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The shell
The surface part of the hot tub may draw you in initially. The shell surface although pleasing to the eye, must also be tough and impervious to any sanitation products used, and if outdoors, to the weather. You will want it to resist stains and clean up easily as well.
You will want to check on the shell’s structure. Although not as pretty, it is as important as it provides the stability you will need to support the water weight as well as the horsing around you and your friends may engage in. This substructure, if solid, will also keep the surface from developing cracks that can cause a rapid deterioration of your hot tub.
So look for materials like acrylic and OAS for your tub, as both can stand up to that “horsing around” as well as the weather. Acrylic can give you a shiny surface, nice for looks and for cleaning, keeping stains and dirt at bay. Acrylics substructure quality varies according to the structure’s thickness, plus how the acrylic or fiberglass is manufactured and applied. Make sure you look at a sample cross section of the spa’s composition before selecting your hot tub. The thickness of this substructure is going to determine how it will hold up. If you are looking to cut corners, this is not the area to do it in. A manufacturer can keep this layer thin and his bottom line healthy but you will be the one to suffer the consequences.
Also ask about the process that is used to apply the fiberglass. If the manufacturer hand rolls the fiberglass to the shell, there is less chance of the shell deteriorating and becoming delaminated (when the surface of the tub and its bonding agent’s expanding and contracting rates differ as a result of high or low temperatures and humidity…think bubbles and cracks). Unfortunately manufacturing your hot tub this way is initially more costly but in the long run cost effective.
OAS or Olefin Acrylonitrile Styrene (now you see why it is called OAS) is cheaper than acrylic but not quite as elegant as the acrylic. Trade names for OAS include Rovel and UltraLife. The substructure of an OAS spa is often just a nice sturdy layer of foam and it is an adequate support for your spa. Unfortunately, this foam also covers important pipes and connections. This makes it difficult to access them and therefore more costly should any repairs need to be done.
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