Jump to content

MaRiSpaTech

Members
  • Posts

    49
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Contact Methods

  • Website URL
    http://www.FourSeasonSpas.com
  • ICQ
    0

Profile Information

  • Gender
    Male
  • Location
    SE Mass
  • Interests
    Spa sales and service in MA and RI.
  • Gender
    Male

Recent Profile Visitors

4,630 profile views

MaRiSpaTech's Achievements

Junior Member

Junior Member (2/5)

0

Reputation

  1. I have encountered problems like this before and it ended up being the blower. There was no water in it, just worn out brushes in the motor. The worn brushes would sometimes cause the motor to "sputter". This would create electrical noise/EMI which would trip the GFI. It may run ok for a few moments before starting to act up. So each time the spa started a filter/purge cycle, it was a roll of the dice if the GFI would trip. If the spa has a blower, turn it on and listen for intermittent sputtering. Let it run for a while and see if the GFI trips. I discovered this problem after ruling out all other current leakage sources with my trusty Fluke meter. Also, I have found that the new Lang pumps have some leakage current to ground due to a large amount of capacitance between the case and power terminals (must be due to motor design). This can cause more sensitive GFI breakers to trip after changing the circ pump.
  2. I am also a Nordic dealer in MA. The Encore Premium is a great tub. Hopefully by "cheaper" you mean "less expensive" LOL. Your right about the parts being less expensive also. Nordic uses high quality, yet readily available components from major suppliers like Balboa and Waterway, so you don't need to worry about brand specific single source parts. I believe the Encore Premium also offers a superior warranty.
  3. The only one who will benefit from this is the APSP. They are lining their pockets with membership fees and now trying to force you to take their classes to make even more. How is this looking out for the industry and protecting customers? People should seriously look at this case before giving them another dime for membership. I'm in the same boat as n1oty, I have been servicing spas since 05, I have a degree in electronic engineering, I was part of a UL code making panel, and I have several patents for designing electrical safety devices. Now they are going to tell us that that we must take a 2.5 day class or we are not considered qualified to work on spas! Are you kidding me!
  4. I had this happen to me before on a customers spa. I replaced an old Lang pump with the new Lang E-10 circ pump, and then the GFI started tripping. There was a small amount of leakage current, which I measured to be several mA, returning to earth ground from the pump case. I tried another new pump with the same results. I believe the new E-10 pump motor has higher then normal internal capacitance. There was no measurable resistance between the power and bonding connections on the E-10, however I did measure a decent amount of capacitance.
  5. Another thing I realized and forgot to mention is that the discharge line should be above the water. Otherwise, when the pump is off water can be siphoned from above to below the tarp. The next return pipe setup I make (pump discharge thing that hangs on the side of spa) will use a "T" fitting on the inside bend rather then a 90. That way it will not be able to create a siphon even if the downpipe is under water. Also, I used 1.5" thread to barb unions to connect the hoses to the pump. This makes breaking down the setup very easy without dealing with pipe clamps every time you connect the hoses.
  6. Hi Folks, I wanted to share this method that I came up with for servicing spa equipment or plumbing without draining the tub. I believe my fellow spa techs will find this very usefull. This is not a product I'm selling, its just an idea that you can use to make your own setup. Please let me know what you think.
  7. Premium Leisure was once named Hydro Spa, before they filled for bankruptcy. I believe that Hotsprings/Watkins is more expensive then they should be, however they are light years ahead of the other choices for quality and efficiency. Ask the dealers to remove the cabinet panel so you can see the difference in construction and insulation for yourself. You may be surprised how different these spas look “under the hood”.
  8. I suggest you look into Nordic Hot Tubs. They make reliable, well constructed, and efficient spas at lower price points then similar models. I am a Nordic dealer and also service all brands of spas. I have a good deal of experience with one of the manufactures you mentioned. If you will be paying for electric, you will want something that runs efficiently. No matter what you are considering, look at it in person and inspect construction quality inside and out. Have them remove the cabinet access panel and look at how it is insulated and constructed. Compare different brands by actually looking "under the hood", not by marketing puffery. It will become quite clear what models are well constructed and insulated vs ones that use little more then tinfoil for insulation.
  9. Judging by the control panel among other things, these tubs are cheep Chinese crap. They are loaded with way too many small jets and obviously designed to look appealing without much thought for anything else. I’m sure that replacement parts will be impossible to find down the road. It would not surprise me at all if five years from now we hear about how these are spas are making people sick because of some toxic chemicals used in manufacturing. I would not buy until you could see the spa in person with cabinet panels removed. At the very least some photos of how they are constructed, pluming, pumps, controls, framing, and insulation. For six grand you can get a great spa from a reputable brand and dealer that has a track record you can confirm. Otherwise you taking a shot in the dark buying a product with no reviews or reputation. The seller has good ratings, However NONE of them are for selling a spa!
  10. I personally do not like the floating weir ring IF the spa does not have a 24hr circ pump attached to it. If the floating weir ring is used on a therapy pump which heats and filters on low speed, it can create a vortex with the pump running on high. If the water level is even slightly low, a vortex (whirlpool) can form over the weir and cause air to be sucked into the pump. This might not happen to all spas with the FWR, it will depend on the flow rate into the filter. However, if there is not much flow into the filter, the filtering efficiency will be reduced. If the spa does use a 24hr circ pump, I don't think the weir type matters at all.
  11. I have been selling covers from Roberts Hot Tubs (RHTUBS) for years and they are excelent. I chose them because they have a thicker vapor barrier then most and overall great construction. The 6" extreme cover is what I have on my own spa. When I sell a cover, I feel confident that my customers will be happy for years to come.
  12. Hi Tim, I’m a Three Rivers dealer. I have been very pleased with them and think they are a great value. They offer very good construction quality and they stand behind their product. If you have any specific questions, I will be happy to answer them. One of my customers almost bought from Direct Buy before finding me. IMO Direct Buy is not all that cheep for many things. Have you been with DB a long time? Would you sign up with them again? My sister almost signed up with them. Their approach to marketing a “buyers club” (or whatever) seems very scary.
  13. Where are you at? I am in Northern Minnesota so if your close enough. I have built a couple. Roger, What did you use to build your own dollys? I have built one out of wood that has worked great. I'm currently working on a new one made with 1 3/4" square tube, 1/8 thick. After I purchased the steel I realized that it might not be strong enough and needs additional pieces down the full length (my original design was just a rectangle). I have also made a very simple jack type device that can lower a spa off of it's side (like the spa wedge). Great when you have a large spa and one or two people to lower it.
  14. Have you tried to get your dealer involved to help you out? Any tub can have issues, but your dealer should be taking up the slack.
  15. Take a look at the 920 made by Three Rivers Spas. It has a double his and hers lounger with different depths at each end. It is essentially a double wide lounger with the backrests facing each other, so it does not consume as much seating area as two separate loungers. Sounds just like what you are looking for.
×
×
  • Create New...