limulus

What a coincidence, I have the same board number in my cedar spa. It has also developed a problem. It runs through the purge cycle and and as soon as the heater tries to turn on, the breaker trips. Everything else works. I've replaced the heater and it still happens. when I disconnect the heater, the problem goes away My board:

Hello all. I have not posted here in a couple of years. I have a 4yr old Callaway cedar hot tub that is not working. During the recession, Callaway went out of business so I don't have direct access to any tech support. My tub has a 2-spd pump, a blower, lights and an ionizer. When I start the tub, it runs through a 30-sec purge and then starts a 2hr filtering cycle. Since the water is cold, the temp sensor tries to turn on the heater. As soon as it clicks, the main breaker trips. I disconnected the heater from the control and this stops. So I replaced the heater but it still trips the breaker until I disconnect that heater. Today, I had a spa technician come to look at it. He checked quite a few things and could not determine why this is happening. He said it could be the board. I can tell you this: when the relay clicks, there is a bright spark and a puff of smoke at the terminal where the heater connects to the controls. Again, when disconnected, that does not happen. Does anyone have an idea what I should look for? I was looking at Balboa controls and the VS501 retrofit sounds a lot like my panel. It controls a 2-spd pump, a blower, lights and an ionizer. Is there a place on any of the circuit boards that I could find a number to id this thing?

Hi, I just bought a new 5.5 element for my 3yr old tub. Whenever my thermostat would signal the heater to come on, the breaker would trip. My questions: 1. Can the element touch the inside of the tube? One end is touching. 2. There was a wire that I think is associated with a pressure switch that screws into the tube. I don't remember where it was connected. The wire is below and has a flat connector or terminal on the end. I remember it fell out when I removed something.

Greg, I don't come on here much these days, but I used the tub last night and thought I would pop onto the forum for a quick look. I can vouch for N2 if you follow the directions. I am in my second season of using Nature 2. You still have to use dichlor...just at a lower concentration. If you follow the manual and balance your water first, then shock with diclhor, not trichlor, then add the N2 cart, you'll have pretty good results. You will also have to add MPS as Richard said. The MPS basically frees up the chorine so it can work again. You should probably read up on free chlorine vs combined chlorine. Last season, I started out using the dichlor-only method that Richard mentioned instead of MPS. It worked, but my CYA went up too quickly and I had issues with pH. Now, I add 3tbs dichlor about every 14-20 days (our tub is 500gal). One more thing in regard to N2 cartridges: they are expensive, but if you look on certain auction type sites, you can find them in multi packs for a lot less per unit. I also change mine every three months, not four. I have test strips a Taylor chemical kit a pH meter and even a TDS meter. You should definitely get a good kit like the Taylor. For daily use, I use the strips and the pH meter. For weekly testing, I use the Taylor kit. If the tub has been used a lot, I'll use the Taylor kit especially for pH. If you decide not to use the N2 carts, just do what chem geek and Nitro have written. I've only been here a year, but I read a lot of posts and those guys have educated a lot of people.

I'm not sure about cleaning it. I treated ours with Tung Oil last year and other than a little fading, it still looks really good. I'm going to treat it again this weekend. I guess it depends on what kind of cleaning it needs. Regular dirt: probably a mild soap and water solution. Mildew: Maybe a diluted bleach solution?

I'm with you on the B word. I have a custom home cinema in my basement and I would never allow anything from the B company in there for movies and especially not music. I don't think they are too expensive, but definitely too much for what you get if you like to enjoy your music. However, for outside speakers, I think they are probably fine. Based on the experiences of those who already mentioned them, they seem to last in harsh climes. I have a set of JBL S36AWII speakers for outside use. They are quite nice 3-way speakers meant to be mounted horizontally. http://www.jbl.com/home/products/product_d...IWO&ser=OUT They are a little large: In Horizontal Configuration: 10-1/4" x 14-5/8" x 5" (260mm x 371mm x 127mm) The Polks are probably a nice speaker.

I've kept the tub full all summer with the heat turned down. Every two weeks I've shocked and made necessary chemistry adjustments. The temps are going into the 40s later this week here in the Atlanta area, so it's time drain, clean and refill! My sore back is excited.

We keep it at a max of 101F in winter. I have it on 99F now. Stuart A, I could never tolerate it at 40C (104F). Sometimes, 101F is too much for me. I'll probably turn it down to 70F and just let the normal summer heat take care of the rest. I'm sure it will stay above 80F all summer long. I may just keep it in the 90s.

So, this is our first year using the tub in spring/summer. I think I may turn the heat down as low as it will go but keep the filter cycles running. Does anyone use their tub as a cool tub instead of a hot tub in the warm months?

I also considered one of the drop in salt based chlorine generators. I considered the spa pilot and the colorchlor and/or technichlor. The spa pilot brand has little pouches of chemicals that you buy and the color/technichlor use items from your local grocery store. The downside to the latter is there is no stabilizer (CYA). The plus side is you can buy the chemicals at your local grocer. I was leaning toward the color/technichlor and would have probably just added dichlor in the beginning to get some cya in the water. I don't know if that would have worked or not. My current Nature 2 and an electronic ionizer are working well for me at a very low 0.5-1.0 ppm chlorine level and I'll probably just continue along that path.

