new Hot Spring cabinets

[fatman]

A recent conversation with an independent hot tub repair tech led to the subject of Hot Spring tubs. He told me that HS is having problems with their new ( I assume he meant 2005 and 2006) plastic cabinets shattering. Anyone having any problems with their cabinets?

[pruned_hands]

I have a 2005 Grandee bought in October.  I am having some issues with warping of these panels.  Basically, two of the panels have pulled away at the bottm edge and are warping outward.  The dealer is coming out friday to look at this and to install a belated xmas gift ozonator.  So we will see what he says.  I think he may just screw them down tight.
Any dealers out there who have done this?  SHould new panels be ordered instead or is this an acceotable remedy.

I have not had the panels break or crack.

PH

[East_TX_Spa]

A recent conversation with an independent hot tub repair tech led to the subject of Hot Spring tubs. He told me that HS is having problems with their new ( I assume he meant 2005 and 2006) plastic cabinets shattering. Anyone having any problems with their cabinets?

Absolutely not.  We've sold approximately 800 spas the last two years and haven't had one crack yet.  Now, we do coat our spas with a special Kentucky Jelly to keep the cabinets supple, pliable, lubricated, yet rigid.  I don't know if any other dealers are doing this, but it has worked great for us.

Every once in awhile, an Everwood panel will come off, but it gets slapped back on with a coat of Kentucky Jelly and a dab of goose grease and no more ding dang problems!

Terminator

[Chas]

Early on I was having siding come loose in the corners - and one or two spas had cracked siding pcs in the same area. We finally tracked it to the way my warehouse people were picking up the spa with the forklift. They (we) would put the fork tip under the siding in one of the corners to lift the spa off the ground and slide a block under it.
That was putting all the pressure on the siding, even though the spa was wrapped. What's worse was that we didn't see damage until we delivered, and then had to do a repair.

Good news: We have changed the way we pick the tubs up, and no problem since.

[Bill_Stevenson]

First, I am not having any trouble with mine.  Second, I am intimately familiar with how the type of composite that is used to make these cabinets is manufacturerd.  Without getting too technical, these panels are made from a mixture of very fine wood flour (i.e. ground up saw dust) and plastic resin that are put into an extruder.  Under high heat and high pressure this mixture is formed into the panels that you see.  This composite material is very stable and should not be susceptible to moisture or sunlight degradation of any kind.  

Also, for Term, save your money, no topical ointment is going to make any difference whatsoever.  This stuff is more like solid plastic than it is like wood in terms of porosity.  I am assuming of course that the material is made properly in the first place.

To give you some idea of how durable these composites are, the US Navy commissioned a series of experiments to test their durability for docks and found that they last at least 10 times longer than the next most durable option, treated lumber.

Regards,

Bill

[Spatech_tuo]

To give you some idea of how durable these composites are, the US Navy commissioned a series of experiments to test their durability for docks and found that they last at least 10 times longer than the next most durable opion, treated lumber.

I know people like the look of wood when its new (and yes you can try to take good care of it) but this is why I think composte siding on spas is the way to go. I've seen far too many older spas and the siding typically looks poor (and I don't mean 15 yrs old but often after just a couple yrs).

BTW, you're right on about use of topical ointments being a waste of time/$/energy on these synthetics but I think Term was pullling someone's leg about the "Kentucky Jelly" comment.

[Gomboman]

Are the new 06' HS cabinets different than the 05' models? Did they change the pattern and material composition to look more like "Real" wood?

[East_TX_Spa]

Are the new 06' HS cabinets different than the 05' models? Did they change the pattern and material composition to look more like "Real" wood?

Yes, they sure did!  They added cosmetic streaking to the pattern and it looks very, very nice.  Plus, it is solid as a rock.

If anyone is shopping for a spa, be sure and bang on the side of the cabinet to get a feel for the quality of the materials.  You might be surprised at what you find out by simply doing this.

Terminator

[hymbaw]

Term,
  While working a home show( back when I was sellin' HS) I would kick the side of a tub to show the strength of the cabinet and challenge the customer to do the same with the competitors. Needless to say by the end of the day I was confronted by an angry competitor who wanted me to pay for their cabinet with a big hole in it! LOL

[East_TX_Spa]

 

I should have added a disclaimer "Only kick a spa that you are prepared to own."

Terminator

[Brookenstein]

That reminds me of when we were pregnant with our first child.  We went to Babies R Us to look at cribs.  I went and hid in the car after J broke his fifth crib trying to get the side rail up and down.

[imbarbra6]

Fatman,
Did HS come out Friday to look at your cabinet? How did they propose fixing it and are you satisfied?

[East_TX_Spa]

imbarbra6, I don't believe fatman owns any spa yet.  He's been dilligently shopping for one since I've been on here, a little over a year now.

There is no problem with the cabinets.

Terminator

[imbarbra6]

Oy!  sorry Fatman.  The previous questions were intended for pruned_hands. Guess I need to have a cup of joe and clear out the cob webs from inside my head before getting online and asking questions.

[pruned_hands]

Don't worry Imbarbra6...it is monday morning and we all move a little slower.

Yes, my dealer (who is very good) came out and looked at the warpage issue.  He had intended to screw down the panels with  #6 screws he was told to bring by HS.  After looking at my panels, it was clear that on all three sides made with solid panels (i.e. not the front, entry side), all of the panels were warped on the bottom corners.  We both agreed that (1) the odds of there being six badly manufactured panels was slim, and that (2) we wondered if the framing of the tub cabinet on the outside bottom was just a bit big/.  This would cause the panels to have to be forced into place where they would not stay and voila'...warping occured.  Now it would be difficult to get them to stay in place even if we screwed them down.

The dealer felt that we shouldn't have to put a dozen screws along the bottom of a new tub and he called HS from my house, talked to them directly and arranged to have all new panels sent.

We are going to install them and see if they will work (we both are betting it won't be a complete fix) and if that doesn't work...

I will push for a new tub and my dealer would probably support me as he was amazed by the extent that my panels warped.  Hopefully his reaction wasn't for show...

So I am happy that we are being "sensibly aggressive" in addressing this manner.  We'll try the new panels and see what happens.

Anyone have any feedback or other ideas?

I will keep you folks posted.

PH

p.s....love the new ozonator, not sure if I've noticed a difference, but from what I have read here, I am looking to the extra cleaning help.