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zroger73

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    zroger73

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    Kilgore, Texas

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  1. Snow is something we generally only see on TV here in East Texas. This morning, however, we were blessed with a light dusting that is expected to accumulate an inch or two later this evening. I've soaked down into the 20s before, but not yet in the snow. Here's to hoping!
  2. Yup, it's BLACK MOLD! It forms around my control levers and on the underside of my filter cover despite attempting my best to meticulously maintain my hot tub. My water is always balanced. Water does not normally contact these areas, so the chemicals don't have a fighting chance. Occasionally, I'll use a very soft brush around my control levers and under the filter cover and rinse them off to keep things in check. A bit of this mold/algae/whatever will also form on the underside of my cover. I scrub it with a little bleach mixed with water at each water change.
  3. http://www.backyardplus.com/proddetail.php?prod=72742 Further evidence the communications protocol is I2C.
  4. Is this done through jumpers? If so, which jumper? Is the scheduling preset or customizable?
  5. I see where magenta has been added as a 7th color to new LCD-based controls for '09. I always wondered why this color was previously omitted. There's no technical reason why it was "left out".
  6. Hot Spring Vista. My budget put me in a Sovereign and I'm by no means disappointed. However, if cost were no object I'd buy a Hot Spring Vista. The Grandee is nice being their flagship model, but I DEFINITELY prefer a lounge after having experienced one in my Sovereign.
  7. Yes, I installed JP7 and JP10 long ago. I like seeing my actual water temp and having the display always on without having to press a button to see it. I can't imagine why neither of these feature came enabled from the factory. I can kinda see where actual water temp isn't a big deal most of the time considering you have a light that tells you the water is within a couple degrees from your setpoint, but sometimes two degrees is significant! Also, since the backlight is an LED just like the power, ready, and pillow lights, life expectancy is virtually a non-issue.
  8. It's not a catalog item so my dealer will have a blank stare, a confused expression, or look at me like a second head grew out of my shoulder. Ditto with Hot Springs or any manufacturer. I do turn the thermostat down manually. My goal is to turn it back up before I get to the house so it will be hot when I get there. I also have frequent power outages which will reset the spa back up to 102F even though I may not be there for two or three weeks. Mountain Electric is $0.14 per kwh and I'm a cheapo. I just now caught the part about yours resetting to 102 after a power outage. The IQ2020 in my '08 Sovereign stays on whatever the last setpoint was. It does not default to any particular temperature after a power failure. Maybe a revision in the controls between '01 and '08?
  9. Dealers or others, correct me if i'm wrong, but I believe the following are the major differences.... The Sovereign I is available only with a white Endurol shell with a redwood cabinet, has a 1.65 HP pump motor, and can be configured for 115 or 230 volt operation. The shell has "simulated tile" trim that looks kinda dated in my opinion. The Sovereign II has a 2.5 HP pump motor and operates only on 230 volts. It has the Soothing Stream water feature (miniature waterfall) and has the Moto-Massage DX (dual) jet instead of the Moto-Massage (single) jet. Unless 230 volt operation is not an option for you, then I'd spend the little bit extra on the Sovereign II for the following advantages: 1. More powerful jet pump 2. Water feature 3. Choice of shell and cabinet colors 4. Dual-jet Moto-Massage 5. An additional jet (not sure where it's located right off hand) 6. Not sure about this one, but the Hot Spring website doesn't state that the Sovereign I has ozone. The Sovereign I can be found on the Hot Spring web site under "CLASSIC SERIES". The choice to spend the little extra for the Sovereign II was a no-brainer for me. I'm very happy with mine.
  10. The standard color cycle is red, blue, aqua, green, white, yellow. Additional colors can be set if you're quick enough. Just set it to color cycling mode, then press the LIGHT+ button in the middle of a transition from one color to the next and it will stay there. I discovered this by accident and I'm glad I did because if I stop it at just the right moment between red and blue, I can get an awesome pink or purple! This works on my '08 Sovereign and presumably other similiar HotSpring units with the Luminescence lighting system.
  11. I'll be ya that's proprietary information that Watkins won't be willing to share. Also, I guarantee that it won't be a pinout where individual pins correspond to specific functions such as temp, jets, lights, etc. Instead, it will be serial signal of 1s and 0s exchanged between the IQ2020 and the remote transceiver. I hate to sound discouraging, but there would be a lot of work to this - if it's even possible.
  12. 99.999% of spa users have absolutely no need for a computer interface to their spas and wouldn't now what to do with it even if they had it. On the other hand, 99.999% of all electronic devices from thermostats to flat panel televisions to car engines to burglar alarms have connections to communicate with the outside world. However, these connections are almost always for factory testing and diagnostic purposes and are generally read-only. To access or communicate with the device - in this case the IQ2020 controller - you would need to know the specifications for the communications protocol and physical layer (what language it speaks and how it speaks it). You would need to know what you can ask it and what it can tell you or can be commanded to do. You may even need propriety software. None of this is going to be handed out by the manufacturer since they don't want you interfacing a Nintendo Wii to a body of heated water with hundreds of volts and dozens of amps running about. Too much liability. I write software and assemble the appropriate assortment of hardware used for industrial heating and automation applications. With a thick enough wallet, I can build you a control system with multiple touch screen interfaces that can be accessed from anywhere in the world via an Internet connection that can not only control temperature, but also take readings from the water and automatically dispense exactly the right amount of chemicals for a completely maintenance-free spa. But, that's overkill and I don't have that much time or money.
  13. If this is even technically possible, you would need access to the communications protocol used by the IQ2020. Obviously, some type of communication bus exists in this system for interface to the remote control, lighting, etc. An alternative to reverse-engineering the IQ2020 would be to replace the entire control system with a PLC (programmable logic controller) - not an inexpensive options, but the possibilities are endless.
  14. The issue with using a heat exchanger (radiator) is that it can't cool below ambient. So you won't have any luck cooling 104 degree water to 100 degrees if it's 110 outside - you'll only be helping the water to heat faster! At night, however, if/when the ambient air temperature falls below 104, then it would do some good. Dave, what vehicle do you own that has a fuel cooler? I've tinkered with foreign and domestic vehicles for years and consider myself to have fairly adequate automotive skills, but I've not yet encountered such a device. Unless, perhaps, it's on a diesel engine with which I have little experience.
  15. I like to keep my "hot" tub no higher than 95 during the hottest part of the summer here in Texas (high 90s to low 100s). Not possible without a few bags of ice per day or leaving the cover open during the night. The ambient temperature during the day along with the little 24-hour circulation pump keeps the water pretty hot. You can enable "summer mode", which shuts the circulation pump down 8 hours per day, but that doesn't really do much good. Even though there is no "heated air bubbler" per se, the jets do inject warm air from the jet pump motor shroud into the water when the jets are on. As Peteyboy mentioned, HotSpring spas are among the best-insulated spas around. They hold heat well - too well for hot climates.
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