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Hello, I was doing some much needed maintenance (clean filters, replace Silver Ion cartridge, shock) when I noticed a rubber washer in the filter compartment. It is a bit larger than a quarter in diameter. I always top off water levels by placing a hose in this compartment, so I'm assuming this rubber washer was stuck on the end of the hose and fell off when filling, but I wanted to check with the community on this. I'm not sure how to attach an image but it is twice as thick as a quarter and seems like it would fit nicely inside a sprayer that typically attaches to a garden hose. Thanks for any feedback! -Alan

I completely agree. I am looking for an approach to debug this. Del Ozone customer service has been great and I have had a completely open discussion with them about what is happening. With the rest of the spa working and not tripping the GFI, there are only so many things that can be causing this. The two main issues are water entering into the ozonator and a faulty ozonator. The original Freshwater III was 5 years old. The first Del Ozone worked for a few days. The replacement cartridge only worked for a few hours. Now the replacement cartridge didn't replace the cord wiring or the circuit board that has the fuse. There is the possibility that there is a short in the cord or the circuit board once it gets moved or heats up (from being enclosed in the spa). I agree with you that something is going on, just not sure what...

Dr. Spa, the check valve is in place and the tube is higher than the level of the water. There is no evidence of water in the tube and since installation I haven't switched on the main pump, so the smaller pump has been running the entire time (and pulling air through the system). So there is no evidence of water entering the ozonator. If water did somehow enter (and I just can't see evidence) is the ozonator ruined or do I just need to let it dry out and replace the fuse. If there is a chance of it still being good, I think I should test the ozonator without it being hooked up (or does it need air to be pulled through it?). UPDATE - spoke to Del Ozone (amazing customer service). They said that you shouldn't run the ozonator without air being pulled thru as the ozone released will cause oxidation within the device. They also said that water entering the ozonator chamber will cause issues if happening for a long time but no real issue should happen unless water gets in the circuit board or transformer. They are replacing the unit and I'm sending this unit in for testing at the factory.

Hello, I had a Freshwater III ozonator from 2009 that failed (kept on blowing fuses). I replaced the fuse and it would instantly blow. I replaced it with a Del Zone MCD-50 and it worked for a couple of days and then stopped (blown fuse). I called Del Zone and their customer service is amazing. They sent a rebuild kit (replaces everything but the plug and board that has the fuse). I put that in the tub and I could tell by the light and the humming sound that it was working. A couple of hours later I couldn't hear any noise from it. I just checked and the fuse is blown. The tub is wired 110V and I'm using the default wiring for the ozonator. The rest of the tub is working perfectly (no blown GFI, heater works, small and large pumps work, etc.). I'm assuming that the Del Zone is blowing the fuse because of a bad transformer in the ozonator. Do people agree it has to be another bad transformer? Or should I be checking something else? Thanks ahead of time! -Alan

Is the Del Zone MCD-50 produce too much ozone for a hotsprings spa prodigy? Assuming it is ok, what power plug do I need?

My Hotsprings Spa Watkins Freshwater III ozonator from 2009 has finally failed. This version has a curved top housing. I've noticed that the present Watkins Freshwater III ozonators have the same name but are a different form. Can someone tell me the changes or improvements on the newer version? I found someone that has the old style for sale but if there are improvements with the new version I'll get that instead. Are there improvements or did they just change packaging or perhaps the supplier? Thanks in advance.

Awesome and thank you! I've read up on the valve I have and it looks like it is actuated by a vacuum from the pump and is suppose to return (or close) via a plunger that is spring loaded. I can see how that could fail over time (like 11 years) and it makes perfect sense that this is my issue as the leak started happened when I selected the clean cycle. Thanks again!

Hello. I have a 2002 Hotspring Spa Prodigy that was in perfect working order. Yesterday I turned on the clean cycle and noticed a trickle of water coming out of the vent located at the bottom of the tub in the front corner on the left side of the tub (where the circular hole with wire mesh is). The leak can be varied in flow by adjusting the jet selector dial. The main compartment where the heater and controls are is dry but I noticed the black 3-way connector (with 2x 3/4" tubes and 1x 1/8" tube) has a little water in the vertical 3/4" tube and the 3/4" horizontal tube. Can anyone tell me what this three way pipe does and if this can be the cause of my new leak? I read somewhere that this pipe is no longer used in newer models. If this is the issue, what part do I need to order? I took pictures that you can view here: https://www.icloud.com/photostream/#A25yeZFhMx3GE Hopefully you can see the water I'm talking about. Thanks in advance for any help you can provide! Cheers! Alan

I just installed a new heater relay board. When I removed the old board I could see the burn marks on the back side of one of the relays. Thanks for all the help!

