cjd568

That 3/4 or 1 hp will work just fine. The newer pumps are a little better in efficient. Aqua Flo makes some good compact circulator pumps. The fitting in front of the jacuzzi pump can be plugged. It was when some manufactured used them to keep warm water going to the pump I'm going to stay with my old workhorse Jacuzzi 3/4 hp until she gives out. Its been good to me, plus I'm cheap!! Regarding the fitting on the impeller.. never would have thought about that brass fitting hookup would be used to keep the pump warm... being from San Diego. Its great learning new things here. Thanks for the reply.

That 3/4 or 1 hp will work just fine. The newer pumps are a little better in efficient. Aqua Flo makes some good compact circulator pumps. The fitting in front of the jacuzzi pump can be plugged. It was when some manufactured used them to keep warm water going to the pump

I'm about to retrofit my 2005 Sundance Cayman to heat it with my gas heater, which is about 25 feet away and about 3-4 feet above the intake, which would be the drain from the spa. I will need 20 - 60 gpm for the heater to work. I prefer to use a dedicated pump that I could turn on and off from a switch in my house rather than tap into the existing spa plumbing. Any recommendations on the size and brand pump I should use? I could also use my 17 year old salvaged 3/4 hp 10.6 amp (110V) Jacuzzi circ pump from my old spa until that dies. It might even outlast me! But I also wonder if the higher efficiency pumps that are being made today might be worth it. I only need to run the pump for about 15 minutes per day to keep it hot, and about 2 1/2 hours to go from cold to hot (yes, gas is good!). One other thing. The old Jacuzzi pump has a brass fitting with a approx. 1/4" clear PVC hose attached on the impeller housing. Is that an air switch or something else. Will that cause any problems if I plug it? Thanks to all.

I just bought a 2005 Sundance Cayman model for $1,100. It was up and running, and I checked the original paperwork and examined the equipment for rust, wear, etc. It was literally in perfect condition. Of course I had been checking Craigs List daily, and often more often, for at least two months before this one came along. I bought it within 3 hours of it being posted. Bottom line is, I see a LOT of spas out there and I notice that they get re-listed again and again with lower prices. I suggest you take your time, make sure you see it running, check the original paperwork and maintenance history, and wait for a deal. My Cayman doesn't have the CD or the exterior lights or anything fancy, but then again I didn't want it.

Thanks otis skywalker. I had no idea that the circ pumps were so small. You're right, that's not going to do it. And just your mention of "logic on that board" and "crazy replumbing" is enough to scare me away from going in that direction. Thanks also, Pool Clown, the pool drain outlet is a great idea. Is your 4x160 pump just for this purpose? Because that's a pricey piece of equipment. What about a smaller (read cheaper) one speed pump? what would you recommend? I'm thinking about salvaging my Jacuzzi pumps or tying into my existing pool pump, although using the pool pump would require manual valves to switch from pool filtering to spa heating, which is a little too much "hands-on" for me if I can help it. I'm wondering if the Jacuzzi pumps (either the 3/4 hp and 2hp) would even work. The 3/4 is probably powerful enough, and the 2hp certainly is, but the question is: can it provide the lift if it is installed near the heater, which would be 2-3 feet higher than the drain and about 20 feet away? I'm thinking that it might be the wrong type of pump and wouldn't lift the water or might get air locked. Of course, at 17 years old, if they don't work I'm not risking anything but time. Lots to think about. Great replies! Thanks!

I bought a used 2005 Sundance Cayman for $1,100 to replace my 17 year old Jacuzzi. I had the Jacuzzi plumbed for gas and in those days they had a "cut out" section that was designed to specifically for gas. Does anyone know what the output is in GPM (or the horsepower) in the plumbing that contains the in-line heater for the Cayman? I haven't received the Cayman yet, so I am just going by the schematic/drawing of the equipment panel to figure out where I might tap into the plumbing, which I believe is the circ pump. I might have to tap into one of the stronger pumps just to get the flow necessary to get a sufficient flow to my gas heater, which is about 20' away and has about a 2' head. The Jacuzzi 3/4 HP circ pump was enough to get the water there (but no longer), even with their funky 2-pump set up which didn't even dedicate all the water to the heater. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!

Well I finally looked at the harder to reach filter pump and the impeller had no visible debris. I'm probably going to stay with the diverter valve set up for now. Once I install another valve, I can cut off the water flow to the heater when the jets are on and that will probably give me more power. While I was doing all this work I got to remove all of the old insulation which had basically disintegated. Also, the support posts at two corners had rotted out from the bottom, so I'll replace those as well. I got some spray insulation which I hope I can get to stick to the tub underside. You're right about gas compatible models. I really like having the option to drain, replace and heat in about a 4 hour turnaround. Try that with electric! And I simply cannot believe that running a tub 24/7 only costs about $15/month, as was stated by the Sundance rep. I can't run my fridge for that much. Thanks to you and the other poster for your suggestions!

Pumps for the most part run or don't. I haven't seen many that get slower but is possable. The easiest things to check is the filter and any debris in the impeller. The pump will have to be taken apart to get to the impeller. If there is some debris stuck in it the water pressure will drop.

I have a Jacuzzi Tirage model that has been hooked up to a gas heater for about 15 years. It has been a great tub, although the jet number and configuration is nowhere near what you get on new hot tubs today. This year, there has been insufficient power to get the water to the heater, which is about 25 feet away. The plumbing is a simple side by side double T (output to heater and return) off one of the main lines in the Jacuzzi, as was done per instructions that Jacuzzi provided. I added a diversion valve to send all of the water from that line to the heater. The heater then worked with the extra flow. My questions are: Is it time to get a new pump? Do these slowly degrade in power over time or do they generally just give out altogether? Is there a way to determine the performance? My wife and I both feel that it is not as powerful as it used to be, but that is subjective and it could be that we just need more oomph to soothe our aging/aching bodies!! This forum has really been great. I've already spent a number of hours researching new hot tubs in case I have to go that route. Thanks to all.