Hot Tub Review #1 Beachcomber

Beachcomber is a canadian hot tub company located in bc.
Buying local hot tubs is always a good option when choosing the hot tub you want,
these hot tubs function well and have a stylish design. Beachcomber also has some unique design features that can be both pros and cons.
Pros:
- All hot tub equipment kept under a removable step at the front of the tub for easy service.
- Stylish design
- Very reliable
- Newer tubs have good quality equipment (pumps and electronics)
- Much variety of size and seating arrangements between models.
- Full foam (great insulation)
Cons: 
- High price point
- Cabinet is non accessible (side panels not removable for plumbing repairs)
- Full foam coupled with non removable cabinets (repairs on plumbing very difficult, time consuming, and expensive)
- Drain connector: not sure whats going on with these they have a bad tendency to fall off and drain the tubs after a few years seems to be an exclusively beachcomber problem.
- Leak detection is near impossible if its inside the cabinet, (tub must be lifted on jacks and filled, tech must find the leaks by digging up)

With all that said i give beachcomber 6 hot tubs out of 10
they are great tubs for many years, their pumps tend to function longer than others, and the equipment has great ease of serviceability, but it can be difficult to cost effectively repair the internal plumbing, and when dealing with hot tubs and water that can be a damning issue.
Great for any one looking for a no fuss tub that will work great for what in my opinion is a 7-10 year service life, assuming good water chemistry without too much service work required.

H&L Tub Reviews

Over the next few days we are going to be writing a few reviews on various hot tub brands pro's, cons and other considerations.

Stay tuned!

Knowing when to replace vs repair your tub

Knowing when to repair or replace your tub is important, and many factors should be taken into account to reach the appropriate conclusion.

-How old is your hot tub.

 like any other product or appliance hot tubs have a service life, mid grade hot tubs 10-15 years, high end hot tubs as long as 20 years of life can be expected, after this point the tub can be re plumbed and parts replaced but one has to ask is this a cost effective rout, and in some situations it may be ie. tub is inside and cant be removed from home or cant be replaced.
another concern is the integrity of the hot tubs shell as eventually these wear out due to age and other factors such as uv light.

- Cost of repair vs replacement

In some cases especially with neglected and or frozen tubs the cost of the repairs needed may be close to the replacement value of your particular tub, research is important, and if this is the case replacement is almost certainly the better rout in some situations.

- peace of mind

Fixing an old tub that is in good shape and can be made reliable again is a good option and can be determined by an industry professional, while other tubs because of other factors such as proprietary parts or design that is incompatible with modern equipment, may not be able to be made reliable again, in this situation if a new tub isnt in the budget, some prolonging repairs may be able to be done, but we do not usually recommend rebuilding them as you will always be worried your old tubs going to break when its -40 on the first day of a holiday long weekend when no ones around to fix it, and all the money spent on the repairs was for not. 

Avoid your tub becoming an icecube

Be sure to get your tub checked over before winter to ensure it is in good working order, time restraints on proprietary parts become a real problem in winter and can lead to costly freeze damage.
Even a tub in good working order can run into problems, in our harsh climate motherboard hardware errors can occur such as the in.xm / in.xe hr error or breaker trips, we see this happen on brand new tubs and if not caught at a maximum 2 days after the fact in -20 weather you can expect a frozen tub and a hefty repair bill, So to avoid this even if your tub is new or in excellent working order be sure to check on it by opening the cover and checking temp and function at least every 2 days.

If your tub cant be checked every few days ie. vacations or just too busy, options are available such as wifi or phone app compatible units  that allow you to check on your tub via your phone whenever you feel like, though this also has its drawbacks, such as if your tub gets a critical error, hardware error, or trips the breaker the app wont work, but at the least you will see it not connecting to the app and know something is wrong and tub needs to be physically checked.

Hot Tub Gfci's

Hot tub gfci's should be tested frequently to ensure functionality
To do this press the test button, this should shut the breaker off instantly, If it does not shut off, the breaker may need replacement.
Gfci's have a lifespan and get weak over time or can have factory deficiencies causing them to prematurely wear, in a cold climate like ours its a good idea to have them checked every now and again to prevent freeze damage if it shuts down without your knowledge.

