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Can I put a stronger heater in my HotSprings Grandee?

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SRay:
Hello All,

I am hoping that there is someone here who's enough of an expert - perhaps a hot tub tech or seller, or just an educated owner - who can answer for me definitively whether what I want to do is possible of not. I've been searching on the internet for days and have even contacted parts suppliers and Watkins (the HotSprings manufacturer), but people understandably don't to endorse anything that differs from the original manufacturer's specs.

I've got a 2014 Hotsprings Grandee NXT which I absolutely LOVE for except one thing: In the cooler weather, the heater simply cannot keep up. The other night we were in it for about 2 hours on a 55 degree evening. We started off at 99 degrees but we wanted it hotter so I immediately turned it up to 104 and waited for it to get warmer but it never did. I even used the override trick to set it to 106, but after 2 hours it was still at 99. Last Autumn we would start off at 104 on say a 45 degree night, and it would lose 1 or 2 degrees per hour. Forget it when it's even colder, it's just very quickly unusable. I live in NY and would like to use my tub in the winter when it's 30 degrees outside.

The heater is a 4K running at 230 volts on a 50 amp breaker, I believe it's the Watkins 76228. I got that part # from visiting hottubspasupplies.com, so I can't guarantee it's accurate. I called Watkins customer service directly but they couldn't answer it!

So my question is this, can I install a 6K heater - the Watkins 76227 - and will it work without breaking my tub or its electronics? I realize that I may need to replace my 50 amp breaker with a 60 amp one, providing that my wiring is of a sufficient gauge to handle it. I also know that authorized dealers and part suppliers don't want to recommend anything that isn't approved by Watkins, but at this point I don't care. I'm not afraid of voiding my warranty, I just want a HOT hot tub in the cold weather!

And lastly, perhaps the more important question is this: will a 6K heater solve my issue as I believe it will? Autumn is here, and winter is coming, and I would love to use my hot tub in the cold weather.

Thank you all in advance for your help!

Ray

wmccall:
Ray,

Welcome to the forum!  There are a lot of people here who know more about HS than I do.   While 55 is still relatively warm, sometimes it easier to turn the hottub up close the lid and come back an hour later. Its hard to get the tub to warm up with the lid open, especially with a big tub like the grandee.

Jacuzzi Jim:
  I am no HS heater expert, but if you set it at 106 and it was still at 99 2 hours later, going to a higher KW heater probably won't matter.   Either something in the settings is wrong, bad temp sensor maybe or your heater is not working properly.  It's under warranty so I would first contact the dealer and see what they say.   

  On a side note, how do you sit in a hot tub for 2 hours?   :o

kporter:
I did inquire about this a few years ago for a customer who used their Grandee for extended soaks in the winter and the end result was you are stuck with the 4kw heater.

It may be worth trying a very small dose of a good quality evaporation prevention liquid such as Cover Free from Natural Chemistry. Not sure if anyone else would want to chime in on this suggestion. I am thinking 10 ml - 15 ml weekly dosage.


Porter

SRay:

--- Quote from: Jacuzzi Jim on October 04, 2016, 11:05:31 am ---On a side note, how do you sit in a hot tub for 2 hours?   :o

--- End quote ---

By myself never, but easy when you have a few friends over and some cocktails!


--- Quote from: kporter on October 05, 2016, 08:30:54 am ---I did inquire about this a few years ago for a customer who used their Grandee for extended soaks in the winter and the end result was you are stuck with the 4kw heater.

--- End quote ---

Thank you for the reply, and yes, I understand that that is the "OFFICIAL" HotSprings orthodoxy, I've heard the same from them and at least one supplier, however it appears that there are people out there with other models and brands who've upgraded heaters and breakers against the manufacturer's guidelines and had success.

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