Intex Pure spa Heater after 3 years

After a fun 3 years my Intex spa heater finally failed. I was curious what it looked like inside so into the garage I went to share a video.

[@t72w3qz]

So I pulled my leaking heater away from the plastic frame as far as I could without disconnecting the wires. The the pvc pipe connection is just a slip fit with pair of O-rings. in addition to the 1/4" hole I could see originally, there was a "slot" about 1 1/2" x 1/4" rotted out. I cleaned the oxide off around the area with a wire brush, cut a piece of aluminum flashing to fit, roughly 2" x 3", then rolled it around a piece of 5/8" pipe to achieve the radius I needed. I covered the heater with JB Weld around the holes the full area where the patch would sit and covered the patch completely on the inside where it would lay on the pump. Stuck them together with just enough pressure to seat all the JB Weld together, waited 2 days, put it all back together (I put a light coating of silicon oil on the two O-rings to make things slide together easily) and hooked it up to the pool. So far no leak and the heater is functioning well. If I get the rest of the summer out of it I'll be happy, the rest of the heater housing will undoubtedly continue to rot, I'll keep you posted.

[@BobsPoolService]

You are an ambitious man! Thanks for sharing the story, in the end I got 3 years out of mine so I wasn't too unhappy about scrapping it.

[@RigmaroleHM]

Thanks for this! I'm running into this issue with mine and it's encouraging to see there's other ways to fix it than just buying a new heater for nearly $200

[@t72w3qz]

@@RigmaroleHM Good news Bad news... 3 weeks in, still not leaking. But as I expected, chlorine and bromine are exceptionally corrosive to aluminum so the rest of the heater housing will undoubtedly continue to rot and develop another leak. I checked around and found no replacements available, if you found one please let me know!

[@andregee6368]

Mine was leaking as well. Cleaned out used good old JB lock weld. No leaks HURRAAYYY. 😢doesn't heat up now. Can't figure out why any help would be greatly appreciated

[@dmbe77]

I have same problem 2 years old!!!!! Ridiculous for the price that you pay for this I feel more people should know this

[@BobsPoolService]

It started with black flecks coming back into the hot tub, then some of the sensors went kaput, the magnetic pump impeller also rusted inside and split. The big problem is they simply don't sell parts so even if you're capable of repairs you're out of luck. I wound up disabling a bunch of the safeties, it was that or junk the hot tub... I wound up getting about another year doing so but things like flow switches and high limit temp switches are actually important so I don't recommend doing what I did. I couldn't even buy an inflatable bladder for the cover when it went bad, had to use a round pool toy instead.

[@guibol9521]

Same here. A hole in the element makes the tube leak. 2 years old. I think this should not be possible

[@catwilkinson6882]

Hi Bob. Just to let you know that inter sell replacement parts. Just did the same. It’s called a PTC Heater - 90 euros. Check the dollar equivalent. If you search for the inter pure spa ptc heater replacement you will find several options.

[@BobsPoolService]

Perhaps in the European market but here in the USA no such part is sold. I couldn't even get a new inflatable bladder for mine and wound up buying a pool raft that fit in there because Intex was backordered on nearly everything for my tub. In the end I purchased another tub by coleman at the local big box store and threw out the intex system. I still have the tub, it holds water but without the filter/heater it's not doing much for me. Good that you have parts there to purchase.

[@bjpuutelburg]

Thnx for this tip 👌 hopefully now i can fix mine. Greets from holland

[@andregee6368]

Hey Cat thank you for your Intel, I seen exactly what I needed, unfortunately I can't get it from intex from California. Any way you can post the link to where you got yours from? Cause I'm being placed in a position to either try and patch the holes in this one or purchase a whole new head unit for almost $ 300 dollars😢

[@budsmith5368]

I’ve had my intex tub for 4 and a half years. I’ve had black flakes for a couple years now. No idea how much life she has left, but I use it almost every night. I found a new intex spa (same model as mine) for $450 and I’m thinking of picking it up as a spare to keep on hand since I haven’t seen these under $650 since 2020

[@BobsPoolService]

yeah, after covid prices went pretty nuts. My first was an intext, now I have a bestway. The intex seemed a lot more substantial but unfortunately none of these inflatable tubs unless you go to really pricey ones like softub have parts to fix them. My intex made it about 4 years at one point I had disabled some of the sensors to keep it going, not exactly recommended but it gave me another year since I couldn't buy the parts to change them out.

