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n1oty

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Everything posted by n1oty

  1. Circuit boards made in the last few years usually incorporate enclosed relays, not open relays, and functionality must be checked with the appropriate meter. You probably cannot observe relay switching. Someone needs to check for the voltage being switched on and off at the appropriate time, proper wiring of the heater to the board, appropriate wiring between the relays, do a ground fault test of the heater with a megger, etc. In short, they need to stop sending the local idiot who apparently does not know what he is doing (other than simply swapping parts out) and send a real pro. John
  2. Heating this quickly with the cover OPEN cannot be the result of waste heat from the motors or frictional heat from the water going through the pipes, especially with ambient temps in the 50's and 60's. Either the heater relay is sticking closed with the pumps on or there is a fault in the heater or heater wiring. John
  3. And if this tub has the so-called "M-Drive" topside, it is very pricey. John
  4. The upper controls are a constant problem on the D1's. The screen fades every few years. Small circ pumps are a problem on all brands of tubs, not just D1. Heater failures are generally due to poor water quality or poor water chemistry. John
  5. Even if they answer yes, I'd get their UL or ETL registration information and verify it with the testing lab. John
  6. I am seeing high failure rates on those Master Spa/Down East circ pumps. I have one customer alone who has gone through four of them (the original and three replacements) in approximately four years. It was not chemistry related either. The dealer changed the first two under warranty. The last warranty replacement circ pump lasted approximately nine months, then died out of warranty. I asked Master if they would at least consider offering a new pump to the customer as a courtesy, but they refused. I think the problem with these particular pumps is that they are a modification of the typical Laing Thermotech circ pumps. The motor amperage seems to comport with circ pumps in the 12 to 18 GPM range, yet master has enlarged the ports and installed an impeller to deliver approximately 25 GPM or so, as the Balboa packs require. Although any electric motor can theoretically be "over-driven", such a practice is not conducive to motor longevity. These motors also have PWM technology that senses amp draw to determine if the pump has primed. This additional technology is another potential failure point. I generally advise those customers who are out of warranty to consider replacing these failed pumps with 1725 RPM, 48 frame circulation pumps of the appropriate voltage, similar to what Jacuzzi/Sundance is now using in their higher tier tubs. These are robust motors that are specifically designed to move the flows required of Balboa M7 technology packs. The only problem with trying this change on the Master/Down East tubs is that there may or may not be sufficient room for the larger body of the 48 frame circ pumps, depending on the specific model of tub. If you have the room for the change though, avoid these Master/Down East circ pumps like the plague. John
  7. And voltage (very important). John
  8. Roger is exactly right. I'd suspect that you will get cavitation. There is a reason why that second pump has larger openings and threads. Do yourself a favor and get the correct pump and motor. John
  9. Your pump video seemed to show the water level was down in the pump skimmer basket which means it is losing prime. In a properly constructed and tight system, when the pump is shut down, water remains full in the pump skimmer even though the pump is above the physical water level. John
  10. You are losing prime because the pump is above the water level and you have a leak, air or water, somewhere in the system. Check the easy stuff first. Look around the pump and filter for signs of moisture. Repair any leaks. If none are found, prime the system, remove the air blower and cap the air line air tight. If the pump now holds prime, the air check valve has gone bad and is leaking air. This is a common problem when an air blower is tied into the air induction system of the jets. John
  11. Well, he won't hook that particular box up if you have a 30 amp, 40 amp or a 60 amp tub, or if your tub requires two breakers. No one here can offer definitive advice without knowing the year, make and model of your tub. Hot Spring Ace has already mentioned a couple of brands that require two GFCI breakers on their larger tubs. Other potential problem areas include conductor selection, as many brands now require minimum 90 C conductors and I am now seeing in limited cases a requirement for 105 C conductors. John
  12. The most common causes for premature heater element failure by newbs is either not fully sealing the bulkhead gasket or, more commonly, damaging the ceramic seal around the cold pins. Check for signs of hairline cracks to one or both cold pin ceramic seals from twisting the cold pin. John
  13. The heater probably caused this damage due to a ground fault. Your GFCI needs to be tested as well. The board can be repaired if the board and circuit traces are not compromised. Otherwise, just replace the board. John
