Newbie, going to look at a used Nordic tub

[billfred]

Hello,

I'm a newbie here.  I'm driving an hour this afternoon to go check out a slightly used Nordic Retreat MS.  Person bought it new in 2018, used it once.  Got divorced and had it professionally moved to her new place.  It was never hooked back up.

Pics look great.  Since it's not hooked up or filled, I can't test anything.  Any advice on what I should keep an eye out for?
 
I guess the warranty is non-transferable.

[ratchett]

So the tub was moved to new place, never hooked up......  That doesn't guarantee that the lines were properly drained and "winterized".  There's a chance some residual water in the lines could have froze up and burst some plumbing.

I'd fill it up with water and ensure it doesn't leak like crazy when filled with water.   As long as it holds water it might be a good deal, I hear Nordic tubs are pretty decent tubs for the price

[billfred]

Would I need to fill it all the way up? 

And I could check for leaks without running it?

[ratchett]

Would I need to fill it all the way up? 

And I could check for leaks without running it?

Need to fill it enough to cover all the jets should be enough - need water to enter the plumbing fully so you can see if it's leaking.  I'd have the person start filling the tub now so you can check it out fully filled by the time you get there (look for any wet leaks around the tub when you get there).  Bring a sump pump to drain the tub quickly afterwards.

As far as I understand yes, you can fill the tub before hooking it up and running it -  if it's leaking bad you'd see a pool of water forming under the tub pretty fast.  I am not an expert by any means but I think a fast major leak would be the biggest concern I'd have with getting a used hottub even if it's only two years old.    But as I said, I'm still a newbie, not an expert by any means.

[CanadianSpaTech]

#1 rule buying a used hot tub...never buy one you don't see running and up to temp.

[billfred]

Well, I don't think I'm going to be able to put water in it or see it running.  Hmmm.

[swilly1000]

Then walk away.

[Tman122]

Well, I don't think I'm going to be able to put water in it or see it running.  Hmmm.

How much? If the price is right.  Running or not it could be a good deal.

[billfred]

I checked it out yesterday.  It looks brand new.  However, there was water sitting in the filter area.  It definitely wasn't proper winterized.

The seller decided to fill it and have her dealer come over and check everything out.  Since it can be run on 110, the dealer could probably even confirm everything is running OK.  I can't be there when this all happens since I live an hour away.
 She said she'd try to get something in writing from them.  She seems very trustworthy.

I'd be able to get it for about $3k, it's like new.

[billfred]

Is there any reason why I couldn't bring a 120 GFI cord and wire it in just to test it out?

https://www.spadepot.com/Spa-GFCI-Power-Cord-In-Line-120V-15A-P9537C193.aspx


The jumper wire is still laying in the cabinet, and Nordic has a video of how to switch from 110 to 220.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWsXB2_HV2U