Dangerous Problem !

[drray]

A few days ago I began to step into my LA spa which is a year old and burned my foot. I reached near the water with my hand and realized there was something wrong with the spa. I got an oven thermometer and measured the temp of the water at more than 160 degrees! When I called the company - they didn't seem shocked - so I assume that this has happened before. They offered to rebuild the tub but now I am faced with a 3 month wait (no tub for the winter) and I am not at all certain that I want a hot tub that can malfunction in a potentially fatal way.

Has anyone out there had a similar problem? Any suggestions as to how to deal with the dealer or spa company?

Lastly - I am more than a bit concerned that no recall ever went out on these tubs given the fact that this is not the first time ithis occured and the malfunction could easily result in serious injury or death.

[B0Darc]

A few days ago I began to step into my LA spa which is a year old and burned my foot. I reached near the water with my hand and realized there was something wrong with the spa. I got an oven thermometer and measured the temp of the water at more than 160 degrees! When I called the company - they didn't seem shocked - so I assume that this has happened before. They offered to rebuild the tub but now I am faced with a 3 month wait (no tub for the winter) and I am not at all certain that I want a hot tub that can malfunction in a potentially fatal way.

Has anyone out there had a similar problem? Any suggestions as to how to deal with the dealer or spa company?

Lastly - I am more than a bit concerned that no recall ever went out on these tubs given the fact that this is not the first time ithis occured and the malfunction could easily result in serious injury or death.

Wow thanks for the warning! Good thing you didn't have a martini shaker in one hand and glasses in the other (note to self). Before I get in I usually do a strip test. First I strip, then I put my hand in and smell for free chlorine.

Wow 3 months is bad. Is it typical to have to rebuild a tub because the heater sensor or thermostat failed? I am guessing they are offering the level of service you requested. ?"I won't get back in this dangerous hottub!"? ...it's probably just a $5 switch. You may be able to shorten the time by lowering your standards to a more reasonable level based on technology and science instead of emotion and anger... however I would have been extremely angry if my beloved spa delivered me a first degree burn.

Now it's the next day... your foot is better ...could you put on that sock this AM? Listen to some of these technicians and call your Dealer back and request the broken part be replaced and not the whole spa... you won't last a week without soaking ...you'd be better off trying to stop drinking coffee. Hey maybe I'm wrong, maybe an overheat of that degree damages your acrylic shell or the plumbing/pumps? True? Ease up there hop-a-long, soaking is the true goal. Here's a Christmas hug to make you feel better {{Dr. Ray}} Here's to hoping it's NOT 3 months! ...Cheers

Bo "Santa's Right Hand Man" Darc

[Chas]

Could you explain what they mean when they offer to 'rebuild the tub?' does this mean build you a new one, or simply fix the temp control issue which caused the problem?

I am very careful about suggesting a complete spa replacement, but temps of 160 degrees can be very hard on the acrylic/fiberglas bond and can lead to blistering later in the life of the tub. This is not some hard and fast rule, you may never have a single one, and I assume you caught it and cooled it quickly. But I have sure seen plenty of them pop up on acrylic spas after temperature runaways. In fact, pretty much anything over 140 degrees seems to have trouble down the road with plumbing and the shell both.

If they will replace it, I would sure take them up on the offer.

If not, I wouldn't go nuts, but I sure would get into the habbit of testing the water with my finger before getting in.

[kengorman]

Almost every spa manufacturer has legalease in their operating brochure to have the user test the temperature of the water before entering the spa.

Vita spa states here "C. Before entering a spa the user should measure the water temperature with an accurate thermometer since the tolerance of water temperature-regulating devices varies."

Watkins Tiger River spas state essentially the same thing here: "Before entering a spa, the user should measure the water temperature with an accurate thermometer since the tolerance of temperature-regulating devices may vary as much as ±5°F (3°C)."

Good thing you were cautious and only burned your foot. I hate to think about what could have been less fortunate outcomes.

It is unfortunate that your heating system is having problems. Hope your issues get resolved quickly.

Regards,

Ken

[B0Darc]

Sorry Doc, it doesn't look good so far. Other Techs please weigh in and give some more real-world repair data related to runaway heaters. drray the smartest thing you did was put a thermometer in there! Hopefully you took a picture of the reddened foot (and the thermometer?). Maybe some guys on here could give you momentum to getting resolution quicker. Best wishes!

Here's where your warranty must be scrutinized line by line. First the thermostat allows the tub to overheat and then the protection circuit fails? That's a double defect in manufacturing... two devices failed 100% and you got injured. 'nuff said.

[TonyF]

Yet another reason I am so greatful that I bought a waterproof remote sensor to place in my spa three weeks ago. I check the spa water temp once or twice a day from inside the house to see if everything is OK. Just recently, the spa kicked off (the power was still on) and the water temp overnight got down to 92 degrees as it was 9 deagrees outside. I went to the spa control panel and it just regisitered straight lines. I called the dealer and he siad it was probably caused by a faulty light circuit which they immediately replaced and it fixed the problem.

Someone on another forum did the research and came up with the Oregon Scientic Weather Forecaster model BAR122HGLA and as a separate compatible option, the waterproof senor model THC268. Found them on the internet for $60. WELL WORTH IT FOR PEACE OF MIND!!! Not only can I tell the spa temperature, but outside humidty, temp, and 24 hour wesather forecast and trend.