Spa shell solidity

[Beaver]

After having looked aroud for the best spa or me, I have selected two models:
Hotspring Vista and Sundance Optima.

My question is regarding the solidity of the shell.
The Hotspring shell seems more fragile, I can feel the acrylic moving when I pull the lip on the side of the spa with my fingers. I was not able to do the same with the Sundance.

Should I worry about the Hotspring acrylic stifness?
From what I read on this forum, The foam is what is supporting the acrylic. What will happen if we have to dig the foam because of a leak? will the structure be as strong as before?

[Chris_H]

Do yourself a favor and worry about other things besides the shell.  Both shells will last a very long time and the shell material should not make/break your decision.

[stl-rex]

The Sundance dealer touted their shell as self-supporting, which the HS is not.  (I can't verify that independently)
That said, I would go for the one whose combination of fit and jet feel suits you best.  There is enough difference between the two on which to base a solid decision.  Both are reputable companies that get excellent feedback on this and other forums.

[Chas]

No, a HotSpring spa shell will not support the water without the foam. But that's like saying your house will not support the roof without the walls. It is all part of the way the tub is engineered and built.

A Sundance would never support the water if you somehow removed the fiberglass backing...

[Wisoki]

Why should they not be concerned with the most expensive part of the spa, should it need replaced. I think it's a quite valid question. And Chas' remarks kind of prove it's important. In the instance of Sundance and HotSpring, an acrylic un drilled shell WITH the reinforcement each company uses, (ABS HS, fiberglass, Sundance) with out the support of the foam, which one will hold 500 gallons with out flattening out. My guess is going to have to be Sundance.

Do yourself a favor and worry about other things besides the shell.  Both shells will last a very long time and the shell material should not make/break your decision.

[stl-rex]

No, a HotSpring spa shell will not support the water without the foam. But that's like saying your house will not support the roof without the walls. It is all part of the way the tub is engineered and built.

A Sundance would never support the water if you somehow removed the fiberglass backing...

 

The question wasn't alluding to the backing and why it's stronger, it was about removing the foam if it leaks.  If you have two pound foam around the tub, it leaks and is replaced by spray in half-pound foam, is the tub weaker in that spot because it needs the two pound foam to support it?  I don't know the answer for HS, but if the Sundance shell is indeed self-supporting because of the fiberglass backing, then for sure the answer is no it is not weaker.  I believe that is to what the question alludes.

[East_TX_Spa]

Should I worry about the Hotspring acrylic stifness? [glb]No, it will last as long as any other spa shell, longer than most[/glb]
From what I read on this forum, The foam is what is supporting the acrylic. What will happen if we have to dig the foam because of a leak? will the structure be as strong as before?[glb]Yes, we have never had a problem with this in the 21 years we have sold them.  In the highly unlikely event that a leak developed, the spa would be repaired and refoamed as good as new[/glb]

HotSpring sells more spas than any other spa company in the world.  They would not be #1 if they made an inferior product.  Chris H was right when he commented that there are other more important issues when searching for your spa.  They are both great spas and I'm sure you will enjoy which ever one you decide on.

Terminator

[Wisoki]

Which directly relates to the type of backing the manufacturer uses. An abs backed spa is weaker in construction than a fiberglass backed spa. There fore if removing the foam from the spa to repair a leak, then yes it will be weaker in that area.

The question wasn't alluding to the backing and why it's stronger, it was about removing the foam if it leaks.  If you have two pound foam around the tub, it leaks and is replaced by spray in half-pound foam, is the tub weaker in that spot because it needs the two pound foam to support it?  I don't know the answer for HS, but if the Sundance shell is indeed self-supporting because of the fiberglass backing, then for sure the answer is no it is not weaker.  I believe that is to what the question alludes.

[Chris_H]

Wisoki,

Good point on the shell being the most expensive parts, but you failed to mention that it is one of the items on a spa that rarely, if ever, will fail.  This is for both Hotspring and Sundance.

I personally do not know which one is better (not an engineer).  I do know I would still buy a Hotspring even with their shell because I know that the shell generally never goes bad.

Chris

[Wisoki]

Why did Watkins Mfg. reduce the Hot Spring shell warranty from 10 years to 7 while maintaining a 10 year on caldera. Hot Spring is the more expensive product, should it not carry a longer structural warranty. Or is it that Watkins and every Hot Spring dealer out there knows that their shells have an astounding cracking problem in years 7 through ten, which Watkins has lost a boat load of money on.

HotSpring sells more spas than any other spa company in the world.  They would not be #1 if they made an inferior product.  Chris H was right when he commented that there are other more important issues when searching for your spa.  They are both great spas and I'm sure you will enjoy which ever one you decide on.

Terminator

[scott10367]

Why did Watkins Mfg. reduce the Hot Spring shell warranty from 10 years to 7 while maintaining a 10 year on caldera. Hot Spring is the more expensive product, should it not carry a longer structural warranty. Or is it that Watkins and every Hot Spring dealer out there knows that their shells have an astounding cracking problem in years 7 through ten, which Watkins has lost a boat load of money on.

I have been a dealer for more than 20 years and the shell warranty has always been 7 years.  Not sure what you mean about them reducing the warranty?  Plus, the HS warranty is not full of holes...they cover any and all problems.  And I cannot speak for the entire country or even my state...I can only speak for my dealership.  We average 250 HS per year and have for decades.  We see less than a 2% shell problem at our dealership.  Hopefully this info helps!  

[Manhattan]

A spa shell IS the most expensive part of the spa. BUT... the warranty on ANYTHING (spas, toasters, bicycles) is only as good as:
A. The company that manufactures it and,
B. The company who sold it to you.

My wife and I bought a brand name, expensive stereo. It broke, and the dealer we bought it from said we had to box it up and ship it back, AT  OUR EXPENSE, to the manufacturer. Without going into all the gory details, it wasn't a plesant experience. Therefore I believe that the most important aspect of considering potential failure on ANYTHING is:

A. Who made it? (what's their reputation, etc.) and,
B. Who will take care of it if it breaks?

Those should be the determining factors.

[East_TX_Spa]

Beaver, beware of disinformation that is spread by dealers that compete with HotSpring.  You'll find that this is the type of dealer that will disparage any brand of spa except the one they are selling.  You want to look for a dealer that has stuck with a brand they believe in for many years and not someone who flip-flops between brands.

Do the research for yourself, use your good common sense, find the spa and company that you are comfortable with.  Sundance and HotSpring are both excellent companies with an outstanding record of taking care of their customers.

Terminator

[stl-rex]

What will happen if we have to dig the foam because of a leak? will the structure be as strong as before?

The amazing thing is this was one of two questions asked.  What the person got was a bunch of lines other than the answer.  The HS dealers, who should know the answer, ducked answering the question repeatedly, and actually still have not answered it.

And for the record, I'm not a dealer.  I am a shopper who has done a considerable amount of research.  I'm not knocking HS product.  It's a nice spa, but just doesn't fit well for me and I'm not sold on the MotoMassage.  But for the heavy HS representation I see here, folks selling them sure got defensive and evasive awfully quick when the chips weren't going to fall their way.  Go with the seats and jets that feel best to you and you will be happy with either brand.

To Terminator's credit, I see him post positive comments about other brands a spas and then explain why he prefers what he sells.  That is a good salesperson.

[Dr. Spa™ Ret.]

Excuse me, but if there were to be a leak, and foam were removed to repair the leak, wouldn't part of the repair be to replace the removed foam?

Therefore, the spa would be just as strong after the repair as before.