acritzer

Sounds like a pump seal to me. Not sure what the bolt is but the plastic may be part of the deteriorated seal. Seperate the pump from the motor and the pump seal is the part that the motor shaft goes through, the impellor will have to be removed from the shaft. Split the pump and then remove the impellor, then remove the other half of the pump. The seal should be 2 peices one that sets into the pump housing and another that goes on the shaft. There are several styles of seals and once you have it removed make sure to bring your pump model and the old seal with you for replacement. If you have never done this and don't think you can handle it bring the entire pump and motor with you. If you have never taken a pump out you may want to hire a qualified tech to do the entire job. I carry several seals with me and the job is usualy just over an hour. But if your handy it is not that difficult depending on your ability. Use the proper lube for reassembly to ensure a good seal on the new seal. Sounds like that could be the problem. I hate to ask, but I imagine I'm going to have to drain the tub to do this right? I just replaced the spa pack and would hate to have to drain and fill yet another time.

Okay, spa guys. I have a 2 speed pump that leaks when it's on high speed. The leaking is not coming from any of the hoses, but rather from what appears to be the bolt that spins from the motor. Advice? I see a small plastic piece that is attached to the bolt...it just kind of rattles around. Should I investigate replacing this bolt piece? What other kind of parts might be involved in this situation?

Yes, I'm sure that the element was the correct one, and that it was installed correctly. I'm positive the tub is not in sleep mode or economy mode. Maybe I'll investigate a tech support number. Thanks. I would start jumping sensors. Ummm, what does that mean? Do I need some special equipment? What about just picking this up: http://www.aqua-man.com/subdetails.asp?product_num=4978 Seems like if I end up calling a technician I'll end up close to that in labor + replacement parts. Advice?

Yes, I'm sure that the element was the correct one, and that it was installed correctly. I'm positive the tub is not in sleep mode or economy mode. Maybe I'll investigate a tech support number. Thanks. I would start jumping sensors. Ummm, what does that mean? Do I need some special equipment?

Yes, I'm sure that the element was the correct one, and that it was installed correctly. I'm positive the tub is not in sleep mode or economy mode. Maybe I'll investigate a tech support number. Thanks.

Yes more information woud be helpfull, what type of spa (so we know what type of equipment system) how old? Hey guys. Sorry for being vague. I have a balboa M7 pack. If you look at this link. http://spapartssupply.com/pdf/balboa/Balboa60hz_eng_m7.pdf Mine is the SUV model. After reading a bit of that manual, it sounds like it might be a problem with the sensors. The shimmering on start up seems to indicate a problem in the temp difference between the two sensors. If this sounds right, anyway to tell which of the sensors is bad? I'm confident that it's not a flow problem, because there is plenty of water moving through the jets. Ideas? Anybody? Out of desperation I actually started pricing a new pack. 450ish. I'd love to find an easier solution.

Yes more information woud be helpfull, what type of spa (so we know what type of equipment system) how old? Hey guys. Sorry for being vague. I have a balboa M7 pack. If you look at this link. http://spapartssupply.com/pdf/balboa/Balboa60hz_eng_m7.pdf Mine is the SUV model. After reading a bit of that manual, it sounds like it might be a problem with the sensors. The shimmering on start up seems to indicate a problem in the temp difference between the two sensors. If this sounds right, anyway to tell which of the sensors is bad? I'm confident that it's not a flow problem, because there is plenty of water moving through the jets. Ideas?

Here's a little more info if anyone has ideas. When I switch power back on, there was an audible click in the control box...during this time the heat light was flashing (maybe indicating that it was heating) But then perhaps a minute later it clicked again and the light was on, but not flashing. Should I take a risk and order a replacement temp. sensor? Much cheaper than calling someone to look at it, but of course that might not be the problem. I'm just confused why the new heating element seemed to work fine initially, but now after a week or two it's busted again.

I don't think I have a pressure switch, at least not from the descriptions I've read of them. Where might the temp sensor be? Are they the probes that are in the front and back of the heater housing? Can those be tested/or replaced? Thanks for whatever you can offer.

Looking for some more advice. I recently replaced my heater element because I assumed it was bad. I wasn't getting any heat. So, everything goes fine and I start it up...sure enough it starts working fine. I was thrilled. 30 bucks and an hour of work. Now it's been about a week and I just checked the tub (hoping to get in tonight)....it's been stuck at 81 for 2 hours. Did my element just go bad again? Is there somekind of reset switch? Is a different part of the tub malfunctioning? What kind of problem would cause this? Help, please!

The tub is around 5 years old. I do not get any fault codes. The flow problem was simply that I hadn't check it for a while and the evaporation left the water level slightly below the filter level....not exactly sure how long it was like that. Maybe 1 or 2 filter cycles. It's been fixed.

Post back what kind of a balboa pack you have. It may be a flow problem (check filters) or check the pressure switch. If it's not the pressure switch, it might be the heater element. You can simply check for voltage across the heater elements terminals. Often with balboa packs, the heater is a flow-through heater and the heater elements terminals are on the top side of the long cylindrical tube. The two terminals are posts that get their voltage from the board in the control pack. Be very careful checking for voltage. Power must be applied to the tub when checking for voltage. If you're not comfortable with a multimeter or checking voltages, don't attempt this. If you have voltage, but the tub isn't heating, your heating element is most probably bad. A tub won't send voltage to the element if the pressure switch doesn't detect flow. The next step is to disconnect the heating element from the terminals. Make sure you've turned off power to the tub. Using a multimeter, check the resistance across the two terminals. A reading of 9-12 ohms is normal. A bad heating element will often show infinite resistance. Regards, Ken Okay, got some follow up questions for you. First off, thanks for the response! I've been checking anxiously. My pack is an M7 I think. My heater is exactly like you described, bolts on top of a tube etc. Where is this pressure switch? How do I check it? I did have a low amount of water in it a little while ago. Could this have flipped this pressure switch? I've since filled back up to a good level, but the heat has not come back on....does the switch need to be manually reset if it's been tripped? Can I get a meter from the local hardware store? What should I look for? Multimeter? Thanks again.

Hello everyone. I'm hoping the vast knowledge base of the www will be able to help me. I have an off brand tub, with Balboa control board and heater. It has recently stopped heating. Without knowing anything about tubs myself, I'm guessing it's the heating element. Everything else appears to be functioning as normal. Could anyone give me a few steps to follow to double check this diagnosis? Test the heater for electricity? (What do I need and how do I do it?) If it is indeed the element, how do I know what kind to buy to replace it? Is replacing the element something that might be accomplished by a novice? Thank you.