Kenny W

In this global economy what does it matter. There are no quality issues from Watkins products made in mexico or Vista. Also I just read a article on what must be followed to be labelled made in USA. It is not easy as you think thank to our gov. Also think about all the parts that go into making the spa. Jet, pumps, controls, etc it might come from another country and then used to build a spa. There is just to many variables to look at. I am not saying it can't be done Made in the USA, but to stay competitive in the market things are outsourced.

I thought there was a system that Hotspring made to work with the older spas? I thought it had a external interface.

They work nice, just make sure you run the pipe away from the pool structure.

Do not remove the bulkhead fitting. If it is the non spinner nozzle screw the nozzle all the way in and install a rubber plus in front of it. The retainer ring can be removed without the tabs but is a pain to do. You have to try to use some sort small tool to move the ring with small dimples in the retainer ring. hayward used to make a tool to remove these

If the cleaner moves a little then stops or the prop on the top spins and moves water and the cleaner does no move, it is a bad motor block. There is 4 different motor blocks used in different tiger shark cleaners.

There held in by two straight clips. if they been in for awhile more then likely they will not come out easy and may even break. Use a long thin blade screw driver and gently pry behind the jet in between the jet and jet body flange. You can also try pliers, just take it slow

There seems to be a problem with heaters produced by Therm products for Watkins Manufacturing that makes Hotspring and limelight spas. This from CPSC http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml12/12211.html

You will need to check voltage on the pc board to make sure it is sending voltage to the pump when turned on. Take the front panel off and then turn the pump on see if it hums, it could be a faint hum. If it humming but does not start it is either a bad start cap either located on top of the motor or in the back. It could also be a bad winding in the motor which then will be needed to be replaced.

It could be a bad topside control panel. I know some circuit boards and topside control panel communicate and this could be the issue. If they do communicate and one or the other is reading/giving false info it would create a problem.

Do a search on Covermate III. It is a deck mount cover lift.

If your spa is a older model there is a good chance that the jet inserts themselves are worn. Worn insert will reduce or stop bubbles and could also back feed to the air control valve

Check around the light lense on the inside of the equipment bay. They leak there sometimes

If a pump has sat for awhile it might just be stuck. Depending on were it is mounted you might be able to work on it inside the tub. On the back of the motor there should be a cap dead center. The is the back of the motor shaft. You can try to turn the motor by hand with a large screwdriver or wrench depending on the shaft design. If the motor has a smooth back end with screws holding it on, It is best them to try to free the motor shaft from the front. Hopefully there is space between the motor and wet end were you see the shaft. If so try yo turn the motor by hand with a pair needle nose vice grips or pliers. Make sure it the metal shaft you are grabbing. It the pump has no space to do this you will need to disassemble the pump. do not try to run the pump without water unless it is disassembled. Worst case the motor is shot.

Balboa does make what is called a daughter board that mount to the heater for a extra pump or blower, but if this control system can use it you will still need to buy a new topside control to operate it. The other alternative is a air button connected to a switch to turn the blower or pump on and offf. here is the switch http://www.spadepot.com/shop/Air-Switch-SPDT---301-P816C158.aspx air button http://www.spadepot.com/shop/Air-Button---Flush-Mount---White-P4586C153.aspx

Waterways makes circ pumps also call tiny might i think. Also Balboa Water Group has some. If you in the UK the american version I don't think will work. We use 60 HZ here. Don't you guys use 50 hz?

Are these the what you looking for http://www.aquaflodirect.com/cipu.html

Is the jet pump running? if yes loosen the union at the front of the pump enough to here air and when water starts tighten back up and it should purge the rest. If the jet pump is not running to is also why you will get a error.

The smooth shell show every single dried up water spot there is. Pebble is what I prefer. Pick a color you like light or dark it about what you like

Another feature which I think Sundance has if freeze protection. That means if for some reason the spa stops heating wether it be a circ pump or the heater, the computer will automaticly turn the jet pumps on to the spa and equipment from freezing.

Sundance Jacuzzi are in fact the same company. Both are manufactured in CA. I don't think you could go wrong with either

Check out the Polaris 9100, neat little electric with its own bag not filters like other robots. the plus side uses very little power, pool can be off while its running, skimmer can operate like normal if pool is running, helps circulate the water. If you want the bigger version look at 9300

You could try a Hayward Tigershark or a Polaris 9300 electric cleaners

On the back of the pump is there a dryer looking hose connected to it? Most Watkins stuff exhausts the pump heat. If the exhaust hose is kinked, crushed etc the heat has nowere to go overheating the pump motor and causing a failure. Also if the exhaust port to outside it blocked it is a problem as well as the ports were fresh air intake is. Caldera spas have all the porting in the front of the spa right under were the equipment sits. I have this problem on 1 Caldera I serviced and Watkins was unresponsive to the problem. The bottom of the spa was built incorrectly trapping hot air. We ended up taking the hose of the back of the pump and letting it exhaust into the equipment bay. keep pressuring Watkins even threaten them with a lawyer, Contact the BBB. No manufacture or dealer likes to replace product it cost them money, but you as a customer have rights also.

Does the pump ever shut off? If the spa has programmable filter cylces it maybe running the filter cycle to long, meaning the pump runs for extended period of time and overheating the water.

There might be a fuse that has blown in the control box for the pump. Sometimes they are mounted on the circuit board and sometimes mounted in a fuse block. When the pump was running did it sound louder than normal, seemed hard to turn on?