If
your question is not listed on this page please see our Spa
Features page which explains how different parts of a
spa work or contact one of our dealers
who will be pleased to help. For questions regarding water
treatment (chemicals) please see our booklet Spa
Care Made Simple. Alternatively you can e-mail
us and we will try and answer your specific question directly. Please
note that these answers have been kept brief, please do read
and adhere to all advice in your spa manual for definitive
advice.
What
base will my spa need? The
base must be flat, be level and not be smaller than the spa
! Flat means that if you put a straight edge over the area
you would not be able so see any high or low points, in other
words the spa must touch the base all over. Level means that
when a spirit level is put on the site it does not slope in
any direction, spas are not supposed to have deep and shallow
ends ! The exception to this is a slight “fall”
which is intended to stop rainwater from forming a puddle. The
most common base is a concrete slab about 4” (100mm)
thick or an existing solid patio. Spas may be mounted on decking
but make sure it can take the filled weight plus people without
bowing or collapsing. Some
dealers will undertake a pre-delivery site survey and offer
advice about spa positioning.
How
much will my spa cost to run? There
are two costs to consider: water treatment products (chemicals)
and electricity. The filter cartridges are washed out and used
again and again so will rarely need replacing. The main chemical
used will be a sanitizer such as chlorine granules, typically
a 1 Kg tub will be sold for about £10.00 but is only used
a teaspoonful at a time and 1 Kg may well last 6 months. There
is wildly varied advice regarding how much electricity a spa
uses so at Relax Spas we carried out some definitive tests by
actually measuring electrical consumption on real spas. Below
is a summary of the results, the full report can be found in
Acrobat Reader format on our downloads
page.
…the
smaller Sunset spa used 27 pence of electricity per day
to run on the 3 hour filter cycle, about £8.10 per
month. To heat up after a water change it used £2.16
of electricity. The
family sized Galileo spa used 55 pence of electricity
per day, about £16.50 per month. To heat up again
it used £2.27 of electricity. The
Eclypse spa used 50 pence of electricity per day, about
£15.00 per month. To heat up again it used £1.64
of electricity…
What
Electrical Supply will my spa need? Your
Relax Spa will require a 16 or 32 Amp supply, see below. The
usual arrangement is to run a cable direct from your house
consumer unit (fuse box) using an RCD (safety device that
can cut power) to a weather proof switch near your spa. The
switch is there to turn the spa on and off for maintenance
(like changing the water) and in general you should not be
able to touch the spa and the switch at the same time. The
cable then runs from the switch directly into the spa control
pack. We
recommend that you employ a competent electrician to install
the power supply for your spa. The same electrician should
be able to connect up your spa, the connections inside the
spa control box are straight forward and detailed instructions
are supplied. If
in doubt contact your dealer.
Why
does the sheet say 16 or 32 Amp power supply? When
your spa comes it will be set to draw a maximum of 16 Amps
from the power supply. For example if the pump and blower
are running the spa will not switch on its heater as this
would exceed 16 Amps all together. This
is adequate for some spas in the range but models with more
pumps can only run all pumps at once if the setting is changed
to 32 Amps. This is simply done, see your spa manual. If
you are installing a new power supply check the difference
in cost between 16 and 32 Amps, it may be very little. If
so we advise a 32 Amp supply and setting the spa accordingly,
this will give you the best from your spa features.
What
is Microban? Microban
is an anti-microbial product that is added to many of the
Relax Spas acrylic surfaces. It hinders the growth of bacteria
and results in cleaner safer spa surfaces and last the lifetime
of the product. Some kitchen ware is now using this technology.
For details see www.microban.com
and check with your dealer which colours have Microban included.
How
often do I change the spa water? This
is dependant on how much the spa is used but it is best to
think in terms of about 4 to 6 weeks, for details see our
booklet Spa Care Made Simple.
How
do I change the spa water? Turn
the spa off at its power supply, open the access door on the
side of the spa, connect your hose pipe to the drain valve
and open the drain tap. Alternatively some owners buy a small
submersible pump to empty the water faster.
How
do I fill up the spa with water? Use
your garden hose to fill the spa. It is best to run the hose
first for a few minutes to flush out any stagnant water before
filling the spa. There is no special plumbing required for
a Relax Spa.
How
long will my spa take to heat up? When
you change the water in your spa it will usually take 12 to
24 hours to heat up. The temperature usually rises approximately
1 deg C per hour. Remember
that in normal use your spa is kept switched on 24 hours a
day and is always up to temperature and ready for you. Heat
loss when the spa is not in use is minimised by the insulation
and the cover.