[@runin1wild149]

FYI black coating flakes off over time no big deal just a pain to clean the mess. You can put a nylon stocking to catch the paint, this will help. Now for the hard water calcium lime deposits from the waters hardness collects over time. A descaler helps remove this: Uk sell the Descalers, US doesn’t from what I’ve seen. DYI on KZbin. I made my own. Best to descale when changing water aprox every 3-4 months as recommended. Also putting a filter on your hose when filling the tub especially if you use well water. I’ve had my control unit from intex for almost for 10 years now. Yes the same unit! I’ve had my share of error codes and fixed them myself 💁🏼‍♀️ .

[@BobsPoolService]

Wow, 10 years is a long run! I'm also guessing it's possible they produced a better product back then too. I ran mine with the black flecks for a long time and put a filter on the outlet to catch them. As for the calcium buildup I lowered the pH to descale the hot tub and also used a stain and scale preventer,it worked pretty well. In the end though unfortunately I had to replace the tub because Intex does not sell replacement parts and eventually the flow sensors and others literally rotted apart. I bypassed them and kept it going (no, not safe) but it was my only choice since Intex does not sell those parts. Eventually the heater started leaking and then the unit just stopped powering on so at that point it as time to just get another one. I got 3 years out of it,, now I have a coleman saluspa, seems like it's made even cheaper but at least some parts are sold. They had them on sale for 170 dollars (entire package) so I purchased a backup spa when this one goes. It's sad that things are made to be thrown away not fixed.

[@RigmaroleHM]

Thanks for this! I'm running into this issue with mine and it's encouraging to see there's other ways to fix it than just buying a new heater for nearly $200

[@runin1wild149]

⁠@@BobsPoolServicelike your coffee pot, faucet fixtures limescale builds up so you need to descale these. Using white distilled vinegar and a Descaler tool such as a Rubbermaid or waste paper basket make a good descaler tool and attaching it to your base control inlet/outlet pipe turning the unit on with your heater will clean these deposits out of your heater and your pump motor. The descaler also can be used as a tester when you have to do any work on your base for repairs so you don’t have to reconnect each time to test your base control… something intex doesn’t tell you and people need to know. Maintaining your base will make it last a lot longer . Also you can find a service repair manual on line not from intex that helps test any error codes step by step, parts location, part # and much more in this manual. This is not like the owners manual. Yes some parts aren’t available especially in the US but the UK does have more parts available just have to check in to shipping cost and if it’s worth it. You also can find some parts compatible with intex spa but you’ll need to do some research and or find a used control base for parts is another option in your area on FB marketplace.

[@BobsPoolService]

@@runin1wild149 Solid advice, since this unit I've moved on to a Bestway spa with a new heater unit. So far so good and they just had a recall so I have a brand new one that replaced my 2 year old unit. Didn't know about the service repair manual but I took mine apart and found the issues, however things like flow switches weren't available so I did what I'd never suggest and connected the leads together bypassing it's function, got another year out of the spa doing so. It'd be nice if someone made a fully serviceable unit for these spas that was made to last the duration yet still UL listed and safe as a plug in type of deal. There's very expensive inflatables (softub) but nothing in between.

[@veritasaequitas4800]

Same problem I just took mine apart the thing is clogged solid I'm going to try cleaning it out and reinstalling and see if it works.

[@BobsPoolService]

Best of luck, I'm curious how it'll work out. I couldn't even get the screws out without them snapping on mine so it was a lost cause. I just realized you found my videos on both of my channels, lol.

[@LookingGlassLabs]

mine is shutting off as soon as i turn on the heater. I've already taken the base apart and looked at the impeller and heat sensors - now my last resort will be to open up the heater and see if it's clogged. Good luck with yours.

[@YXEFlatl1ne]

​@@LookingGlassLabswas it??

[@benjaminhoward1398]

​@@LookingGlassLabs any results?

[@LookingGlassLabs]

@@benjaminhoward1398 cleaned out the heater. Didn't help. Switched to a Saluspa from Costco this summer and it's been great so far.

[@Robley35]

Can you just clean it all out and put it back together ?

[@BobsPoolService]

@@Robley35 I think mine would have leaked if I had tried that but anything is possible. Why not try it nothing to lose

[@MarineVeteranKen]

where can you buy these? mine just started to leak out the side of the heater and black specks in the water. If you can't buy one what is another option?

