Jump to content

cpuKEN

Members
  • Posts

    56
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by cpuKEN

  1. Installed new filters but breaker continues to trip about once per day. Reset breaker, started both pumps and things ran fine for hours. Discovered the breaker tripped later in the day. Any ideas?
  2. Well, the breaker tripped after more than 24 hours of having the filters out. Now I'm fearing something expensive... how does that sound?
  3. Just noticed some foaming in the tub... most of the things I've read relate to people actually using the tub but no one has been in since I've refilled and started the new water setup. It's not too bad right now but was puzzled to see it when we haven't used it since this refil.
  4. Recently did a 75% water change (I know, why not empty it all) and soon after (next day) my tub started tripping it's breaker! I swapped out a used set of filters that I had cleaned and stored 6 months earlier but the breaker tripping continued. Online searches suggested it could be ozonator, pump or main board. I could only see $$$$$ and at the worst time of year (my wife thinks we are Santa. I wanted to try a much as possible on my own before calling in the pros. I was down to my last two items to try (1) remove the filters temporarily (2) unhook the ozonator (assuming i could find where it is plugged in). Well, after removing the filters the tub has run for 24 hours without incident. So, can I safely assume it is clogged (old) filters are the culprit? I had already ordered a new set of filters and will install when they arrive. Is it safe to run the tub for multiple days with no filters installed? Thought I'd share what's going on so that others might benefit from my agony. (I have a 2009 Sundance Hawthorne)
  5. After 4 years I recently realized that my original cover was really heavy... originally I thought I was just getting weaker. Having read a few post, it is now obvious the existing cover is water logged (2010 Sundance Hawthorne). Looks like cover technology has evolved over the past 4 years. Flat covers were common back then but I now see a lot of sloped covers. Here's what I'm thinking of looking for: * 5-to-3 inch cover (5 inch thick in middle, slopping to 3 inch on edge) * 1.5 lb foam density * should I get a double wrapped foam or is it worth the extra cost? * metal C channel (should I get this?) * any other detail I should be concerned about? --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, what vendors do you recommend. I realize there won't be a consensus on this one but maybe I can get 3-4 different retailers who offer a good quality product at a fair price to choose from. without this forum I probably would have abandoned my tub by now. Thanks in advance for all your help.
  6. Well, I was wrong, I thought the water loss had stopped earlier but I checked it again 24 hours later and there's barely water remaining in the foot well (maybe 8-10 inches). So, that sort of tells me it's not a leaking around a particular jet but in the main plumbing or motor. Turns out it is still under warranty. Should have a visit from the dealer sometime in the next week or two. (Sundance Hawthorne)
  7. The past few months I've only used my Sundance spa about 6-8 times. I went to the gym this morning and decided to take a soak, After about 15 minutes I noticed the water level was just at the top row of jets. I made mental note to add some water once I finished my soak. After a few more minutes it was obvious the water level was falling because the top row of jets were now spewing water into the air. By the time I got out and dried off the top jets were not submerged at all. I showered and decided to wait to see how far down the level would drop. In the meantime I went back and lowered the temp from 104 degrees down to 80 degrees to minimize how often the pumps would come on (they come on when the heater fires up). The water seems to be stable just below the top row of jets and above the next row. Any ideas what I'm looking at here. The last time I called the dealer for service it was going to take many days before they could fit me in so that's why I haven't made that call yet... figuring nothing is going to happen right away.
  8. Waterbear, thanks for your reply. I didn't take it the wrong way... I did give some pretty vague info, just thought the excess foam, if not from detergent, could be attributed to a known, popular situation. It had probably been about 6 days since I had last checked/treated the tub. To be honest with you, during these very cold and prolonged cold days, I would just go down and dump in about 8-12 oz of bleach. That seemed to keep the water clear. I'd also check the pH with a strip (not my Taylor kit) and would make some adjustments if needed. My tub normally, when using and checking every 2 days, would require about 4-6 oz of chlorox and the pH would creep up a little each week. I did do a basic water check (after discovering the foam) and the pH was 8+. I've since add a little pH down and some muriatic acid. I also added a couple squirts of foamout and that really knocked the foam down. Foam due to detergent seems to be more resistant to the foamout but this foam really responded. thanks again Ken
  9. We have only used our hot tub a couple times the past couple of months due to a variety of things but mostly extra cold outdoor temps. I've been checking the water chemistry every 2-4 days and things have been looking good. When I checked it two days ago (admittedly a slightly longer span since the last check) it was a little cloudy!!! I added some extra Chlorox and started the pumps as I normally do. That's when I noticed a lot of foam!!! What has caused this? thanks ken
  10. I did a search and found a couple of older threads but wanted to see if anyone had any newer recommendations or suggestions on a good wireless thermometer. Want to have some advance notice if the heater fails in these freezing temps. Thanks Ken
  11. This is my 1st refill. When I originally setup the tub I was following the dealer recommendations for the first 2-3 weeks before discovering this forum. The dealer had me adding pH down daily (2 oz) for about 7-8 days until the pH came into range. This seemed to work. I now have muriatic acid and wondered if there was a problem in taking this 7-8 day span and reducing it to 2-3 days with muriatic acid? Didn't know if this rapid decent was an issue?
