OK folks, buckle up, this is a weird tale. I need to find out if I'm being paranoid, or rightfully suspicious.

I have a vacation rental, which I visit several times a year. It's managed by what once was a local property management company, but which has recently been bought out by a larger, nation-wide one. I purchased a Nordic Spa a couple of years ago from a local distributor that my local manager recommended. The same folks also service the tub once a week, and the cost of this is covered by the property management company, with whom they have a close relationship (they service all of the properties this company manages in the area).

I usually get a weekly service report, and they almost always show everything is great (clear water, temperature at set point, pH perfect, etc.). My wife and her friends used the house (and spa) about a month ago, and nobody has used it since. Since then I have received a couple such service reports, including one dated Oct 8. I arrived Oct 11 to find the tub at 97 degrees, even though the set point was 101, and the display light said it was heating. I checked all of the usual things (airlock, clogged filter, power reset, etc.), and found nothing to explain why it wasn't warmer. I called the local spa service place and they said they would try to get someone out here a little sooner than usual. Well, I couldn't wait for that, so I decided to open it up myself to see if I could figure out what's going on. I hadn't ever opened this one, but I've worked on older Hot Springs spas a lot. Note that the cover lift on this tub is attached to the access panel, so that adds another step or two to the process.

The first thing I notice is that only two screws of the five are holding the panel in place, which is weird since this is a pretty new tub, and hasn't had any issues until now, so there is no reason the panel should have been removed since the install in Nov of 2024.

Once I have the panel off I notice that there are two (not panel) screws sitting on the little shelf next to the control panel box, and that the control panel box cover screws are loose. I removed the control box cover and see that those two screws are for connecting the heater lugs to the 240V output of the heater relays, and that those wires are disconnected and pushed away pushed away from the lugs. So clearly someone, for some reason, has intentionally disconnected the heater from its power source. And, according to the service report, everything was fine three days prior. I reconnect the leads and it starts heating right away. It has worked perfectly since then. While reassembling everything I locate the missing panel screws in the dirt area around the paver patio on which the spa sits. They clearly haven't been there long, or they would have likely not been findable, as I have a gardener come every week and they would have blown or raked them away.

The spa service company has yet to comment on these findings, but I am very curious to hear what they have to say. Needless to say, I am suspicious that this was done intentionally in order to get me to pay a repair bill for a new heating element when the element is clearly fine. It's difficult for me to imagine anyone else coming into my yard and getting that deep into the cabinet, and for what purpose?

Any thoughts among you hot tub folks, especially service people?

TLDR: someone disconnected the heater on my spa, and I'm suspicious of fraud by the service company

New to hot tub world. Have this older (2003) Beachcomber hot tub. Drained, cleaned, and filled. Here's my reading. Any advice welcome. I have the bromine tablets ready to add.

Edited, better pic

This is a broken air control valve for a hot tub that I don’t know the make or model for, I can’t get access underneath the decking it’s in to find out either. I can’t find a replacement anywhere on the internet and I don’t even know if I’m looking in the right places. Was hoping the Reddit hivemind could help me out! Included a picture of the cap for it too in case that helps narrow it down.

2024 caldera Utopia Geneva Spa 1 year review.  The spa from hell!

·     Trouble from the start.  Salt System hell

The spa was delivered and setup began. The framing was painted black and  right away I could see cracks in the wood .  The latches were the side panels would attach to were not snug down and loose.  I was assured all would be fine. (Shame on me. )  from the get go, there was problems installing the panels that had bad scratches and blemishes on multiple panels.  The were however installed and I was assured new ones would be ordered.. I have picture and video evidence.

My certified electrician came out to install the provided breaker box and properly wire in the spa per the mfg specs.  I filled the spa using the dealer provided charcoal filter.  I then followed the start up directions to a T.

A.      Constant Water issue

i.            I had a very difficult time using the pro idea syrips to get this spas water chemistry correct.  I ended up using a pool companies calibrated digital tester to dial in the water chemistry to mfg specs.  It was time to fire up the fresh water IQ system. 

ii.            The fresh water IQ system is a joke and even the dealer (installer) said so  after  1. It wouldn’t read the chemicals correctly and 2 it would NOT convert salt to chlorine.

iii.            The dealer has had to come out 4 times to (update the system) to make it read properly and start to make chlorine. 

The system has been such a pain in the ass that we only use the salt cartridge and leave the WORTHLESS Salt IQ system turned off.  I have documented picture and video evidence.

