Trying to plan ahead since it seems that the lifespan of our hot tub may be shorter than we like. First, what is the average life span? We have a thermospa that came with the house. It's 6 years old now and I am thinking it wasn't maintained that well before us. It seems more often than not, we are periodically finding random parts at the bottom or floating on the top of the water when we turn the jets on. We have also noticed that there can be little bits of plastic (looks like from the jets) that are breaking off and floating about. I have been super diligent about caring for it since we have had it, but I fear we may be replacing it sooner than later. Being that this is our first hot tub, our experience is marginal. We do use it regularly despite the growing collection of ziplock random parts.
Would love your input..
Also would love to know what brands of spas you've had the best luck with.
TIA,
B

Well, no hands-on experience here. We've got our spa for only half a year. I was told that it all depends on the quality of your tub. Anywhere from 4 to 20 years. The latter won't be in your case I'm affraid.... Perhaps the manufacturer can tell what their experience is? I must admit, I do not know how long mine will last. I hope for at least 5 years. I bought it new and take good care of it. Hope that will help.
Good luck with your hot tub!

I have a Marquis spa thats over 10 years old. It was indoors and used for 2-3 years, then left empty until this summer. When i started it up a couple jets poped out because their retaining ring broke.

New filters, a couple new jets, some retaining rings, and new graphics for the control panel and everything is good.

If the plastic is from the jets, you may be able to replace them if it becomes an issue. Perhaps you should post some pics of the parts in case someone can identify.

Matt

I had a Hot Springs Spa for 10 years. Great Spa! Dealership that sold it to me...not so much. I may purchase from the same manufacture again some day. To answer your question. Lasted 9 years without any problems. That last year was a nightmare with all the things that started to go.

Our Gerico hot tub has been guesstimated to have been built in the 1980's. I got it in 2003, rewired it (old school thermostat, not electronic controls) put it in service early 2004, and haven't had any really big trouble with it. I had to replace a microswitch once, but I had one on hand at the time. It stopped heating a few weeks ago and I haven't made time to look at it yet. Being a service tech (different industry, same principles) with a degree in electronics helped with the troubleshooting & repairs.

I have a 2001 Sundance Caprio spa, and have had very little problems with it until last week. The heater stopped working, and I traced the problem to the circuit board, which looks like it experienced a minor explosion. The wire that connects the heater to the board had fried at the circuit board, and I'm told that both need to be replaced.
My dilemna.........do I spend $800.00 to repair a 10 year old spa?

Chemicals and freezing weather are the real hot tub killers, hardly anything else. Ive worked on tubs 20+ years old. The plastic bits you are seeing are parts of the jet diffusers, the part on the back of the jet face that snaps on and then into the jet body in the tub. Diffusers are $2-$8 each, jets are $10 - $30 so make your choice. Once they start coming out , they all will do it.

We have a Hot Spring that we bought new in 2004. No real issues to date. I've only replaced one of the rotating jets (roughly $35 for the jet and about 1 min to install it myself) and we replaced the cover last year. If the shell is good, you can get a new "spa pack" which is basically a pump and heating kit oonce yours completely fails. I have not installed one myself, but had a friend that did and he spoke like it was not terribly difficult for him. If that's the direction your spa troubles are heading, start researching kits and how to install it and you may find that you can get yours working like new again for a fraction of what a new spa costs. As for jets that may be in self-destruct mode, online spa specialty shops sell about every kind of jet you may need to replace. The jets are relatively cheap and most simply thread or snap into place. Base of luck to you.