jwells36

The spa is from an individual owner so there is no moving or setup included in the $3,500 price. There was no mention of chemicals so if there is any included it would not be enough to make a difference in price. I bought my 09 Vangaurd for $4,000 and it included a cover lifter and a good supply of chemicals so I just feel like for an 06 jetsetter $2,000 is closer to good price. Thanks, Josh

hey guys i own a 2009 HS Vanguard and my parents have enjoyed my tub so much they are looking for one of their own. I have had such good luck with both of my Hotsprings they have been on the look out for a good used tub and i think i may have found one for them. Before we make the long drive to go look at it i wanted to get some feedback from you guys. The tub is an 06 Jetsetter and was purchased brand new and maintained by the local HS dealer. Tub is in good working order from what i can tell by pictures and from talking to the owners. They are asking $3,500 for it but i am thinking more like offering $2,000, here is my reasoning. The tub is currently run 115 but i want to hook it up with 220, so i know i will have to purchase the HS sub-panel which best i can tell runs about $200. I also figure it will need a new set of filters since those are probably a few years old. The cover looks to be in great shape but i know my parents will need to add a cover lifter to it so that will add another $200. So in order for this to be a decent deal i figure we have to get the tub for around $2,000. What do you guys think about the price and is there anything else that i am forgetting to add or that i will need for setup? Thanks, JW

I still cringe when i go into my local dealer and see people looking at their other line of tubs rather than a hotspring tub. I know that those tubs are a good choice for people that just cant afford a hotspring, but i would rather have a 5 year old hotspring than a brand new no name spa. jw

Well i could not figure it out so i broke down and sent a hotspring tech out today, he said it was the heater computer board, the part is $120 and it is going to cost me $180 for the service call and labor. The worst part is that he said it usually takes 5-10 days for a part to come in, that is a long time without my tub. jw

I am not getting a ready light at all. I will have to pull the control box this afternoon and see if all of the LED's are on. I dont have a floating thermometer, i am just going off of the reading on the display screen and i think it is right. I just don't see how it is up and running perfect for a week and then all of the sudden it wont heat past 94 degrees. I would understand if the water temp was 75 that the heater is not working but it seems to be working enough to get it to 94 degrees. thanks, jw

Ok i had my issue after i hooked my tub up with it not heating but i bled some air out of the lines and it worked perfectly for a week. I went out this evening to get in and the temp was at 94. I reset the heater and made sure i had the temp set at 101. After letting it sit for a couple of hours it was still at 94. I am guessing it could be the Thermistor or high limit switch since it seems that the heater is heating just not going high enough. Any suggestions on where to start with this one? thanks, jw

My local dealer sells hotspring and it is really nice to be able to ask questions and get service from someone that really knows the brand. As far as which dealer to use i would visit them all, wet test as many spas as you can and go with the dealer that you feel most comfortable dealing with. I have had really good luck over the past 7 years with hotspring they have some really nice features and if you buy new their warranty is really good. jw

I was in no hurry while shopping for mine. There were several people that i contacted and made offers to, if they turned it down I would tell them to keep my number and contact me if they changed their mind. You would be surprised what a couple of weeks with no calls about the tub will do to a motivated seller. Just keep an eye out on craigslist and even contact your local dealer, i know my HS dealer always has info on used spas for sell. Good luck in your search, and keep us posted! jw

Not sure where you are located but here in central texas our used tub prices are not that high. I just paid $4,000 for a 09 Vanguard. I had to move and set it up myself but for that price i thought it was worth it. Before i found that tub i found several Hot Spring and Jacuzzi tubs that were 2-4 years old and ranged from $2500-$4,000. i think the best deal i saw was a HS Grande with stereo for $4,000 it was an 2007 model. You might keep looking but if you are in an area where the tubs are in high demand they might hold their value better than here in texas. I have seen new prices on the Vanguard down to $8,500 so at $5,700 you are getting very close to a brand new tub. jw

It is a very interesting thought. I guess you could argue that even if you build it and it does not look good or function you will not be out much money in materials. For me, because the spa itself is such a big investment i would not hesitate to pay for a new cover when mine wears out. If it functions and looks good in your eyes get after it. don't forget to post pictures as you go along and of the final product. jw

I gave it one last shot today and i realized that after bleeding the air out of the heater yesterday i never powered down the spa to reset the heater, i went out and flipped both breakers and waited a minute flipped them back on and 3 hours later it is at 98 degrees! Thanks so much for getting my new tub going for me. jw

Well that did not do it. I guess I will bite the bullet and pay the $125 service charge to have the hot spring tech come out on Monday. I hope it is something small, the thought of buying a new heater makes me cringe. I will let yall know what the final verdict is. jw

As in continued my troubleshooting i realized that i had a couple of really big air pockets in the inlet and outlet lines going to the heater. I unhooked those lines and got all of the air out and hooked everything back up and within 20 minutes my temp went from 72-76 degrees, so could that have been my issue? I closed the cover and set the temp to 100 degrees so time will tell. jw

well the tech is going to charge me $125 just to come out so i might have to rethink that, i could buy a whole new heater for $300 and install it myself. I will keep working on it and see what happens. I am about to go out and check to make sure i am getting power to the heater and to the element. jw

I have an appointment for Monday with a hotspring tech. I was thinking the same thing, that i might keep messing with it and screw up something that might be covered under warranty. It seems like the most likely cause is the heater or heater element so since it is just a year old i figure i got a shot at getting them to fix it under warranty. thanks so much for all of your help, i will let you know what the tech says.