Life Expectancy of Hot Tub

[Mikedee]

Just curious how long most hot tubs have lasted for people ?.. I bought mine in 1999 and its still working..I've changed the pumps and heater a couple of times but those have been the major issues.

[cranbiz]

A hot tub is usually a 15-20 year purchase. That being said, it's not unusual for the shell to go much longer. The wear items are the jets, motors, and heater. As long as you are happy with the tub there is no reason it can go longer than 20 years. Everything can be replaced except for the shell. If it's a well supported shell, that should go a lifetime if cared for and did not have freeze damage.

[Spatech_tuo]

A hot tub is usually a 15-20 year purchase. That being said, it's not unusual for the shell to go much longer. The wear items are the jets, motors, and heater. As long as you are happy with the tub there is no reason it can go longer than 20 years. Everything can be replaced except for the shell. If it's a well supported shell, that should go a lifetime if cared for and did not have freeze damage.

Maybe you are referring to a certain brand(s) on the upper side when you say 15-20 years (I'm assuming you're an experienced pro, not an owner) but the industry as a whole is really more like 10-20 years, it really depends on brand. While I agree everything but the shell can be replaced (and that often can be repaired) often it goes to landfill not because its unfixable but because the time/effort/complexity/cost just doesn't make sense. With some brands it hits the wall much sooner due to quality of build/materials/parts/design.

[Tman122]

No longer cost effective to repair is a very variable thing.

[cranbiz]

What @Tman122 said.

10-20 years, 15-20 years are pretty close, the average is only a couple years different. Now, if you own a LPI product, 3-5 years is what you should expect. I'm talking about the quality brands. Artesian, Marquis, Hot Springs, etc. Not Master, Aqua Living and the likes of cheap spas.

Never said that it might not be cost effective if you lost 2 pumps and a Spa Pack at the same time but replacing those individually over 10 years could be cost effective for some.

[Spatech_tuo]

What @Tman122 said.

10-20 years, 15-20 years are pretty close, the average is only a couple years different. Now, if you own a LPI product, 3-5 years is what you should expect. I'm talking about the quality brands. Artesian, Marquis, Hot Springs, etc. Not Master, Aqua Living and the likes of cheap spas.

Never said that it might not be cost effective if you lost 2 pumps and a Spa Pack at the same time but replacing those individually over 10 years could be cost effective for some.

There is a BIG difference between customer satisfaction if a spa lasts 10 years vs another that lasts 15.

[cranbiz]

I don't disagree with you.

The tub itself could easily last that long but new enhancements and technology could cause a consumer to replace an old tub. Doesn't mean the tubs life expectancy changes, just consumer tastes. If it happens to end up in the landfill, again it's not because the tub failed and isn't a reflection of life expectancy.

And as I said before, there are plenty of lesser tubs that deserve landfill status.

There are users with 20 year old tubs that have mechanical timers and basic jetting that are perfectly happy with them. Then there are consumers that "need" the latest and greatest and turn over their tubs in 5 years.

As I thought about this further, you might be closer on age. There are soo many poor tubs out there that would certainly skew the overall life expectancy.

[MGM]

What brand is your tub, MikeDee?

[Mikedee]

What brand is your tub, MikeDee?

I’m almost embarrassed to say as I know the brand isn’t popular amongst many posters on this forum. That being said it’s a Thermospas, Model Park Avenue.. I bought back in 1999..

[cranbiz]

What brand is your tub, MikeDee?

I’m almost embarrassed to say as I know the brand isn’t popular amongst many posters on this forum. That being said it’s a Thermospas, Model Park Avenue.. I bought back in 1999..

And here we are in 2021 and your tub is still working (i'm guessing). It's a rotomolded tub so the shell should be still solid. If it's still doing what you bought it for and you still enjoy it, then I would say it owes you nothing. Even now, if you had to put $1000 in repairs in it, it's worth it because it does what you want it to. Today, you have a tub, I'm still waiting for mine and thousands of other people won't have one for months to years. Enjoy what you have.

