aria and the the salt cartridge burned out in a day. Filled up from garden hose and had too much calcium hard water. Not sure what to do?
Ok....WOW...That is not good. I don't know where to start. If you hose water is coming from the township/city water system you should run a test strip to see where you levels are before you fill your tub up. If the hardness is up high you need to get a hardness remover kit. It is bean bag looking thing that you put over your return in the bottom of the spa. Leave it there for a while right after you fill the tub. Let the pump run water through it. Once you are down to a better level (run another strip) take it out. You need some hardness in your tank or your hardware will suffer. Now add salt and fresh water care to the water. Run a salt test after 10 mins and make sure you have a good level of salt for your size tank. Now shock it with chlorine. Turn your tub's water care system on. After that let it run overnight and test another strip in the AM. It should be normal. Here is my 1 year water change video on my tub. Might help you more. ua-cam.com/video/p6_1JTcqguI/v-deo.html&ab_channel=ClayDog
They have a pillow looking product that will lower the calcium. You simply put it filter box . On well water it can take 2. 1 at a time though
Also get that hardness down and you are golden focus on alkalinity afterwards if its high add decreaser
Why did they give you $2000 back? I assume not under warranty as they only give you 5 years and you said 7 year old hot tub?
Wondering.
They paid me $2000 for the old tub. They have a place in NJ where they fix them up and resell them. The old tub was a good one. The cover was replaced. It just needs some of the old parts underneath fixed and it is good to go.
Thanks for the review. I have an Envoy on the way. Question, do you believe the filter cover stout enough to support an adult... like to use for a cool off seat?
NO!!! Do not sit there ever. If you have a set up like the one we have the middle seat is higher up, the one next to the "chair". You can sit on the middle part of the lounge seat...But if you have all the jets on you get one up your butt...PS: it's more fun for girls =)
@@claydog6422 LOL... yes the fiancée might like to "cool down" there. Thanks for the reply.
@@jeffwertz2953 If you ordered the side steps please be careful with them. The sides crack ...
@@claydog6422 Thanks... t's coming with matching steps. Not sure if they are the same as yours tho
@@jeffwertz2953 Did you get the ACE salt system too??
That is a beautiful spa. But i cant believe its about 20k$ , thats very expensive
What isn't these days. The 2 pumps that run all the jets...2 of them are like $1300 each....Make sure you get them replaced under warranty....Haha
7 years of use is not that much for that expensive hot tub. Howcome you decided to stick woth hotspring?
The hot tub is out on our deck right? No cover...Elements take a toll. And we got the last hot tub before the major change in design that you see today in stores. Also you have to go with a tub that can be serviced in your area.
@@claydog6422 right, i'd still expect way longer before a such expensive piece starts leaking water, for thst thre is bo excuse. Sure the cover gets beaten up but other stuff should be fine. I understand that you partly bought to have a new model you could probably repair the old one and get couple more years out of it. Thanks for sharing anyway, good video.
@@giftowercom They gave us $2000 for the old tub and took it away. Parts were becoming the problem. You would fix one thing and something else would start to leak. So you would spend to fix that part and do a whole water change. That means all new chemicals. It gets expensive. Getting rid of it was a great move. The new tub is sooooo much better and nicer looking.
This was a VERY informative video, thank you! I confess, I'm thinking about becoming a first time owner of a hot tub and doing a lot of research. All the experts say stay away from the big box (Costco, etc.), they are value priced and won't last 20 years. But then you purchased a top of the line Hot Springs, which is an undisputed top tier brand, and you only got 7 years. Makes me wonder if I should just plan on purchasing a brand new Costco hot tub every 5 to 7 years. I may decide I don't want a hot tub for 20 years anyway. I typically buy quality, but at $15k to $20k for a top tier hot tub gets me 2 to 3 brand new big box spas over the same period of time. Hate to think of a spa as disposable, but the numbers suggest they are? Thoughts? Thanks again!
@@georgevallillee9199 hey, with big box tubs the biggest downside is lack of insulation, which results in expensive running cost. With the hotspring besides top notch insulation and better overall product, unfortunately you get a product that is virtually impossible/very expensive to repair because digging through the foam takes a lot of work and is costly. so if you are a handy man you can try to insulate an affordable hot tub yourself OR buy a affordable line hotspring spa for a pretty good price and good insulation and dont let them trick you into buying a higher line. you dont need the extra circulation pump or ceramic filters or some salt system even ozonator is not a must, these things just break. get a simple tub with one 2-speed pump. So what if it breaks in 5 years, you swap it for 300 bucks and you are good for the next 5. just do not skimp on insulation because that part is your best investment. so go with the cheapest hotspring line (not rotomolded). that will give you simplicity and good insulation. and dont let them sell you expensive models with gimicky technology. good luck!
I think you was crazy for buying another hot springs spa. You should have gotten a Thrama spa hands down way better....
They are not in our area...you have to buy where you can get service....this new tub is 99% problem free...
I also had this generation of Hotsprings tub. Leaks, rotting frames, faulty expensive parts, absolute junk. European brands such as Wellis make them better and cheaper.
You are correct...Parts are insane expensive.