Reliable & knowledgeable hot tub maintenance and repair throughout central Oregon, headquartered in Bend, Oregon!
10/23/2021
A quick note, I am rarely on Facebook- almost never. I would cancel my account completely if it weren't for my business presence here. It is highly unlikely that anyone will receive a prompt response to a message sent to me on Facebook. Like my auto-reply says, it is best to call or text me at 541-848-9241. If that doesn't work for you, you can email me at [email protected]. To reply to some older inquiries I have received and have not answered- I am operating out of Bend, Oregon. Sorry for any inconvenience.
08/16/2021
Spa Tip: Hot Tub Placement
You gave the salesperson your down payment on a new spa, and hopefully, within a year, a delivery crew will be pulling up to your place ready to install it. (As of August 2021, customers in central Oregon are waiting over a year for a new tub.) You may already have a spot picked out and even prepared, but just in case I’m not too late, here are a few things to consider when choosing a location for your spa.
The biggest favor you can do yourself and your future repair person is to place the spa so that all 4 sides are exposed with a minimum of 2 feet of clearance on each side. That means not putting it right up against the house, and certainly not pushed back into a corner. For one, they’re easier to push in than they are to pull back out.
The worst thing you can do is set the tub on a pad, and then build the deck around it so that it is recessed into the deck. It looks nice, but it's very impractical. Builders typically build a hatch into the deck that can be removed on the one side where the pumps and electronics are located. That does not help you, however, if your tub is losing water and everything on the access side is bone dry.
The sad truth is that your beautiful, brand-new tub may someday spring a leak, and it may be somewhere other than in that convenient access area. If the side closest to the leak is inaccessible, it will be you who needs to make it accessible before a repairman can do a thing. Getting a spa up and out of a hole in a deck is neither cheap nor easy. Even if you hire spa movers, you will need to make sure that they can gain good access to the tub, which means you or somebody is probably going to have to remove a bunch of decking.
If you are replacing a spa that is presently recessed in a deck, I strongly recommend decking over that hole when the old tub is removed. Then you're not trying to match the hole by placing the new spa above-deck, so to speak. The new spa should come with some steps that are perfect for getting in and out.
Aside from giving the spa two feet of access on all sides, there are a couple of other things to consider. You really, really shouldn’t put the spa under a tree if at all possible. Some trees (like junipers) are worse than others, but all will drop debris onto your spa. Aside from leaves, needles, pinecones, and squirrel crap, I’ve also found many a fallen branch on top of a now punctured and/or cracked spa cover. New spa covers start at around $375.
It’s also not a good idea to place the spa under the eaves of the roof. Roofs will channel debris into your spa, especially asphalt shingles which will provide you with a continuous rain of tiny cinders that will collect in the spa’s floor and seats. The real treat is discovering that there are iron filings in your shingles by the rust stains they leave on the otherwise pearly-white shell.
You really just want a level, or close-to-level pad for the spa to rest (no need to get crazy about it. Close is fine). It doesn’t have to be a wood or concrete base, but it can be. My tub is sitting semi-level on a bed of 2” landscape rocks, and I enjoy it just fine. I don’t recommend placing the tub too far away from the house. The further away, the less it calls to be used, especially when it’s cold outside.
Lastly, the cleaner the path to the spa, the cleaner the spa will stay. The cleanest tubs I maintain are ones where the owners walk from the house, onto a swept deck, and into the spa. If you have to walk through the yard to get to it, you’re going to bring in grass, dirt, and all kinds of crud, even if you are wearing flip-flops. Trust me.
Wherever you decide to put yours, having a tub is better than not having one. So, just enjoy it. And call me if you ever have a problem with it. You can also let me know if you would like to learn more about regular maintenance plans. Cheers.
07/06/2021
The most common something’s-growing-in-my-tub kind of problem that I regularly witness in Central Oregon is something called White Water Mold. I don’t think it’s necessarily capitalized, but I thought maybe I would for the introduction. White water mold looks like small, white flakes or thin, wispy, ribbony, white-to-translucent rice paper or egg noodle-like strips that float around in the spa water. There’s usually quite a volume of it once you notice it. The bad news is that it is tough to get rid of, but the good news is that it isn’t impossible.