I don't know the answer to that. I use Nature 2 and I ran out of MPS strips a week or so ago. I started using chlorine test strips and/or my Taylor kit to test for free chlorine (FC). After I use MPS, I am able to detect FC, so I've been in no hurry to buy more MPS strips. Those MPS strips never made since to me anyway because MPS dissipates pretty quickly. The whole idea is to oxydize and restore FC so that is what I'm looking for.

Thanks Richard. The MPS I currently have is SeaKlear. I added some soda ash last night and this morning, the pH was >8. After I get it down to an acceptable level, I'll take the TA approach by adding baking soda.

I've been using Nature 2 for about 6 months and always used the dichlor method with no MPS. Last week, I refilled the tub and started using the MPS recipe. I had the TA and Ph adjusted to 80 and 7.4. However, after being away for five days, I came home and found the pH below 7 and the TA was around 30. Does MPS have something to do with that change? Should I add one of those products that locks in ph/alk or borates?

I have also been draining every two months with N2 and continue to use the same cartridge (for 2 water changes). You do need to shock the new water after you balance it. If your tub does not have a lot of people using it, I think you can treat is as usual after your last use and not worry about it while on vacation. When you return, check the balance and add dichlor or MPS (depending on the N2 recipe you use). That is what I've done and it worked well. I've been using the dichlor only recipe only and no MPS. I add 3 tbs for the initial shock and then 2 tsp after each use. This time, I'm going to try the MPS recipe.

I'm a spa owner and I've used N2 since Oct. I'm doing a water change at this very moment and will be adding a new N2 cartridge. I change my water every 2-3 months. I have been using the N2 chlorine recipe instead of N2 and MPS. This time, I'm going to try the traditional N2 recipe using MPS (after shocking w/dichlor to 10ppm of course).

A while back, someone gave me a link for replacement reagents at really good prices. I've lost the link and I'm getting low on some. If anyone has a good source, I'd appreciate it.

No, I don't think they are a ripoff. They do cost you more overall, but I don't mind that. I use N2 in an all cedar tub along with an electronic ionizer that came with the tub. You have to add initial dichlor before you use the N2 cart and then maintain it with MPS or dichlor. I've been using 2 tsp of dichlor after each use but that gets the cya up. It was in the 60s this weekend and I changed our water yesterday. I'm either going to use the MPS method this time or switch to 6% bleach after I get my cya level to around 30. I have been very successful using N2 and keeping my chlorine around 0.5 PPM and I just feel better using a little dichlor after each use. For that reason, I'll probably start using bleach after a few uses and not dichlor.

We've only used ours in the rain. When not in use, it's closed. The crank mechanism was my main concern when I ordered it but it has been excellent. It's only about 3-4 months old but so far so good. I figure if it lasts two years, I got a steal. Also the burgundy color on ours has held up and it's a very nice color. As I posted last night, you must get a weighted base that fills with water or some nice heavy stepping stones for support. That's going to be required for any of these offset umbrellas. It's also 10ft in diameter and that can catch a lot of wind. The umbrella itself will pivot but still a brisk wind can do some damage...keep it closed when not in use.

I think this is the seller we got ours from. Ours is burgundy, but I think it's the same as this one. I think we paid $75 for ours. http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-DELUXE-NATURAL-10-...%3A1%7C294%3A50

I was notified that you left a note in my comments section. Yes, we still have ours and it looks like new. If I get into the tub tonight I'll be using it. It is very large but easy to operate. These umbrellas do have a T shaped stand that is designed to be held stable by using some large tiles or heavy stepping stones. Also, you could get one of these: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detai...ER&v=glance You will definitely need something for the base or the wind will blow it over.

The idea behind silver ion cartridges and ozone is to lower the amount of halogen sanitizer (chlorine or bromine). I use a Nature 2 cartridge which is also a silver ion cartridge and an electronic ionizer. That allows me to maintain a sanitized tub with only 0.5 ppm chlorine. Of course all the other water balance specifications (pH, hardness, TA) still apply.

I'm on the north side of Atlanta and it's 18F outside at 11:45pm. The forecast has the temp going down to as low as 4F by tomorrow morning. My heat is set for 100 and it came on at 10:05 and ran for approx 40min and it just came on again at 11:45. This is an all cedar tub. I have a 1/8" closed cell foam floating blanket and two 1/8 bubble type floating blankets and then the cover. The wood holds in the heat quite well. The outside of the wood is always cool, never warm. I need to add some water since there is six inches between the water level and the top of the tub. I think that air gap could be a source of heat loss. I also had one of the air intakes open. I'm sure that infusion of sub 20 degree air wasn't helping

Sounds like Nature 2 and MPS to me. It does work if you follow the recipe in the manual. I've been using it with dichlor instead of MPS. However, my CYA stabilizer is getting too high from using dichlor. I'm either going to switch to MPS or bleach until I change the water next month. I think this system works even better if you have ozone.

One of the chemistry experts will come along soon and knock this one out of the park. But if you want to do some reading and you're after simplicity, maybe something like the Frog system with a bromine floater would be the way to go.

We've had our tub running since Oct and I just keep it set at 100F. The filter cycle is set to twice per day for 2hrs. It powers on and off throughout the day when the temp drops to 98 and runs about 30min (5.5kw heat). So far our power bill has not shown any dramatic increase. I just wonder if the meter is actually being read every month.