[Mikedee]

What brand is your tub, MikeDee?

I’m almost embarrassed to say as I know the brand isn’t popular amongst many posters on this forum. That being said it’s a Thermospas, Model Park Avenue.. I bought back in 1999..

And here we are in 2021 and your tub is still working (i'm guessing). It's a rotomolded tub so the shell should be still solid. If it's still doing what you bought it for and you still enjoy it, then I would say it owes you nothing. Even now, if you had to put $1000 in repairs in it, it's worth it because it does what you want it to. Today, you have a tub, I'm still waiting for mine and thousands of other people won't have one for months to years. Enjoy what you have.

Tub still works fine mechanically...Shell has a couple of bubbles in it at this point..I agree the tub owes me nothing at this point ( my kids got to enjoy it growing up as did we)...Although I can't remember the exact amount I paid, I'd say the $5k or so it cost me back in 1999 was well worth the money and I'm glad I did it when I first bought my house and the kids were young..

[Spatech_tuo]

What brand is your tub, MikeDee?

I’m almost embarrassed to say as I know the brand isn’t popular amongst many posters on this forum. That being said it’s a Thermospas, Model Park Avenue.. I bought back in 1999..

And here we are in 2021 and your tub is still working (i'm guessing). It's a rotomolded tub so the shell should be still solid. If it's still doing what you bought it for and you still enjoy it, then I would say it owes you nothing. Even now, if you had to put $1000 in repairs in it, it's worth it because it does what you want it to. Today, you have a tub, I'm still waiting for mine and thousands of other people won't have one for months to years. Enjoy what you have.

Tub still works fine mechanically...Shell has a couple of bubbles in it at this point..I agree the tub owes me nothing at this point ( my kids got to enjoy it growing up as did we)...Although I can't remember the exact amount I paid, I'd say the $5k or so it cost me back in 1999 was well worth the money and I'm glad I did it when I first bought my house and the kids were young..

Make no mistake, when we claim certain brands are better or worse than others based on history we mean on average. There are always outliers. Many here will make positives claims about Artesian, Arctic, Bullfrog, Caldera, D1, Hot Springs, Jacuzzi and Sundance (and others) but you'll also see some customers on occasion come on claiming their reputation is untrue because they owned one and had problems. Similarly some may not be fans of other brands like Cal Spas, Master, Thermospas...  over the years certainly there are people who can say they've owned one and it has been great. Samples of 1 aren't a trend. Same with cars, any brand that is considered great has stories that say otherwise while brands/models that fizzled due to quality will have cars still on the road many years later (my wife sighs every time she see a Fierro wishing the beloved car she had when I met her was still in our garage, in reality it was often in the dealer's service garage).

Its great that your spa has lasted the test of time and you probably were an influence to some degree with the way you maintained it. After 22 years its not a surprise the acrylic/Fiberglass shell has a few bubbles, not uncommon for that time/vintage. Are you looking to replace it because its out of commission or is it still running but you see the end coming soon?

[Mikedee]

Spatech

You made me laugh when you mentioned your wife’s Pontiac Fiero.. I also wanted one and my dad refused to let me buy it saying it was gonna be a headache .. I agree with you that you can’t base a trend just cause i had good luck with Thermospas.. You are correct about my water maintenance though.. I was always a stickler and still am about proper sanitation, and good balanced water chemistry..I believe it’s one of the reasons my tub has lasted so long and the components lasted.. I’m hoping it will continue working for a few more years til we retire and sell the house but either way it worked out well in my case ..

[Tman122]

Thermospas was not known for being crappy, but they were known for being overpriced and difficult to find repair techs for.

[MGM]

What brand is your tub, MikeDee?

I’m almost embarrassed to say as I know the brand isn’t popular amongst many posters on this forum. That being said it’s a Thermospas, Model Park Avenue.. I bought back in 1999..

I don't know why you would be embarrassed.  I am impressed!  Just goes to show you don't have to spend the most money to get a good value in a hot tub.