Newer Tub Cracked... Now What?

[Tuco]

Hi All

We purchased a Catalina Stealth Raptor Hot Tub New in November.  When we replaced the water the other day we noticed a small (2 in) crack at the bottom of the tub, near the foot jets.

We contacted our dealer and they contacted the Catalina company.  Catalina asked us to email pictures.  We did this.  The only response we heard was from the dealer who said to just use the tub and not worry about it.

This does not sit well with us.  What if the crack is causing water to leak into the insulation area? Will the crack get worse (likely)? What are they going to do to repair this? 

We feel that the company should at least send someone over to our house to look at the damage and make a plan of action.  It does not seem fair that we paid nearly 10 grand for a hot tub and two months later they are pretty much ignoring our request for repair. We live in a mountain area where the weather is cold now. I can understand that they may want to wait until summer to do repairs, but we feel that we deserve to be told this. 

What would you do? What should we do next?

[Dr. Spa™ Ret.]

As you give to detailed time line for what's happening... Be patient and give them a chance to make their determination....but be a bit persistent.

[Water Boy]

Agreed with Doc. If nothing else you could call Catalina directly to see where it stands now after you emailed the pics to them. Or maybe just reply to the email first. I'm sure one way or another they will get things right with you.

[Hot Spring Ace]

Agreed with Doc. If nothing else you could call Watkins manf. to see where it stands now after you emailed the pics to them. Or maybe just reply to the email first. I'm sure one way or another they will get things right with you.

He's probably better off calling Catalina than Watkins actually ( , I read it as Caldera at first too!  ).

The crack should not cause water to leak, its just a surface crack almost assuredly and really cosmetic more than anything but since its new you should expect it to be taken care of.

Document it all and be patient and polite yet persistent and a pain, all at the same time.

[Water Boy]

Agreed with Doc. If nothing else you could call Watkins manf. to see where it stands now after you emailed the pics to them. Or maybe just reply to the email first. I'm sure one way or another they will get things right with you.

He's probably better off calling Catalina than Watkins actually ( , I read it as Caldera at first too!  ).

The crack should not cause water to leak, its just a surface crack almost assuredly and really cosmetic more than anything but since its new you should expect it to be taken care of.

Document it all and be patient and polite yet persistent and a pain, all at the same time.

DOH! My bad. I need to learn to read! I corrected my error!

[Tuco]

Thanks so much everyone for the quick replies. We will stay patient and let them know we are still interested in learning how they want to handle this situation.

Its great to know that this is probably just cosmetic.  Maybe they can fix the acrylic with some kind of epoxy.  Maybe summer is the time to do this.  We will let you know how things turn out.

[Tman122]

If it's a potential weak spot by all means pester the dealer/manuf. Cracks are common, most go unnoticed and never leak. But step hard down there see if it flexes or distorts or cracks more. You won't fall through and cause something catastrophic. There are epoxy products that are mostly cosmetic but done right can last a long time.

[TwinCitiesHotSpring]

Thanks so much everyone for the quick replies. We will stay patient and let them know we are still interested in learning how they want to handle this situation.

Its great to know that this is probably just cosmetic.  Maybe they can fix the acrylic with some kind of epoxy.  Maybe summer is the time to do this.  We will let you know how things turn out.

If there truly is a break in the acrylic then a new tub is in order and personally I wouldn't settle for anything less...if it is purely cosmetic I would try to work out a reimbursement/free chems/free accessories/etc. out of the deal

[Budule]

Thanks so much everyone for the quick replies. We will stay patient and let them know we are still interested in learning how they want to handle this situation.

Its great to know that this is probably just cosmetic.  Maybe they can fix the acrylic with some kind of epoxy.  Maybe summer is the time to do this.  We will let you know how things turn out.

If there truly is a break in the acrylic then a new tub is in order and personally I wouldn't settle for anything less...if it is purely cosmetic I would try to work out a reimbursement/free chems/free accessories/etc. out of the deal

I agree , surely there is a warranty on the shell.....bring me a new one...
 

[Tuco]

Hi All.  Catalina came thru.  They sent an acrylic repair kit to the dealer and when the weather gets warm they will come out and fix the crack. 

This definitely restores our trust in the company, so glad they followed thru.

We will post the repair results and pictures later.