First, unless you have an allergy to it, white water mold will not hurt you. It’s just gross because who wants to hot tub with mold, right? Two problems with white water mold: one, it is very tenacious stuff and, two, it looks like algae so it’s prone to get treated with an algaecide, which will never fully do the trick.
The key to treating white water mold is super-chlorination plus time. One prescription indicates that a minimum of 2.5 ounces, or 5 tablespoons of granular chlorine should be added per 100 gallons of spa water. Most hot tubs hold anywhere from 300 to 475 gallons. If your spa holds 350 gallons, you want to add a minimum of 8.75 ounces, or 17.5 tablespoons of chlorine to your spa, and feel free to go heavier. Run your spa, but do not use your spa during the treatment period.
Check the chlorine level once a day for 3 days to make sure that the “free chlorine” is staying in the highest range possible. Make sure the tub is slightly overfilled and that all diverter valves are in the mid-way position. Run all jets on high while you add the chlorine. Adding chlorine will affect the pH so be sure to keep that in line as you chlorinate. Also, be sure to drain water out of any drain port that you may have at the base of your spa until you feel hot, super-chlorinated water flow out of it. Then close the valve and return any drain caps. Drain the same volume of water from this port once a day over the next 3 days after confirming that the chlorine level in the spa is extremely high.
Three is the minimum number of days the tub needs to soak in uninterrupted, highly chlorinated water in order to eradicate the mold. If you can give it 5 days, great, 7 days, even better. I have had success with 3-day treatments though, so, if that’s all you can give it, that should take care of it so long as you were vigilant from start to finish.
On the last day, bring the spa’s pH into the ideal range, and if you have a chlorine neutralizer like thiotrine or a product like Chem-out, it may be a good idea to bring the chlorine down to a reasonable level before draining the water onto your lawn.
Once empty, scrub and rinse the spa shell. If you don’t have a shop vac that can suck out all of the remaining water, do not use any kind of sudsing cleanser. If you can vac out all of the water, I like to use an orange, citrus spray cleanser on the shell followed by a thorough rinse-down. Throw away the old filters and install new ones. Refill the spa, turn it on, and rebalance the water.
You will likely continue to see some white flakes or wispy things in the spa. This is the dead mold left behind in the pumps and the plumbing. If you like, you can dump this water and start over which can be a big waste of water. Or you can use a skimmer net to hand-skim out what you can see and let your filter(s) catch the rest. These flakes will diminish with time and rinse away when you rinse your filter(s).
The best ways to avoid getting white water mold in the future are to always maintain the recommended amount of chlorine in the spa water. If you drain the spa and don’t plan to refill it right away, have it winterized. The mold grows in stagnant, and/or untreated water. Lastly, keep toys out of the spa. But if they’re going to be in there, take them out when finished rather than leaving them in the spa, and occasionally soak toys that are used in the spa in a mild bleach/water solution.
If you’re in Central Oregon and you absolutely can’t get rid of the mold, or if you just don’t know what those new and interesting formations in your hot tub are, don’t hesitate; call The Spa Guy!
10/30/2020
"Help! My hot tub stopped working and it’s freezing tonight!"
If your hot tub goes on the fritz in the winter, what should you do? First, contact your local spa repair person and get on their schedule. If you are lucky, they can come right out within a day or two. If they are in a high-demand season, you may have to wait two to three weeks, if not more, to get an appointment.
So what do you do with your inoperable, outdoor tub of water in the middle of a cold snap? The science is that when the outside temperature drops below 32 degrees F, water turns from liquid to solid, and in so doing expands into more space than it previously occupied. If that space is restricted, something has to give, and ice usually wins the battle against PVC plastic. So, you don’t want your spa to freeze, ever.
This is the perfect opportunity to say that if you are ever going to decommission your spa for a period of time that will span the winter months, GET YOUR SPA PROFESSIONALLY WINTERIZED! Winterization is worth every penny unless you live in an equatorial zone. In that case, winterization is a scam. Everyone else, winterize.
Rather than harp on the excruciating level of damage that can befall a spa that has become the yard’s largest ice cube, let me tell you what you can do before help arrives.
First, assess your degree of emergency. Is your spa water still warm? Spas tend to be well insulated. A warm spa without power can take weeks to drop to a temperature that can cause any harm.
