Recoil Rob
-
Posts
22 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Posts posted by Recoil Rob
-
-
I have a customer whose old tub I serviced for years. Last summer he bought a new tub on the internet and then sold his house about 3 months ago. The new owners called and said the tub wasn't working. I showed up and all we can see is that it says "ISLAND LUXURY" on the skimmer cover and "SPA KING" on the manual. No contact info, no address. Turns out the spa was imported from China, no parts available as far as I can tell and no idea what the error code means so they are out of luck.
-
Sometimes you can blow them out and stop the chatter. They get dirt in the points and that causes them to chatter.
Hi limits have no resistence when not tripped. When they trip there is resistance to reset them.
First off-Thanks to those of you who share knowledge on this forum, it has been a huge help getting off the ground with our first spa.
Now for the problem...
We bought a used spa, an older L.A. Spas "Nice" model. The switching is pneumatic. Today, I had my electrician out and we wired everything up. The good news is, the jets, blower, and light all seems to be functioning properly, as are the switches that control them. The bad, is that there is an awful noise that I hear coming from the controller both when I turn off the blower, and when I turn down the themostat. Some poking around has me thinking that it is the contactors "chattering", making a noise kinda like a clothes dryer buzzing at the end of cycle.
My first thought is to replace the contactors. Does that seem like the thing to do?
Beyond that, I am concerned that the high limit switch might be wonky (I don't feel any resistance when I push or pull on it), and the timer looks pretty faded, but may work fine. I haven't wanted to leave the system on long enough to know if I'm getting heat, we live in an urban area and I don't want to bum our *very* nearby neighbors out with the contactor noise.
I'm pretty confident I can replace any bad parts pretty easily. I have rebuilt mixing boards, tube amplifiers and can do some car repair, so what I'm seeing in the tub's guts isn't terribly frightening. Still, I wonder if it would make sense to replace the guts wholesale, and not be stuck with another ongoing project. Any thoughts?
Any help is greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
Ryan
Definetly sounds like bad contactors to me... Easy to replace, just make sure you get the right coil voltage.
-
Dead spot in the windings, that will do it. Intermittent problems are tough to diagnose. Glad you got it worked out, sometimes it takes the extra time.
For all who have been following this thread, I want you to know that I have solved my spa problem. After much checking and analyzing the problem, it occurred to me that the problem was in the heater. But, the heater wa not the problem. Nor were the sensors. And the mother board wasn't the culprit either. It was the pump motor.Here is what I deduced the problem to be. when the spa was turned on, and then went through its heating and filtering cycle, the spa would go into its normal idle phase. When the water cooled down enough, the spa was supposed to turn on to reheat the pool back to the set water temperature. It did all of that. Now for the problem. The spa would turn the heater on, but the pump motor would not always turn on as well. Some times the pump would turn on and sometimes it wouldn't. It was a sporadic thing. I found this out by patiently sitting by the spa while it did its thing.
The failure of the pump to start, created a situation where the water in the heater would begin to heat up, but without the pump running the water would not circulate through the heater and so the sensors would pick up the problem and shut down the spa. So the sensors were performing as they should. What I found was by watching the top side control readout, as the spa would go through its start up cycle, I noticed that when the cycle left the "pr" time and entered the " = =" time, the pump was supposed to start. If it did, everything was fine. When the pump didn't start, I was able to hear a humming coming from the pump motor. Once I realized what was happening, I gave the pump motor a hit with the heel of my hand and the pump would start. After replaying this scenario several times over, I was convinced that the totality of my problem was with pump motor and pump. I replaced them as a unit and the spa has been working just fine ever since. Case closed.
I want to thank all who participated in this thread with suggestion and advice. You're a great bunch.
Don K.
-
Thanks for the info....
How long of a job is this? Guess i am worried bcause it is winter here and i am worried about freezing. Where would a guy order a seal from. Is there a step by step for this somewhere?
