Our worst nightmare is a hot tub sitting in a backyard with green water, turning what should be a place to relax and decompress into a major eyesore. Unfortunately, when homeowners skip the research and buy the lowest price hot tub they can find, that nightmare becomes reality. Today, instead of brand bashing like a lot of the articles on this topic, we’re going to talk about what hot tubs to avoid by teaching you exactly what to look for, and what to walk away from. With endless hot tub brands on the market, this guide should make that green hot tub nightmare easy to spot and easy to avoid.
What Hot Tub Brands Should You Avoid?
There isn’t a single universal list of “bad” brands, and a brand that’s wrong for one buyer can be right for another. What actually separates a low-quality hot tub brand from a reputable one comes down to a handful of traits you can check yourself, regardless of the name on the cabinet:
- No or minimal insulation. If a brand can’t tell you exactly how their spa is insulated, that’s a red flag, not a technicality.
- Weak or vague warranties. Brands confident in their build quality put the warranty in writing, in detail, and don’t shy away from posting it.
- No local service network. If nobody in your area is authorized to service the brand, you’re on your own the day something breaks.
- Thin, unsupported shells. A shell that flexes, cracks near supports, or wasn’t designed to be self-supporting is a brand cutting corners on materials.
- Company that treats hot tubs as a side product. Brands that specialize in aquatic wellness, rather than treating a spa as one item in a catalog of unrelated goods, tend to invest more in the engineering and after-sale support.
Keep those five traits in mind as you shop, and you’ll be able to screen out a low-quality brand in the first five minutes of a conversation with a salesperson, no matter what name is on the tub. Below, we’ll go deeper into the specific features to check.
Little to No Insulation
Hot tubs with little to no insulation are hot tubs to avoid. What does that actually look like? Foam board against the cabinet with nothing else behind it isn’t enough to keep a hot tub energy efficient through a New Jersey winter. A single layer of spray foam against the shell is also worth avoiding. That minimal insulation won’t run efficiently in colder months, and your electric bill will climb sharply as a result. Zero foam insulation is an obvious red flag, and it’s worth walking away immediately if you see it. Your best option is full foam insulation, meaning foam fills every crevice between the back of the shell and the cabinet wall. Even better is full foam insulation rated at 2lb spray foam density or higher.
Tip: Hot Spring, Caldera, Aspen, and Freeflow spas are all full foam insulated. Hot Spring’s Highlife Collection is known for commercial grade insulation, a strong option if your spa will see regular freezing temperatures.
Inefficient Water Sanitation
Hot tubs without proper water sanitation are hot tubs to avoid, full stop. Remember that green hot tub nightmare from the intro? Exactly. Your hot tub needs one of the following sanitation systems: ozone sanitation, salt water sanitation, UV sanitation, or mineral and chlorine sanitation. If a hot tub doesn’t have any of those, it’s a hot tub to avoid.
Tip: Salt water is the easiest system to maintain, since it continuously generates natural chlorine to keep the water clean. If a hot tub only has mineral and chlorine sanitation, it absolutely needs a large filter to keep the water clean, which brings us to the next point.
Small Filter(s) or Poor Filtration
A hot tub with a single small filter isn’t the hot tub for you. If a 7 person hot tub only has one small filter, it likely won’t keep up with cleaning that much water. For that filter to work effectively, the hot tub would need to run constantly and the filter would need near-daily rinsing. Larger hot tubs need either one large filter or multiple smaller filters working together. It’s also worth asking about filter bypass, which is water that skips filtration entirely. Some hot tubs have 2-3 bypass points, while others have 6-8. Less bypass means better water clarity.
Tip: Hot Spring’s Highlife Collection offers 100% no-bypass filtration, meaning every drop of water passes through filtration before returning through the jets. It’s a feature you won’t find across most of the industry. It costs more, but it’s worth it in water clarity and lower chemical spend over a year of ownership.