How cold is it going to get in the coming days? If your day temps are in the 50 degrees F range and drop to 29-30 degrees F at night, only to rise above the freezing mark relatively quickly after sunrise, then you may not need to do a darn thing. Is the spa circulating the water even though it isn’t heating? If it is, in most cases the spa will not freeze, so don’t panic.
However, if your spa is outdoors and a hard freeze is either here or coming, what can you do to protect your asset? Fortunately, there are several things.
The most ideal solution is to drop a trough warmer into the tub. I get that not everyone owns, or knows someone who owns, or can just run out and buy a trough warmer, so what else can you do? Basically, anything that adds heat or insulation to your spa is a plus. Should you put blankets over your spa? Yes, though I recommend then covering everything with a tarp for further protection. Should you wrap it in fiberglass wall insulation? If you have it lying around, yes. It can't hurt.
The pictures I’ve included show the partial covering of a hot tub with a tarp. The panel to the access compartment has been removed and a space heater has been placed in the area created by pulling the tarp out like a tent in order to give some distance between the heater and the spa. The heater should be placed blowing into the access compartment. Even a regular, incandescent light bulb placed similarly can provide protection from freezing.
As with anything, be smart. Don’t place heaters directly against flammable material like wood framing in the spa. Use a dinky (but functional) ceramic heater, not some real-flame, hot-air balloon inflater. You’re just trying to provide enough heat to keep water liquid, not kiln-dry clay. And remember, keeping water liquid is accomplished at much colder temperatures than are necessary for keeping humans comfortable!
If you’re really desperate and/or concerned, there is another option that works very well but ultimately requires a bit more work. And it only works well if your pump(s) are still functioning. If they are, you can pour a gallon or 2 of antifreeze into your spa and mix it well by running all of your jets. Then you can shut the spa down indefinitely. Even if it is losing water, it won’t matter. Antifreeze, however, tends to be very pungent and it will likely take at least three complete flushes before the smell subsides to a tolerable level. This means a lot of time and a lot of water post-repair.
Regardless, make it a rule not to let your spa freeze. Either winterize it, or add insulation and heat however you can when the spa won’t heat on its own. I’m sure your spa technician would love to be able to be in more places than one at a time. But until that becomes a teachable skill, you are going to need to do what you can to keep your hot tub in liquid form until they can get there. Follow these suggestions, or get creative with your own. Be proactive but be patient, and as always, be at peace. Happy tubbing!
02/19/2020
Spa tip: When do I throw in the towel on my hot tub?
A common question I get from customers is: when do I say enough is enough? In other words, when am I better off replacing rather than repairing? When does the cost of the repair outweigh the value left in my spa? This is a very good question. No one wants to throw good money after bad, or be penny-wise but pound-foolish, or whatever cliché you want to use. Neither spas nor spa repairs are cheap. So where or how do you draw that line?
1st, depending on things like the climate in which the spa is in use, and how well it has been taken care of during its life, the average spa should give you 10-12 years of solid life before one should begin to weigh the cost of some repairs. I believe that if a reputable spa is properly maintained during its life, there is no reason one shouldn’t get 20+ years out of it.
These are some of the things a spa owner can expect to replace at least once, if not 2-3 times over the life of a spa: the heater or heating element, the jet pump(s), the circulation pump (if the spa has one. These usually need replaced several times over the life of a spa), the topside control unit (the interface, or plate with the buttons you push), the filter(s), and the circuit board(s).
Most of these components tend to be accessible through an access panel that is almost always located on the same side of the spa as the topside control unit. The accessibility of the components therein is what lends to the overall affordability of their repair or replacement. While jet pumps and circuit boards can push upwards of $500, they typically don’t take more than an hour to an hour and a half of labor to replace. If your spa has been well maintained and is in good shape otherwise, I would almost always encourage the replacement or repair of any of the aforementioned spa components when they fail.
The most common type of repair that I perform beyond the convenience of the access compartment is leak repair. These repairs can be expensive not necessarily because of the parts involved, but for the time it can take to complete, especially if access is an issue. If your spa is recessed into a deck, for example, it may need to be lifted out of its hole for the repair person to be able to access the source of the leak. This means more time and potentially more labor if the spa needs to be significantly moved. Even then, sometimes leaks are hard to find. There can be several hours in just finding and then clearing and prepping the damaged plumbing. Additionally, some spas are not designed to have the side or back panels removed. In these cases, they are typically destroyed in their removal and have to be replaced with new slats or panels. It doesn’t take much for a leak repair to become a 4, 6, or even 8+ hour project, or for the parts list to extend beyond just the leak itself.