Sorry for all the questions and i really appreciate all your help
Depending on the tub I can do a seal in about an hour (my minumum) I always pull the pump and do it on the bench or picinic table or the customer pulls the pump and I do it at home. Your local dealer should have a seal and instructions for it's installation are in the box.
Take the pump out and bring it to your local dealer, call him first to make sure he has a seal and when would be a good time. Power down tub, close slice valves, dissconnect wires, loosen unions and unscrew pump adaptor nuts. Then unbolt pump from base.
Actually, worst case scenario is you may have to replace the motor. The bearings may be shot or, like I had last month, a motor shaft was so corroded onto the impeller that the threaded part of the shaft broke off.
That white plastic piece on the shaft is looks like the water slinger on a Waterways pump. Might be $250-500 for a complete pump depending on model and size (is it a two speed pump?) If you have freeze concerns you may want to get a new pump/motor assy. and swap it out completely and then rebuild the old one for a spare.
-
With the heater disconnected and the sensors (my system has two) still connected, the spa starts up normally and goes into the pump cycle just fine. However, because the heater has been turned off, and the sensors are still engaged, the spa will not shut itself down. The reason being, I suspect, is that the sensors are telling the system that the heater is still trying to heat the water and therefore the pump must keep running. The heater light on the topside control panel remains on.
Don K.
I'm not sure where you live but if you are in a warm climate can you adjust the temperature set point down below the ambient water temp (say, 60˚) so the sensors will read that and shut the spa down?
Perhaps fill the tub with hot water from the house to get the water temp. high enough to do the same?
I'm not familiar with your spa but on a lot of spas you can even take the temp sensor out of it's socket and put it in a container of warm water.
You just need to get the the temp sensor to read that the water temp has reached the set point and shut the spa down with the heater disconnected. If the problem persists then it's the board.
-
Just an update on my customers spa that had the same problem. I disconnected the heater and ozone and it ran fine, reconnecting the ozone brought back the problem. Finally, yesterday everything was reconnected, heater & old sensors, but the ozone was left off and the spa is now heating normally.
So it turns out the ozonator was the culprit, backfeeding a signal to the board. A cheap fix that took a lot of trial & error.
Great work Bob. I wish I had you out here to help me solve my problem. I've looked, and I can find no ozonator in my system. It would appear that my model, the Freeflow Passport with the Free20 Pack SUV M7 system didn't come with an ozonator. The ozonator, according to the advertising specs put out by Freeflow, is supposed to be included in my system, but I can find no evidence of it every being installed. Unless, however, that the enlightened folk at Freeflow had somehow installed the ozonator in such a way as to leave no tracks should it ever be removed. FreeFlow Spas ----- what a joke, and what a PITA!
But!!!!, There is a "socket" marked "Ozone" on the motherboard. So my question is: could it be, in my case, that the missing ozonater might be the problem? That sounds rather remote, but until I can find the culprit that is causing my problem, everything will remain fair game.
I will disconnect the heater to see what that does for me and let you know the results.
Thanks much
Don K.
Don,
The problem will only occur with a defective ozonator, if there is no ozonator than it's a moot point. MOst Balboa pacs have the ozonator plugged in to a socket on the bottom exterior of the control box. If the socket marked ozonator is empty, nothing plugged in to it, than I would try the heater before buying a board. Turn the power off, disconnect the heater at the elements, make sure the leads are taped off so they cannot contact anything and then power the spa up again. If you still have the problem than I would imagine it's the board.
Rob
-
I would also bump up the pH a little.
If your pH drifts that much in a week, sure. With 50ppm borates, my pH moves very slowly.
--paulr
Water chemistry should be the least of your worries.
If there is any possibility of freezing temps, unless someone is going to check your spa every day for you to make sure it's still running, it would be foolish to leave it filled. GFI's can trip for a multitude of reasons and if your tub shuts down while you're gone and no one is there to reset it you are leaving yourself open to freeze damage.