Poor Structural Support
Some hot tubs are built with surprisingly minimal structural support. The frame should be made from PVC, treated solid wood at least 2″x3″, or heavy gauge steel, and it should be backed by full foam insulation. A hot tub without full foam insulation is relying entirely on its framing to keep the shell stable, which is how shell cracks near supports happen. The bottom of the hot tub should also be sealed, either with a plastic covering or a seal coat. Exposed foam is a problem, since it invites rotting over time.
Thin Shell
The shell is easy to overlook, but it matters for quality, comfort, and life expectancy. Look for a shell at least 1/4″ thick. You also want to avoid a shell built from too many layers, since that increases the risk of delamination over time. A solid acrylic shell with a fiberglass backing is the strongest combination. Ask your salesperson whether the shell is self-supporting, meaning it can hold substantial weight without cracking on its own.
Too Many Removable Parts
Hot tubs with an excessive number of removable parts are worth avoiding. Being able to customize a hot tub sounds appealing, but interchanging too many parts gets expensive and, frankly, dirty. Removable seats, for example, can trap moisture and build mold behind them where water doesn’t flow freely. A simpler design, backed by a brand with a solid reputation, tends to be the safer bet.
Poor Warranty: It’s In the Details
Warranties are often not posted online for a reason. Many don’t cover much and are pro-rated to shrink over time. A brand that believes in its product should offer a strong warranty and be willing to show it to you. Get the full warranty in writing, with detail, before you buy. Certain parts and accessories carry shorter warranty periods than others, so make sure you’re fully informed. The most important components to have warrantied are the shell, structure, pumps, heater, plumbing, and a no-leak guarantee. Also ask whether labor is included.
Tip: Entry-level hot tubs generally carry a shorter warranty than luxury models. That’s usually a function of price tier rather than a sign the entry-level tub is lower quality, since you’re paying for the longer warranty period on the higher end model.
Hot Tub Expo Spas & Big Box Store Spas
Where should you avoid buying a hot tub? Hot tub expos and big box stores tend to carry lower quality brands because of their appealing price points. An expo’s goal is to sell as many units as possible, sometimes by listing a hot tub at an inflated price just to make the “expo deal” feel like a steal. Big box stores work the same way, targeting shoppers who never seriously considered a hot tub until the deal felt too good to pass up. If it feels too good to be true, it usually is. For more on this, see our article on the best place to buy a hot tub, and if you’re specifically weighing a warehouse club purchase, our Costco hot tub comparison walks through exactly what you give up at that price point.
If your main concern is staying on budget without ending up with one of these red flags, our guide to the Best Hot Tub for the Money covers reputable options at every price tier.
The Bottom Line
Now that you know what hot tubs to avoid, you should feel confident starting or continuing your search. The best hot tubs tend to come from companies that focus solely on hot tubs and related aquatic wellness products, like swim spas, rather than treating a spa as a side item. Their entire business depends on getting these products right, which tends to make them the most innovative in the category too.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the signs of a low-quality hot tub? Look for minimal or missing insulation, a shell thinner than 1/4″, a frame that isn’t backed by full foam, an excessive number of removable parts, and a warranty that isn’t available in writing or is heavily pro-rated. Any one of these on its own is worth asking more questions about, and more than one together is a real red flag.
How can I tell if a hot tub brand has a weak warranty? Ask to see the warranty in writing before you buy, not just a summary. A weak warranty is usually vague about what’s covered, heavily pro-rated so coverage shrinks every year, or silent on whether labor is included. Reputable brands are upfront about the shell, structure, pump, heater, and plumbing coverage because they’re confident in the build.
Is it safe to buy a hot tub from a big box store or hot tub expo? It can work out, but the odds are stacked against you. These channels tend to carry lower quality brands because of their appealing price points, and the “deal” pricing is often designed to make an average tub feel like a bargain. If you go this route, apply the same insulation, sanitation, filtration, and warranty checks covered above before you commit.
There are often more questions that come up during the shopping process. Have questions of your own? Give us a call at (732) 424-0030 or leave a comment below, we’re happy to help you understand exactly what to look for and what to avoid on your hot tub shopping journey.