So, if your spa is showing signs of a leak, and it appears to be dripping, pooling, or running off in an area that would be difficult for someone to access, then consider the age of your spa carefully. If it’s in its final years, you may spend a pretty penny to repair this leak only to find that you have another one to deal with not far down the road. All of the plumbing in the spa is the same age and has been subjected to the same conditions. If one joint is failing, it may be that more will follow sooner than later. This is when the word “money-pit” comes to mind. Still, it is always best to get a professional opinion if you are ever in doubt. I hope this helped. Happy soaking!
11/06/2019
Spa Tip: Mineral Sticks, Worth It?
First, what is a mineral stick? They are cartridges or “sticks” filled with minerals that are anti-bacterial or anti-microbial by nature. The idea is to have them in the spa to aid in sanitation. Sounds like a great idea except for the two cons: price and life. Last I checked, they cost between $35 and $45 per stick. It also should say on the packaging that they are good for about 3 months. So, to use these as a part of your sanitation ritual, you’ll be spending roughly $140-$180 a year on mineral cartridges.
The question is always, are they worth it? My answer is, I don’t know. I do know that if your spa gets any regular use, the stick itself will likely not be sufficient to keep it sanitized. You will need to add additional granular sanitizer. In fact, the stick should be thought of as an adjunct, and not the primary sanitizer. Note: some if not most mineral sticks are incompatible with bromine sanitizer. Check with the salesman before purchasing mineral sticks if you use, or plan to use bromine in your spa.
Lastly, I have seen mineral sticks make the situation worse rather than better. Back when I was in retail spa sales and service, mineral sticks were sold to be inserted in the center of the filter cavity (pic 1.) The idea is that the water flows through the filter and over the mineral stick on its way back into the spa. The problem is that doing so introduces a large obstruction into what is often the only return route with a filter in the path. There are other returns in the foot-well of your spa where the water can be pulled in by the pump(s) besides having to pass through the filter(s). I have found that placing a mineral stick in the center of a filter can reduce the overall filtration of the spa water. And this leads to a dirtier, cloudier, smellier tub. So, I now recommend that if you’re going to use a mineral stick, place it in the catch-basket, if there is one (pic. 2), or just lay it in the filter compartment.
07/12/2019
One of the most common problems I encounter is foamy spa water. You'll find out real quickly whether you have a foam problem when you turn on the jets. The only ways to get rid of foam is to either add a product labeled "anti-foam," "foam down" or "foam out," all of which are temporary fixes, or you can drain the spa and start over with fresh water. The key is to keep the agents causing the foam out of the spa in the first place. The most common culprit is detergent left behind on swim suits. Washing machines, especially front loaders, simply don't wash out all of the detergent we tend to use. Your spa, however, does. A solution is to dedicate a swim suit to spa use, and hand-wash it in the sink where you can be sure it is well rinsed. Another is to not wear a suit at all! (provided it's suitable, of course 🤨😉😂)
09/21/2018
Spa Tip: If there is one thing rodents love, it's hot tubs. They are attracted to the warmth and protection that spas provide. I have seen full-blown rodent motels upon removing the side panels.
Aside from the "ick" factor, these little guys can cause damage rivaled only by sub-zero temps on a hot tub that isn't running (you don't want that; trust me).
Open your spa's access panel and check for the telltale signs: droppings, garbage, and insulation or plumbing that has been chewed. Piles of pilled insulation are also a sure sign.
Getting rid of rodents immediately is essential, and may require the expertise of an exterminator. To keep them out, examine the exterior of your spa closely for any cracks, gaps or holes, no matter how small, especially near the base. Cover them with wire mesh, or pack with steel wool. Getting an outdoor cat doesn't hurt either! 😊
06/04/2018
Spas are great, without a doubt. But it helps to understand that, like a sauna or steam room, they are to be enjoyed for shorter rather than longer periods at a time. The hotter you like it, the more conscious you need to be of your soaking time.