In fact, here in NY, I tell my customers who want to use the spa year round that during the colder months they must check it everyday to see if it's still running. After 21 years I can't begin to tell you how many times I get a call from someone in Feb. saying they hadn't used the spa for 2 weeks and now it's frozen solid. Or a call in April saying they thought the tub was running all winter but now it's empty. Freeze damage because no one was watching, the GFI tripped or something else went wrong and the spa froze.
Your spa, your money, your call, but unless you have someone to monitor it, winterize it.
-
Bob,
The only things that are electrically connected to my board are the two sensors, the heater element, the motor, the spa light, the topside control panel,and of course the main power line. To run the test you suggested, regarding disconnecting the heater elements, just how do you suggest I go about it. Doing something like that with the main power still in the board box does not sound very attractive to me at all. But, if I cut the main power and then disconnect the heater I will be right back to square one with the spa going into it's prime mode but without heating the water back up to the set temp. Hmmmmm.
Don K.
You don't know that you'll be back at square one.
That's the idea behind disconnecting the heater ( and only work on the electrics with the power disconnected), if upon power up the tub is acting normally then the heater is the culprit, if you still have the problem then something else is causing the problem.
This is how trial and error works, takes time but cheaper than than the "shotgun" approach of blindly replacing parts.
-
Just an update on my customers spa that had the same problem. I disconnected the heater and ozone and it ran fine, reconnecting the ozone brought back the problem. Finally, yesterday everything was reconnected, heater & old sensors, but the ozone was left off and the spa is now heating normally.
So it turns out the ozonator was the culprit, backfeeding a signal to the board. A cheap fix that took a lot of trial & error.
-
OK, that's more concise. And very timely, I have a customer that is having a similar problem, his spa goes from 71 to 79 then to OH in about 4 minutes.. I was in contact with Balboa yesterday as I have tried changing his sensors and we still have the problem.
Balboa's tech support said that they have seen this type of problem caused by the ozonator or the heating element backfeeding to the circuit board. I am going back there today or tomorrow to try Balboa's suggestions of unplugging the ozonator and disconnecting the heater leads at the element to try and isolate which piece of equipment it is. If neither of those work then, they say, it's the board.
Try unplugging your OZ first and see if that rectifies the problem, if not try the element. Neither of those? Then they say it's the board.
Good luck.
BTW, what is the chip # on the board you're looking for?
I found the service manual. Since the sensors were both replaced (you replace both, right? Not just one?), unless you have bad luck and ended up with a faulty sensor, it says replace the board.Just take Recoil Rob's suggestions to make sure it's not a legitimate Overheat error.
The 52532 board is 2003 and older. Time flies! The 53335 has a dip switch setting for the configuration of your top side OR the old one. Beats me why you can't get that board. It sounds like you're stuck with getting it from the dealer.
Balboa used to accept boards in for repair for $125. It took 4 weeks though.
Lori
In response to Recoil Bob:
Let me try this again.
The main power to the spa is turned on.
The spa will start to go through the "prime" mode then it will check the water temp using, I'm sure, the two sensors in the heater, then turn on the heater, and then the motor will start the pump to begin the 4 hour circulation phase. The heater will turn off when the water temp has reached the preset temp which has been set using the topside control.
Once the pump has started, the "jet" button on the topside control can be used to activate the 15 minute timed spas jets.
After 15 minutes the jets will turn off, but the pump is still running and the spa is still within the 4 hour circulation phase, so the jets can be turned on again for another 15 minute period. This scenario will continue until the 4 hour timed circulation phase has expired and the pump turns off.
Keep in mind that the water temp has been set at 95 degrees using the topside control panel. And the water temp of the water in the spa, as checked by a digital thermometer, in the spa is now 95 degrees. And note that the spa pump is now in its idle mode.