  14. Most of those packs come through pretty much locked down with few options readily available for programming in the field. Your only recourse may be to call your tub manufacturer or Gecko with your tub info and ask for a programming fob with your updated settings...............if they will oblige. John
  15. I'd suggest removing the mazzei injector and cleaning it. While the injector is out and no water is in the tub, do a reverse blow on the heater return fitting in the tub with a wet-dry vacuum to blow any deposits back through the vinyl hose. Re-assemble and test water flow. If your flow is good, simply run your water at the low end of the hardness scale. Any final deposits should slowly be re-absorbed into the water. Due to the restrictive nature of the venturi in the injector, most of the deposits should be there, but the heater return fitting is also somewhat restrictive and will catch anything that got by the injector. John
  16. I have a fair amount of experience with this particular controller. I don't know what you are trying to do, but most of these controllers are programmed to only allow a change in the ampacity setting. Most other programming changes require a special programming fob from Gecko specifically for your controller. See this Gecko video: John
  17. I am an independent service tech. I do a LOT of specialized service work for many dealers in Eastern Mass across many brands. My lowest rates to my favorite dealers are $95 to diagnose and $75 per hour for actual repair time. Apollo 217, who occasionally posts here, receives my lowest rate. He loses money each time I go out on a warranty call for him because the manufacturer generally only covers the part and labor, but the labor is capped at $65. He cheerfully covers the difference out-of-pocket on the small percentage of warranty calls from the PROFIT he made SELLING THE TUB. The local D1 dealer that I do work for is in the same predicament with small reimbursement rates for warranty service. None of the dealers that I work for will honor a warranty claim on a tub sold at another dealership unless the factory will agree to pay a higher rate and more time. Manufacturers will do this on very rare occasions..............very, very rare. Most manufacturers will generally steer you back to the selling dealer unless that dealer has gone out of business or you have moved a substantial distance away. Since the dealer you purchased from is still in business and you have not moved, count yourself lucky that the local guy states that he will service your tub. That would not happen in my service area. John
  18. This advice may be true in some areas, but it is generally inaccurate in my area. Most dealers in my service area that I do work for generally only service what they sell. If you have a local dealer who lost the sale, but is willing to provide warranty service (most manufacturers pay reduced rates for warranty service), you are very fortunate. John
  19. I generally advise people to avoid the metal frame tubs if they live near the ocean. I have a lot of customers on Cape Cod who were foolish enough to buy metal framed Master Spas. They rot out within a few years in a salt air environment. If you are not near the ocean, a metal frame tub should be fine. John
  20. AWG stands for "American Wire Gauge", so you have #10 UF. This is a 60 C rated conductor good up to a maximum of 30 amps. You cannot use it for any tub requiring more than 30 amps or in a tub that explicitly calls for a temperature rating above 60 C. John
  21. I agree with PS. Your electrician should stick to simply running conductors and nothing else. My preferred troubleshooting method is to disconnect the loads that PS already mentioned, but check each from ground to line with a megger and without power. John
  22. You'll need the correct voltage, amperage and plumbing size. Blowers also come in vertical and horizontal orientations. Do NOT glue the new blower in, unless you want to risk a fire or explosion. John
  23. I agree that a Hot Spring Grandee or its sister brand, the Caldera Geneva would be good tubs of similar layout that you should look at. John
  24. What TYPE of conductor did the electrician use?? If he used something like UF, it was probably temperature rated at 60C which would only give the #8 a 40 amp rating. If he followed Watkins requirement to use 75C or higher conductors ( such as THWN, THHN or THWN-2), that #8 would have a max ampacity of 50 amps at 75C or 55 amps at 90C, as referenced in the Tables included in Article 310.15 of the NEC. As usual, the engineers at Watkins are correct and your electrician and/or inspector are the idiots. John
  25. In eastern Mass particularly, you need to be VERY careful about which dealer you do business with. A couple of them are very good, honest and reliable. A couple of them are downright terrible dealers. I'm not going to get caught up in naming names because I really don't want to get caught up in potential libel claims. Do your own due diligence starting with the BBB, asking each dealer for references, etc. If you shop in this area solely based on price, I can guarantee that you will get hosed. I'm doing quite a lot of D1 work in this area, including warranty work for one dealer. My most lucrative repair work comes from the screw ups of another dealer's service people. You've been warned. Do your proper homework. The D1 brand is a very solid tub. The Bay series of tub's are very expensive and fancy. You can save quite a bit if you step down by one series. You will not be sacrificing quality. John
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