Dan.The.Spa.Man

Wow, I got your pictures and crazy doesn't even begin to describe the wiring job. I wouldn't let the person who did it anywhere near the spa again. I sent you an email back.

Not to belittle your post but tell her that she has a better chance of being hit by a meteor than the chance that your hot tub will: 1. develop a leak 2. the water (maybe 500 gallons max) will make its way into the soil directly surrounding her plants 3. will contain enough bromine to contaminate and effectively kill her plants. I would tell her to get some medication and chill out. Wow...are some people really that whacked out? Seriously.

I have been able to get those relays in the past...let me check today. Set the meter for OHMS (upside down horseshoe) and put the leads on the black and white terminals from the heater while it is disconnected. Make sure you have tried the hi-limit reset on the side first. You should get a reading around 9.0 - 12.0 or something like that. If it reads OL then the heater is bad. Thanks for your help, I will check the heater and if it is dead I will probably just get a new pack (I heard they only used the heater I have for a year or two because it had problems) then I will have digital side controls anyway. I have been looking at the the Smart Touch 1000 with the 15 inch heater for 479. I am checking out the the balboa stuff too. 900 dollars for the control board and heater seems a bit rough but maybe the 479 spa pack replacement seems to good to be true. I think you would run into a bunch more problems trying to retro-fit a balboa pack into your HotSpring tub. Before you do that read my private message I just sent.

I have been able to get those relays in the past...let me check today. Set the meter for OHMS (upside down horseshoe) and put the leads on the black and white terminals from the heater while it is disconnected. Make sure you have tried the hi-limit reset on the side first. You should get a reading around 9.0 - 12.0 or something like that. If it reads OL then the heater is bad.

Is it just the wire that is fried in half? If so you can just buy some wire, put 2 flag terminals on it, and reconnect it to the relays. If the relay is cooked, you can just replace the relay itself. If the tub is a 1997, you should have an IQ 2000 control box, which has individual relays, not an entire 'relay board'. Even before you fix the wire/relay problem, you can test the heater for continuity with a meter to see if it's good.

Not true, you would be surprised by some of the places you can haggle at. I bought an LCD T.V. at Sears that was listed at $1700, on sale for $1399, for a price of $999 and I got them to throw in a 3 year warranty.

Tried it and still not working. It does seem like something has tripped. The pad is not responding at all. I will probably call a tech this week. If it's not the new pad style there's a terrific chance that the Aux pad may be bad. Does the pad have black raised buttons or is it a gray smooth surfaced pad?

The amp inside the motor compartment either has a reset button or may need to be turned off/on to be reset. Also, sometimes you need to initiate the transducers by using the inside auxillary pad on the hot tub. Try turning the volume up on that pad first.

I wouldn't encourage doing this no matter what type of pool you buy. Neither material will stand up very long as moisture would be trapped in and cause premature rusting (steel) and oxidization (aluminum). I'm not aware of any resin pool walls, only coping. Spend the excavation money on extra decking. My company will not install one like that and if someone backfills on their own the warranty will not cover any damage.

Is your spa 100% level? Covers are normally tapered from the seems out toward the edges to allow water runoff. If the tub is not level then the tapered cover may be counteracted by an unlevel tub causing rain water to pool up on the cover. If so it may be a case of the cover insert 'settling' in the middle which causes the corners to warp up. I've seen this happen many times. If the tub is level and you have a tapered cover then I don't know. Either way, you can unzip the vinyl, remove the insert, and flip it around.

Never said that this would upset me at all. It just puts a lot more tubs out there from stores that have no one to fix them, and there is no independent spa repair guys around the Northeast like there is in the South and on the West Coast...so that leaves me. Cheap tubs with poor warranties...that doesn't upset me whatsoever.

