How long should your spa pool last? It’s a question that every potential spa owner should ask, as the longer your machine lasts, the more value you’ll get out of your investment.
There are a few ways that prospective spa owners might look to answer this question: by speaking to current owners and getting a sense of how long a brand or model lasts, by speaking to a spa dealer to get an estimate, or by checking the warranty, as this can offer a sense of how confident a manufacturer is in the quality of their product.
Having supplied high quality spas to Kiwi households since 1980, at Hot Spring we’re proud of our reputation as a responsible, transparent and trusted spa pool brand. Over the years we’ve seen a lot of other brands come and go, with many disappointed customers left behind.
Armed with decades of expertise, in this article we’ll guide you through all you need to know about the longevity and warranty of your spa pool: what to look for, what to avoid, and how to ensure you make the wisest and longest-lasting investment possible.
The dangers of warranties
Warranties are critical for significant purchases like a spa pool, as they cover you against a range of issues that aren’t your fault. But as with any document that needs to be legally sound, warranties can be difficult to understand and in some cases can help the manufacturer avoid responsibility for issues.
Before you purchase any spa it’s important to read the warranty closely and keep an eye out for the following red-flags:
Exclusions and loopholes
Some spa brands hide extensive exclusions and loopholes in their warranties that can limit your ability to make a claim. In the worst cases, the wording can be purposefully misleading or confusing.
An example: some spa brands will say they offer ’longer’ warranties than Hot Spring, such as Alpine Spas’ 10-year structural warranty. But this 10-year warranty only applies to the frame (the strongest and most protected part of the spa), it only covers issues “due to faulty workmanship or materials”, and the fine print lists a wealth of other limitations, conditions and exclusions that the warranty is subject to that may be more likely to be the cause of the issue.
Compare this with our warranty, which may at first appear shorter, but covers all reasonable issues that may occur across the spa.
The supply of spa parts
At Hot Spring we believe that we offer the most comprehensive spa pool warranty on the market. This includes a spare part guarantee that no other brand can match.
We guarantee the supply of original spare parts for your spa for 20 years. This gives you the peace of mind that no matter what spa issue you might face in the next two decades, we’ll be able to provide replacement parts to repair your spa in cases of unforeseen circumstances.
But we go further than that. Having supplied spa pools to thousands of happy Kiwi customers for over four decades, we know that many of our spas last far longer than 20 years. That’s why we supply substitute spare parts after that 20 year mark has passed. In short, you’ll never be without parts when you choose a Hot Spring Spa.
Using trained technicians
Who fits these spare parts? Many spa companies will use third-party contractors, leading to a situation that might play out as follows:
- A technician visits your home to diagnose and evaluate the issue.
- They leave and order your part. You wait patiently.
- They return for a second visit to make the repair.
- You may be charged for two site visits on top of parts and repair charges.
But if you choose a Hot Spring spa pool, you’ll only ever enjoy the services of trained spa technicians for all warranty claims and service enquiries. It’s something we see as a non-negotiable.
Through the clever use of diagnostics, our team of skilled, highly trained technicians resolve up to 90% of service-related queries and issues either over the phone or during the first site visit.
A brand is younger than their warranty is long
You find a spa you like and it appears to have a generous warranty – let’s say five years on the shell and cabinetry. You do a little more homework and find that the brand you have chosen is relatively new – it has only been around for three or four years.
A brand that offers a warranty that is longer than its own age should set off alarm bells to any spa pool buyer. The reason is simple: how does the company know how long its machines last? The reality is that they don’t – reliability can only be proven over time.
There are no such issues when you choose a Hot Spring. With a history stretching back to 1980, with generous warranties and with many customers still soaking in machines they purchased decades ago, we’ve long since proven how reliable our products are.
At Hot Spring we even offer warranties on second-hand spa pools. Any genuine secondhand Hot Spring spa sold by a registered dealer comes with a 12 month warranty that gives you confidence in your purchase, and with our 20-year spare part guarantee, you can be confident that any future issue will be able to be fixed!
Why Hot Spring warranties are different
There are a few other ways that we do warranties differently at Hot Spring.
Component Warranty
We offer a comprehensive components warranty which covers all the most important electrical components – spa pumps, jets (including Moto-Massage™), air valves, levers, bezels and more – against defects in materials and workmanship, and the labour to replace them (some competitors only cover labour within the first year or not at all). Our components warranty is also far longer than that offered by most competitors:
- Five years for Highlife and Limelight spas.
- Two years for Hot Spot and Freeflow spas.
Structural Warranty
The term ‘structural warranty’ is intentionally confusing. While it covers the fibreglass structure of your spa, that should almost be a given, as fibreglass typically lasts hundreds of years (one Australian manufacturer guarantees theirs for a century). This type of warranty is practically worthless.
Acrylic shell surface warranty
The acrylic shell surface is more susceptible to damage such as cracking, blistering, delamination, staining, loss of colour, absorbing odours, bacteria or pollutants. Where most of our competitors warrant the acrylic surface from 1-5 years for “loss of water only”. Hot Spring Spas cover all surface defects (except loss of colour caused by overuse of chlorine) for up to 7 years.
Exclusions and limitations
Hot Spring warranties align with others that apply to premium goods and products of exceptional quality – they are transparent, credible and feature minimal exclusions and limitations. The handful of situations we don’t cover include:
- Acts of God/force majeure
- Wear and tear
- Misuse and abuse
- Accidental damage
At Hot Spring we recommend that you carefully review warranty documentation in your owners manual before you invest in a spa pool, as you never know what may or may not be covered.
If you’re on the hunt for a machine that will last from a brand you can trust, look no further than Hot Spring. Get in touch with your local dealer today, or experience the Hot Spring difference yourself by booking in a test soak.