All spas are programmed to have a maximum set temperature of 104ºF. Some also allow two degrees of “OT,” or over-temperature setting, so if you like you water really hot, look for spas with this feature. Remember, though, that when the water gets really hot, the body works really hard to fend off over heating. If it didn’t, your body would heat to the temperature of the water it’s in. If the water is 106º, that’s like having a fever of 106º, clearly not healthy!
If you are new to spas, try setting it to 102ºF. But get one. Because they’re awesome. Most come with a 3 to 5 year warranty, and most dealers will make sure you know how to maintain it upon delivery. And if you have problems after the warranty period, you know who to call.
03/14/2018
Spa tip: If you plan to decommission your hot tub for any length of time during the winter months, it is essential that it be “winterized.” Simply draining the spa and turning it off can create a world of problems, namely leaks. Draining doesn’t get out all of the water, and what is left behind can freeze, causing cracks in pipes and fittings. Leak repair is potentially the most costly of all spa repairs. Save yourself a lot of money and heartache by having your spa professionally winterized.
For winterization, service, repair, or worry-free maintenance, contact The Spa Guy today!
02/14/2018
Spa tip: Many spas today are made with a small circulation pump that runs 24/7. Constant circulation causes the filter to get dirtier faster. If your spa has multiple filters, the one that feeds the circulation pump will almost always appear the dirtiest. Regularly cleaning spa filters has always been good practice, but this is especially true for circulation pumps. They lack the strength to draw well through dirty filters and can burn out more quickly from the additional strain. Check your filters on a monthly basis. Filters should appear white and free of debris. If they are off color at all, they likely need rinsed. If they won’t whiten during cleaning, they may need to be replaced.
For service, repair, or worry-free maintenance, send a message to The Spa Guy today!
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I began my work in spa maintenance and repair in the mid-2000s. I started out as a water technician for a hot tub maintenance and repair company in Sunriver, Oregon. It was a brand new company with a manager, who at the time had the only spa experience, and myself plus one other greenhorn water tech.
During the first month, the manager had me accompany him on a few of his repair jobs. I looked over his shoulder on a shaft seal replacement (in the pump), a leaking pipe repair, and maybe a faulty pressure switch diagnosis and replacement. But after only a month, the manager decided to move away, and we were then a start-up spa company with roughly 250 regular clients, and only minimal trade knowledge and experience between us.
As the company’s owners scrambled to find a replacement, I asked them to please consider me if they couldn’t find anyone. I was honest about my lack of qualifications but told them that I could probably make it work if push came to shove. Push came to shove, and for the next several years I ran a crew of three: me (the repair man,) and two subordinate, water techs. During those years, I taught myself through a steady flow of blood, sweat, and tears how to diagnose and repair every kind of hot tub you can imagine. I had no one to ask for help nor advise, and I hadn’t so much as seen behind the access panel of a hot tub before I started working there. Trial by fire: an effective learning modality that I do not recommend.
I settled into a rhythm of doing what can be called “hot tub MASH.” When spas went down they didn’t stay down long. What was important to the owners was that the spas be working, hot, and clean when guests arrived. I’m not sure that everything I did to keep them that way was always legal or within code during those years, but I got good at keeping them going, of wringing out every last minute of life in a spa, and conversely knowing when to throw in the towel, when it’s time to replace rather than repair.
I spent several years trying other vocations like aircraft electronics manufacturing where, among other skills, I learned to solder under a microscope, which I kind of miss. Then, earlier this decade I returned to hot tubs and worked in the service department of the local branch of a larger, hot tub retailer, some of that time as Service Manager. There, I delivered spas, performed scheduled maintenance, repaired all makes and models, did warranty work for our, and another manufacturer’s spas, and educated our customers with occasional on-premise workshops about spa ownership. I also became acquainted with the now popular swim spas.
I have been to the Watkins Manufacturing plant in southern California for a week of formal training and certification with the spas they manufacture, which are primarily but not exclusively Hot Spring and Caldera spas. I am glad to be so well educated in their product as their electronics set up is unique to most other brands.
Now, I am running my own spa service and repair business. I sure hope you’ll think of me the next time you, or someone you know are in need of my services. My rates are reasonable and you can’t beat my experience and expertise. From routine maintenances to big-time repairs, individuals to property management companies, you can depend on me, The Spa Guy. For water maintenance on a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly basis, there are no cleaner tubs in Oregon!
