mrfixit

I am not familiar with the Jacuzzi, but there are aftermarket extended warranties available for a couple of hundred bucks. Or you can add another $2000 to that $6k and get a brand new high quality Bullfrog with a 5 year "Blame Free' bumper to bumper warranty. Mind you, the seating capacity will be 1 or 2 less, but do you really need to seat 6 or 7 people? Thats alot of tub to keep heated for only 1 or 2 people using it most of the time. Personally, I would shy away from a used tub. How do you know it was winterized properly last winter? How do you know the chemicals were kept in the proper balance? Acidic spa water will very quickly deteriorate the jets and damage them. There could be hidden damage to plumbing... too many what if's for me.

open up the box and check the DC voltage where the cell connects to the circuit board. The board is clearly marked as to what voltages it should read, and there is a test point there for your meter. Jandy had a problem with those boards from 2006 to 2008 where they shipped out a pile of defective boards that sent low voltage to the cell. If your voltage is low to the cell, your board will need to be replaced. be very careful when opening the box, the ribbon cable that connects the front board to the back board is awkwardly connected and will break if you yank on it.

Is it possible that the backwash line is linked in with some weeping tile around the pool? Maybe the weeping tile is picking up the water and you think it is coming from the backwash when it really is coming from the pool via the ground. maybe try to plug ALL the openings into the pool,after it has been filled back up. This includes skimmer, main drain and returns and if water still leaves the pool, then you know it is not a plumbing issue. If water doesn't leave the pool, then remove the plugs in the lines 1 at a time ( 1 each day) and look for water loss. Think about it logically, the water can only leave the pool in 2 ways. Either it is leaving the pool directly, (ie thru a hole in the liner or a bad gasket around a return jet) or it is leaving thru the plumbing. the trick is to isolate the 2 from each other and then narrow down where the leak is from there. And yes, keep the pool filled. If the water level gets too low, the liner will slide from the shallow end toward the deepend and you will have major wrinkles, or possibly a tear in your new liner.

Yes, clean your filter or run the tub temporarily without the filter to see if you get the "FL" code again. Be sure to use a good filter cleaning agent.

I do live in a cold climate and the extra inch is not substantial in terms of cost savings. You may want to consider the extra weight of the thicker cover, though. If you have lesser strength individuals in your household that may be using the tub alone, it may be too heavy for them to manage on their own.

options are 1) tearing out a wall 2) cutting up the tub Putting the tub back together after cutting it is not possible. Good Luck.

Hey all- I was asked by a customer the other day if there are any products out there that are designed to keep birds off their solar cover. it seems that she has a flock of starlings that like to gather on her solar cover for their morning bathing rituals, almost on a daily basis. She is quite upset about this because, of course, they make a heck of a mess. Other than a shotgun, any idea's?

I have seen well insulated tubs in the past kick out from thermal overload because of overheating inside the cabinet. Relatively high outside ambient air temps, hight humidity and tub water temp all play a part in this problem. The pump motor, of course, generates alot of heat on it's own, and when the air temp is high, the air vents are not enough to remove the excess heat from the cabinet. To test this, let the tub run for a day or 2 with the cabinet door removed or somehow propped open (be sure to protect the electronics from the rain) . If the problem goes away, then bob's yer uncle. If this solves your problem, then try adding a fan inside the cabinet when the door is closed to help remove excess heat, or try changing the filter cycles and reduce the water temp. Good luck.

That is good advice, and if I may add this... pour plumbing antifreeze into every jet, skimmer and drain hole you can find, after you have sucked and blown as much water out as possible. Even if you think you have removed all the water, keep going for another 10 minutes or so. You will be surprised how much water is in that plumbing. And make sure that all the unions and drains are reconnected before adding the antifreeze. Don't worry about the antifreeze when it comes time to fill the tub back up, it will dissipate easily when the tub is full and the sanitizer is added. PS- if you have a ozonztor, be sure to clear out that 1/4" line and the check valve.

Many of the spa manufacturers are marketing variants to their current lines as a cost effective entry level tub to be price point competitive with the lesser quality Chinese made brands. Bullfrog, for example, has this year introduced the "Sport" line which are the same tubs, but with lesser features that bring down the price of the tub considerably. The "Hybrid" may be a similar marketing response by Beachcomber, though I am not sure. At any rate, if you decide to go that route, you will be happy, I am sure. They are a good tub.

If the Jandy control is calling for heat, then it is working properly. Try the heater in manual mode and see if it works as required. If not, then I would suspect a temp sensor in the heater. Also, check the manual and see how to look at the fault history. That may give some clues as to what has happened. If there is an overheat error, then there may be a hi limit switch that needs to be checked. I believe there are 2 on these heaters. Other than that, I cannot help. I am not that familiar with these heaters. Good luck.

I would take the pump motor to a reputable electric motor rebuilder and spend the $40 or $50 for a diagnostic. I suspect it is something as simple as a start capacitor or an overheat switch.

