urban

Thanks! I'm sure if I kept looking around the metro I could find other brands but these are the closest two dealers to me. Sounds like Hot Springs has a much better reputation based on what you tell me and what I did find in other searches. Do you have a brand that you feel is a better buy/bargain? Or is the Hot Springs good enough to not spend a bunch of time driving all over looking. The price range of most tubs is close enough that it doesn't matter much. We're looking for something simple but good quality. My wife doesn't like the jets and we're mostly just relaxing in it so that takes out the need to pay for all the fancy jets etc. that the really expensive ones come with. I just want something that has 5-7 seats and no lounger that is dependable. Trying to stay around the 5-8k price range but will pay the higher end for quality.

I'm looking for a new tub and have a couple of local dealers that I've checked out. I have a Hot Springs and a Master Spa that fit my needs. The Hot Springs is about $1000 more but on the surface they both look similar. Anyone have an opinion on which would be the better choice? I'm willing to pay more if it means that I'm going to have the more reliable product. If it helps, it's b/w the Master Spa Clarity or the Hot Springs Pulse.

Thanks, Dave. That gives me something to look into. I thought that maybe the control panel was working since it turned the light on and off. I'll give that a try as the way it was running over, the water would come right over the control panel. I was just topping off the water so I wouldn't think it would have air blockage.

I was just trying to bring this topic back up and see if anyone had an idea. I went ahead and bought a new capacitor but that didn't fix it.

One more bit of information. I had an aha moment and realized that I just checked the capacitor with the wires still connected. To be sure this wasn't a false normal result, I went back and disconnected the wires and then tested the terminals. I got a quick reading that then fell to zero. Do I interpret this as a bad capacitor? I read that it should gradually build up as it is fed by the battery on the ohm meter.

I'm trying to run down a problem with my motor and was wondering if anyone could help me out. Long story short, I topped off my tub the other night and meant to go back out and turn the hose off after I changed and somehow forgot. When I remembered at 6 am and jumped out of bed to check on it, the water was obviously running over and the panel showed OH on it. I turned it off and let it sit for a while. I emptied some water out and a few hours later turned it back on to see what happened. It comes on and reads the temperature but doesn't start to circulate. I took of the panel and it looks like there was some dampness in there but it wasn't too wet. I feel like the first time I tried it, it clicked a few times but nothing then happened. Now, it doesn't click or anything. Just shows the temperature. If I try to turn the pump on, the light cycles like it does as you go through the speeds, but nothing with the pump. I've had to problem solve some other stuff so I did the normal things....obviously there is power so it's not a main breaker problem. I checked the terminals with an ohm meter and that seems fine. I get a reading on both terminals when tested one by one with the black probe on ground. I checked all the fuses and they get flow across them and look good. Nothing looks as if it shorted...no dark/burn spots that I can see. I even took the capacitor off and check it and got a reading across those terminals. Any ideas?

Another update....I took it upon myself to just start fiddling with the adjuster on the pressure switch at as I turned it counter-clockwise, eureka!, the heater kicked on. Now everything seems to be working appropriately in all settings. Thank you for all your advice. It helps a novice do-in-yourselfer to have someone to bounce these things off of.

So, I have an update that perplexes me. I took the filter out and now it still doesn't show that it's turning the heater on. Now, I get 115 on each pole with ground but nothing across them in low speed. Still getting normal activation and voltage in high speed setting. I was actually referring to the pressure switch on top of the heating element. If I crossed wires or the adjustment that come on it is off could that be an answer? I'm ordering a new filter anyway because it's at least 3 1/2 years old and won't hurt to get a new one. I'm letting it run to see if I get any heat, although I'm assuming it won't if I'm not getting 230 across the poles. I'm not electrically minded enough to understand why I'm getting ok voltage at each pole but not across them.

ok, I'll try that. Would it have anything to do with the hi flow switch?

yes

Ok, So I checked the voltage and I get 115 across each one and ground but nothing across both. When I put it in the high speed setting, the light comes on, I hear the heater kick in, and I get 250 across the poles.

Ok, I did figure one thing out. I did go ahead and buy a voltmeter but wanted to look at my wires first. I couldn't find anything that was loose or seemed corroded. I made sure everything on the circuit board was pressed in good. After doing this and trying it, I did note that the light comes on and it seems to start heating in the hi speed mode, but not the low speed. I did the poor mans test and swapped the high speed and low speed, same thing, just at different phases on the control panel if you follow. I have a voltmeter and am reading the manual because I haven't really ever used one and don't want to electrocute myself. This does seem to tell me that the heater is getting it's voltage though, right? I checked all the wires on the thermostat, hi limit, and flow and everything seems fine. Thoughts?

I'm going to look at it. I didn't mess with any of the other wires and I checked all the connections when this started happening, but maybe I just need to go over it more closely.

Thanks for the reply. I figured out what you just said about the pump heating it up. I noticed a slow and gradual heating but the light never came on to say the heater was on. I do feel though like the light came on the first time when I had my wires incorrect. I may just be imagining that though. It's a Cal Spa 230v. I replaced the entire heating assembly. I should point out that the heater was working fine before I swapped motors. You actually helped me with that too. I figured out the pump problem by switching the wires around. The low speed wouldn't work but the high speed was ok. We actually just left in that way while waiting for the new motor and it heated to 104 and kicked on like it should for cycles and heating....just in the high speed all the time. That's why I'm a little confused about this starting only after I swapped motors. Everything but the circuit board had been replaced and it was working besides the motor issue. I'll get a voltmeter and let you know what I find...

I have been having an issue with my hot tub for a while. Long story short, it quit heating and I went through a process of elimination. Got new heating element because it started leaking really bad so I figured that was the problem. Then it still didn't work so tried to put in a new thermostat which didn't fix it. Got a tip from here how to decipher b/w circuit board and pump and realized it was the pump. The low speed wouldn't turn on on the pump. I actually used it with only the high speed for a month while I was waiting on the new pump. It worked reasonably well but only circulated on the high setting. Basically I inverted the high and low speed wires. Yesterday I finally got around to installing the new pump. Everything went pretty well but I realized I had the wires wrong when I fired it up and it came on and circulated, heated up, but it didn't cycle through the settings like it should. I took a look at the diagram on the back of the pump, which I forgot to do when I set it up and figured out that I had my wires switched. Anyway, now it comes on and circulates like it's supposed and goes through the proper progression of settings, but doesn't heat. It just doesn't kick on. I thought, well, maybe I did have the wires right and switched them back and it still doesn't heat. I'm relatively certain the wiring is correct now, but what could be causing it to all of a sudden not heat when it was working for an hour or so before? It heated from 50-68 during that time so I know it was working and I'm not just remembering wrong. I only started to question my wiring when I cycled it through and it didn't seem to go: lo, high, off like it should.