(None Fishing) Our Hot Tub Cracked!

[Whopper Stopper]

Does anyone have any experience with hot tubs that have cracked over the winter? We have a Cal Spa five-person tub. We always used it year around up until last year. Being things were tight we drained it and winterized it to save the cost of heating it all winter. We decided to get it up and running yesterday just to find that the tub has about four cracks in it that are about 15” to 20” inches long.

The warranty on the tub would make it appear that we still have a year left against cracking. So far Cal Spa hasn’t stood behind any other issues we have had over the years and I am suspecting they will dodge this issue also. When new the tub was about $10,000 nine years ago. Do you think turning it into our homeowners would do us any good or am I better off trying to part it out and cut my losses?

This board has such a wide range of members I figured someone has probably encountered a problem like this. As always thanks for any and all replies!

WS

[Ed Carlson]

Get your ducks in a row first and round up all your paperwork and warranty and purchase date info and then push them on the warranty and make it fully documented (Certified letter) you started the process while it was still under warranty. Let them know your serious about pursuing the warrenty...make waves.

Get the scoop from the insurance company too, as they may push the warranty for you if you file the claim on it. If nothing else they will try real hard to repair it to cut there loss's.

[Deep_Sinker]

Very similar deal happened with my parents tub. My dad was not successful in getting warranty to cover nor was homeowners. He was able to buy a crack sealer from the hot tub store and it has held up for a couple years now. The sealer was under $50, not sure on the name but would think most hot tub store would help find it.

[CAMAN]

four cracks in it that are about 15” to 20” long

Ouch! That's a lot of cracking, and is cutting deep into the structural integrity of the tub. Though I haven't seen it in person, IMO repairing something with that amount of damage IMO would be very temporary at best. I'd be afraid one of those cracks would open up again, drain the tub and fry the pumps and heaters if not noticed, possibly causing a fire.

Did you just not drain it properly? Or did water somehow make its way in there to cause the cracking? Or some other unknown force?

I'd take every available route to replace, before repair.

Good luck! I hope it all works out for you.

[broken line]

I too have a Cal Spa Tub and have fixed leaks a couple times. Each time has been replacing a plastic fitting and it has been pretty painless. If your actual tub cracked, my opinion, I think you own that....noone will bail you out.

I wonder if you are like me ..................... wish I would have never bought a stupid hot tub !!!

[Surface Tension]

You said you have cracks but didn't say if the tub leaks.

That could be a crack in the gel-coat or it could much deeper.

Once you find out it it is covered or not. Its worth looking into and could even be a recall.

Before any repair I'd take a look at the base and make sure that isn't the cause for the cracks.

If it isn't covered then you have two choices.

Repair it yourself or pay to do it.

If you do it yourself materials would be under $100 and really not a lot of time.

If your not up on fiberglass and gelcoat a search will get you that info.