Well, no visible burn marks but I'm only getting a measured 2 Volts from volt meter (aka zero volts). Thanks for the debug help!

The serial number is HQ3D1397. Life got in the way and I wasn't able to spend any time debugging the spa today.

Dan, thanks for the great information. This issue is on day 4, I'm pretty sure the tub was down to 80 degrees last night and it is reading 84 this morning. I will check those items you recommended today and will report back. Two addition questions. 1. I have a record that the tub was installed in August of 2002. How do I confirm that it is a 2002 tub if I need a new relay board? 2. Will a failed relay board provide limited heat also (I'll clean filters again today).

Hello. I have a 2002 Hotspring Spa Prodigy that the heater stopped working or is providing limited heat. The tub is currently wired 110 V and has been running well for many years. I have recently been guilty of not cleaning the filters and the other day I was doing electrical work on the house and threw the main breaker to the house. I'm guessing when I turned the breaker back on the hot tub heater isn't working properly as it was approximately 90 degrees 24 hours later. When I first looked at it there was no bubbles coming out of the bottom of the tub vent and normally the ozonator bubbles can be seen here. I cleaned the filters, unplugged the tub for an hour, tried to reset the Watkins No-Fault 6000 heater (I don't think it was tripped) and plugged it back in. Instantly the ozonator bubbles started to appear again. I'm waiting to see if the tub starts coming up to temperature but because I don't think the heater reset was tripped I have low expectations this will fix the issue. I looked at the circuit board and the "LIM OK" light was glowing green and the "HTR ON" light was glowing red and the "Control Unplugged" light was off. Can someone tell me if my tub doesn't start to heat up how I start debugging this? Can someone tell me how to measure whether the sensors are functional (resistance values I'm assuming)? Also how can I measure that the heater is getting power? I will "feel" the heater and try to determine if it is getting warmer but with the hot tub water at 80'ish degrees now it is difficult to tell (unless it is suppose to get really warm - I've never felt it in working condition). Any help is GREATLY APPRECIATED!!!

I have a 2002 Hot Springs Spa Prodigy. It is wired 110V with the GFI plug. I'm having a heck of a time finding a weather-proof enclosure for the electrical outlet that will house the giant GFI plug inside the protective door. Can anyone point me to an electrical cover that fits these plugs?

I had similar issue with a Prodigy tub that was wired 110V. It did the exact same thing. I thought it was the GFI plug, replaced that and it did the same thing. It turned out that the one-way valve on the ozonator tube had gone bad and when I turned the main pump on it was allowing water to get into the ozonator and tripping the GFI.

When you order the Freshwater III kit the tube is preinstalled to the injector as is the one way valve. Well, the one way valve was installed backwards in my setup. Do yourself a favor and test that the one way valve is installed in the correct direction before installing it in the tub. You should be able to blow into the end that attached to the ozonator and have air flow. If not, the valve is installed backwards. It would be more convenient if the valve was installed lower so that if it goes bad (or is installed backwards) you could just change it but for some reason that part of the tube is tucked way up high in the tub. This of course makes it difficult to access. I hope this helps someone. BTW, I tried to add pictures but for some reason this site doesn't like URLs from Picasa.

OK, I filled the tub and don't see any bubbles coming out of the bottom vent from the ozonator. I'm 100% sure that I put the injector in the exit heater hose (had the sticker on it) and 100% the injector is facing the correct direction. The only thing left in the system is the factory installed one-way valve. Could this be installed backwards? I removed the tube from the Freshwater III and tried blowing into it. I couldn't pass any air through it with the tub running. Should I be able to blow air through the tube with the tub running? They only reason I ask is I spent a fair amount of time this morning threading the tube above the water line and I'm not excited about doing it over again, but that will be the next step. Thoughts?

Ok, after a second look I found the tube with the sticker on it. For others, the tubes leave the heater on the top of the heater. The back tube (towards the center of the tub) is the one with the sticker. Seeing as the tub was empty I completely removed the tube from the tub to cut it and add the injector. Thanks for the help! Time to fill the tub and try out the ozinator!

Hello! I have a "new to me" 2002 Prodigy Hot Springs Spa. I guess the ozinator was an option for this tub because while the tub is "Freshwater III Ready" this tub has never had one installed. I bought the Freshwater III install kit complete with the injection manifold but the installation instructions aren't the best. The tub has the No Fault 6000 heater and I'm suppose to cut a 4" section out of the vinyl tube coming out the the heater and install the injection manifold there (where the heated water exits the heater). Can someone take a picture of their install and post it here so I can make sure I cut the correct tube? Thanks in advance!