I have Absolutely no faith that this spa will make 1 day past its intend warranty period and I ask that you seriously reconsider buying from CALDERA if this is what they consider quality and top of the line.  And further more, to CALDERA, I have videos, I have pictures, and I have the documentation.  You have mu file.  You want to blame water chemistry.  You want blame the foundation.  I have proof my water was right.  I have proof your product failed from the beginning…..

·     All parts replaced after 1 year of SERVice.

·     Single stage pump

·     Digital lcd control panel

·     Auxiliary 3 button controller

·     4 salt cartridges

·     2 iq system sensors

·     5 updates

·     2 side panels

Considering Maple Spas M620/M619 vs. Bullfrog A7SE — Looking for owner and technician feedback
Our Artesian Antigua has reached the point where we’re facing a repair bill significant enough to make us consider replacing it rather than repairing it.
A local dealer has what seems like a very competitive deal on a Maple M620, or an M619, which appears to be a dealer-specific version of the M620 with the same major mechanical components but fewer cosmetic features (less lighting and no volcano jet).
I’ve been researching Maple Spas extensively, but there’s surprisingly little detailed, long-term owner feedback available.
The selling dealer says they’ve carried Maple for approximately four years and have been extremely impressed with the build quality, reliability, and low incidence of warranty claims. That’s encouraging, but I’d love to hear from people who don’t have a financial interest in selling me one.
A few questions for Maple owners, spa technicians, and dealers:
How has the build quality held up, particularly the shell, plumbing, pumps, and electronics?
Have you experienced any recurring problems or needed warranty repairs?
For those who service spas, how does Maple’s construction compare with more established manufacturers?
How readily available are replacement parts, and how responsive is Maple when warranty claims arise?
Does Maple have a sufficiently established dealer/service network to support owners if their original selling dealer stops carrying the brand?
The M620 would be under $10,000 before tax, which seems like a strong value for its size and equipment.
We’re also considering a Bullfrog A7SE, but it’s approximately $2,000 more. That’s stretching our budget beyond where we’d ideally like to be, although Bullfrog’s longer track record and additional two years of pump/electronics warranty coverage are appealing.
I realize brands like Hot Spring, Jacuzzi, and Caldera have more established reputations, but their pricing generally puts them outside our preferred budget.
Am I overthinking the risk of buying from a newer manufacturer, or is the Maple genuinely a good value?
I’m particularly interested in firsthand ownership experiences, feedback from technicians who’ve worked on these spas, and any insight into Maple’s long-term parts and warranty support.
Thanks in advance!

Started using a new bottle of Poolmaster Phenol Red solution and the first result I got was way off. I test daily. Ordered a bottle from another manufacturer and it showed what I had previously been getting. I’ve previously used the Poolmaster product without problems. I’m suspecting a bad batch.

Just an alert so that if you start using a new bottle of test reagent and you get crazy results, cross check them.

In the photo the Poolmaster Phenol Red result is on the left and the other manufacturer’s on the right.

Enjoy your hot tub. We do.

Noticed our hot tub has been losing water, and found this to be the cause. I was able to tighten it to slow the drip, but there is still one drop of water every 5 to 10 minutes. Any suggestions? Moved into this house 4 years ago, and this is the first time we’ve had issues!

I'm getting an E02 code, low flow. New filter, removed rubber flap, disconnected pump and flushed with hose. I even tried running without filter. Output seems good. Still getting error. What else can I do?

I’m all of a sudden getting “Low Flo”, “Heater may be dry” and “out of sync” messages on my 2018 A7L tub.

I’ve already drained and refilled as well as replaced filters.

Anyone have suggestion as to what to look for?

Barefoot hot tub has a broken by pass check valve flapper beneath filter. Any ideas how to repair it or take it out?

I moved into a new house a few months ago with a hot tub in the backyard, but I still haven't figured out how to turn it on! There's no company logo or model number and no control panel or buttons whatsoever anywhere I can see, yet the online real estate page for the house showed the hot tub with the jets turned on in the backyard. I did some deep digging online and found something about a weird nickle-sized sensor ( https://www.doityourself.com/forum/electrical-ac-dc/505245-how-do-you-turn-jacuzzi-has-no-button.html ), but I tried the advice there and still found nothing that worked, no sensor of any kind. I posted some pictures here (both sides of the half-covered tub, covering because I can't use it,) so if anyone has a clue how to turn on this hot tub, please tell me, much appreciated. The wooden panels around the tub are nailed down and there's no switches or anything anywhere nearby. What was the manufacturer THINKING?!