The dealer I work with sells Bullfrog and we have extensive experience with Beachcomber. The Hydropool I, personally, would avoid, and I have no experience with Arctic Yukon. Don't toss the possability of the Bullfrog. It is a very good tub. It is the only tub on the market with removeable jet packs, and you can customize your seats with 21 different seating options. They are even easily interchangeable from seat to seat while in the tub. Also, being a service tech, I find the Bullfrogs are the most reliable tubs. They are also very energy efficient because they have less water volume; that means less water to heat and less water to move around, and excellently insulated for the cold winters we have here in the north. The one negative about these tubs is the wall height. They have a shallower wall and many taller people feel that the Bullfrog is too shallow for them. The Beachcombers are also very good tubs. We do not sell them, but they would be in the same class as the Bullfrogs in terms of quality and reliability. The one problem with them is that they have some parts that are specific to only them, so that only a Beachcomber dealer can fix them. That's not a problem until that dealer goes under and then you may be in a jackpot if you need service. Hydropool is not my favorite. I have worked on a quite a few of them and find that they are poorly put together and give an all round poor quality feel. And just for reference, we have 2 wet tubs in our showroom that any of our potential customers can climb into at any time. We encourage everyone to take our tubs for a test drive, how else will you know if it fits? if you are having trouble getting answers about the 682, I would be happy to help. Let me know what the questions are and I will do what I can to answer them.

I didn't read all the replies to this thread, so please bear with me if I am repeating. Sounds like an air lock to me. The red light is either a flow warning indicator or an overheat indicator. Try eliminating the air from the heater tube somehow. There may be a bleeder valve, or you may need to open one of the unions slightly. Be sure not to get ANY water on the circuit board when you do this.

for a hundred bucks, it may be worth the risk. You didn't say where you live, but if the spa had spent the last 3 winters in an area that hasn't been heated and freeze damage is possible, that would be an indicator to me to run like the wind. Check the plumbing in the equipment area to see if there is any indication of the spa overheating. If the issue was that the hi limit failed and the tub overheated, then the plumbing is most likely damaged and you will see indication of melting plastic.

yep bad heater.

Normally, water would cause the pump to trip the circuit breaker before it would cause damage to the motor. I have yet to see water damage a pump to the point of causing failure 3 consecutive times. Most failures are due to overheating. When you say the pump motors fail, how do you mean they fail? Do they simply fail to start with no noise, do they hum and sound like they are trying to work? or do they suddenly stop while in operation? Does the motor have a burnt smell or is there any indication of water leaking from around the shaft seal where the motor meets the pump? What I do see on occasion are burnt wires at the pump motor where the power lead connects to the motor. The connectors overheat and fail, but this is easily repaired and does not require the replacement of the motor. I would agree that the 2 hp pump is too much for that system. usually the pressure should be around 10-15 psi, and not over 20 on a consistent basis.

Issue resolved! Turns out the control for the Aqualink was routed through a servo motor that opened and closed a louver assembly for make up air for the Raypak. The servo motor was controlled by the Jandy, and the heater was controlled by the servo motor. The motor was jammed with dust and did not open properly, and was not tripping the switch to start the heater. Thanks for your help, PC, I appreciate it.

What do you mean your chemicals are perfect? Which ones? has the calcium been tested? I am not by any means a chemical expert, but I do understand that if the water is starving for calcium it will be robbed from the liner and cover etc. This, in turn, breaks down the said materials. the other thing that comes to mind is the manufacturer. maybe you 2 should compare notes and look for similarities, it is possible that the manufacturer is using a slightly different recipe in their plastic that reacts somehow with ultraviolet light or something else in your pool. The next cover you purchase should be from a different manufacturer to test this theory.

I suggest replacing the gasket, and the handle tension spring, if you can find one. Jacuzzi went under about 3-4 yrs ago and parts have been available hit and miss ever since. Try your local pool supplier, they often have older parts kicking around or may have a line on an aftermarket Jacuzzi parts supplier. Good luck.

Ya it takes alot more than 1 minute to damage a pump. Check that you are not sucking air from a cracked pump lid or missing o ring. My guess is that your pump is running noisy because of the air in it.

ya I think it is a potential problem. I don't know where you are, but where I live in Canada there is alot of clay and it moves with the frost. Every spring I have a bunch of above ground pools that need repair because of the frost, I can't imagine how it would affect your pool. Besides that, the exposed wall would not have the support from the earth around it that ( I think) it needs to be supported properly. If that wall bows even a fracton of an inch you will have problems with the liner. I suggest that you ask the installer to sign a contract where he takes complete financial responsability if any problems develop from the installation. I suspect that will put an end to that sales pitch.

Sounds like you are on the right track. Future repair or removeal is possible, so, yes keep that in mind. Something to consider also is the direction of the panels on the skirt. Notice on the tub in the pics above the skirt has vertical slats- be sure not to block them in so that they cannot be removed. On occasion a tub will spring a leak and the only way to access it is to remove a portion of the skirt. A while back I had a client with that exact problem and I was unable to repair it because the tub was built into a deck 30" and I could not get the verticals off or remove the tub.

Are there any dots or lights flashing on the display? Did you change the water recently, or have the equipment compartment open for any reason? If moisture was introduced to the curcuit board in any way, your tub will act very strangely. I am not familiar with that spa, but from what you are describing it is an electrical issue, specifically a contactor or a relay. If possible,try to get a contrl pad from your dealer and plug it into the control. if that does not work I would then be looking at the circuit board as the culprit.

I have a customer who calls me almost weekly to free up her bound impellor on a jacuzzi LRC. Spruce cones somehow get past the strainer basket and bind up the impellor; I cannot for the life of me figure out how they get in there. She insists that she does not operate the pump without the basket, but yet there they are... as for the air in the pump, the air can only be getting in there from a couple of different sources. I suggest checking anywhere from the pump lid to the connection at the front of the pump, including the drain plugs at the bottom. Be sure the connections at the inlet are secure. One last thing to check... be sure there is enough water in the pool for the pump to fill up. I cannot tell you how many times I have charged someone a service call because they did not have enough water in the pool. If the pump fills up, then drains out and cycles like that, there is not enough water even though it may look like there is when you look at the skimmer.