As time moves forward from this point, the temp reading in the digital display starts to gradually rise above the set 95 degrees. The temperature of the water in the spa, however, has not changed and remains at the preset 95 degrees. There has been no heater activity during this period. The digital temp reading in the topside control will continue to rise through out the spas idle time until it reaches a point where the topside control will indicate an "HH" code or a "Dy" code, and the spa will not operate. The pump cannot be turned on by using the topside control because the system has shut itself down.
I can restart the spa only by cutting the main power off, letting the spa sit for 10 to 15 minutes, and then turning the main power back on. Then the spa will start this cycle all over again by going into the "prime" mode again. This is the loop that I find myself in.
I hope that I did a better job of explaining my problem this time around.
Now for the rest of the story.
I have replaced both of the sensors and the topside control with no affect on the problem.
I have been trying to find a source for a new mother board for this spa because it looks like that may well be where my problem lies. I'm finding no Freeflow spa dealers that stock any of the parts. One of the dealers has told me that I must order any parts I need through their service tech. I have paced several calls and have left several messages with their service tech, but he doesn't return calls. This episode with the service tech guy has been going on now for almost a month(I am a fairly patient and understanding guy, but this is starting to wear a little thin). so that's why I've come here to this forum for advice and help.
And to respond to Lori:
I did talk with Terry ( a really nice guy ) at ActionSpaRepair.com regarding the possibility of switching out the motherboard to a Balboa# 52532 board and then using a different overlay on the topside control. This will work. However, before I go this route, I want to make sure that I've exhausted all hopes of finding a source for the Freeflow specific FF53335 board.
-
You initially stated "If I return to the spa an hour or two later, the topside control will show that the temp is now at anything from 98 to as high as a code of HH and the spa won't operate. The water temp is still at 94 degrees, so I know that the heater has not been heating the water beyond the set 94 degrees."
When you return to the spa, after it has reached the temp set point (94˚) has the filter pump stopped or is it still running?
Run the spa without filters for a few days. If the problem goes away you need to clean or replace the filters.
Might be the board (sticking relay), might not. Where is the temp sensor situated? Is the hi limit sensor in water or clamped to the heater housing? If the second, try moving it to another part of the heater. Sometimes elements contact an area of the housing and it get hotter than others. If the sensor is in the element tube make sure it's not contacting the element.
One clogged jet should not give enough back pressure to cause a problem.
Stop buying parts before you have a better idea of what you need.
From what I know, and from what I think I understand, the 53532 will work just fine but because the main chip is not a FREE20R1B chip, the topside control won't function as it should.Ah, see, comprendo. You might end up with blower, jets, heat, light vs. jets, light, down, up
We used to sell those things (Freeflow Spas) for a year or two and I can't for the life of me remember what the top side looked like. The 52532 board says the chip is R1x (a or b I guess). Too many spas, too many parts, too old now
I have been told, that there is an overlay for the topside control that will change the way the control switches duties are designated. How that works, I'm not sure. Maybe the way to go here is to replace my current Freeflow motherboard with a 52532 board and then get a new topside control to match the new motherboard and fit in the current control's topside location.The overlay is just the thing that labels the buttons. You can peel off the existing overlay and stick on a new one.
It doesn't sound like changing the top side will help you if, because of the board, you're gaining a blower button and losing a heater button.
But, with all that being said, it still surprises me as to how difficult it has been to find anybody who might know somebody who has some idea as to where I might find information on the original Freeflow board. At this moment, I can assure all, that I am no great fan of Freeflow spas. ARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!Don
*lol* welcome to the wonderful world of hot tubbing! I think these guys usually have a clue http://actionsparepair.com/ maybe give them a call in the morning. The dealer side of things is very on top of it, hopefully the public part of their business is equally helpful and responsive.
I'm kinda surprised someone else hasn't jumped in here... but if you really get stuck let me know and I'll see what I can do.
Lori
-
Testing heaters is fairly simple. First you check to make sure you have 240V between the two contacts on the element when the spas is supposed to be heating. If you do, you put an amp probe on one of the wires to the heater and check to make sure it's drawing amps, if it is drawing the proper amperage the heater is working. If you have the 240V but 0 amp draw the heater is shot.
