Frequently Asked QuestionsFrequently Asked QuestionsEverything You Need to Know Before and After Your Soak in Chichester, New Hampshire These hot tub FAQs from Abundant Life Stoves & Spas answer the questions we hear most often, so you can shop, soak, and maintain your spa with confidence. Whether you are weighing your very first hot tub or you already own a Bullfrog Spas®, the answers below come straight from our team in Chichester, NH, covering how to choose a well-built spa, what water care really involves, what ownership costs, and how installation and warranty service work.As a family-owned New Hampshire dealer serving the region since 1972, we would always rather answer a question up front than have you discover the answer the hard way. If you do not see your question here, reach out and we will walk you through it.Abundant Life Stoves & Spas Key ResourcesGuide to Outdoor Hot TubsComprehensive Guide to Heating SolutionsHot Tub Cost GuideAbundant Life BlogFAQs About Buying, Owning, and Maintaining a Bullfrog Spa What do first-time hot tub buyers usually regret not knowing or upgrading before purchase?A common regret is not purchasing a spa that is equipped with a high-output ozonator. This sanitizing device takes ambient air and converts it to O3, or ozone, which is an oxidizing gas. When injected into the spa water, this gas reduces the overall need for chlorine by up to 75%. We include a factory-installed ozonator system with every Bullfrog Spas models we offer. Which hot tub features are genuinely useful long-term, and which are mostly showroom hype?Over the years, the most hyped item I can remember is in-spa TVs. Stereos are a popular add-on that many people enjoy as an unnecessary luxury. Just imagine your favorite playlist playing softly from embedded speakers in your new spa. The most valuable, needed features in a spa are great sanitation and filtration.Every Bullfrog Spas models at Abundant Life is equipped with a factory ozonator and, if able, a WellSpring filtration pump from the factory. Adding a smaller pump like the WellSpring circulation pump to handle the filtration, heating, and ozonation needs of the spa helps reduce operation costs and overall wear on the main jet pumps. It also delivers a quiet experience for the owner. Many legacy spa owners think their spa is not heating or filtering when it is equipped with the WellSpring circulation pump, because it is so quiet. How can I tell the difference between a well-built spa and one that only looks premium?It can be very difficult for a new spa shopper to tell the difference between a well-built spa and one that is not. My first inclination is to look at the shell molding: is it ergonomically designed, or does it appear more chiseled, with a lot of harder angles? You need a well-designed seat to fully enjoy the high-pressure jets without being pushed out of the seat.The manner of foam insulation also counts a lot for a spa. Full-foam spas can be made with hard closed-cell foam or fluffier open-cell foam. Bullfrog Spas use the open-cell foam to deliver maximum heat retention by trapping the already-warmed air around the shell of the spa. Lastly, take a look at the cabinet. Some spas are made to be easily serviced, with cabinet panels designed to be safely removed and placed back on the spa. If you see a cabinet that is not easily removed because it is stapled to the frame, it is likely to be damaged if service is needed and the panel has to be pried off. What does a realistic weekly maintenance routine look like?Weekly maintenance on your new Bullfrog Spa should not be a disliked chore or consume much of your time. The biggest struggle I see with new spa owners is being regular with their testing and chemistry adjustments. With a good ozonation sanitizing system on board, you can run your spa with low to zero testable levels of chlorine for most of the week.Many, if not most, home spa owners will test their spa every 3 to 4 days with normal family use. Maintaining pH levels between 7.2 and 7.6 is the most important factor in long-term spa ownership. When pH is out of these ranges, sanitizers are not effective, and you can also see degradation of plumbing components and O-ring seals over the years. What are the most common water-care mistakes new owners make in the first 30 days?The number one mistake new spa owners make is not realizing the amount of foam and bubbles that come from using freshly laundered bathing suits in the spa. Even small amounts of detergent residue in bathing suits will dramatically foam in hot water coming through the jets at high pressure. Best practice is to rinse freshly laundered suits before use and hang them to dry after your soak. This will mostly prevent foaming and bubbles in the tub.The second most common mistake is over- or under-chlorinating the spa. Chlorine is not effective unless it reaches a 3ppm level in the spa water. Even if the spa is maintained every day with chlorine, if the level is less than 3ppm you are not effectively sanitizing the spa. With that said, over-chlorinating the spa above that level may deliver clear water, but at the cost of strong chemical odors, increased operation costs, and a quick rise in cyanuric acid, or stabilizer, levels in the spa. What costs should I expect beyond the hot tub itself?Most spas run trouble-free for many years for spa owners. The spa does not require a service interval like many people expect with a vehicle. Electricity, chemicals, and new filters should run spa owners somewhere around $100 a month when split over 12 months. What warranty details or exclusions tend to surprise customers?New spa warranties across the industry typically cover parts and labor. There is a clause that expressly allows dealers to charge reasonable travel fees to perform warranty work. Here at Abundant Life, we recognize that a needed service call within the first year of new Bullfrog Spa ownership can be disappointing. We do not charge a travel charge anywhere in New Hampshire for the first year of a new spa warranty. We charge reasonable, distance-based charges after the first year, depending on distance from the store here in Chichester, NH. What installation or placement mistakes cause the biggest headaches later?Poor base construction for a new Bullfrog Spa is an issue for both the homeowner and us as a dealer. Flat, hard, level base construction is something we are happy to help find a solution for, based on the customer’s unique situation. In some cases we perform a site visit with a new spa purchase in order to recommend a proper foundation or support for your new spa. What service issues do you see most often, and how can they be prevented?The number one service issue that can be prevented with great customer education and support is mineral reactions in a freshly filled spa, and soapy, bubbly foam issues from use with freshly laundered bathing suits. Customer spa operation education is an area that Abundant Life excels at, and we do this to preempt many issues we know can surprise new spa owners.Abundant Life has a very convenient text support line that customers can access for chemistry and support questions. We are also open 7 days a week, excluding a few holidays. We would rather help with questions in order to avoid bigger concerns and frustrations. What would you recommend to a friend or family member buying a hot tub?The days of big deals on quality hot tubs at home show events are over. Back in the pre-internet days, we would commonly do large shows and display many spas, even running demo models, at home shows like the ones in Manchester, NH. This used to be a great opportunity for shoppers to see many spas and dealers at once and come to a purchasing decision right then and there.Nowadays these events are still promoted as they were in the past, but the selection and variety have fallen off greatly. A common frustration we hear is that a shopper expects many different brands but is surprised to see options from just one dealer. Start your spa shopping process with us, either in person or over text, email, or the phone. We offer great pricing on great Bullfrog Spas every year, all year long.