I am a dissatisfied Arctic Spas hot tub owner. I have owned tubs my entire homeowner life and Arctic Spas tubs for 8 years and want to share my experience with you in order to aid you with your decision to purchase an Arctic Spas hot tub.
Short version of my story:
- 2009 I purchased an $8000 Arctic Spas Alaskan hot tub. I have owned several hot tubs before and after some research, I decided on Arctic Spas. The main influencer in my decision is their 'thermos' design. That is, the tub is fully encased and insulated and so in colder climates it would be better protected from the elements and maybe even more efficient.
- 2011 the shell of the tub began showing severe warping. Upon review of the warranty, I learned that it was covered and was pleased. At some point during the warranty claim I learned that the warranty came with a cost; $1400 to cover the replacement of the entire tub. I had never heard of paying for warranty coverage, but I decided to make the investment and replace my tub, worried that the warping would get worse and lead to leakage and other issues. This process took 8 months.
- In June of 2012 my (8 months after claim) I received my new tub and it worked well for about 5 years.
- In September of 2017, the mainboard had a catastrophic failure and caught on fire. I was not present at the time and am thankful that the unit did not cause my cottage to burn down. It is clear that the motherboard completely burned and in my mind looks like it could have caused a fatality. This part is $800 to replace plus parts, labour and travel. Total cost: over $1000.