If you do not have the 240V at the heater, the problem lies elsewhere, the heater is not getting the voltage so it can draw the amps to make heat. On those Jacuzzi spas which used a Balboa system there is a temp sensor, a hi limit sensor and a pressure switch. When one of them goes you will usually get an error code on the display. If you are not getting 240V it would be a waste of money to buy an entire heater just for new sensors and pressure switch.
The 25A fuse the board protects the wiring to the motors, nothing else.
Tubs will usually heat up to about 90-92˚ when the heater is not working, the heat generated by the motor will do that by itself. When a 5.5Kw heater is working properly you can expect 4-6˚/hr.
-
Is the VitaBath whirlpool line still viable? I hope so because I just did a warranty job for them today....
Good evening,As the former Director of Purchasing for DM Industries, Ltd (1998-2008) I am sad to say that the carcas has been picked clean as the Maax Spas team has swooped in with a midnight/successful bid to acquire the inventories (both finished and raw), the molds, brand name, and intellectual properties of Vita Spa.
While nothing has been officially announced, all employees were given the bad news at the once proud Opa Locka factory headquarters last Friday. No current employees were to be carried over to Maax Coleman. All that remains is a skeleton crew disassembling production lines that once built as many as 80 spas a day back in 2005.
Visiting the facility this morning was like visiting a terminally ill old friend. The shock and sad realization that years of hard work were nullified all that was now left was to await the convoy trucks that will carry away the remains of the dearly departed. The few remaining former coworkers, pain etched on their faces, have nowhere to go. For many, this was their life.
It can be interesting with how hopeful many are with the respect of the spa industry. It is almost a "Say it ain't so Joe" mentality. Guys, with all due respect, the crash of the housing market combined with spa industry giveaways made to both the consumer and especially to the dealers led to the complete implosion of the market.
Let me explain. As the former Purchasing Director for Vita Spa, (I loved my job and miss it dearly) I saw first hand what happens year after year when you finance dealers for 4-6 months with free product.
Most spa companies just don't have resources to bankroll these dealers, who would misuse that generosity so much so that your Accounts Receivable people spent days and nights trying to get paid while your suppliers end up becoming unwitting partners in the same unfortunate process.
Gents, 2005 is over! It's a Walmart world with record unemployment, reduced or non existent disposable income and consumers living in fear of losing the jobs they have. For the market to return, it is my humble opinion that the following changes must take place:
1. Eliminate the "Early Buy" program throughout the market
2. The industry must consolidate itself. There are too many manufactures hanging on by a thread.
3. Reduce the warranty on pumps, shells and electronics. The manufacturer of the materials refuses to absorb those inevitable losses that come with natural life ending failure(s), why should the spa maker?
4. The industry needs oversight to qualify who can and cannot become a dealer. Just because you can become a dealer, doesn't me you are qualified to become one! Many dealers out there are technically unqualified or unwilling to work beyond the sale.
5. The industry did itself a huge disservice by selling to the Costco's of the world. The lure of solid payment/cashflow is offset by the loopholes afforded to consumers who can excercise "Buyer's Remorse" at the drop of a hat.
If you do not have the margins built in to cover repairs, complaints and returns you will get eaten alive.
The manufacturer(s), like Hydro Spa, who chose to unwisely enter this market failed to have a basic, solid product that's easy to operate, service and padded with the right margins. They undercut the market and got what they deserved.
In the end, I can only hope that the market reminds itself of the definition of insanity....which is doing the same things wrong, over and over, and somehow expecting a positive/different result.
