Hot Tub Forum

Original => Hot Tub Forum => Topic started by: vanbar6 on March 22, 2005, 09:23:01 pm

Title: need a good (& easy) spa vacuum
Post by: vanbar6 on March 22, 2005, 09:23:01 pm
Hello.  Can anyone recommed a spa vacuum that works well and is easy to use?  I prefer not to have to hook it to a hose, etc.
Thanks,
Barb
Title: Re: need a good (& easy) spa vacuum
Post by: Steve on March 22, 2005, 09:52:42 pm
Check out this link Barb. http://www.rhtubs.com/store/vacuumes.htm

I've used the Polaris and it was decent.

Steve
Title: Re: need a good (& easy) spa vacuum
Post by: Spatech_tuo on March 22, 2005, 11:40:16 pm
The Grit Gitter looks likes a kids toy but I find it to be effective.
Title: Re: need a good (& easy) spa vacuum
Post by: Dr. Spa™ Ret. on March 23, 2005, 01:13:26 am
Hey I love the grit gitter. It's small so you can keep it by the tub, and easily use it WHEN you find the dirt........ when you're IN the spa.

And it's small..........

Did I mention it's small? I think I lost mine.
Title: Re: need a good (& easy) spa vacuum
Post by: georgiapeach on March 23, 2005, 06:45:12 am
Quote
Hello.  Can anyone recommed a spa vacuum that works well and is easy to use?  I prefer not to have to hook it to a hose, etc.
Thanks,
Barb


Hi Barb,

I just got my spa vac over the weekend.  I also didn't want to deal with hooking one up to the hose.  Just something easy and efficient.  I landed up buying a Power Spa Vac that uses 2 D batteries.  I ordered it from intheswim.com.  They had another one in there that you put finger over the hole or something (couldn't figure that one out), and of course, the Grit Gitter.  I've used my spa vac a couple of times already and it's easy to use and picks up those little things at the bottom of the tub nicely.

Peachy
Title: Re: need a good (& easy) spa vacuum
Post by: hottubber on March 23, 2005, 09:18:31 am
I also like the Grit Gitter. It is a nice convenient way to

suck up the grit on the bottom of the spa. The other

vaccuum I like is the Polaris Spa Wand.

Neither one of these hooks up to a hose...

good luck... ;D
Title: Re: need a good (& easy) spa vacuum
Post by: windsurfdog on March 23, 2005, 09:22:23 am
Check out this one.....works great and doubles as a water cannon!
Water Blaster doubles as spa vacuum (http://www.whatsthebest-hottub.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=wtb-hottub;action=display;num=1107091172;start=0)
Title: Re: need a good (& easy) spa vacuum
Post by: rick on March 23, 2005, 10:23:15 am
For the economically minded,  just buy a 6 to 10' hose.
Place hose under water to get rid of air,
Place thumb over one end and lift this end out of water and over side,
Release thumb and vacuum with other end.  
Title: Re: need a good (& easy) spa vacuum
Post by: Chas on March 23, 2005, 10:53:30 am
Quote
For the economically minded,  just buy a 6 to 10' hose.
Place hose under water to get rid of air,
Place thumb over one end and lift this end out of water and over side,
Release thumb and vacuum with other end.  

I wish I had a picture of this in use- it would be so much easier than trying to explain it - I put together  and sell  "Econo Vacs." They work well - I charge $4.50 each, and have never had a complaint yet!

I start with a PVC fitting which goes from garden hose to 3/4 pvc slip. Cut a section of 3/4" pvc pipe 36" long and glue it into the fitting. I cut them 36" so I can get three out of a ten-foot pipe, but you can cut it as long or short as you like if you are just making one at a time. I have a shorty at the house for vac'ing out the filter compartment and an extra long for the footwell area.

You can just shove it/tap it in real hard if you don't want to mess with glue and it works fine, but it tends to work loose if you don't glue it. Once the glue dries, find a short garden hose, or even just one end of a damaged one. Larger the hose, the better it works. If you must buy a hose, go to a garden center and ask about odds and ends: they often sell odd length hoses made from the ends of the reel at the hose factory. I get 'em that way and I end up with odd lenghts of high quality 3/4" soft rubber hose for a few bucks. This is the type of hose that has good brass connectors and costs $60 for a complete garden hose... Or, they may have damaged hoses - lots of clerks use a box knife to open a case of hoses once...


Fasten the garden hose onto the other end of the fitting - the end on the right in the picture below. I show a fitting which takes the male end of the garden hose, but if you have an old hose you plan to use which is the female end, you can buy a male version of the hose adapter.

You end up with a great little vac which can be used in or out of the spa, and it also doubles as a great way to hold the end of the hose in place when filling or draining the tub. Since I sell so many tubs to beach dwellers who battle sand all the time, I was looking for a vac which gets the stuff out of the tub completely, and this is it. No moving parts !!

Here's the fitting I use:
(http://www.lascofittings.com/includes/resizeimage.asp?strFileName=/files/Catalog/images/fht-205.jpg&strSize=medium)