Spa Pool advice

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DamageInc

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#319581 9-May-2025 22:20

Hi all,

Spa pool, never had one, seriously thinking of getting one. Had a quick look this evening and there seems to be a couple of sales on.

Can anyone with experience owning a spa pool please offer any advice on what to look for if one was interested in buying.

Any particular brand and/or retailer better than the rest?

Budget <$10k

2-3 person spa pool

Live lower north island

Massage options would be great.

Any help much appreciated, thank you.

Pop! OS

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Chorus

#3371917 9-May-2025 22:40

I was gonna write a big explanation of what I have but just found my previous post in a similar topic - you can view here https://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=141&topicid=298985

DamageInc

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#3371924 10-May-2025 06:16

Thanks for that, much appreciated.

Pop! OS

Stu1

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#3379901 2-Jun-2025 14:33

Did you end up getting one? Here are somethings to ponder . They are expensive to run ours is at least 50 to 60 per month. Simple silver is great for non chlorine option but means you have to use filtration at least 10 hours a day which increases cost. There is only one guy that does maintenance or repairs in Wellington even wrights spas use them . Wrights spas are arrogant and look down on people can’t find any good feedback on their aftercare service. Think about installing a RCD on the actual spa circuit . We had a boy racer wipe out a power transformer the spa was fired over 4 grand to replace the components. Don’t build it into a deck put in on top or on a slab , to hard to work on them if something goes wrong . There isn’t must options now lower north island , Galaxy which was part of Palmer’s went under, Alpine are still going strong . Trueform seem good. It’s a great to have though use it a lot in autumn and winter. Summer we empty it as too hot . Happy spa shopping

mailmarshall

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#3379984 2-Jun-2025 18:25

We bought our small spa from Paremata Spas. Its “the Relax” model (4 person) which is part of their own range. They also do the parts and servicing etc.

Its a basic model but its very nice especially at this time of the year.

Goosey

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#3379985 2-Jun-2025 18:49

Stu1:

Did you end up getting one? Here are somethings to ponder . They are expensive to run ours is at least 50 to 60 per month. Simple silver is great for non chlorine option but means you have to use filtration at least 10 hours a day which increases cost. There is only one guy that does maintenance or repairs in Wellington even wrights spas use them . Wrights spas are arrogant and look down on people can’t find any good feedback on their aftercare service. Think about installing a RCD on the actual spa circuit . We had a boy racer wipe out a power transformer the spa was fired over 4 grand to replace the components. Don’t build it into a deck put in on top or on a slab , to hard to work on them if something goes wrong . There isn’t must options now lower north island , Galaxy which was part of Palmer’s went under, Alpine are still going strong . Trueform seem good. It’s a great to have though use it a lot in autumn and winter. Summer we empty it as too hot . Happy spa shopping

Is an RCD not mandatory for an outdoor water appliance? I would have thought so?

what else got fried?

Stu1

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#3379988 2-Jun-2025 19:57

Goosey:

Stu1:

Did you end up getting one? Here are somethings to ponder . They are expensive to run ours is at least 50 to 60 per month. Simple silver is great for non chlorine option but means you have to use filtration at least 10 hours a day which increases cost. There is only one guy that does maintenance or repairs in Wellington even wrights spas use them . Wrights spas are arrogant and look down on people can’t find any good feedback on their aftercare service. Think about installing a RCD on the actual spa circuit . We had a boy racer wipe out a power transformer the spa was fired over 4 grand to replace the components. Don’t build it into a deck put in on top or on a slab , to hard to work on them if something goes wrong . There isn’t must options now lower north island , Galaxy which was part of Palmer’s went under, Alpine are still going strong . Trueform seem good. It’s a great to have though use it a lot in autumn and winter. Summer we empty it as too hot . Happy spa shopping

Is an RCD not mandatory for an outdoor water appliance? I would have thought so?

what else got fried?

Apparently not , I thought it had been done but it’s an extra cost . I had one put in afterwards though . We also lost central heating, garage fridge , DVS system , few multi boxes . All up 8.5 k worth of damage . The whole street lost power and had damage we had a generator for a week . We will never get the excess back the kids lucky to be alive

Stu1

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#3379989 2-Jun-2025 19:59

mailmarshall:

We bought our small spa from Paremata Spas. Its “the Relax” model (4 person) which is part of their own range. They also do the parts and servicing etc.

Its a basic model but its very nice especially at this time of the year.

Are they part of the garden centre out there?

mailmarshall

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#3379992 2-Jun-2025 20:51

Nah its right next to the Z service station on Mana Esplanade (being renovated at mo). Paremata Spa and Pool.

Its a local family run business. We go and get the water professionally tested there every 2-3 weeks now. Thats $6 from memory.

Stu1

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#3379994 2-Jun-2025 20:59

mailmarshall:

Nah its right next to the Z service station on Mana Esplanade (being renovated at mo). Paremata Spa and Pool.