Respectfully,
John Cioffi
-
Spa was shut down over the summer, filled up worked good for 1/2 an hour then the next time I activated the the pump it sounded noisy, loud hum, tried powering down and up as well as replacing the starter. I read the power in and it seemed like there was 220v on each leg. Pulled the pump assemble and brought it in for service, They said that the power was normal and it needed a bearing and a seal 120.00 later on the repair, just reinstalled everything and the same thing happened again,. After priming mode it attempts to run the pump, very lout hum, no sighn of water circulation then it shuts down and tries until it shows an error code ec then S3 , My chart only shown 3 digit error codes. Any thoughts?
S3 is a sensor error but likely the result of another problem. You said you have 220V on each leg, that is not right. You should have 240V between both legs but only 120 between each leg and ground. Is the pump 240V or 120V? Note that the spa can be a 240V spa but the pump may only be 120V. If the pump is 240V and it's getting 120V it will make those noise you describe.
Also, if it's a 2 speed pump and for some reason power is being applied to both speeds at once you may get the same results.
-
Been a Jacuzzi agent for about 25 years. I think what you mean too say is the filter motor shaft has corroded because the pump seal leaked. Pretty common on tubs. I don't have my manuals with me but I believe the Santina used Jacuzzi's J pumps which are black and rebuildable. The older pumps were white and one piece
You can rebuild the pump by getting a new seal and impeller but the motor will have to be replaced. You can get motors anywhere the price is good, it doesn't need to be the same make as long as the ratings and frame are the same.
I'm not a big fan of replacing ozonators, you can by a lot of bromine for what a replacement ozonator costs. New owners think having an ozonator gives them license to ignore water chemistry, the only thing they do is cut down on bromine usage.
Cleaned her up not bad I still will replace the skirt.
replaced the brocken pipe and filled her up to test the unit.
good thing is only one small leak from one of the air connection.
Bad news is the skimmer pump and wet end is shot. Looks like the wet end seal
went and rotted the shaft. So new pump and wet end other then that some new pillows
and she will be ready to go.
How do you tell if the ozonator is working?
Thanks
John
-
I have a Sundance Majesta in there 880 series. I have a problem with the lights shutting down and then the pumps shutting down from what I think is a thermal shutoff. As I diagnose the problem, the voltages are all good. However the current draw to both pumps are very low. It is 0.6 amps when 11.2 amps is expected. The volume and strength of the flow both seem good. I do see air bubbles in the recirculating tubing. I wonder if I am pumping a lot of air and that is the reason for the low current? Also, one section of the recirculation 1" tubing looks pretty severly kinked?
Any ideas of what I should do to solve this problem?
I don't think pumps will even run on that low an amperage, better check those numbers again. Could be the circ pump alone would draw 0.6 and the bubbles are from the ozonator.
-
Absolutely true. I have found it cheaper for the customer to replace the same pump, the labor charges to replumb would offset any savings by using a generic pump.. If however, you're doing your own work and want to replumb, just make sure the new pump ratings are the same.
Can a jacuzzi pump be replaced with a generic pump or does it have to be a jacuzzi.It depends on the pump you have. Jacuzzi pumps can be very proprietary; meaning the wet end part.
You can always get a new motor (and pump seal) and use the same wet end so that the plumbing matches up. ... and hope that the impeller doesn't break when you try to take it apart, or plan on replacing that too.
If you want to replace the whole pump (motor and wet end) with something 'generic' - Besides getting a similar motor (same hp, voltage, 1 speed or 2 speed, etc.) you need to be concerned that the plumbing will line up the same way and that it has the same size fittings for the unions. For example, there are 1.5", 2", 2.5" unions. And just because it LOOKS the same, doesn't mean it will match up to your plumbing the same, especially if your spa has rigid plumbing.
-
Over 20 year in spa repair have told me that if you live anywhere the ground freezes a properly poured concrete pad is always preferable if possible. Everything else, gravel, wood frame, etc. will shift.
Additionally, concrete pads, especially if they extend at least 12 inches around the tub, inhibit rodents frome taking up residence in the spa casing, they don't like crossing the open space and cannot burrow in from the bottom.
-
Hello to all,
I'm new here but have been an independent service agent for quite a few companies for over 20 years in the NY/CT area.
