Bob Sanders

If bearings are good and the shaft spins free when turning then I would next look at the centrifugal switch to see if it's shifting from the start winding to the run winding. This switch is mechanical and is prone to failure over time. You should hear a loud humming from the motor on start-up that lasts maybe 1/2 a second (this is when the motor is on its start winding). After that the switch (using springs and weight against centrifugal force) then shifts the motor over to the run winding. If the motor does not shift (you should hear a clicking about a 1/2 second after the start) the you are still running on the start winding. You will draw a tremendous number of amps until to motor's cut off switch heats up and shuts the motor down. This will cycle again.... and again.... every time the cut off switch cools and re-conducts.

In a power outage?

Dipping below freezing for short periods (a couple of hours) per night won't be too much of a worry. It's extended times that will cause you a problem however you still have lots of heat in the tub water. If you need to spread that heat into the pipe work from time to time then make yourself a little hand pump (a plastic baggy will do. Fill it up, place it over one of the intakes and squeeze the warm water in. Do that a few times and you'll be good to go for another while. Careful to balance this however with the number of times you NEED to remove the cover. The longer the cover is off... the more heat you lose.

I also doubt the mark up is a universal number across the board either. There is a markup for sure.... shop owners have to eat and live too. That being said... some like to eat and live more than others. My dealer wanted to sell me a blower for $200. I picked up the same one at spadepot for about $80 and you can be sure there is a mark up on that too. Small shops however (like mine) typically have a higher mark up because they move less product. Advice..... shop around... that's all.

Well a bit too late now... Winter is setting in, but I think next Spring I'll install a few more. I'd like to get some in down near the bottom of the seats for the feet.

I saw your board on Spadepot. They want $249 for a new one: http://www.spadepot.com/shop/Circuit-Board-Balboa-2000LE--P6767C226.aspx You should give them a call and see if they'll send you the manuals on it.

I hope you understand you haven't the faintest idea what you're talking about. I have used these filters systems (with 5 micron filters) for the last 10 years at my cottage to filter the lake water. I know them slightly better than you do.

The ones I got were the BX9606 http://www.spadepot.com/shop/Air-Injectors-C156.aspx

I had my hot tub down doing some minor alterations. One of those was to install a few bubbblers in the seats along with a couple of blowers. (One blower operates the bubblers while the other is connected to the jets intake to goose up the jet air). I think the bubblers do a better job at a massage than the jets! They're positioned so that they bubble up the back while sitting and the air kind of amplifies itself as it rises. By the time it gets to the surface it's like a volcanic eruption of sorts. The rather large air bubbles pound away at your back. It's a slice of heaven! I only put 4 in the seats and it's too late this year but next summer I think I'll put some in the base of the seats for the legs.

Thank you. Yes... it's quite true... I do like to tinker and probably part of the reason I did this. The other part of course is that fact that I went to the store to pick up a new filter and they wanted $45 for one. Bare in mind this is about $3 in pleated paper glued together with a bit of molded rubber (or similar). Somebody sure is making a tidy little profit! Maybe that's why manufacturers haven't changed systems? The system I now have uses MUCH cheaper filters that do a MUCH better job. Granted I have to use 3 in parallel to avoid flow restrictions, but even replacing 3 at a total of $12 is a heck of a lot cheaper. And the back wash system.... it'll lengthen the filter life and pools use back wash systems so why not hot tubs? Mind you my hot tub is connected to the house and the filters are actually inside where there is a water supply which is of course already protected from the possibility of freezing so that makes a big difference. Carbon filters? It was just a question of curiosity.... nothing more. I'm quite surprised at the eruption of raw feelings this has caused. Not sure why people are so defensive over the issue. It seems when something different is tried. or even thought of... be it filters... chemicals.... what have you, people start talking about how the industry has survived this way for decades and are pretty insulted in the idea of some one not towing that line. Go figure!?!

Is there a good siphon effect to suck the ozone from the generator (they need to be connected to a siphon system)

Why? Will it answer the question I have asked 3 times now? I guess I can assume no one here has an answer?

You don't seem to be getting this.... How about ALL of them? On a 220 system a neutral is not required otherwise it wouldn't be a 220 system. It would be a 220/110 system. Scott's board runs without a neutral. But wait! It's magic that's all.

My furnace runs on 220/24... but they don't supply a 24 volt line. Instead they include a 220 to 24 volt transformer. Just because the board may or may not natively operate at 110 volts does not for one single second mean it needs a neutral. In fact if you look at the bottom right of that boadr (number 7) you'll see what is quite clearly a small power transformer. Now tell me... what spa manufacturer would in their right mind would force a customer to spend all that extra money on that heavy (and expensive) 4 conductor cable if could be handled with a small and less expensive transformer and a 3 conductor cable?? Not withstanding.... why in the heck would you need such a heavy neutral conductor for the control circuitry? If a spa manufacturer ever told me that their tubs are 220 but i have to run an expensive 4 conductor line with a neutral anyway.... I'd be out the door so fast....

And the good ole fashioned NTSC analog tv signal with the 4:3 cathode ray tv has been around for quite some time too..... so what's your point?

