What are the Problems Swim Spa Owners Face? Your Complete, Unbiased Guide
Anything with mechanical or electrical components eventually must be serviced. If you own a car, you must check the brakes, for example, and keep them in good repair. Swim spas are no different.
It pays to know what problems could arise if you’re thinking of owning a swim spa. You’ll have a better sense of what is typical and what is unusual and a good idea of when to call someone.
In a strange way, we hope it gives you peace of mind as well: By seeing what could go wrong you’ll realize there are very few things of the “end of the world variety.” Swim spas in general, like their cousin the hot tub, are easy to maintain and repair.
We get asked in our retail stores about “what could go wrong” and what to worry about. That’s a fair question on anything that costs $25,000 or more (which is any decent swim spa, Hydropool’s least expensive model starts around there).
We wrote this article to catalogue what to look out for and some of the most common things our repair team sees. We hope it helps you see what to watch out for!
What Are Common Swim Spa Issues?
1. Water Issues – By far the No. 1 issue in hot tub repair that we see are water-related issues. These can be short-term issues like water discoloration or long-term issues like calcified mechanical parts because of a pH balance being out of whack for an extended period. Water issues are typically maintenance issues: a step got skipped or not reacted to in time. Water issues, if let go, cause a lot of the problems on the rest of this list. Water needs to be in balance, be clean and it needs to keep moving to stay healthy and keep your spa working properly.
2. Heater – The biggest two problems we see with heaters are problems if the water has been too acidic for too long: It will eat away at your heater’s rubber parts that keep the water out. Calcium and minerals can build up on the heating element if the pH is too high. Proper filter maintenance is key: If pleated filters aren’t changed or cleaned often, the amount of water going through the heater is restricted, causing what’s called a “dry fire” to occur. That creates a “low flow error” or “dry fire error.” A depth filter, another type, is shaped like a roll of paper towel, made of fibers but round and solid with no pleats. That type of filter will disintegrate if there is poor water chemistry. A new heater is about $500 installed, and parts like that are generally replaced, not repaired.
3. Leaks – At Hydropool, we test our spas for several hours before delivery: They are filled with water, pumps and heaters get turned on. So, when we see leaks after delivery, it’s generally because a tube has worked itself a little loose over time or it’s an immediate issue that happened in shipping. Water can move around, and the original leak isn’t always where the drip reveals itself. Leaks can also happen in cold climates, if lines freeze, for example, because the hot tub was accidentally shut off in the winter and stopped circulating.
4. Pump failures – Pumps are complicated little machines, and they work hard. Most issues here are usage issues: As the pump works, it acquires wear and tear over time. Pumps must work harder if the water is out of balance, as they have to fight off either calcium build up or acidic water eating away at them. Pumps can sometimes be fixed, rather than replaced, but if they have to be replaced, they cost up to $1,000 or more.
5. Tripping the breaker – Not a common issue, but when it happens it is usually a sign there is an issue with the heater. It could be any component of the hot tub causing this, however.
6. Error codes on the electrical panel - We don’t see a lot of these as problems, but we have seen them. If moisture gets into the control panel, you can have problems with your electrical and it’s a matter of replacing anything that has shorted out and figuring out where the moisture came from.
7. Cover – The cover does a lot of work to insulate your tub when it’s not in use. It also takes the biggest hit from the sun. Depending on where you live and where your hot tub is located, it may have to be replaced every three to five years.
8. Chipped or stained acrylic – Chips can usually be repaired with filler, but in some light you will be able to see the seam. Stains can almost always be resolved or repaired, as your dealer will have a supply of cleaning products. Acrylic is tough stuff.
What Are Repair Rates for Swim Spas?
Repair rates are typically around $150 an hour, but this will depend on your area.
How to Have a Reliable Swim Spa
- Learn what you can: If your local retailer has a swim spa “school” or class, it’s likely worth going. Get on the Facebook groups for your model or brand. They aren’t always helpful, any many have been infiltrated by companies, but you’ll see what people talk about and what are the common problems and the weird ones.
- Keep your water balanced. This could be first. Really, it’s the best thing you can do.
- Change and clean your filters as needed.
- Use the experts: Buy from a local dealer who can give you advice as you need it. Swim spas are unusual creatures, after all. It pays to deal with an expert if you can.
- Open and close any venting seasonally, if your swim spa allows it. This will minimize stress on your components.
- Install it above-ground. Not only is the cost significantly higher if you want it below ground, but servicing it will be more difficult and your location will be more prone to flooding and accessible to animals. Both in-ground and above-ground are doable, but above is better.
Swim Spa Problems: What Can Go Wrong?
As you can see, there are a wide range of components on a swim spa, and each of them has their potential issues. In writing this article, we hope we have given you a solid sense of what potential issues are and how to handle them, as well as a sense of the costs involved. We know that what can go wrong matters as much as the potential enjoyment of any purchase at the price point that swim spas have.
We hope you answered your questions, but there’s a chance we missed something that applies to your particular situation. If that’s the case, don’t hesitate to reach out to your local retailer for answers here.
