Catalina Spas State of the Art Construction Hot Tub Manual

Hot tubs are big ticket items, and pre-owned tin be a good fashion to become your toes wet for cheap. Looking for a tub for your vacation home? Want to endeavour a spa but aren't certain if y'all want to invest long-term? Are you handy and looking for project? We'll assist y'all choose the right place to buy and bug to sentinel out for.

Where to Buy

Chances are, at that place is a used hot tub for sale nearly y'all, somewhere between like-new and across repair. Whether you lot shop at a dealer or online classifieds, you should know what to look before yous buy.

Spa Dealers

Many spa dealers take older spas equally merchandise-ins. They clean them up and sell them for a profit, much like buying a used automobile from a lot.

Spa dealers often fix cosmetic and equipment bug, maybe even including a warranty for those repairs. They often replace the cover, filters and deep clean the tub when they receive it, then you don't take to.

With the parts and labor the dealer adds, they charge way more than if you did the piece of work yourself. Add together profit and commission marking-upwards, and the cost is equal to or college than a brand new hot tub.

Auction past Owner

Shopping for used spas in online classified ads is much cheaper than a dealer.

Y'all can often find nice hot tubs for sale locally from moving owners, forced to sell their spa. Since they don't come with a warranty, bug if something of a sudden fails are your burden. Practice a complete cheque and encounter well-nigh having a service tech expect over the spa before purchase.

Inexpensive or gratuitous hot tubs are plentiful, although y'all get what y'all pay for. Y'all will have to invest a lot of fourth dimension and money into a fixer-upper. If as well many critical parts are bad, you volition have to pay a service tech for the labor. You might spend the same or more than a fully functional (or even new!) spa.

What to Look For

When buying a used spa from an unknown seller, viewing the tub before purchase is vital. Be sure that the spa is on and full of water for at to the lowest degree 24 hours before yous go far. Ask to see the owner'south manual, repair and maintenance tape. Act as if y'all were purchasing a used car or second-manus RV. Keep a sentry for possible issues.

Equipment Surface area & Controls

With the spa running, enquire the owner to bear witness you how to operate the topside command pad. Switch through the various functions, checking if the loftier and low jet pump speeds, heater, lite, etc. work.

Check the various other functions. The air valve should provide aplenty air injection to the jets. Open up the valve fully, backing off slowly until airtight. If air is still injected when fully closed, the valve is defective. Cheque diverter valves, if and then equipped.

Listen for a rapid clicking sound coming from the control system. This could bespeak circuit board problems, which tin can be very costly to repair. A burned-out spa low-cal is a minor result. Accept the bulb replaced to verify that the trouble is the bulb, and not the light control excursion.

Mind to the pump when the spa is running. You should hear a strong and steady low-pitched hum from the motor. If you lot hear grinding, whining or just about anything else, you probable need a new pump.

Leaks

Continue an centre out for dripping and puddles while in the equipment area. A cracked union, filter lock band or other obvious leak are unproblematic repairs. If y'all cannot run across the source of the leak, await for dark or discolored foam. Leaks from mystery locations in fully foamed spas are difficult to set up. Take a difficult laissez passer.

Enquire the owner well-nigh how the hot tub has been used. Has it been stored empty for long periods of time? Stored over long, cold winters? Kept total of h2o without power? Even after draining, up to half dozen gallons of water can remain in the pipes, pump and heater. This water can freeze and expand, cracking the plumbing. An unheated spa full of h2o tin can cause similar problems.

Read more well-nigh Leaks and How to Set up Them.

Spa Shell

Carefully inspect the spa beat out for issues, looking for large cracks, blisters, or other bug. Badly cleaved acrylic cannot be repaired, and so tubs with big fissures should be avoided. Fill small cracks or cosmetic defects with Plast-Assist, which can be colored to match the acrylic for a seamless patch.

Cabinet

Sanding, finishing and a couple coats of pigment volition practice wonders for a faded, ugly cabinet. You lot can repair i or 2 broken slats or panels with wood or synthetic paneling without much trouble. Entirely replacing a damaged cabinet, on the other hand, will be plush.