[@BobsPoolService]

Sounds very similar to my experience. I wasn't able to find parts, intex has a website but they seem to only sell the heater/pump system as an entire unit and even that's been backordered and out of stock for years now. This is what frustrates me about the product, I'm capable of fixing anything but if there's no source for parts it's a dead end. I wound up buying a whole new tub and system from Bestway (branded coleman). It's not as nice as the intex but since they're essentially throw away products after a 3 year cycle I went with the least expensive option. During covid I saw these tubs selling for as high as $1200, I can't imagine how someone that paid that much must feel when the thing breaks and can't be fixed. I only paid $375 for my first intex tub, the smaller coleman was was a bit more but lately everything is expensive. Good luck, if you do fine a solution please share it with us.

[@MarineVeteranKen]

@@BobsPoolService Yeah I got the Intex 28431E PureSpa Plus 6 person for $425 right before the prices shot up. I will let you know if I find anything

[@BobsPoolService]

@@MarineVeteranKen It's sad that we've come to accept so many things as throw away items. When I started my pool business we fixed everything, now it's become a cycle of rip out and replace things nearly every 5 years even on inground pools. Sometimes I feel more like a garbage disposal service than a repair business. It's gotten so bad that now I base purchases and sell products on the criteria of can I get parts for this when it fails over everything else.

[@catwilkinson6882]

intexwetset.co.uk/product/ptc-heater-for-bubble-spa/

[@t72w3qz]

2 years, same deal and Intex tells us "not a replaceable part". Gonna try JB Weld and then a water bed heater if I can bypass the damaged heater so I still have a filtration. And searching for the actual manufacturer of the part. F U Intex.

[@BobsPoolService]

Yeah, it's really sad that parts aren't available and most people's expectations are to just throw something like this out after a year or two and buy another. The actual tub is quite well made, in fact I have mine boxed up right now but wound up buying a Bestway hot tub end of the year sale for $177, tub, heater, everything. It's already starting to leak, I haven't explored it but it's a slow leak... I thought of building a spa pack for mine and adapting the ports to a separate system but then you really need to make sure it's safe and in many cases get inspections and permits because it's no longer a plug and play product and all real spa heaters/pumps require a 220v dedicated line. I too have tried sourcing the parts from the actual maker to no avail. I couldn't even get a new inflatable bladder from intex, they were backordered for months, I wound up buying a "watermelon" pool raft off amazon that fit perfectly into the cover and it worked out but it was lighter duty.

[@t72w3qz]

@@BobsPoolService Have to agree on the quality, though our bladder leaked air from day one. I've been refilling daily while we contemplated a replacement. Really feel bad that we recommended Intex to a friend who ended up buying one.

[@BobsPoolService]

@@t72w3qz I hear that, I also suggested a Bestway tub to a friend when it was on sale for $177... the one I bought is good but his has a slow air leak and he has to fill it up every time he uses it, I guess it comes down to luck of the draw. The intex tub I had seemed substantially better made but since you can't get parts easily for any of these I treat them as a disposable product now and I actually purchased 2 of them at that price and will look for future sales. If a sub $200 tub lasts me two seasons I feel like I'm ahead of the game. I also looked at some plug and play hard sided tubs but they're all in the thousands of dollars which means it'd take me 40 years to recoup that and they too have a lifespan generally of under 10 years. The only perk might be better insulation and a 220v heater would save on electricty.

[@CucumberJingle]

I have not yet opened up my base unit to see what the heater looks like, but I've been having these flakes since I would say the fourth month after I got it and now a year and a half later the slow leak from under the pump turned into a flood and I had to cap everything off. Debating whether to replace the control base or change brands.

[@BobsPoolService]

So here's my experience with the two brands commonly sold. One is intex, the other is bestway/saluspa/coleman (they're all the same mfg). The intex seems much more substantial and better built. The tub itself if heavier material and in fact i still have the original tub in my basement that this heater/pump unit came off of. With that said though I have more issues with errors on the Intex unit than I've had on the replacement spa (coleman) and I'm a full 2 years into ownership of the Coleman with no repairs. So I'd say they're probably about equal in longevity, the black flecks from the intex were a real pita, I haven't had that at all with the coleman yet. Personally I would buy the best deal I can find, the last spa I got I bought two, they were on closeout at the end of the year for $179 each at Walmart. They're a bit smaller than the Intex I had but my wife never goes in so it's only me and in some ways I prefer the smaller spa, it seems to heat up better and takes up less room on the deck, also water changes are only about 200 gallons of water.