My Hot Tub Adventure

[Brittany]

After over a year of research on this forum, we finally decided on a Bullfrog.

My backstory: 2.5 years ago, I sustained damage to my spinal cord. I took a bath in our jacuzzi tub and floating relieved my pain. Our tub has no heater so you can imagine I decided that day I wanted a hot tub (which I compared to owning a boat, and rightfully so.)

Given my medical bills, buying a new tub was NOT an option. My budget was as close to free as possible. But Bullfrogs seem to hold their value.

I found a listing on Craigslist for a Bullfrog 451. We visited and it was installed two inches into the bottom of the shell on their deck. It was hot and ran well... Or so it seemed

We got a call that night and the owner had discovered a "minor leak." I now know every leak should be considered major, even in a tub like the bullfrog. It was even more important because we decided to put the tub in our garage so I can easily access it- I have a wheelchair ramp in the garage.

I paid some hot tub movers I found on Craigslist - they were very nice and affordable- and promptly noticed all the wood was rotting along the bottom. The leak was major and had been going on a very long time. The tub also had substantial chemical damage.

We got the tub filled up after our electrician friend ran 240 to the garage. When we turned it on, the motor sprayed water EVERYWHERE. It was awful! I found some motor seal rebuild kits since the seals had practically disintegrated. They told us it was a 2007-2008 model, come to find out it was a 2004. Three more years of wear.

We decided to replace the motor instead of using one of the rebuild kits. We made the decision based on the deferred maintenance we had found, and in the hopes we could rebuild the original motor to add it onto the tub again later. The motor had been replaced with a 3HP version, instead of 2hp.

The next day? The garage was flooded. More bad news. We tried to find the source but the foam wasn't pointing anywhere specific. Our friend came back over and he and my husband jacked the tub up on its side. Every piece of wood had turned to mush. The leak had been ongoing for many years. We found evidence of a serious rat infestation. We tried a bottle of Fix-a-Leak before we drained it to lift it up- which was a total joke. I would never do that to a car (I am a gear head) but at this point we were pretty mad at this tub.

They removed what foam they could, all the black foam and foam which had been wet. They were exhausted and called it a night. We decided finding a leak repairman was our best option. I found an AMAZING leak tech (Brian) who came out immediately. The greater Atlanta companies I called before gave me insane pricing to fix leaks and turned me off from ever doing business with them. Brian redeemed that and we will be loyal customers as long as he is still working.  He was a military veteran, and had been in the hot tub repair business as long as I've been alive. He immediately found a leaking manifold, and a leaking pipe where a rat chewed in.

He also noticed the jets were fried. Totaled. Ruined. They were all stuck, cracked, no plastic left, and won't come out. He told me to not waste money and gave me the cheapest places to buy replacements. I am slowly buying jets as I find ones I like.

We are also trying to find a lid solution which works for my injury. The cover that came on the tub is the original cover. It's not waterlogged but it is cracked everywhere and very heavy. I am considering a soft cover or even a thermal blanket.

Long story short- EVERYTHING that eventually needs to be replaced, needed to be replaced. Given what we paid for the tub, I'm not mad or upset about it. It will take awhile to get her totally restored to proper condition, but she runs wonderfully now with zero leaks.

The next job is to break out the old jets, install the new jets, sand down the chemical deposits on the shell, fix the leaks in the Jetpaks, reinstall the cabinet, stain the cabinet an espresso color, and come up with a solution to cover the tub. I also need a topside control overlay and a replacement secondary top side control.

All in all, we got a great deal on a tub that needs absolutely everything except a control board, heater, main topside control unit, and shell. Our first hot tub ended up throwing us into the deep end. We are at least able to enjoy the hard work now that we know every inch of this tub.

Now that we have a trusted tech, I will never hesitate to purchase another used tub. Next time, he is coming with me.

[wmccall]

Welcome to the forum, good luck going forward.

[Dr. Spa™ Ret.]

"Sand down the chemical deposits"? Who the 'heck' came up with this idea??

[Sam]

"Sand down the chemical deposits"? Who the 'heck' came up with this idea??

Yeah, this sounds like an awful idea.  Try filling the spa, making sure the ph is good or even on the low side of good, then do a system flush and leave it circulating for a couple of days.

[Brittany]

Green scrubby pad or sponge?

It's so thick in some areas, it's white. It's been running for two weeks now and no change to the chemical deposits. All the levels are perfect.

[Bonibelle]

Believe it or not, I have good luck getting all sorts of stuff off with a magic eraser.  If there are all sorts of mineral deposits, maybe use vinegar but don't sand anything!

[Dr. Spa™ Ret.]

Lower the pH to 6.2 - 6.5 and the deposits should dissolve back into the water. As soon as they do, immediately drain, rinse out and refill.

[Brittany]

Lower the pH to 6.2 - 6.5 and the deposits should dissolve back into the water. As soon as they do, immediately drain, rinse out and refill.

Awesome. This is exactly what I'll do with the pH. When I said sand before, I meant either a scrubby or magic eraser but the magic eraser works by removing material and I could see that dulling the shell quickly. I learned the hard way ten years ago when I used it on one of my showers when I bought my first house.

Thanks again,
Brittany