Framework & Insulation

The cabinet'southward cosmetic appearance is not equally important as the condition of the framework that supports the spa. Remove the panels and inspect the frame for rot and warping, especially if the tub was placed on bare soil. The frame needs enough strength to back up not just the crush, but also 2000lbs or more than of water and occupants.

Keep an center out of signs of rodent or insect activity, such equally droppings. Vermin are attracted to the warmth in the cabinet. They can wreak havoc dissentious plumbing, nesting in the foam, and gnawing at the woods frame.

How Much Should it Cost?

Even if y'all get a used spa for a not bad toll, there will be more than costs later on the initial purchase. Here'south a rundown of the possible extra expenses.

• Power Connection – You'll need an electrician to wire the spa at your dwelling, including a GFCI Disconnect. Y'all likewise may take to pay an electrician to disconnect it from its previous location, depending on the seller. If y'all are qualified to do electric wiring, yous tin can salve $1000+ by doing it yourself.
  Read our guide to Wiring a Hot Tub.
• Delivery – Hot tubs are large and commonly require a few friends, flat dollies, and a flatbed truck or trailer. It might be worth spending a chip more to hire a moving company to send the spa hands, without damage.
• Setup – You need a concrete pad, patio or deck with the right load rating. If you don't have that, you'll need to install a level surface for the spa. Read more about Site Choice and Setup.
• Cover – Spa covers don't concluding forever, and often need replacement when buying a used hot tub. If the comprehend is heavy or the vinyl in poor status, get a new, more energy efficient hot tub cover.
• Filters – Replace all filters in a used spa before utilize. Dirty filters are not sanitary.
• Repair – The cost of repairs volition depend on the condition of the spa and the service technician's fee. You can save on the service call past doing the work yourself, using the knowledge in our How-to Guides.
• Chemicals – You will demand some supplies to get started. Spa chemicals are less effective over time. It'south best to buy new supplies in lieu of taking the seller'south collection of old chemicals.
• Accessories – Although not required for spa performance, steps, a cover lifter, and a handrail make the spa easier to use.

Original Price

Just like with a car, a new hot tub depreciates significantly the moment yous utilize it for the beginning fourth dimension. Sellers that use the original price as a starting signal tin can over-value their spa by hundreds or thousands of dollars.

The tub may still be in good condition, but part of the original price included a warranty. It as well included a brand new cover, filters, and often commitment, none of which y'all volition be receiving.

The first owner may have overpaid for the hot tub in the first place. If purchased from a spa dealer, their initial toll included a huge mark-upwardly, which passes on to you.

Instead of investing many thousands into a used spa, you tin can generally purchase a brand new hot tub online. You'll get the peace of mind of a warranty, costless delivery, and no dealer mark-upward.

Later on You Buy

Once you find a used spa that works for y'all, there are a few things to do before enjoying it.

Repairs

Nearly used hot tubs will need some piece of work before you can fill them up. Even if the hot tub is in proficient condition, expect to practice repair work within the first twelvemonth of ownership.

Common repairs include installing a new heater element, plumbing piece of work, and ozonator replacement. These easy fixes can be done by virtually anyone and are commonly inexpensive.

More costly repairs might include replacing the Pump or Command System. Performing repair work yourself and buying parts online will relieve you significantly over marked-upwardly parts and labor from a dealer.

If the spa isn't functioning correctly and y'all're non certain where to beginning, visit our How-to Guides for more information.

Sanitation

Information technology is important to deep clean a used hot tub before use. Just scrubbing the spa interior, without total-arrangement decontamination, could result in a rash or infection from microbes lurking in plumbing.

A deep cleaning should include a Spa Arrangement Flush, super-chlorination and filter replacement. Bank check out our footstep by step guide on decontaminating your hot tub for more information.

Chemic Routine

Once the hot tub is decontaminated and filled, keep the water counterbalanced and sanitized to perform properly and stay clean. Kickoff with brand new bottles and store them in a cool, dry place abroad from sunlight.

New to hot tub water maintenance? Cheque out our Introduction to Spa Water Chemical science to become started.

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Source: https://www.spadepot.com/used-hot-tubs.htm

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