Ask 'Dr. Spa' Q & A Message Board

: So, I bought a new-to-me Softub 140 recently. It is from maybe 1995,
: with the P5 pump and air control on the tub. The exterior vinyl is
: very nice, but like almost all older Softubs, the liner is wrinkled
: and scaled. I am going to try to salvage it.
: The vinyl does not seem brittle like many become. The wrinkles may just
: be from improper filling (not smoothing it out), and the scaling is
: maybe from high pH depositing calcium on the vinyl.
: I am going to try:
: 1) filling the bottom with HOT water and smoothing the wrinkles
: 2) filling the tub, heating it, and lowering the pH until the scale
: comes off, then draining and rinsing it.
: Has anyone tried this? Any suggestions? Think I'm crazy?
: The tub is Ensign Blue, which is now one of the expensive liners ($760
: online). So, I am willing to try anything. I will let you know the
: results.
: Also, the tub has the floating 'mushroom' lid. It is not overly heavy,
: but I would like a way to suspend the lid to keep it from falling
: into the tub. It seems strange that it was designed to float on the
: water. Anybody know?
: Thanks for any input! I know I ask a lot of questions, but I always look
: forward to giving advice, too!
: Mike

The biggest problem with trying to straighten old wrinkles in a Softub is that the liner will frequently crack from the attempt and then leak. Sometimes you are better to leave those alone and simply re-skin when time and money allow. BTW, a re-skin takes skill and patience.

John