WHICH IS THE BEST HOT TUB BRAND? PART 6: TECHNICAL
/The Pump - The Heart of the Hot Tub
Pumps are the heart of a hot tub and contribute directly to the hydrotherapy experience. The best hot tub brands configure pumps with therapy benefits in mind. Generally, the more therapy seats and massage jets in a spa, the more pump flow rate and electricity it will require. As a consumer, weighing pump-related decisions should start with how many people will use your hot tub at any one time.
Whenever multiple therapy seats are in use, maintaining a high rate of water flow to each seat at low pounds per square inch helps to optimize the feeling of deep muscle penetration without skin discomfort. Depending on the hot tub size, jets, and features, from one to three water pumps may be utilized. Some one-pump systems have the option to add a second (or, auxiliary) pump. Additional pumps may be included or optional and may be single speed or dual speed. Or, the performance of a pump may be upgradable to a higher voltage and flow rate (e.g. from 120 volts and 120 gallons-per-minute to 240 volts and 160 gallons-per-minute).
But here are some helpful facts:
All Marquis pump configurations and pump-related upgrades are engineered to maintain the feeling of optimal hydrotherapy while running noticeably quieter than competing brands.
Marquis hot tubs models and pump configurations are intended to provide flexibility for different power-supply requirements, therapy expectations, and household budgets.
All Marquis hot tubs include at least one high-flow dual-speed pump, and any auxiliary pump configuration(s) will provide high flow rates, optimal speed, and perfectly-balanced system architecture.
By integrating the filtration system with a high-flow dual-speed pump (running at low speed when the hot tub is not in use), every Marquis hot tub is able to clean more water, more thoroughly, in far less time than a comparable model by a competing brand.
LOOK FOR HIGH-FLOW THERAPY
While some hot tub companies specify pumps using brake horsepower (BHP), Marquis specifies pump flow rate using gallons or liters per minute (GPM/LPM). Why the difference?
Brake horsepower is an abstract specification. In the world of hot tubs, BHP is an example of clever marketing. For many people, the word “horsepower” is reminiscent of automobile engines, causing some to assume that “more horsepower is better.” In reality, brake horsepower is a measure of the available power of a motor, not its actual water flow. A pump motor could have all the BHP in the world, but would still be limited by the constraints of its plumbing system. In fact, too much power will create a “low-flow, high-pressure” system that causes an itching or burning sensation on the skin.
In contrast, GPM/LPM describes the actual flow rate of the pump and plumbing. Marquis achieves “high-flow, low-pressure” by matching pump performance with the optimal flow rate of the entire system. This creates a feeling of deep, satisfying muscle penetration without skin discomfort. Simply put, a better hydrotherapy experience.
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to one of our experts.
