Brian VT

Jeez it sounds like you've checked anything a spa tech would. I guess he's gonna suspect the repaired pump is sucking air somehow?

If you're near southern VT I have a used Wavemaster 7000 available.

I'm not familiar with that tub. Well...I'm only familiar with mine. ;-) Are there 1/4" hoses leading to the heater and circulation pump? Mine has these "bleeder" lines that, I think, help to prevent airlock. Also, did you fill the tub through the filter chamber? I've heard this also helps prevent airlocks.

http://poolcalculator.com/ Why stop using bromine? It works better in warm water than chlorine. I would bring a water sample to a pro. pool place to have it tested. I think you've got bigger issues than high alkalinity. If your ph is good then I wouldn't worry about the alkalinity. Liquid acid is fine, btw, just more dangerous than powder. Be careful not to breathe any fumes and don't add water to it.

Cloudy/greenish water how long after it was put in the tub? To have a recently filled tub have coudy/greenish water sounds unusual. If it's new water and noone has been in it I would be surprised to see it get cloudy/greenish inside of a week or even more. I might suspect junk in the plumbing might be contaminating the water? Do you know the history of the tub before you got it?

I found a heater locally and my tub is back in service. Yay. There was someone on Craigslist selling all the electrics from a HS Prodigy that sprung a leak. I should probably keep them for spares but I could also use the $ so I'd be willing to sell the rest. For sale: Watkins Wavemaster 7000 pump (too heavy to ship except maybe through Greyhound bus?) Watkins Silent Flo 5000 circulator Watkins IQ2020 spa control center LED light, and a couple of the control panel things (temp. and jets setting buttons)

The water will drain down to the height of where the lowest leak is. That will help to locate it. The cold weather is certainly cause for concern. If theres a chance of freezing I'd drain it and put RV anti-freeze in everywhere you can put it and wait for a stretch of above-freezing weather to continue work, if you decide that it's worth it to you.

If the water is below the set temperature then the heater will turn on. If the heater is on then water needs to be pumping through it. If your water is losing heat fast then the heater and pump will run often (and use lots of electricity). Is it cold where the tub is? Do you have a good cover on the spa? Is the shell and plumbing insulated?

Looking for a Watkins/No-Fault 73790 (or equivalent) 6K heater for my Hot Springs Sovereign. Used would be fine. Shipped to VT.

Thank you. Heater and nipples on the way (I need another one on the elbow that feeds the pump primer).

Also...the 2 PVC hoses coming off the heater...can I replace them with clear braided hose from the hardware store? I think it said it was rated for 180F.

So...does anyone know if there was a nipple where the screw is plugging the hole in the Moto-Massage housing (blue arrow in pics) or, if not, where this 1/4" hose (red arrow in pics) is supposed to connect and what purpose it serves?

Well I decided to dig in. It turns out I didn't have to do any digging! I took the "redwood" off and the area was suffed with soft fiberglass insulation. Someone had been in there before me and done all the hard foam digging. I pulled out the wet insulation and with that was a loose screw with Teflon tape wrapped on the threads. Hmmm. When I got it all out I noticed a small hose (1/4" i.d.) that wasnt connected to anything and nothing in the area that it could connect to. See red arrow in pictures. I also noticed a screw into the Moto Massager "box". Maybe there used to be a nipple there that the small hose connected to ? See blue arrow in pictures. I filled the tub again and checked for leaks as the level rose. Nothing. After it was full I turned on the circulator. A little water came out of the small hose. Then nothing. I turned on the jets. Bingo! Water streamed steadily out of the small hose. I put the Teflon-wrapped screw into the hose and, voila, no more leak. I'm a happy guy. I'll leave it full for a while and see if the water level drops. If not then I'll replace the heater and look forward to having a hot tub again. I hope your repairs are this painless and successful.

I had drained my Hot Springs Sovereign because the water was 6 months or so old. Winter came and I (mistakenly) didn't think there there'd be any problem since it was empty. Doh! The end cap on the heater cracked. If this was the only leak then I would be okay with buying a new heater. I by-passed the heater with some hose and filled the tub. All is dry in the controls bay. Yay. Then I noticed water dripping off the bottom of the "redwood" on the side near the moto massager. This seems to be a common area for leaks on this model. I know I'm in for a miserable task to dig into there but if that's the only leak then I guess I'm up for it? (and buying a new heater). I don't know the plumbing "schematics" to determine if there are other spots that don't drain and are susceptible to freezing/cracking. I'm wondering what you'd guess the odds are that there are other leaks that won't show because they're underneath. I don't think I want to try to save this tub if I have to get into the bottom foam. I saw this on another site and I guess this is where my known leak is coming from. Looks like fun.