Buyers' Guide

Choosing the right dealer is just a important as choosing the right spa. Look for a dealer who sells a high quality product backed with a solid warranty. You want a dealer who will be there for you if you have questions or problems. A good way to find out about a dealers service support is to talk with other customers about their experience. Don't be fooled by fancy showrooms and slick sales talk. This won't mean a thing to you if it's not backed by a high quality product, knowledgeable staff and reliable service.

Spa shells that are built with a triple layer system (acrylic / resin / fiberglass) are extremely durable and therefore come with impressive warranties - in some cases, lifetime structural and surface warranties. The shell is like the foundation of your home. Without it, you have nothing. Today 90% of all spas are surfaced with acrylic, a highly durable, non-porous plastic. When comparing acrylics, the most important factor to look for is thickness. Most quality spa manufacturers use a 3/16" thick acrylic sheet, however many use a less expensive 1/8" acrylic sheet. Using thicker acrylic sheets is important because as the sheet is vacuum-formed and molded into the shape of the spa, the acrylic stretches and thins out, just like an elastic band. Thicker acrylic provides a stronger, more durable surface. Manufacturers have found fiberglass to be the best material to guarantee structural support to the acrylic shell. To ensure your spa remains blemish free for as long as you own it, look for a shell that uses a triple layer system to achieve a lasting bond between the two surfaces. With this system a full resin skin coat is applied to the acrylic to provide the best possible bond between the two surfaces. The resin is then backed with a thick layer of fiberglass support material. To ensure extra support is given to areas of high pressure, look to see that that wood bases are fiberglassed into areas such as the seats and the steps.

Since most spas are installed outdoors and are subject to some harsh winter conditions, insulation should be a key consideration. The better insulated your spa is, the less your heating bills will be. When shopping for your spa you will come across two types of insulation systems: "Full Foam" and "Dead Air Space". Quality spa manufacturers have found that dead air space works most efficiently because it uses the same insulating principles as your home, pane glass windows and a thermos. How dead air space works is that the bottom of the cabinet is sealed with a plastic vapor barrier. Then the spa shell, plumbing, cabinet floor and and cabinet walls are sprayed with a highly insulating, closed cell, polyurethane foam. Because the space under the spa is not entirely filled with foam, a dead air space is created between the spa shell and the cabinet. This space traps the heat generated by the pumps motors and transfers it to the spa waters, saving you even more energy and reducing your operating costs. A full foam spa misses this internal heating action by venting the motors heat outside the spa cabinet where it is lost. Another advantage is the ease of which you are able to access the plumbing of a dead air space spa. With a full foam spa, the insulation has to be ripped out making it nearly impossible to access any of the plumbing areas.

Most quality spas have relatively sophisticated digital thermostatic controls. These highly reliable modern systems are capable of keeping the spa water within 1 degree of any temperature you select. While this is important for comfort, it is also important for safety. You should pay particular attention to the control system if you have children who will be using the spa. Better systems have safety locks and digital readouts. A good indicator of the control system's quality is to read and compare manufacturer's warranties.

Most manufacturers recommend draining and cleaning your spa no more than 3 or 4 times per year, depending on how frequently you use it and how well you maintain your water. In most cases, this simple process will only take about an hour to accomplish.

The spas filter size is usually given in square feet (example: 125 square feet). As a general rule, bigger is better when it comes to filters. If the filter is too small for the volume of water, you will have to drain and clean the spa much more frequently. Most spas use a fibre cartridge filter system to to filter and clean the water. Well designed spas use a system that is easily accessible and doesn't require turning off or pressuring down your spa. A weir filter system allows the spa owner to take apart the filter with very little fuss, making regular cleaning and clean water a breeze, not a chore.

The main cost of operating a spa is heating the water. If you have a well insulated spa that utilizes the principles of dead air space with an insulating locking cover, the average daily cost is only about one dollar per day, even in the coldest climates.

Hydrotherapy is the combined effect of heat, massage and buoyancy. Warm water dilates blood vessels, increasing blood flow to sore or damaged tissues, allowing oxygen and nutrients to help overworked muscles recover faster. Massage, provided by the spas jet system, relaxes tense muscles and relieves pressure on surrounding nerves. Massage also improves circulation and accelerates the body's natural healing process. Buoyancy reduces your body's weight by 90%. This relieves pressure on strained joints and muscles. Hydrotherapy is widely recognized as an effective method of alleviating the tension commonly associated with stress.

Jetting is what spas are all about. Heated water surges through the spa jets and swirls over your body, soothing body and soul with a vigorous massaging action. Today's spas offer a wide variety of jets designed for therapeutic benefits or purely for enjoyment. The most popular and enjoyable jets to look for are adjustable massage jets and spinner massage jets. Other popular forms of jetting for therapeutic benefits are the neck jets, foot jets, cluster jets and back jets. These extra jet packages can sometimes be added to the spa providing the jet pump supplied with the spa can meet the needs of the extra jets.

Real, beneficial hydrotherapy is directly related to being able to adjust each jet where it is needed. This is the standard by which physical therapy and athletic hydrotherapy systems are judged. A common point of consumer confusion is introduced when manufacturers load up a spa with lots of inexpensive, non-adjustable, stationary jets. It doesn't make any difference how many jets a spa has if they are not properly located and plumbed to provide the correct balance of water, air and horsepower.

Your spa should come equipped with a good filtration system. Filtering the water helps maintain the water clarity and cleanliness. While the filter traps most solid materials, it is still necessary to add a sanitizer such as chlorine or bromine to the water in order to control bacteria, algae and to oxidize any organic materials in the water. Your dealer can help you decide which is the right sanitizer for you. We strongly recommend you buy your chemicals from your authorized spa dealer. Discount store chemicals, while sometimes less expensive, are not always the proper strength or type for your spa. Use of the the wrong chemicals can be dangerous and void the warranty on your spa.

There are two kinds of horsepower ratings applied to spa pumps: "Continuous Operating" horsepower and "Brake" horsepower (also called "Marketing" horsepower). Continuous Operating is the horsepower the motor is capable of producing while the spa is in operation. Brake is the amount of horsepower the motor produces on start-up before dropping to the Continuous Operating rate.

You may consider "wet testing" a spa before purchasing. This means getting into a spa with water in it. All reputable spa dealers maintain filled demonstration models just for this purpose.

Here is what you should look for:

• Verify that the seats provide lumbar support. You do not want to have to slouch down in the spa like you do in a bathtub. When sitting in any seat, the water should reach at least shoulder level. If it does not, you will not get full hydro-therapeutic effects.
• If the spa has a Lounge Seat, make sure it is deep enough to keep you in the seat. If you float in the Lounge Seat it is virtually useless for hydrotherapy and relaxation.
• Take notice of the alignment of any fixed jets. Make sure they are massaging muscle tissue and not bone or your spine.
• Pay attention to how quietly or noisily the spa operates. Can you hold a conversation in a normal voice when the jets are operating?
• How convenient are the controls to use when you are seated in the spa?
• Stay in the spa with the jets on for at least 15 minutes. At the end of that time you will know whether the seating and jet arrangement is truly comfortable.

Quality spas are available in a wide range of prices. Just like cars, spa prices reflect features, materials and workmanship. The information in this section will help you determine the best spa for your needs based on value and performance. Of course, we hope that as you are shopping you will consider a Crystal Waters Quality Spa. No matter which brand of spa you finally choose, want you to be an informed consumer and have a wonderful, satisfying spa experience.