shinegirl Posted May 7, 2015 Report Share Posted May 7, 2015 We are looking at a very old hot tub, a 1991 Sentry 724. It looks in almost perfect condition- stored inside and maintained meticulously. I actually had no idea how old it was until I asked for the serial number and the owner provided it. They are the second owners- bought the house from the first owners and do not want the spa. They have service records and have had the spa inspected in the last year. The question I have is whether or not I am setting myself up for a long list of problems by purchasing a tub so old. I am willing to pay to have new parts put in over the next few years, but is 24 years old, just not worth it? We can't afford a new tub right now- and this one is under 400.00 to purchase. I tested it and it runs beautifully. Thoughts? How much could it cost to fix it if I do start having problems? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpaSage Posted May 7, 2015 Report Share Posted May 7, 2015 A lot of times you can't get parts for a spa that old. If you have issues with it you may have to replace the board, heater, and topside with a kit. One of these kits usually runs somewhere between $650 - $850. The price will depend on a few different things, mainly how many pumps and components are in the unit. If the rest of the hot tub is in a condition that you are happy with, and the pump is running fine, ask yourself if it's worth spending $1250.00 for a hot tub. If you get it for $400 and it works great; awesome. If something fails and you have to replace the "guts" of the spa, well... at least you were prepared. At that point you basically have a new spa and you still haven't spent a ton of money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shinegirl Posted May 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 8, 2015 Thank you so much. This is extremely helpful. Indeed it sounds like a reasonable amount to spend for basically a new tub- worst case scenario. So am I understanding it right that a kit will fit virtually all tubs?- because the kit replaces all the parts? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpaSage Posted May 8, 2015 Report Share Posted May 8, 2015 Yes, because you are replacing everything (control pack, topside control, heater, sensors) you can put it in any spa. You may have to plumb in the heater, depending on what was there before. The heaters on these units are just flow through heaters. I'm not sure what kind of setup you currently have in that older unit. The plumbing is just straight forward stuff and you can get the high pressure PVC that you need at your local Home Depot or Lowes, if you need it. The units are made by Balboa and are called VS (Value Series) Packs. Do a quick Google search for Balboa VS510SZ and you can see what they look like. Don't forget, the kit does NOT include the pump(s). Let me know if you have any other questions! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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