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Chas

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About Chas

  • Birthday 09/08/1956

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    http://www.hotspring-ventura.com
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  • Gender
    Male
  • Location
    Southern California
  • Interests
    I am a volunteer moderator here and on other boards like this one. I spend a lot of time trying to help people figure out the buying process, and later the ownership of these big boxes of hot water that seem to be able to bring joy to our lives. If you can think of a way I could do this job better, please let me know.<br /><br />I get a great deal of enjoyment out of my own spa - I injured my back many years ago and it helps relieve the pain so I can function. It helps me when the stress of being a business owner keeps me awake at night. <br /><br />It also has been a place to get close to family members: my wonderful wife of 27 years, and our two kids. At one time or other I have had heart-to-heart talks with each member of my precious family in the family spa, usually when we are the only ones in the tub, and sometimes in the wee hours of the morning. Those glimpses into my children's hearts, or moments of open communion with my wife are beyond price.

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  1. Your circulation pump is bad. That's the little pump, not the big jet pump. Or - it could be a clogged filter.
  2. Run it for the least amount of time which keeps your water clean and clear. Keep in mind that as a newbie you will put MUCH more load on the water and filter than you will down the road. HTH
  3. You seem to have a flow problem. Even if you put in a new filter, as you said, but then a month later the red light flashed, I would still think you have a dirty filter. Nothing more at this point. Such is life! A month is plenty long enough for a new filter to be coated with oil - which is clear and doesn't make the filter look dirty. Two easy thing to check this: 1. remove the cap for the circ filter. Just the cap. Watch to see if the filter floats to the surface. If so, it is likely just a bit dirty and a rinse should get you going again. If it just stays down it needs to be chemically cleaned. And don't lift it up above the water level to check it: that fills it with air and voids the test. 2. remove the cap for the circ filter and reset the power to the spa. If it now runs (no flashing red light) then you need to clean the filter. You sound like you may have already tried this - so 3. open the valve to the waterfall - if it is flowing at all more water than when new, you have a clog in the return line from the heater to the tub. If you leave the fountain running all the time, or even a lot of the time, it slows the flow through the heating system and the return line, and that can and will allow slime to clog up the line. If you want to fix this yourself just to have it done with, or just to prove what is or isn't going on, you can. Power off to the spa, then cap the heater. I have a short section of 3/4" vinyl tubing with a cap glued on - about 4" and nice an soft/new. I take the spring clamp off the outlet of the heater, wiggle the tubing in a circular fashion to get it off the barbed fitting, and cap it with that little tube. Anything similar which will cap that outlet is fine: a small cork will work. Water will come out of the heater as you cap it, and will hopefully begin to flow from the other line. I use a fiberglass fish tape, but a long piece of wire, or smaller tubing will work - gently feed it into the tube and work it back and forth - carefully watching the water as it exits. With the power off to the spa, the water will only be coming at you with the force of gravity, not like a fire hose, but it should be enough to a). push out whatever you loosen up, and . get you and your tools soaking wet. You can also feed the tape in from the floor fitting in the spa - remove the safety cover and find the little hole. Feed it in there - be careful that you don't use a wire with a hook in the end, or anything which can go in and then snag on something and not come back out again... if you use a wire, for example, just leave the end blunt, not looped or folded over. The line from the equipment compartment to the bottom fitting is about 12' long. That's twelve feet, not a typo. I have fed in enough fish tape from the bottom fitting so that I saw it come out the other end, in the motor compartment. I used to have to do this a lot when we sold Baqua - not since we stopped. HTH
  4. HotSpring Does offer a retrofit unit which does have a control panel of it's own. I think it will go back only as far as 09. Here is a clip from the HS web site: CAN I ADD THE ACE SALT WATER SANITIZING SYSTEM TO A HOT SPRING SPA I ALREADY OWN? The ACE system is currently an option for Hot Spring spas built on or after August 5, 2009. Contact your local Hot Spring dealer to find out if your Hot Spring spa is compatible with the ACE system.
  5. We finally got the hot tub working again. All of my neighbors were delighted.
  6. It's a very simple tub. They usually work great. One thing which catches a lot of folks off guard is the "Tranquil Mode." What happens is this: you turn on the jets (high speed) and enjoy. Then when you touch the jet button one more time, the jets go off. As you would expect. But what happens next is the spa sits silently for ten minutes before the low speed and heat comes on, assuming it's needed, of course. You have a nice little tub.
  7. I think there is a HUGE difference between a US company adding a facility south of the border and a Chinese company designing and building tubs. And if you want to SEE that difference, look at any Chinese hot tub.
  8. If you put it directly on the deck it will mark it up. You will always see the place where the tub was. That's not a big deal if you plan on owning the tub for a long time: you may need to replace the deck before it becomes an issue.
  9. If the tub was made after 3rd Quarter '09, as outlined above - then the ACE system will not 'harm' the spa.
  10. Mainly so the filters don't vibrate loose during shipping/handling.
  11. If I could politely ask you to refrain from all caps - I was trying to sleep here! :lol: Photos would be nice - they are always helpful and interesting - and a short list of the other spas you have owned does go a long way toward establishing a bit of validity. Thanks!
  12. I delivered a Vanguard to one of the engineers who helped develop the LED system in question, and I ran into another one who works at Sloan as well. They both said the same thing as the Swine - keep water and moisture out. I have only had one spa with repetitive problems, and I finally used way too much silicone to close up the cupholder, lens plate, and even the harness itself. Seems to be fine now. HTH
  13. The only time I have EVER seen both of these go out at the same time is if somebody thought they were ground wires and cut them. Are you SURE you have two bad ones here? To test them, find the rating temp on the switch itself - usually around 120 degrees for the tub hi limit, and up to a max of 150 for the heater hi limit. Find out which is which, and gently put the probe into a cup of water slightly above that temperature - a coffee mug of tap water in the microwave oven and a good thermometer will be needed here. Just a couple of degrees over the rated temp should trip the switch. Let the cup sit with the probe in it for several minutes and it should cool off all by itself, to just below the temp rating. At that point, pull the probe out for a minute, and try the reset. Then put the probe back into the water and it should stay set. Most of them will not reset unless you let them cool off a bit first. If they reset and then trip right away, let it cool some more.
  14. I would just find the problem and fix it. These things are pretty simple, really. If you reach a point of frustration, consider paying a repair guy who has some experience with these things to look at it. For the price of a service call, or an hour of labor if you can take it to them, you will get a solution, and also learn a lot about your equipment.
  15. Far be it from me to argue with a Sith Lord! In fact, there is no way I could : you have the tub you have, and you have had the results you have had, and that's awesome! But I would like to point out that this brings up an important point I wish more people would consider: You are one person, and you have had good results with one spa. But there are enough folks out there who have had enough trouble with this particular brand and dealer system for the BBB to drop the boom as they have. I'm only saying that coming here and getting the thumbs up from one party, or even two or three, is no guarantee - Your Smileage May Vary!
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