Easiest to repair hot tubs

[littleboss]

Hi

We are looking for a 4 person hot tub. I am looking for tubs that have easy access to the plumbing. I don't want to have to be chipping off foam to get to a leak. Any suggestions?

[Sam]

There are a lot of "perimeter insulation" spas but I wouldn't let that be the defining reason to purchase a hot tub.  A well made spa is better off being fully insulated in a cold climate than having less insulation but being easier to repair.  Where do you live?

[littleboss]

southern Colorado

[Tman122]

The logic is flawed here. Easy to fix 10 years down the road but 10-20 bucks a month more to heat. Did you do the math. The repair guy will charge by the hour, he has to add an hour or so to clear the foam. So a 500 dollar repair becomes a 600 dollar repair. You saved a hundred bucks, but it cost you 200 more per year to heat. Foam holds pipes from jerking around and becoming loose and leaking, it makes the tub quieter. Perimeter insulation puts excess heat on the pumps which shortens their life span.

I think Arctic does perimeter insulation the best. But it's not better than FF tubs like Hot Springs.

I certainly wouldn't let this be a deciding factor unless you don't buy a quality tub.

[bud16415]

I live in a very cold climate and we bought a Caldera tub that is packed full of FiberCor insulation. This insulation tests as well if not better than full foam with the advantage if you get a leak the water will travel straight down from the leak and not follow the plumbing until it reaches a point to get out. It makes finding the leak easier and then you just pull it out by hand and put it in a bag. After the repair you pack it back in.

Additionally the Caldera tub runs a dual GFCI breaker instead of a single controlling the whole tub. It has a 20A for the heater and a 30A for the rest of the tub. If the heater goes the tub alarms you and goes into survival mode. The hot water in the tub will stay above freezing for a very long time. The problem is the equipment areas are not highly insulated and will freeze long before the water in the tub would. In survival mode the tub slowly circulates the hot tub water keeping the equipment from freezing. In our cold region the difference in one day and several days to get it serviced is important especially if you are not out checking on the tub in that super cold weather. People that have conventional setups can open the area and put a small heater in there with an extension cord if they know they have a problem.

I think it is wise to think about all these things and in our case we liked the pricing and the features (seating, jets, etc.)of the Caldera tub best and these other features are icing on the cake.     

[littleboss]

The logic is flawed here. Easy to fix 10 years down the road but 10-20 bucks a month more to heat. Did you do the math. The repair guy will charge by the hour, he has to add an hour or so to clear the foam. So a 500 dollar repair becomes a 600 dollar repair. You saved a hundred bucks, but it cost you 200 more per year to heat. Foam holds pipes from jerking around and becoming loose and leaking, it makes the tub quieter. Perimeter insulation puts excess heat on the pumps which shortens their life span.

I think Arctic does perimeter insulation the best. But it's not better than FF tubs like Hot Springs.

I certainly wouldn't let this be a deciding factor unless you don't buy a quality tub.

Since I repair everything myself it makes a difference to me how easily it's able to be serviced. For what you pay the hot tub serviceman to come out and repair it, I can use that money to pay for the added cost to operate- if there is one.
With the spray foam you will be lucky to even figure out where the leak or leaks are without tearing a lot of the foam out. If they don't find all of the leaks they will be back and charge you again

[littleboss]

I live in a very cold climate and we bought a Caldera tub that is packed full of FiberCor insulation. This insulation tests as well if not better than full foam with the advantage if you get a leak the water will travel straight down from the leak and not follow the plumbing until it reaches a point to get out. It makes finding the leak easier and then you just pull it out by hand and put it in a bag. After the repair you pack it back in.

Additionally the Caldera tub runs a dual GFCI breaker instead of a single controlling the whole tub. It has a 20A for the heater and a 30A for the rest of the tub. If the heater goes the tub alarms you and goes into survival mode. The hot water in the tub will stay above freezing for a very long time. The problem is the equipment areas are not highly insulated and will freeze long before the water in the tub would. In survival mode the tub slowly circulates the hot tub water keeping the equipment from freezing. In our cold region the difference in one day and several days to get it serviced is important especially if you are not out checking on the tub in that super cold weather. People that have conventional setups can open the area and put a small heater in there with an extension cord if they know they have a problem.

I think it is wise to think about all these things and in our case we liked the pricing and the features (seating, jets, etc.)of the Caldera tub best and these other features are icing on the cake.   

Thanks. I will take a look at them

[Tman122]

The logic is flawed here. Easy to fix 10 years down the road but 10-20 bucks a month more to heat. Did you do the math. The repair guy will charge by the hour, he has to add an hour or so to clear the foam. So a 500 dollar repair becomes a 600 dollar repair. You saved a hundred bucks, but it cost you 200 more per year to heat. Foam holds pipes from jerking around and becoming loose and leaking, it makes the tub quieter. Perimeter insulation puts excess heat on the pumps which shortens their life span.

I think Arctic does perimeter insulation the best. But it's not better than FF tubs like Hot Springs.

I certainly wouldn't let this be a deciding factor unless you don't buy a quality tub.

Since I repair everything myself it makes a difference to me how easily it's able to be serviced. For what you pay the hot tub serviceman to come out and repair it, I can use that money to pay for the added cost to operate- if there is one.
With the spray foam you will be lucky to even figure out where the leak or leaks are without tearing a lot of the foam out. If they don't find all of the leaks they will be back and charge you again

A hot knife for cutting foam and some deductive reasoning. 98% of all the leaks I service are in the equipment area.

[The Wizard of Spas]

Still not sure you're looking at this the right way.

I understand you're going to be working on it.  Makes total sense.  As others have noted, I hope this isn't the priority of your purchase.  If you're going for serviceability, then you could get stuck on a tub with easy access that uses poor quality parts and breaks down all the time vs a tub that *might* be a little tougher to work on, but is far superior in terms of quality. 

Find what dealers are within a comfortable proximity, see what brands are represented, wet test to see what is comfortable, and do some research on parts used.  That should be more of a priority.

I hope this helps.  Good luck moving forward.

[wmccall]

[
A hot knife for cutting foam and some deductive reasoning. 98% of all the leaks I service are in the equipment area.

Several good replies already, thanks guys!  But  I also wouldn't let this be the prime determining factor.