  12. I stopped in on my dealer to see what to do about the spa problem... Finally talked with a tech (who was extremely busy and about to leave town) and explained the problem to him. He said it could be a variety of problems. He instructed me on how to remove the proper panel and try a few things then call him back. I removed the panel then unplugged the ozonator... breaker still trips. Didn't notice any water inside the cabinet (something else he told me to check). I gave him a call and thankfully, my house is only about 5 miles from the dealer, he stopped by on his way to another appointment. Turns out that Pump_One was a dead. He drained the tub, replaced pump one and we were back in business. Now I've just refilled the tub and trying to start the new-fill procedures. Luckily, the tub was installed back around April so still under warranty... only a $50 trip charge. Ken
  13. The wife and I went in for a soak last night. We've been averaging about 2-3 soaks per week here lately with the busy schedule and hot temps. We had only been in the tub for about 10 minutes when everything went down (we had the lights and the stereo on at the time). I examined the 220 breaker and it was tripped. I would try move the switch to the off position then back on but it will not stay in the own position. If I leave it in the off position for 10-15 seconds, I can then get it to go into the on position but it trips within 2 seconds every time. Now I'm not sure who to call, the spa store or the electrician. Any ideas what might be going on with this thing. (Sundance Hawthorne). Thanks Ken
  14. That makes sense on one level but I guess I was expecting my dealer to say... check/clean your filter and let us know if that fixes the problem. I get the impression they were looking forward to charging me a trip charge, only to come down and clean the filter for me. Twice this has happened and it appears that both times removing and cleaning the filter fixed the problem (at least temporarily). I just hosed them off. I plan on doing an overnight soaking sometime soon to see if that resolves the problem for a while. Like I mentioned earlier, some additional bathers probably is what pushed things over the edge. Judging from the amount of foaming that occurred, I wonder is excessive foaming can contribute to the problem if that is only and indicator of new/more bathers. thanks Ken Buy a 2nd filter and rotate them. Soaked the filters overnight in a filter cleaning solution. Hosed the filters off the next day and then let them soak in clean water. Hosed the filters off a last time before reinstalling them. Adjusted the water chemistry a small bit ... about 30 minutes later... FL1 error reappeared!!! I started checking for replacement filters online just to have some spares I might rotate in and out. This would allow for no delay in being able to use the tub while the others might be cleaned/soaked. While doing this research I revisited the user manual only to discover the average life span of the filters is 2 years!!! Now I'm wondering if there is something else going on. Ken
  15. I was looking for some replacement filters and filter cleaners online when I ran across the following at a site that sells spa chemicals and maint. items. "Bleach is bad for filters Although household bleach may seem to do an adequate job of cleaning, it degrades and weakens the fibers in the filter media, greatly decreasing spa filter life expectancy" I've been using the Dichlor/bleach Method for the past 4 months... Any comments?? Ken
  16. That makes sense on one level but I guess I was expecting my dealer to say... check/clean your filter and let us know if that fixes the problem. I get the impression they were looking forward to charging me a trip charge, only to come down and clean the filter for me. Twice this has happened and it appears that both times removing and cleaning the filter fixed the problem (at least temporarily). I just hosed them off. I plan on doing an overnight soaking sometime soon to see if that resolves the problem for a while. Like I mentioned earlier, some additional bathers probably is what pushed things over the edge. Judging from the amount of foaming that occurred, I wonder is excessive foaming can contribute to the problem if that is only and indicator of new/more bathers. thanks Ken
  17. After 3 months of mostly the wife and I, we had some additional family in the tub the past few days and boy did that baby foam up!! Thought I'd check here to see if there are a couple of defoaming agents that are recommended? thanks Ken
  18. Is your hawthorne equip with a circ pump in it? It does not have a circulation pump. thanks Ken