I have a tub right now that has me banging my head against a wall. It's a Jacuzzi Z series from Home Depot with the dial thermostat and single button control. The original complaint was it would heat up and go into hi limit mode. I went out to diagnose and found the heater relay was sticking. As long as the water was circulating, no problem but when the tub reached temperature the pump would shut down, the heater would stay on, you could hear the water in the tube boiling, and the hi limit would shut everything down.
Luckily I had a replacement board and installed it. I started it up and though the relay problem was solved I noticed that with the water temp at 104.3 the dial thermostat was only at the 3 O'clock position, it still had about 1/4 turn left.
To make a long story a little shorter, I tried 2 more sets of sensors and another topside, same problem. A call to Balboa suggested foaming in the back of the temp sensor (located in the bottom of the skimmer) since they said it could be affected by the ambient air temp (about 20degF at the time).
I kind of doubted this since JWB did not foam them in initially but I did it anyway. We still have the same problem, the water is at 104 and there's still a 1/4 turn left to turn the dial.
Any idea's?
Thanks, Rob
These packs are most generic things Balboa has ever made I found. Most of the issues I had with them are the topside control.
If you do turn it up all the way were does the temp go. If it stay between 104 and 106 it is ok. The older stuff has a error of -/+ 2 degrees, That has been what I have been told.
Try turning the sensor a 1/4 turn in the housing. What type of temp sensor housing is it? If it is the style without a thin metal wire across the center, try changing it. The ones with a plastic front keep to much water away from the sensor.
Another thing to try is to install a sensor to the board and drape it over the shell right into the spa and check temp control that way
Turning the sensor all the way up get's the water to 110-112F and sometimes causes the HI Limit freeze. The sensor is just mounted in a hole through the skimmer bottom, typical JWB installation they used forever. It's now foamed in. I tried draping the sensor over the shell and the reading was correct, it would read 104F at it's maximum. That's why I think it has to be a physical problem, not electrical.
-
I have read on another forum that the boards could be modified but required a chip change and that Jacuzzi had taken the chips out of the market. My spa is a 2006 J-325. Does anyone know what chip was used as the replacement for the mod? Perhaps I could find one in the "grey market".
It has nothing to do with chips. Jacuzzi and Sundance spas built pre 2006 with the higher end controller could heat to 108 with a simple jumper change. There may be some early 2006 spas that can still do this but the J-325 does not have that particular controller.
Could you elaborate on this? Which jumper is it and is it on their proprietory boards or the Balboa models?
-
Hello to all,
I'm new here but have been an independent service agent for quite a few companies for over 20 years in the NY/CT area.
I have a tub right now that has me banging my head against a wall. It's a Jacuzzi Z series from Home Depot with the dial thermostat and single button control. The original complaint was it would heat up and go into hi limit mode. I went out to diagnose and found the heater relay was sticking. As long as the water was circulating, no problem but when the tub reached temperature the pump would shut down, the heater would stay on, you could hear the water in the tube boiling, and the hi limit would shut everything down.
Luckily I had a replacement board and installed it. I started it up and though the relay problem was solved I noticed that with the water temp at 104.3 the dial thermostat was only at the 3 O'clock position, it still had about 1/4 turn left.
To make a long story a little shorter, I tried 2 more sets of sensors and another topside, same problem. A call to Balboa suggested foaming in the back of the temp sensor (located in the bottom of the skimmer) since they said it could be affected by the ambient air temp (about 20degF at the time).
I kind of doubted this since JWB did not foam them in initially but I did it anyway. We still have the same problem, the water is at 104 and there's still a 1/4 turn left to turn the dial.
Any idea's?
Thanks, Rob
Who Made Savannah Spas Jets?
in Portable Hot Tubs & Spas
Posted
I need to replace all 28 jet internals on a Savannah spa, anyone know who made the originals? Looks like either Waterways or Pentair but not sure.
thanks,
Rob