So now you like price fixing between dealers? I'm not sure if it's because they are corporate stores, pushed by corporate to do so or whether they are just getting together to fix the prices as a group but it seems to me that usually people prefer it when each store prices independently. I'd hate it if I got the idea that they were all getting together to stop me from being able to shop around to see who might have the best deal. You sure seem to think differently. I do think independantly as a consumer and don't like playing games with my money when it comes to paying thousands of dollars and hopeing I got a fair deal. This isn't the wild west or Las Vegas! Just honesty and integrity is what most people that puchase a spa want in the first place. I think most people would want to take a baseball bat to someone if they knew they paid a thousand dollars more then they should have just because they don't know hot to play the game! Why don't dealers just be fair and upfront? Is that to much to ask? Stop playing the "game". I would love to go into a dealer and know that the price is " fixed" as you say then I can either take it or leave it.... What a Idea! If the dealer can change his price on a spa and and not be fair and consistent then his integrity is in question as to the after the sale service and the treatment you will recieve. Different dealers have incredibly different costs to operate their independently owned stores. My boss has owned our pool and spa store for over 40 years and has no mortgage or debt. We also sell and make money on above ground pools, inground pools, saunas, chemicals, and the many parts and accessories associated with pools. Of course we can afford to sell spas less than a person who has been in business for 5 years and pays $5000/month in rent for a small strip mall store that just sells spas. Most people that shop for big ticket items have a preconceived notion that the item being purchased has some negotiation room in the price. Many dealers have a philosophy that they need to increase their product price in preparation for this. If I have a spa that I would sell for no less than $7000 and I advertise it for that amount, people who believe there is negotiation room will not buy it. If I advertise it for $9000 and then come down to $7000 this same person may be thrilled to buy it. One of the things that makes this country great is that people have the freedom to operate their business how they want. The ones who do a good job make it...the ones who operate deceptively and unfairly don't.

Probably would have thrown away an extra $5000 for it as well!

Not me..I wish...I'm in CT but I've seen some of the new stuff and heard about the different changes.

Everything looks cool but to me (a service guy) it just means more parts to stock!!!

No problem with the info. I'm up in CT...not incredibly far but not too close either.

Sounds like the culprit...good luck!

I have fixed tons of HotSpring tubs that were not winterized properly and froze as a result. Most of them end up being around $1000 to $1200 with the pickup, repair to plumbing, re-insulation, and redelivery. A few that were badly frozen (sat for a few years) ran up to $2000 or a little over but those ended up needing heaters and circulation pumps as well. I have an automotive lift and can repair them rather easily compared to what some of the smaller dealers may be able to do. Their labor may run considerably more time and money wise. I have recently sold some 2000, 2001 Sovereigns from $2500 to $3500 to give you an idea of what it is worth if fixed. Good luck!

Talk to them and explain where you are on this. If fixed properly (and it seems like they knew that it needed a full going over in the first place) there is no reason this spa can't work fine for another 12+ years (with reasonable maintenance issues here and there just like a car). I wish you had come here first because I'd have thought that having the dealer go over it and bring it back in working order for $800 is well worth it for a 5 year old spa. Many would rather pay $800 for a good 5 year old fixed spa at the dealer than $8k for a new one. I absolutely agree. I usually give people an estimate of $750 to $1500 to bring back to repair... When you bring it back you know it's fixed. You spent $300 and it didn't get fixed right and you are back to square one.

How fast does the spa leak on a daily or weekly basis? 1", 3", 6"? What area of the tub seems to have water around it in relation to the motor compartment? By chance is it anywhere near the corner with the ten small jets? Does it leak faster with the jets on?

What area do you live in? I could fix it for you or would buy it if you live anywhere near CT.

If the thermistors have been replaced I would next look towards the thermostat board which is located underneath that topside control panel.

If you have a multi-meter you can set it for voltage and put the leads onto the terminals where the white and black wires come into the control box (from the power cord). I would do it when the red 'heater on' light is on. Also turn the jets on and put the leads onto the black and white terminals that the jet pump wires go to. You should have at minimun 110v or preferably over. If you are getting less than 110v with just the circulation pump and heater working then you can do damage to the heater.

How much is it for the home-made heater and his work? I would just buy the No-Fault Titanium heater for around $275, put it in yourself, and most likely never have to worry about it again.