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Hot Springs Spa

Hot Springs Spa review: Stay away 9

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2:01 pm EST
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We purchased our Hot Springs hot tub in July 2008 from Garden Spas and Pool LLC, Germantown, TN. There is something wrong with the tub because it continues to trip the separate breaker that it is on (located next to the hot tub). Consequently, everytime we want to get in the Hot Tub the water is luke warm at best. They have sent a repairman a few times to repair the tub. The repairman does not show up when he is supposed to. The work that gets done, doesn't fix the problem. The repairman was supposed to be here on February 11th and didn't show up. We haven't been able to use the hot tub at least 60 percent of the times that we've wanted to use it because the water is too cold. The times we've used it, the water has been warm -- not hot. We spent almost $13, 000 on the hot tub. We want it fixed, a new one or we want our money back. By the time they get it fixed it will be summer again -- and too warm to enjoy the hot tub.

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Harvey13
St Charles, US
Feb 19, 2010 12:48 am EST
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

It's unlikely that there is something wrong with your hot tub. Intermittent tripping of ground fault circuit breakers is most often caused by faulty breakers or wiring. On the other hand if you experience instantaneous tripping of the gfci it is most often caused by a faulty component.
You've had the spa since July 2008 and you're complaining 19 months later that it has only worked 60% of the time? When you find the water lukewarm is the red power light steady or flashing? The spa high limit can "trip", which is reset by powering down the breakers, but that's not the same as the breaker tripping.
If the red light is always steady when you find it lukewarm, and the heater breaker is in the tripped position, there are really only four things that can be the cause: the heater, the heater relay board, the breaker or the conductors (wires). I've fixed several Hot Spring tubs that were experiencing intermittent tripping of the heater circuit breaker (there are two breakers in a Hot Spring sub panel). The first two I started at the spa on both of them, replacing the heater first and then the relay board. Neither time did that fix the problem. One ended up being the breaker, the other ended up being the wiring between the sub panel and the spa. Now when confronted with intermittent tripping I start at the breaker.

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Waterboy
Grand Rapids, US
Mar 28, 2010 12:04 pm EDT

I have a 1997 Hot Springs Grandee hot tub, same unit the White House had. I had to make several repairs to the tub through-out the last 10 years . Pretty much every componant has failed. One of the biggest problems is thier plastic (jets and fittings), they simply don't hold up to the spa chemicals. The store will also try to blame the problem on your water however in reality Watkins is using cheap plastic. I have also had problems with the circuit board - this has been replaced as well. I am now considering a Cal Spa since my two jet pumps (Wavemaster 7000) have rusted out due to a poorly designed cabinet. There is so much room for improvment with this tub, I am shocked that 10 years later the design has not changed much.

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Waterboy
Grand Rapids, US
Mar 28, 2010 6:47 pm EDT

Attached is a photo of my Wavemaster pumps that I removed from my Hot Springs Grandee thiw weekend. The mechanical area has no drain and when water inside the tub rises due to having a number of people in it, the water spills over from the filter housing area into the mechanical/pump area.

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L MIx
Midland, US
Jul 21, 2014 4:32 pm EDT
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We are with you on this. We should have bought a Thermospa. It was between the two and we went with the one here locally but we feel like we bought a car and then they just forgot about us. Just about everything has been replaced and they still wont admit it is a lemon. The repair man actually stood me up one day. Awesome right? That has everything to do with the local dealer. But the spa is a piece of crap. Buyer Beware.

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Lou w.
Clancy, US
Jul 01, 2015 12:29 pm EDT

We've had the same problem here. The repair man just left. 2 weeks ago it was the circuit board. The next week they said it was a circuit breaker. Today they said it was the heater motor. Going on for years and years. We spend $10, 000 on this hot tub and sure didn't get our money's worth. I would not recommend hot spring spa for anyone to buy. For what it's worth they are owned by Watkins manufacturing company. The company makes three different spas with different brand names. Google Watkins manufacturing and you can contact the company during regular business hours. Don't know if it helps or not. I think the only thing my called did was piss off my dealership. Let's hope today they finally got it fixed after 10 years of misery.

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Lou walters
Clancy, US
Sep 05, 2015 11:11 am EDT
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I contacted Watkins manufacturing and the second time I got a hold of a person. Instead please don't give this number out to anyone but your technician with this fella can help. So my technician called back and they had put a 6 watt motor instead of a 3 watt motor in the factory at time of manufacture. Once once they put the proper pumpkin there's been no problems. Except one big one. They want me to pay for all the messing around I did the last 3 months because my hot tub is not in warranty even though it was a warranty or manufacturing should I say screw up. Anyway that's the problem with your hot tub wrong wattage on the pump.

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BoliverShagnasti
US
Sep 15, 2016 7:21 pm EDT

I want to know, why you bought a Hot Spring Spa? Are there no other spas near by? Hot Spring is wrote with bad engineering and problems go deep, as it is and has never been brought up to the safety standards in the USA.
http://www.spaspecialist.com/hotspringUL.html

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Lou walters
Clancy, US
Sep 16, 2016 6:12 am EDT
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Hot Springs finally fixed it after I called the factory and was given a number 4 shot someone inside the factory. I wish I kept the number. Anyway the guy at the factory told my technician the dad put the wrong motor in some of the hot tubs. They put a six watt motor instead of a 3 watt motor. It the circuit breaker for years and burned up the circuit board period calendar they had replaced almost everything and it wasn't until the new motor was put in that the hot tub straightened out. My dealer find me put the right Motor Inn and then go it's been a year and no problems. It wasn't the dealers fault. It was Watkins Manufacturing and they knew the problem existed but didn't recall any of the hot tubs. Thus you got a bad one. Since my dealer fixed it I use their service again. But it was a pain in the ### for years.

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Lou walters
Clancy, US
Sep 16, 2016 6:14 am EDT
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I use voice text and made a mistake on the one above. I use the word shot up above. But I didn't mean to have that word in there. Although I don't know if I buy another Watkins products I'm happy with my dealer.