Its a local family run business. We go and get the water professionally tested there every 2-3 weeks now. Thats $6 from memory.

Thats pretty good value , touch wood we don’t have any more problems be good to deal with someone local

mentalinc

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#3379998 2-Jun-2025 21:39

Why are you paying $6 to get water tested?

Most places do it free (as they want to sell you the products to fix the water).

For $6 a pop, I hope they are doing proper chemical tests!?

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mailmarshall

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#3380029 3-Jun-2025 07:59

The electronic water testing includes PH, Calcium hardeness, alkalinity, free chlorine levels. Also tells you what amount of chemicals to add.

I dont mind paying as it gives me peace of mind. The spa test strips’ you get at hardware store are bit hard for my old eyes to decipher!

mentalinc

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#3380115 3-Jun-2025 10:41

Yeah that level of testing should be free, the tablet they add to your test water is like $1, and what chemicals to add is fairly basic maths.

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hsvhel

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#3380117 3-Jun-2025 10:55

I have an Alpine unit. It was pricy. Dual zones, waterfall etc.....mildly regret it

Mainly from the upkeep of all the extras, if i were to do it again, would go a basic version. Cut out all the fluff and things that break.

Don't want to look at the running cost for the amount of time it sits there. As other's have mentioned, they're not cheap

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DamageInc

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#3380225 3-Jun-2025 17:34

Stu1:

Did you end up getting one? Here are somethings to ponder . They are expensive to run ours is at least 50 to 60 per month. Simple silver is great for non chlorine option but means you have to use filtration at least 10 hours a day which increases cost. There is only one guy that does maintenance or repairs in Wellington even wrights spas use them . Wrights spas are arrogant and look down on people can’t find any good feedback on their aftercare service. Think about installing a RCD on the actual spa circuit . We had a boy racer wipe out a power transformer the spa was fired over 4 grand to replace the components. Don’t build it into a deck put in on top or on a slab , to hard to work on them if something goes wrong . There isn’t must options now lower north island , Galaxy which was part of Palmer’s went under, Alpine are still going strong . Trueform seem good. It’s a great to have though use it a lot in autumn and winter. Summer we empty it as too hot . Happy spa shopping

No spa yet, several things on the go, working my way through them. Appreciating the information people are passing on though.

Pop! OS

Wheelbarrow01

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#3380322 3-Jun-2025 23:23

Stu1:

They are expensive to run ours is at least 50 to 60 per month.

There's a couple of similar comments on here but that hasn't been my experience at all except in the dead of winter - for which there is a workable solution.

Mine is an Alpine Whistler 6 seater, I bought it second hand at just over a year old because the family I purchased it off were transferring to Germany for work, and they didn't want the hassle of leaving the spa in situ while they rented their house out. I paid them less than half of the retail price which was a steal for me. I'd consider Alpine spas to be around mid range - neither the cheapest nor the most expensive.

We normally have the spa set at 38 degrees and we really don't notice it on our power bill (our total bill is consistently around $150 a month, electric water heating and cooking, log burner, no wetback, 2 people in the house). The only time we see the power bills start to go up is right now - late May/early June as the air temp in Canterbury starts to plunge. If I do nothing, we'll see the power bill go up by around $30-$40 a month for the next few months.

To counter this, last Thursday (as I do every year) I reduced the water temperature in the spa to 32 degrees. This seems to be the sweet spot for our spa - maintaining the water at that temperature sees our power bill remain roughly at our summer bill levels, but if we feel like a spa, it only takes around an hour to heat up to 38 again. At one point when we were with Electric Kiwi, we'd use our free hour of power for this. A typical winter week will see us raise the temp on a Friday afternoon, and drop it back down on Sunday night, maybe 2-3 times a month. Reducing the temp to 32 degrees from Sunday to Friday really makes a difference May to September. The rest of the year such savings are less significant.

Another trick I used successfully for our old spa at our old house was to place it on a 3-4cm sheet of polystyrene that I got for free from a local styrene packaging manufacturer - this super insulates it from the ground. It's on the to-do list for our current spa. This is especially recommended if the spa is placed on a deck as it will lose heat between the decking boards.

Best advice I can give is to ask questions about the insulation in the spa you are looking at - it's possibly the single biggest contributor to reducing running costs - other than avoiding using it 12 hours a day. It matters less where the spa is made, and more where the spa is made for (ie what climate it's designed to operate in). When it comes to spas, you really do get what you pay for - a $15,000 Jacuzzi brand spa will have a cabinet literally full of insulation (apart from a small access hatch), whereas a $5k spa will have an inch or two of spray on foam on the underside of the shell.

There's a great video on this page that will give you some idea of what to look for - https://www.spaworld.co.nz/learn/how-much-electricity-does-a-spa-pool-use-running-cost-estimate/

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