2006 Geneva- repair or replace with new Grandee?

[Lovie]

We bought a used Caldera Utopia Geneva around 3.5 years ago. Shell and jets all function properly, I replaced the heater and circ pump not long after we bought it.  It has developed a leak that lowers the water level close to 2"  a day. It also intermittently stops heating/running and the panel flashes "- - - -", we are unsure if this is related to the leak/the water level getting too low. We've had a tech come take a look. He believes it is a leaking diverter, but two visits and $300 later his work made no impact on the issues.

We've enjoyed the tub, but are weary of the hassle topping off the tub every other day, especially since we have to run the hose through the house to do it since it's winter. We are tired of getting all set to use the tub only to find the panel flashing and the water cool. Being that the tub is 10 years old, we aren't sure it's worth it to keep paying to try and fix it.

We've started to price out new tubs. We don't want a lounge this time around. We looked at MasterSpas but I was turned off by the salesman, who spent more time telling us why other manufacturers were awful than why masterspas were quality. We looked at a local Caldera/Hot Springs dealer. We went in wanting to see the Niagara, the Vanguard and the Pulse. We prefer the Hot Springs no bypass filtration to to paper media of the Niagara and Pulse. We wet tested a Grandee to try out the moto-massage and loved the handheld remote, which isn't an option on the Vanguard.

We were offered the Grandee we wet tested. 2017 model, cover lift, stairs, 3 month start up chemicals, 25% off total purchase of any other accessories, haul away of our old tub for $10,800 plus tax with a further discount if we paid in cash (which we plan to do). Based on the posts I've read here, that seems reasonable. That said, it's a lot more than if we invested to fix what we have. At what age is it no longer worth it to sink $$ into a hot tub repair?

[Spatech_tuo]

You can't really point to an age where a tub is no longer viable to fix. Caldera is a good brand and the things you mention may be an easy fix, or not. The price you mentioned for a new Grandee sounds good but it might be worth the investment to get a repair guy out to get an estimate. Even if you decide after a repair estimate that the new spa is the way to go at least you'll have the peace of mind by getting more information.

[bud16415]

We have a Caldera Geneva 2015 and I don’t know for sure if they were using the FiberCor insulation system then or not. If they were it is somewhat easy to find the source of the leak as the water will run straight down thru the insulation and give you the location. Then you let it leak until it stops and that will give you the height. They then can remove the panel and dig out the loose FiberCor replace and fix what is wrong and then pack the same insulation back in.

My thought is in 2006 they may have still been spray foam and that is a repair that is more of a big deal to find and fix and maybe a repair they would want to do in their shop and not out on your deck in the cold.

Maybe the pros here can answer that question.

If it was me I would nurse it along till warm weather even if I had to overfill it every day and you could still use it. Then come spring get someone that knows what they are doing to look at it. But everyone is different and if it was a car you wouldn’t think twice about replacing it after 10 years.

It is funny you mentioned the lounger seat and it is what sold us in some way on the Geneva and we love it and fight over that seat. Again everyone is different. I kind of look at the spa as a luxury item and something you don’t need but like to have. If the tub is causing stress and you want to upgrade and can afford it why not go for it.   

[Lovie]

My thought is in 2006 they may have still been spray foam and that is a repair that is more of a big deal to find and fix and maybe a repair they would want to do in their shop and not out on your deck in the cold.

Yup, it's spray foam, it was dug out and new foam sprayed in by the guy we had out here. We let the tub drain on its own before to find the level of the leak but it never really stopped. We have a new tech coming out this week who I trust to give us the straight truth on whether it's worth putting more $$ into. If it's an easy fix, we may repair then try to sell it cheap to get s bit of $$ toward a new tub. Now that we've seen all of the upgrades made in the last 10 years, it's enticing for sure.

It is funny you mentioned the lounger seat and it is what sold us in some way on the Geneva and we love it and fight over that seat. Again everyone is different.

Ha! We fight over the "captain's seat", which is why we initially wanted to look at a Niagara since it has two, but after trying the moto-massage and seeing the filtration system in the Hot Springs, we definitely want to go that route next. The Vanguard is our ideal, but the Grandee is only only a few hundred more and we loved the handheld control. The extra space would be nice as well since we have kids who use it.

[d00nut]

The Vanguard is our ideal, but the Grandee is only only a few hundred more and we loved the handheld control. The extra space would be nice as well since we have kids who use it.

