Most Common Hot Tub Repair and How to Prevent It

What is a hot tub without hot water? Well… despite its view or pretty cabinet, it’s nothing any of us want to get into if the water isn’t hot, especially here in Summit County! Heaters are the most important mechanism of a hot tub, and also the most common hot tub part to break down. We are going to tell you why and even better, how to prevent it. 

The most common cause of heater breakdown:

Most hot tub heater failures are due to heating element corrosion. While there are several factors than can cause corrosion of heating elements, the most common is bad chemistry. Bad chemistry can consist of imbalanced salt, lime, calcium, iron, etc., but by far, the worst bad chemistry offender is a low pH (below 7.0) resulting in acidic water. Conversely, a high pH (above 7.6) results in alkalinity of hot tub water. 

Why?

Acidic water not only sounds bad, but it will actually corrode heating elements. In these instances, we’ve seen chemical pitting, galvanic corrosion, stress corrosion and cracking, and rises in bacteria. Corrosion overheats the heater, the heater filter pump will run overtime, and there will be an increased need for chlorine. Bathers will experience burning eyes and itchy skin. 

While not as horrible sounding as acidic water, water too high in alkaline has problems of another kind. High pH makes it very difficult to regulate sanitization levels. This irregulation will cause calcium and scale buildup, dull and cloudy water, and also leaves the bathers with burning eyes and itchy skin. Because the heater is warm, it just happens to be the favorite place for the scale to grow. Imagine trying to swim while wearing your ski suit. The heating elements cannot work efficiently while covered in scales. A hot tub heater covered in scales is bound to break down. 

How to Prevent:

It might be tempting to do hot tub maintenance yourself if you visit your Summit County second home on a regular basis or live here full time. Understandably, however, most of our customers find spa maintenance as much fun as sitting in traffic on I-70. 

We don’t have to tell you that hot tub repairs are costly, not only to pay for parts and labor, but to reimburse nightly rates for the paying guest who is angry that the hot tub is not hot. Summit Hot Tubs has the most competitive monthly maintenance rates in Summit County. Your reliable hot tub technician will always show up on the scheduled day and your hot tub water will be maintained to the highest standards. 

Save yourself time, money, and frustration and leave the pH balance (and everything else hot-tub related) to the professional care of Summit Hot Tubs. Same-day service (7 days a week) is often available for our regular monthly maintenance customers. 

In the market for a new hot tub? We recommend reading “What is the Best Brand of Hot Tub for your Summit County Home.”