Category Archives: Engineering

A few weeks back was the 2016 Home & Garden Show at the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds, which usually brings out all the local hot tub dealers, plus some from out of town that don’t have dealerships in Oklahoma City. Like years past all the usual dealers were present, sporting their best game faces and armed with virtual unlimited bags of tricks in hopes of getting shoppers to buy their spa. The sad, and unfortunate truth is one of those tricks is out right lying about competitors, and the hot tubs they offer. Which was the motivation for this post! I must include, when you walk on our showroom floor, you will never hear us speak an untruth about one of our competitors. In fact, the only information you’ll ever receive is that which you can fact check to learn its validity, and you should always fact check any information you get from a hot tub salesperson in Oklahoma City. You never know when you’ve come across the one that will say anything to sell their product, and I assure you, they’re out there!

FALSEHOOD #1

Stagnant, Bacteria Infested Water Behind JetPaks

I must start this with a confession, because there was a time I told this same lie when I worked for a different dealer in the Oklahoma City area. To my defense, I was new to the hot tub industry, and had zero experience with Bullfrog Spas. I was merely parroting what I heard others say, and was told it to be the truth. After all, anything is possible, and believable when you trust the one delivering the message.

The lie our competition tells deals with Bullfrogs superior design that results in the best performing, most energy efficient, easiest to maintain, and satisfying hot tub in our industry.

Below is an image that shows the front (left side), and the back (right side) of a Bullfrog Spa Therapy JetPak.

Our competition claims water does not circulate behind the JetPak, therefore creating a stagnant environment for bacteria to grow, and who wants to set in hot, bacteria infested water? That’s just nasty!

The truth is, the same sanitized water you sit in, is the same sanitized water that circulates behind each and every Bullfrog Spa JetPak. Notice the right side of the image below, you see the two swirled dotted lines, those lines indicate the location of downward facing jets. Those downward facing jets add turbulence behind the JetPaks, therefore increasing the amount of already circulating water in the hot tub, and consequently behind each Therapy JetPak.

It’s a simple design that many hot tub manufacturers wish they would have thought of first. In fact, in our industry, it’s shear genius!

FALSEHOOD #2

Our Hot Tubs Are More Energy Efficient Than Bullfrog Spas

I will never understand why anyone would even bother to lie about this data. As you can see on the chart below Bullfrog Spas are by far the most energy efficient among the top brands in the hot tub industry. An attempt to negate this data is just foolish, the data came from the California Energy Commission (CEC), and that’s really all that needs to be said about this topic. At this point I could get very technical, but It would be boring at best. If you’re interested in learning more about the CEC, and their energy efficiency criteria and data, here’s a link to their site http://www.energy.ca.gov/ . If you need more convincing than this data from the entity with the strictest energy efficiency guidelines, then I’m out of ammo.

Now that we’ve established Bullfrog Spas are more energy efficient than any other leading brand of hot tub, let’s take a look at why that’s a truth. First, Bullfrog Spas have 90% less plumbing than any other hot tub made. The reason being most hot tubs, even leading brands, are made using methods, processes, and even materials that were being used in the 80’s. Well materials, technology, and engineering capabilities have come along way since then, and Bullfrog Spas is THE forefront of truly a new age of hot tub manufacturing. Gone are the days when a manufacturer could develop a slightly different jet, cup holder, integrated handrail, or light, and call themselves an innovator. True Innovators will be those that better our industry through energy efficiency, customization, reliability, and dependability. The very things Bullfrog Spas is doing every day!

As you can see in the image below there’s a drastic difference in the plumbing between Bullfrog Spas and ALL other hot tubs. Because Bullfrog Spas have 90% less plumbing, that means 90% less opportunity for plumbing issues such as leaks, and almost 100% more power. The reduced amount of plumbing also means the pump/pumps don’t have to work as hard to move the water through the plumbing. It really is as simple as genius engineering, coupled with a passion to be the best!

Imagine getting a leak in a typical spa that has this intertwining network of various sized plumbing hoses. Better yet, imagine trying to find that leak! I’ve witnessed this on many occasions, and I can tell you it makes for some rather unhappy hot tub techs! First they dig in through the bottom of the hot tub in hopes of finding the leak. If that proves to be fruitless, which is often the case, then they put blue dye in the water and wait. They wait for the dyed water to leak its way through the plumbing and insulation so the tech may follow the blue trail to the leak. Now, I’ve seen this process take from a few hours, up to several days. Do you want to be with out your spa for several days? No, you probably don’t, but in the before mentioned scenario, you’ll have no choice. Which takes us to lie number three.

FALSEHOOD #3

If A Jet Goes Out On A BullFrog Spa, You’ll Have To Replace The Entire JetPak

Aye Yi Yi! I guess given the right circumstance and a salesperson that can deceive without blinking, this may be made to be believable. However, it’s not even remotely the truth! The truth is, the vast majority of hot tubs use jets that clip into a hole cut into the shell, whereas Bullfrog’s are individually screwed (not  clipped) into each Therapy JetPak. Most of our competition tries to get people to believe our jets are somehow molded into the JetPaks, that’s not the case for Bullfrog, or any other portable spa manufacturer. Which is just another reason to buy a Bullfrog Spa, our shells are not full of holes that hold a jet in place with a simple clip. I’ve seen hundreds of examples of the clipped jets failing, and ending up in the foot well of the hot tub.

A few days ago I sold a spa to a very nice couple from Norman, they had been shopping for a while, and had visited most of the hot tub dealers in the Oklahoma City metro, and they had heard this specific lie from different dealers. I must admit I gain a great deal of enjoyment watching logical thinking people have an Ah-Ha moment! I knew they realized they had been lied to, and were even a bit peeved about being deceived by someone that was presenting themselves as a concerned, and helpful seller, yet would say almost anything just to get their money.

The reality is, buying a hot tub can be a major investment, and I have to believe every buyer wants to make a wise investment. Well, in order to do that, you must dig in and do some research before going shopping. After you’ve armed yourself with valid information, you’ll be able to detect when someone is deceiving you, and therefore you can defend against being bamboozled! Happy Hot Tubbin’!

Kerry T Crane
Bullfrog Spas of OKC