O.K. Received replacement jets shipped from Arctic today. Opened box and saw that they are the same fixed tab jets that we currently have and are already having problems with. So far we have not been able to install them and have them stay in place, same popping problem as with prior jets. Any suggestions Tom? Can they be permanently installed with a silicone product. Is there any way to keep these in the housing?

Ceejay

Ceejay... is this an older tub? Are these the only jets that will fit? or... are these the new jets that they put on their new spas?

Thanks,
Spartacus_33

spartacus: Ceejay's spa is relatively new, and still under warranty.

I've been following this thread, to find out ceejay's progress, as I hope to replace all of my defective jets too (but I'd have to PAY full price for them, since my spa is no longer under warranty).

Sounds like head office messed up. I'm not surprised. Many times I've "ordered" special jets to replace the special ones that I paid for in the first place and that failed, only to continually receive the basic jets that don't have the massage action. The store says it's not their problem, because that's what Head Office keeps sending them.

I still believe that Arctic Spa has a very good product. It's just unfortunate that Head Office doesn't do a good job of standing behind their product. They keep pushing the responsibility back onto the dealers, and the dealers are helpless as well if they don't get the support from the Company. Meanwhile, while all of this finger pointing and shuffling the responsibility back and forth is going on, the clock is ticking, and warranties expire, leaving the customer holding the bag and paying for it.

In my opinion, I should be receiving replacement jets free of charge. The jets were defective from the beginning, and they never resolved the problem while my spa was under warranty. That's not my fault. NOW they claim they have solved the problem, but since my warranty is expired, I have to pay? That's just not right. Not my fault it took them 5 years to find a jet that doesn't fall apart.

I wet tested the Arctic "Glacier" on Saturday. I love the deep seats, but actually was not that impressed with the jet action. They didn't compare with the jets at Hot Springs Spas. I have them (Arctic dealer) at $7340 for the Glacier Signature (including a lid lifter and cedar step). They seem to be holding their ground and aren't willing to go any lower. The other spa in the running for me is the Jacuzzi J-365 and ironically, I have them down to about the same price ($7,400). Going back to test the J-365 again this week.

Back to the Arctic jets.... I mentioned this thread to the Arctic dealer and they said that the new jets, screw in so they can't pop out. They showed me how they actually DO screw in. The new jet inserts actually have 3 or 4 complete thread turns, not just a half turn like many older spa jets. I don't see how the older Arctic spas could use these new jets without replacing the female part that is built into the shell.

Thanks,
Spartacus_33

The 2x4 prop is apparently a common fix on Hot Springs spas with a similar issue--don't think this stuff happens to Arctic alone--but in the HS spas there were also shell cracks reported, and we have not observed this in our product.


I had to reply to this. These "issues" were from HotSpring spas built around 1994. I don't think it's prudent to mention this when talking about newer Arctic spas. HotSpring doesn't have issues with this any longer and haven't for MANY years.

I have been informed by the warranty department that this information is incorrect. The current warranty replacement is a fixed-tab jet (which is different from the flex-tab jets formerly used). The flat screw-in retaining rings are no longer used. The current screw-in jets, which use a sort of a cup retainer, are available as an optional upgrade.

My apologies for any confusion this has caused.

So does this mean, that if someone had bad jets and wanted to replace them, it would cost a little extra to have the screw in replacments sent, instead of just sending replacement old jets ?
Thanks
Ross

hitch9, yes, that's sure what it appears to be.

Their jets are defective in design and material, and have been for many many years. So they've finally (hopefully) come up with a fix for this problem, but it's considered an upgrade that you have to pay for.

Where is the customer support? IMO they should be sending all of their customers, or at least the ones who've had continual problems with the defective jets, a replacement set of the screw-in type. It would be good P.R. for the company. Sort of like "thank you for your patience over the past several years in putting up with the jets....here is something to fix the problem."

Let me see if I can clarify.

The original jets were a flex-tab type. They were a common design in the industry some years ago, and Arctic was not the only manufacturer to have issues with them. Not all manufacturers replaced the jets under warranty, but Arctic and many others did and still do. I speak from personal experience: for my previous hot tub, I had to replace bad jets at $15 a pop (pun intentional).

The issue was identified as being due to common spa chemicals affecting the plastic of which the jets were made, causing the tabs to weaken or break; water pressure then popped the jet body out of the housing. Our chemical engineers worked with parts suppliers to find a better plastic formula while our R&D staff worked to find a better overall design.

At first, we had no choice but to replace popping jets with identical flex-tab design jets, because there was no alternative. Of course, eventually the new ones would pop out in turn. We replaced jets with each new plastic formula in turn - which reduced but did not eliminate the popouts.

In the meantime, we developed two new designs. The first was a fixed-tab model that eliminated the weak spots where the tabs would flex, weaken, and break. This reduced popouts significantly. It is this fixed-tab design which is used for free warranty replacement. They work well in most cases.

A new screw-in retention system which was, I believe, first introduced in 2007 model spas totally eliminated the popouts. However, this threaded jet design was not retroactive and couldn't fit older spas. We developed a quick-n-easy method of replacing the tab-clip ring with a threaded ring so that people could use the new threaded jets if they wished. In 2009, an improved and stronger thread retainer was developed that is backwards-compatible for the last five model years (and possibly earlier; if interested, see your dealer).

I had thought this screw-in retention system (threaded retainer and threaded jet) was being offered as a warranty replacement. That was my mistake and I apologize. The Warranty Manager set me straight: it is an optional upgrade.

So to go back to Hitch9's question, if you have "bad old jets" (flex-tab) and your spa is under warranty, they will be replaced free of charge with the newer fixed-tab jets. If a fixed-tab jet eventually gives way, it will be replaced (if under warranty) with a similar jet. Should you wish to upgrade to the threaded jets, please talk to your dealer. No dealer nearby? Try http://www.spagoods.com or http://www.hottubstore.ca or email info at arctic spas dot com for factory-direct purchase.