plumber802

No worries. It seems that Softub is very secretive and proprietary in nature, much like Tesla or Apple. The service tech/owner was unwilling to give me back the old part. Only after assuring him that it would be used by me for parts did he finally let me have it back. Based on my experience with my local dealer here in Vermont I don't think I would buy another Softub.

I thought I would at least get a few educated guesses lol. I ended up bringing he power pack to the Softub dealer near me. He diagnosed it as a bad voltage regulator on the mother board which requires replacing the entire board. Luckily he had one on hand. $551 total labor and materials. Ouch!

I purchased this Softub T140 from its original owner last year at the start of the pandemic. The paperwork that came with it states it went into service on 11-4-17. It has always been kept and used indoors. It worked perfectly for me last year. I did empty and clean it this past spring. Two days ago I filled it back up and plugged it in and it did reach its set point of 100 and shut off normally. However, shortly after the pump would come on for less than a minute and shut off and would repeat this behavior randomly but frequently. Today I was able to devote some time to trying to resolve the issue. It is plugged into a dedicated 20A GFI protected outlet that I tested and got 118 volts. I started by running the pump on the air bubbles setting for a while then switched back to just jets. The temperature set point was set at 100 degrees. The indicated temperature on the display did drop to 97 before climbing back up to 102 degrees at which point the pump shut off. Short thereafter the pump did kick back on for several seconds even though the display still remained at 102. It eventually dropped back to 100 but the pump continued to cycle on intermittently for several seconds each time. I have tried unplugging it multiple times in an attempt to reset it but get the same outcome. I would venture a guess that maybe the thermistor or the control panel might be faulty but don't want to start throwing parts at it without a solid diagnosis. Does this model Softub have a self diagnostic mode that can be checked for trouble codes? Any other advise would be greatly appreciated Thanks, Andy in Vermont.

Hi Kevin.I too have an Arctic Spa.We live up by the Canadian border and get extremely low temps here as well.I find that if we use the tub on average every other day I will need to add about 4 gallons a week.Hope this helps.

Another vote for the Arctic Spa cover.We live in Vermont up by the Canada border and it the most efficient cover we have ever had.

There may be some debris in the pump housing preventing the impeller from spinning.You may have to remove the pump to get to these components.If no obstruction have the motor tested.

We have used both chlorine and bromine.I prefer chlorine because bromine odor seems to irritate when breathing.I test daily and add a small quantity of chlorine every other day.

Remove the filter and try filling it there a little more with a hose.Hopefully this will push out any air in the suction side of the pump.

Is the pump working normally? Sounds like the heater is tripping off on high limit.

I would be worried about the pump seals drying and cracking.Maybe the other plumbing seals as well.Will the seller give you a warranty?

My test strips include a test for "Total Hardness" .How do I adjust up or down to be within the parameter? Thanks.

Could that tubing be associated with an ozonator?

Subscribing to this topic and hoping for a good outcome.Congrats April on being fearless and persistent and thanks Dave for your valued advice.

As Promised here is my update.I did purchase the Cove (Nordic) hot tub.I was only slightly more than a compact spa but offered so much more in terms of quality and features. http://www.nordichottubs.com/health-blog/26-hot-tubs/211-tub-of-the-month-the-retreat-ms.html

I found a Nordic Retreat spa which is 70"X80" and 34" tall on Craigslist.It is 2 years old and was set up indoors.Was used sparingly.Comes with matching stairs and ozonator.Ended up paying $2650.The compact spas that I was looking at were in the $2000 range and operate on 110V.I think I avoided a serious case of buyer's remorse by going with the bigger spa.

Thanks for taking the time to write this review.It was very helpful to me in my search for a small hot tub.BTW,I am originally from Montreal now living in Vermont.Really missing Poutine and St-Hubert BBQ!

Thanks for that info Dave.We will be looking at a gently used Cove C500 (Nordic Retreat) this weekend.I know this is a bigger spa but we may be able to get it for just a few hundred dollars more than the entry level Dream Maker.I will update this thread with what we decide.

Thanks Jp.Our local spa dealer sais that on smaller hot tubs the ozonator feature is not really required due to the smaller amount of water which makes it easier to maintain the proper chemical levels.

Hello all.I just joined the forum so I could get some guidance and opinions on a new spa purchase.It has been several years since we have owned a spa and would like the jump back in.The last one we owned was a Dream Maker spa that was purchased used for $300.We added an ozonator and kept it for a few trouble free years before losing interest and selling it on. We are now considering purchasing a new spa which we intend to put on our rear deck.We don't need a large one with tons of bells and whistles since it's just the two of us that will be using it.Since we had good luck with the Dream Maker we would consider this brand but I noticed that Aqua Rest Spas look very similar to our old Dream Maker.Are these two brands made by the same parent company?Pricing on the Dream Maker is higher than Aqua Rest. Are these the same spa? Aqua Rest AR-400 $1999 from Home Depot.http://www.homedepot.com/p/AquaRest-Spas-AR-400-4-Person-Spa-with-14-Jet-in-Stainless-Steel-Easy-Plug-N-Play-and-LED-Waterfall-in-Graystone-120-Volt-X4H-UHS-GG-5/206161964 Dream Maker Riverside $2499 factory direct.http://dreammakerspas.com/product/riverside/ Any advice or comment are appreciated.Thanks.