Hot Tub Motors

The average life span of a massage motor is 5 years, what happens is usually the ball bearings rust or start to flatten out causing the motor to seize up.  This can be a huge problem when you live in colder climates and that pump is what keeps the flow going in order to heat the tub. If the pump fails it could possibly causing mass freeze damage to all the piping and fittings if gone unnoticed.  It always a good idea to check on your hot tub daily during winter to ensure its still running fine, although having your motors rebuilt or replaced ever 5 years; specifically the main pump running your heating system is always a good idea.

White algae and water mold

White algae looks like dead skin or translucent white flakes in your water, not only is it pretty gross to sit in, but it can cause flow issues by clogging lines and filters if left untreated.

The problem can usually be fixed using a product that is meant to kill algae and mold such as formula 500. Normal chemical use will not usually get rid of the algae, making the anti algae product necessary. after adding the product the algae will slowly turn brown and die, at that point we recommend to drain and clean your tub to get rid of what ever is left.

Water mold can be a serious health issue be it black mold or actual water mold.

This problem requires immediate professional attention! Your tub will need to be sterilized, drained, scrubbed, and rinsed. Call us today to book and appointment 403-809-5681   

Tub not heating? Jets not working?

Tub not heating? Jets not working? There could be several reasons for this.

Have you tried changing your filters? It could be your filters are dirty restricting water flow through the heaters and various sensors causing a flow error, this can disable you're heater and cause your pumps and other features not to work! First try removing your filters and resetting your breaker!

If that step does not work there may be a bigger issue at hand. 

It could be that your pump has stopped working, there are many reasons for this.

Did you know a hot tub pump life span is averagely 5 years? 

The problem could also be various sensor issues or problems with the motherboard.

Did you know the average life span of a hot tub electronics board is aprx 10 years?

Pump problems (jets not working) could be various issues, but usually a good place to start is fuses and ceased pumps.

Book an appointment today! (403)-809-5681 or (587)-582-3344 In most cases we can come out the same day! and in some cases repair the same day!  

Chemical Maintenance

Proper chemical mixtures and having the correct pH levels in your hot tub is incredibly important, besides it being sanitary the improper levels can cause important components in your hot tub to corrode and cause failures within the system.  Although the piping is made from plastic and can be more resistant, its the heating elements and pumps that will suffer from severe damage and can be costly to replace.  To avoid these costly repairs H&L highly recommends you keep up on your chemicals and pH levels monthly to ensure everything is running smooth.

H&L offers a monthly chemical maintenance program, where we do a monthly visit and test everything to ensure your hot tub is running properly, its also includes check ups on your mechanical components to avoid surprise failures which in the winter can freeze your tub possibly destroy the piping system and other vital components.

Service areas

We service all makes and models of hot tubs in and around the Calgary area including:

• Calgary                        
• Okotoks
• Millerville
• Blackdiamond 
• Longview 
• Chestermere
• Langdon
• Cochrane
• Airdrie 
• Bearspaw 
• And more!!

Spring start ups

Spring is just around the corner, if you have shut your tub down for winter this is where problems can arise as the tub may not have been prepared properly.

Is your tub frozen or now leaking? electronics not working correctly? jets or pumps not functioning? these can all by symptoms of a tub that was not shut down correctly.

Let us come and assess your tub and quote for repairs. This process is usually pretty quick no more than 20 min and then you can decide if you want to go ahead with repairs, and schedule repairs at a time and date that is convenient for you!

We can also do the start up on your tub for you. This includes removing the antifreeze from the lines and cleaning the shell!

Please check out our pricing section for more information.

Check out our specials conveniently located at the very top of the home page! 

Welcome to H&L tub repair

H&L tub repair looks forward to serving Calgary and surrounding areas.

We service all makes and models of spa, hot tub, and pools. Our services include

• All tub repairs
• Assessments 
• Chemical maintenance 
• Sauna repair
• Winter shutdowns 
• Summer start ups
• Cleaning 
• Parts 
• Filter replacement / filter cleaning 
• Much more!

We also service bath tubs and provide residential plumbing services! These include 

• Bath tub repair 
• Sink installs 
• Faucet installs
• Toilet installs
• Drain cleaning 
• Leak repairs 
• And much more 

We are working hard to provide the best customer experience. We look forward to hearing from our customers to provide the best service possible!

If you have any questions or comments we would love to hear from you! please send us an email at brokentub@gmail.com