louislinus

4 years ago we bought a used Leisure Bay Topanga from a reputable local hot tub store. The owner is an acquaintance of mine. They fully refurbished the hot tub and we were very happy with it until last spring when the pumps stopped working. I had them come out and replace one of the pumps to the tune of $900. Both pumps were bad but I didn’t want to pay for the second one at the time and they said that was fine. Then 2 months later in June the heater went out. They said I needed a whole new control panel and it would be $1200. I said fine do it. However because of Covid they couldn’t find the part for months. Finally in December they found the part and it took another 6 weeks to get to them. Got the hot tub back up and running in mid February. Turns out everything went south on the hot tub because a hair band and a plastic chlorine scoop got into the filter and mucked it all up. In fact when he replaced the control panel and removed the offending items the second pump that was supposedly broken started working. So I replaced a pump for nothing. Regardless, we are thrilled to have our hot tub back in working order but our tub did not come with the filter basket that would have prevented this situation. I have 3 kids and we use the hot tub several times a week. Something like this will surely happen again if I don’t find a filter basket. Leisure Bay is out of business and the place I bought the tub from hasn’t had any luck finding anything. I have scoured the Internet but am not really sure what exactly I’m looking for. Is there a “standard” or “universal” type basket that might work? I’ve added some pics for reference. Hoping someone has an answer. Thanks in advance.

Our hot tub keeps tripping the breaker. I am not sure the model (Tonga I think). We bought it used 2.5/3 years ago from a dealer for $5,000. I had the spa guy come out from the place we bought it and he said it needed a new pump. He also said the other pump needed replaced but that he could disconnect that pump and it would be fine to just use the one pump. New pump to the tune of $730. 3 days later the breaker is tripping again. They come back out. This guy (same company different person) first says that he thinks we need a new heating element - which I’m none too pleased about. He then says “nope not the heating element. The previous repair person didn’t disconnect that 2nd pump.” Ok fine. He disconnects the 2nd pump and I think all is fine. That was on Wednesday. Today we go to use the hot tub for the first time in a month. In it 15 mins and the breaker trips AGAIN. What is going on??? Also our cover has already failed. What do you think?

Just changed our water and here's what I've got: PH - 7.4 Bromine - 9 TA - 90 CH - 50!! Eek!! How do you increase CH?

We had to have a new motor put in our hot tub this week. DH cleaned and filled the tub and turned on the heater - before we balanced the water and added chemicals. Can I balance the water now that it's already hot? Or do I need to cool it down first?

Thanks so much!

Thanks Waterbear for all your help. The pool has been without people for 40 hours. The following results were taken from the Taylor test kit. PH - 7.8 TA - 80 CH - 50 Bromine - none I used 6 dippers and it still didn't turn pink. I have a floater in there and the tabs are dissolving. What to do? I *really* don't want to drain and start over

ah! So the vinegar is why I'm having issues with bromine. I am no chemist that's for sure. So what should I do to get the bromine back up? Can I add another starter?

But it worked! Seriously if you google spa and lower ph or spa and vinegar you'll get pages of hits.

Please post a full set of test results taken at least 24 hours after the last use of the tub, particuarly if you shocked the tub after using, which should not be necessary every time. Also, please list ALL the chemicals (purchased and household) that you have put in the water, including brand and name (and ingredients if on the label). Thanks for all your help! It is really invaluable. I haven't been able to get my family out of the tub this weekend but I'll try to keep everyone out tomorrow so I can get readings. Here's my list of ingredients (sorry I don't have the brand names). - bromine starter specifically for spas from Litehouse pool store pool - bromine tabs mini - white vinegar (maybe 2 cups) - baking soda (approx 2 tablespoons) - bleach 6%

We have a new to us hot tub and I'm having a lot of trouble getting the chemistry right. We did the decontamination method spelled out here which went fine. I filled the spa up on Sunday and went through all of the steps for the 3 step bromine process. I have two major issues. 1) I can't get the spa to "hold" bromine. I used a bromine starter so there would be an instant reserve and I have a floater with tabs in the spa. I have also been shocking the spa after every use with bleach. Right after I shock it I will get a reading of around 5 or 6 but otherwise it is usually just a little over 1ppm. I think the bromine should be higher. no? I am using the Taylor test kit and when I test the bromine I use the 10 ml = 1.25 ppm method. The water just barely turns pink and when I put one drop of the next stuff in it goes colorless right away. What's going on? How do I increase my bromine levels at this point? The water is clear and seems fine and we've used almost everyday since it was filled so about 5 out of the last 6 days. 2) I keep reading that most people have ph creep but I have the opposite problem! I can't keep the ph up. When I first filled the pool the ph was very high (like off the chart) so I added vinegar and the ph went very low. Since then I have been able to get the ph up with baking soda (my ta was also low so it seemed like baking soda was a good solution to bring up both ph and ta) but it never "sticks." The ph will be at 7.4-7.6 for a few hours and then it drops again to 7 or below. Will washing soda help the ph stay high? What else can I do? Since the baking soda the ta has remained stable around 70-80. 3) Lastly (this isn't a water question but more of an operations question), the spa we received (it was FREE! like a free puppy lol) is by Advanced Spa Designs which I now know is LA Spas. The innards however are by Pinnacle. After talking with LA Spas and sending them photos it appears that guts were replaced at some point by this Pinnacle off brand. The spa just has several air buttons, none of which work, and a light that doesn't work. There isn't a temperature gauge so I bought a floating thermometer which seems to be doing the job. However, the hot tub is constantly on. There is always movement and the jets are always blowing some. When you turn the blower dial the jets increase but even when it's screwed all the way down they are still going a little. I thought that the spa would cycle and wouldn't need to be on all the time. There is a dial on the front that I can't make heads or tails of. - Is it normal for the spa to always be running? - How do you fix the air buttons? I can't imagine how to get inside to check the hoses. - How do you fix the light? Same as above - how the heck do you get to it to replace the bulb? - I was told that once I found the right filter and installed it that it would probably make the cycling work but it hasn't. Thanks in advance for all your help!

I'll try to post pics tonight. I'm pretty sure the switches are broken. How do I access the switches to see what I need? I'm guessing I need to access from the outside of the tub as there doesn't seem to be anyway to remove the plate the switches are set into. Grr. The is frustrating. I just want to hop in my tub!

Hi all - Thanks for all the great posts here and advice. It has been very helpful with setting up our new (to us) tub. We were given a free tub (as mother in law says, "like giving someone a 'free' puppy" ). I don't have much history on the tub and am having a tough time figuring out how to work it. It is an Advanced Spa Designs, but the heater is Pinnacle. It seems to work. I am decontaminating it now. There is no display on this tub so I have no way of knowing what temp it is, guess I'll have to buy a thermometer. There are several white buttons that you push. Two of them are together and one of them is by its lonesome in a corner. There is a dial that you turn that turns on the jets. The jets turn on and off and the water is circulating, but the white buttons do nothing. And the light doesn't seem to work. I can get the jets to turn off but not the circulating/bubbling. And I can't find out what model this is to search for a manual online. Any thoughts? Thanks in advance.