  19. The last 3 days has seen my Hawthorne spa flash the FL1 error message. As a result, pump 1 will not turn on. Pump 1 is the pump used for filtration and kicks on whenever the heater is needed. The 1st time this happened (2 days ago), I read some general info in the manual that says something like "the pressure switch is not closed when the jets pump 1 is activated. Proper waterflow is inhibited or pressure switch has malfunctioned." It goes onto to say, check water level or checked for clogged or excessively dirty filter cartridges. So, I took out the filters and hosed them off... somewhere along the line this solved the problem (temporarily). Here's the kicker, I purchased the spa 4 months ago, so I called the dealer and told them of the problem. When the returned my call later that day the 1st thing they wanted from me was my Credit Card number... even before they would schedule a service visit. When I told them it should be under warranty they said they needed it just in case the problem was not covered under warranty!!! After I gave them the credit card info they said a service guy would call later to arrange a service visit... they didn't offer any suggestions of things to try to resolve my problem, just give us the CC number and wait!! To say I was disappointed by this would be an understatement. Now that the FL1 error is back I thought I post here to see if anyone has any additional insight on what's going on and how to address it. Some additional info is that we have had a couple grad kids and 2 more adults in the spa during this time. Of course this has resulted in more foaming then we have ever seen. I assume this may not be a coincidence. thanks Ken
  20. Thanks ChemGeek... I typically add 4-6 oz of Bleach each day (depending on usage or non-usage). For 3 days in a row I added about 18-20 oz and now the water is clear again. I've learned my lesson and will stay on top of things and not go 2-3 days without checking/adding bleach. The wife purchased some chlorine tablets at a local Lowes and a floating dispenser and I had her return this item. I don't see such being used or recommended here so I assume there is a reason for this. Thanks again. Ken
  21. Well, after several months, I got distracted for a few days and failed to add my daily 4-8 oz of Bleach and now my water is cloudy for the first time. I went a couple days without checking or adding chemicals (bleach). It had been pretty predictable requiring 4-8 oz of bleach each day. When we went to soak last night (after not soaking for about 4 days) we noticed the water was cloudy. After the soak I added 16 oz of bleach and the next morning I tested and the free chlorine level was 6.0 but the water was still cloudy. Once the water becomes cloudy is there any way to rescue it or will it require a dump and refill. I did add 6 oz of Natural Clear this morning and 6 oz of non-chlorine shock... yes, I'm reaching. thanks Ken
  22. Nice sleuthing! That's a 36% increase in volume in the case of the Hawthorne. A 25% decrease for the Hamiltion, from 2009 to 2010. A little thing like this could really mess with someone's assumptions when testing and treating the water! Are hot tubs like cars, where the 2010 model is available for sale in the fall of 2009? I stopped by my dealer and he had no idea about the changes mentioned above and really didn't know which capacity my tub was!! He is in denial about anything related to the internet. Nice guy but no help with this matter. Inside the filter compartment is a date of 10-29-2009. I assume that is the manufacture date so it still comes back to is it a 2010 or a 2009 model. I guess the physical dimensions also changed and I'll measure that and see if that gives me my final answer. Ken I sent an email to Sundance and after 2 days they replied. Here's their reply: ============================================= It is 545 US gallons. That is the correct water capacity. Thank you for contacting consumer services. ============================================= so 545 it is. I assume that makes it a 2010 model with a 10-29-2009 manufacturer date. Ken
  23. Nice sleuthing! That's a 36% increase in volume in the case of the Hawthorne. A 25% decrease for the Hamiltion, from 2009 to 2010. A little thing like this could really mess with someone's assumptions when testing and treating the water! Are hot tubs like cars, where the 2010 model is available for sale in the fall of 2009? I stopped by my dealer and he had no idea about the changes mentioned above and really didn't know which capacity my tub was!! He is in denial about anything related to the internet. Nice guy but no help with this matter. Inside the filter compartment is a date of 10-29-2009. I assume that is the manufacture date so it still comes back to is it a 2010 or a 2009 model. I guess the physical dimensions also changed and I'll measure that and see if that gives me my final answer. Ken
  24. I'll certainly go back and review the Dichlor-then-bleach document but thought I might get a quick answer for this question. With this method does one need to be concerned with the Combined Chlorine levels or the MPS levels. Test strips the last two days indicated low levels of MPS and my Combined Chlorine levels are zero or just above. thanks Ken
×
×
  • Create New...