benXpac

Awesome, that model looks good. I'll have to look around locally for a similar one or order it - we don't have a Home Depot in my area. Wal-Mart and K Mart is all we get around here! I think what I'll do in the mean time is add a 5 gallon bucket of really hot water a couple times a day so the water temp stays above freezing for the next few days. Thanks for your help!

Just had the same problem. The circulation pump seized, all my pipes froze last weekend in the extremely cold temps. I'm at a loss what to do right now.

I live in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It got -22 in Sault Ste. Marie where I live, and -36 in Raco, about 15 miles from here. When I checked the spa last night before I turned off the breaker (when it started smoking) it said 104. CalSpa customer service called me today and were pretty helpful about the whole thing considering I don't have a warranty for it anymore. He said the only possibly scenario he can think of with the pictures and description is that first, the pump failed, causing the water to stop moving through the pipes. He said he doesn't understand why the pump wouldn't be running constantly at those low temps so it must have seized somehow. The water then froze causing ice blockage to the heat exchanger, and then the heater started burning up. He told me since the water is still relatively warm I might be able to salvage it by syphoning out the water from the tub since the drain tube is frozen solid, which I'm going to try to do...but I'll still have to buy a new pump, new heater, new unions, and possibly new circuit board (it still reeks of burned circuitry). Catastrophic failure. I just bought the thing in September and loved it. I filed a claim with my homeowners insurance, so they are supposed to call tomorrow to have a claims adjuster come out. I'm hoping for the best - it is the best purchase I've made living in Sault Ste. Siberia.

Found out the tub is shot. The hot tub cover insulated too well and there was still water in the pipes that froze in the -30 and below temps. Pump head and all of the piping is wrecked...can't even drain the tub.

Inspected the hot tub this morning in the daylight...worse than I expected. It's not the pump. The intake and outtake pipes of the heat exchanger burst from the cold. Here are some links to pictures that give a better understanding of what it looks like. I checked the circuit board and I see no physical damage, but the area smells like burned circuit board..maybe it's the heat exchanger that has the same smell to it, I don't know. I would appreciate any and all help. Thanks http://i1080.photobucket.com/albums/j327/benXpac/IMG_0444.jpg http://i1080.photobucket.com/albums/j327/benXpac/IMG_0446.jpg http://i1080.photobucket.com/albums/j327/benXpac/IMG_0445.jpg

Thanks, I 'll check that today..

Update: Well, I turned on the breaker again to see if anything changed. Bad idea. The electronics seemed to work ok, when I tried to turn the jets on, smoke around the metal box that says heat exchanger, which I'm sure is the pump because it smelled like a burning DC motor. Any suggestions (does it sound like it would be the pump?) I'm not very knowledgeable when it comes to spa hardware, but I'm sure I am capable of repairing it with a little direction.

I have a Cal Spa 5000 outside on my deck. It has been working great since I bought it this fall. Recently, we had an extremely cold weekend here where temperatures plunged to -31 degrees F. The hot tub was covered the whole time. Today (Tuesday), when I went to soak in the tub, I pushed the Jet button once to turn the filter jet mode on and it sounded louder than usual and the jets were not running. Pushing the button twice turns the full jets on, but again there was nothing. I am worried the extremely cold temperatures caused damage to the pump. Does anyone have any information or advice they can give me? I turned the GFCI breaker off in the mean time which means the heater isn't running. The temp right now is around 20 degrees F outside and the spa temp is 104...so I have a little time. Thanks for any info!