The board picture I believe is convertible between 110 and 220.... and with 220 (as I have tried to tell you several times now) does not use or require a neutral. Scott... No... running without a neutral is not dangerous at all. A neutral is only required should you want to run it as a 110 system. There are plenty of devices which operate with no neutral... most electric 220 heaters.... furnaces... dryers... etc. These are purely 220 devices and therefore do not use (or have) a neutral line. Preserved swine is correct however in stating that running without a ground is dangerous (not sure you can do that anyway with a gfci breaker.... dunno.... never tried it) Short of further investigation to find a proper repair, I would rig the board the way it originally was and test run it for a couple of days (without connecting heat or relay). If the board works out fine with no explosions, fires, sparks... etc, then there is always the option to add a simple 110 relay to supply the necessary 220 to the heater. This will save you a few serious bucks on buying a new board.

Thanks for the info.... and it presents an interesting dilemma. Since I have installed the ozone generator it takes very little chlorine to to keep the test strips in the green so to speak which I guess makes it a little tough to figure out whether or not I'm throwing enough chlorine in for good sanitizing levels. I will say that the water is staying incredibly clean thus far anyway. Normally (without the ozone) I would have had to shock it by now since there would be a slight onset of cloudy water. Of course I've goosed up the filtration system a little too so that may be playing a roll as well.

Well you could always rig it back up the way you originally had it and instead of running the board's 110 output to the heater, run it to a 110 (with 220 contacts) relay and switch the heater's 220 on/off that way. A relay is a heck of a lot cheaper than a new board. You do however need to check your local laws and electrical codes to make sure you stay legal.

You mean clean water is a bad idea? If it removes more than what a standard filter removes (which it does)at a cheaper price then is it or is it not broken to begin with?

With due respect... you need to read a bit more carefully. No one said I was going to use a carbon filter. The question was (for the third time) will it remove bromine and not just chlorine? Placed in a PRACTICAL situation if you so seem to desire.... say I slip up one day and put too much bromine or chlorine in the tub. Might I be able to use one of these filters to remove the excess? And which difference have I not addressed?? As for the filter system itself working (with a 5 micron filter)... it IS. It's working just fine. Flow rates are fine... filtration is fine, water clarity is fine. No fires, no overheating pumps... none of that rubbish. I am MORE than satisfied the filters are working as they should (better than a standard $40 or $50 tub cartridge)

I believe that's the one he's talking about but that doesn't really make sense. F4 is for board protection. If that was blown the entire board would be dead which is clearly not the case. If a fuse is gone it would be one of the load fuses... 3 a or b (check them all just to be safe)

You can take them out and hose them once a week or so. The back wash is there only for fast and simple daily cleaning. Flow rates are fine with 3 in parallel and these are not connected through the main pumps. I have an independent "maintenance loop" complete with its own pump which runs 24/7 for heating, ozone and filtration so they do not interfere with normal hot tub usage.

Well, you're kind of forgetting the fact that in a house application fresh unfiltered water is being filtered which would kill a filter faster while in a hot tub the SAME water is being filtrated.... less crap.... longer filter life. Not withstanding as already stated, backwash ability has been built in and if backwashed daily that in itself will GREATLY extend the life. I expect to get at least 3 months out of them if back washed properly (with exception to the 1 micron filters are not the greatest for backwashing.... which is why I'm using 5 micron right now) And to top it all off... the filters are about $4 a piece. Not drinking water PURIFICATION. That would entail the use of ceramic cartridges (or similar). These are normal whole-house filters. (Three have been installed in parallel) Well... we'll find that out in 13 more days I should point out though that I use these same filter systems (2 in parallel) at the cottage to filter untreated lake water... and they last about 1/2 the summer.... and that's without backwashing. Yes... I understand that (as already stated). The question is however would they things filter out bromine? (I'm assuming so since they filter out chlorine) The price for these filters are $4 each for starters. Secondly... you can pick them up just about any hardware store. Third... I have a wider variety of choice in cartridge types. Forth.... they have the ability to do a better job.

I installed a second set of filters (with back-washing ability). These are actually whole house water filters which offer a choice in filter types (3 filters have been installed in parallel to avoid flow restrictions). First with the choice in filter cartridges.... I can filter down to 1 micron if I wish, (right now I'm using 5 micron filters) so I guess the question is how much filtration is good versus how much is simply 'excessive', and/or hazardous in having the ability to filters out the various chemicals REQUIRED? Second, I also have the option of sliding in a chlorine/taste cartridge in if I wish. Now it would seem rather silly to be adding chlorine topside while removing it below with the filters but none the less let's say for some crazy reason I needed to do this..... would a chlorine filter also filter out the bromine? (and yes.... I do have a separate filtration/heating loop with a 24 hour operating pump)

I see your point, BUT.... What's coming in through red and black is PURE 220.... there is no 110. For 110 you MUST have a neutral (or a ground) connected. The ONLY way to have 110 without a neutral is to have a 220 center tapped transformer GENERATE that missing neutral. Note how you have INCLUDED a ground in this measurement (the ground is the same as the neutral) At any rate... we'll have to agree to disagree here (I don't want to side track Scott's thread)