WHAT TO DO WITH THAT OLD SPA IN THE BACKYARD?

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WHAT TO DO WITH THAT OLD SPA IN THE BACKYARD?

So you want a new spa or bought a home that has an old one there already, and don't know what to do. This is a question I hear often. One of the question I would ask is, "Does the spa still work?" If not it's probably best to just throw it away. A lot of companies will take your old spa away for a fee. If you are buying a new one see if the company will remove your old one as part of the deal.

If your spa does still work but you are tired of investing money in it and want to upgrade to a new one, try listing it for sale on Ebay or Craigslist and set a reasonable price. Remember spas are like cars, once they leave the showroom they start to depreciate. I had a friend put a sign out front of his house that said "Spa For Sale, First $500 Takes It!" He sold it in 2 days. One of the local landscapers saw it and took it right out of the yard on their trailer.

There are also companies that will just come and take any old items you don't want. Check your local newspapers and phone books. Just remember to have the electric removed from the old spa by a qualified electrician and make the wiring safe until the new spa arrives. There still is a big market for used spas, one persons junk is another mans treasure!

Until Next Time...

I have a spa but no power. Now what do I do?

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Have spa but no power?  

Not to worry... most spas are very well insulated and can retain their heat fairly well for up to 2 weeks.

Not all spas are the same, some of your older spas or smaller ones may not have  full foam insulation within it.

 This could be an issue for you, if this true for your spa go out and get some household insulation and stuff this inside the spa cabinet like you would inside your attic this will give you a barrier from the extreme cold nights.

The biggest mistake people make when they have a spa and the power goes out is to drain it this is NOT a good idea.

If the spa was running and was heated to around 100 degrees just before the power went out then it will take a while for the spa water to cool down on it's own (up to two weeks), but if you drain the spa of water, that safeguard you may have had is gone. 

Now the surface of the spa will get cold and then transfer that coolness to the under side of the spa and the plumbing lines. Then the spa lines can FREEZE and crack. Now this doesn't mean that if you drained your spa it will automatically freeze. The outside temp needs to be below 40 degrees for several days for this to possibly happen. I have seen spas with ice inside them defrost in the spring and run fine with no issues.

Now getting back to my original statement LOL...

Most spas are fully insulated and as long as you do not keep going out there and lifting the cover up to check on it every hour  "you know who I am talking to" the water temp will remain high and you should be fine. I have seen a spa with a temp of 99 degrees when the customer lost power for 2 weeks and when the lights came back on the water temp was only down to 68 degrees.

Once the power comes back on you want to go out to the spa and be sure that the spa has power as well, if not check the breakers.

Run the pumps to be sure all is good then note the temperature on the topside display set it to 100 degrees and monitor it every hour to see that it will go back up to temperature without any problems. If you have made it this far you are golden check the spa chemicals to be sure that it has a good balanced level before going back into it.

I hope everyone is OK and has power back.

Until Next Time...

Equipotential Bonding of Hot Tubs

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Equipotential Bonding of Hot Tubs

In case some of my readers out there that live in New Jersey do not already know; NJ has officially adopted the 2011 NEC code on portable hot tubs.

NEC or National Electrical Code was recently changed in New Jersey.

For years now the code on the books required that all bodies of water ie; pools and hot tubs must have a bonding grid known as equipotential bonding within a 3 foot perimeter around said pool or hot tub and this was the cause of many consumer and electrician headaches, not to mention that if you had a pre-existing patio or deck that was made of brick or concrete this meant you had to remove a section of patio install the grid and then replace the patio. This in turn led a lot of my potential customers to forget about buying the hot tub.

As you can imagine I am completely ecstatic about this new adoption of the 2011 code, I have included a small portion of the new code for your reference.

Now you just need to keep a safe distance from all electrical supply outlets, your electrician will know all the codes for this as each town can be different slightly. My hopes is that this information will give my readers that are considering a new spa the information to better evaluate if a spa and the cost involved with one is for them or not.

I hope this information was helpful and that my readers will pass it on to all their friends and relatives.

Until Next Time…

2011 NEC Code (Partial)

i. Section 680.42(B), entitled "Bonding," shall be deleted and the following shall be inserted:

"680.42(B) Bonding. Bonding by metal-to-metal mounting on a common frame or base shall be permitted.

Exception No. 1: The metal bands or hoops used to secure wooden staves shall not be required to be bonded as required

in 680.26.

Exception No. 2: A listed self-contained spa or hot tub that meets all of the following conditions shall not be required to

have equipotential bonding of perimeter surfaces installed as required in 680.26(B)(2):

(1) Is installed in accordance with manufacturer's instructions on or above grade.

(2) The vertical measurement from all permanent perimeter surfaces within 30 horizontal inches (76 cm) of the spa to

the top rim of the spa is greater than 28 inches (71 cm).

Informational Note: For further information regarding the grounding and bonding requirements for self-contained spas

and hot tubs, see ANSI/UL 1563 - 2009, Standard for Electric Spas, Equipment Assemblies, and Associated Equipment."