It's just now making it's way onto showroom floors, but there is a Vanguard NXT and Aria NXT spa with those wireless removable remotes.  That's new this year!

[Lovie]

It's just now making it's way onto showroom floors, but there is a Vanguard NXT and Aria NXT spa with those wireless removable remotes.  That's new this year!

Ooh, I'll have to ask about that, that doesn't even show up on Hot Springs site as an option. Any idea what the $$ difference tends to be between NXT versions over standard? Is the difference just the look of the outer cabinet? If a Vanguard NXT is more than a regular Grandee, we may go with the Grandee anyway.

[d00nut]

Based on what I know, the Vanguard NXT may be slightly lower priced than the Grandee (maybe the same.)

The difference is the exterior primarily.  The substructure is all ABS framing due to the exterior look, and then it has the removable remote as well.

I'm fairly certain the Vanguard NXT is my next hot tub myself!

It's not out on the website yet, but should be soon.  I just got back from the Hot Spring Conference in Newport Beach, where they had both the Vanguard and Aria NXT on display, so it is just a matter of time.

[Lovie]

Based on what I know, the Vanguard NXT may be slightly lower priced than the Grandee (maybe the same.)

Thanks! Our dealer gave us a price of $10,800 for the Grandee and $10,500 for the Vanguard, so the tubs were priced virtually the same. That said, they could be  giving a price for the Vanguard that has more wiggle room to make us feel like it'd be a no brained to spend an extra $300 to get a Grandee.

[Lovie]

We had a reputable tech out and  the issue with our tub is a leaky diverter valve. Due to where it is leaking, we were quoted as it being a $500 fix. If we were in love with the tub we'd pay it but we aren't. We are moving forward with buying new. We wet tested a Master Spa Twilight series tonight and weren't impressed. The diverters seemed hard to turn and the tub didn't feel as powerful as our caldera or the hot springs we wet tested. I also checked out a local marquis dealer, but they didn't have anything we could wet test. None of the tubs were the models I'd come to see. The manager said and he was low on inventory and not planning to get any new stock until after winter.

We are going back to the hot springs dealer to decide between getting a grandee now or a vanguard nxt when they are released.

[TemptingDestiny]

Since you like the "Captain's Chair" have you looked at the Envoy? It's got the Captain's Chair and then a lounge with a Moto Massage. Comes with the wireless control system as well. Both available in the Regular and NXT version. Unless you like non-lounge seating in which case this whole comment is mute

[Lovie]

Since you like the "Captain's Chair" have you looked at the Envoy? It's got the Captain's Chair and then a lounge with a Moto Massage. Comes with the wireless control system as well. Both available in the Regular and NXT version. Unless you like non-lounge seating in which case this whole comment is mute

We went with a Vanguard NXT, it's on order and should be here in 2-4 weeks. I'll post pics once it's set up. We wanted to forego a lounger and liked the dual moto-massage seats in the vanguard.

[TemptingDestiny]

Exxcellent! What watercare are you going with? We just acquired a Vanguard NXT on our showroom floor about a week ago here and it's beautiful.

[Lovie]

Exxcellent! What watercare are you going with? We just acquired a Vanguard NXT on our showroom floor about a week ago here and it's beautiful.

we are not getting the ace saltwater system. we used chlorine in the old tub and it was harsh on our skin, so we dont plan to use it this time. probably bromine, but  we aren't fully settled on whether we want to get a cartridge system or use granules.

our nxt will be monterey gray with a platinum shell, should be sharp. a huge upgrade from our old geneva.

[TemptingDestiny]

That is the exact colors I have. It is stunning.

The Everfresh system uses ozone, shock and a Silver Ion to minimize the amounts of chlorine going in- typically you dose with chlorine once a week. Have you used Bromine before?

[Lovie]

Have you used Bromine before?

No. To be honest, we bought the previous tub used on craigslist and didn't do a lot of research into best practices for maintenance. They gave us the chemicals they had and the test strips and we typically just checked it and threw in abut of whatever was needed to get things in the ideal ranges. I think we overchlorinated frequently. I'm looking forward to starting fresh with a new tub and professionals to walk us through maintenance. We get three months of chemicals, a "class" on maintenance, and I believe 10 free water sample tests included with our purchase. We intend to pay close attention to take better care if this one so the water feels better on our skin.