TheWGP

It worked out fine with a small heater from Menards. :)

@DanDiegoI successfully used http://spacentreinc.com/index.html - give them a call. That topside control panel is just so hard to find, I hope yours is repairable. The alternative to keep the tub running, if no compatible topside can be found, is a full control system replacement, from what I've read.

Huh! That's cool! I kinda like that idea, put some sensors outside and in the tub and a couple of other spots. We often - in the heat of summer - run the tub at 96 so it feels like a pool during the day, then bump it up to 103 or whatnot if we think we'll want to get in it that evening, so it might actually be cool to have a display that shows where it's at. Truthfully, I WOULD like the Internet option, and the app and all that - but I know my wife would never use it, where she would that display. I'm going to talk to her about it and probably wait for a sale, lol!

RDSpaGuy can give you the spa tech view, but mine was underneath a bit of pipe insulation, ziptied into place on the heater tube - no need to touch the water. Quick and easy replacement. Thanks for the intelligence about the sales and batteries! It means a lot to know there's something dependable on the market now - I had looked at some a couple of years ago that just didn't seem to be reliable.

Oh wow, that's cool! I may have to look into it. We are home all the time, so my main interest is in a remote monitoring of the tub temp to see if there's been any issue with it. It would come in handy when we go on vacation too. Thank you for posting the links especially! I did notice one difference between our tubs - you have the white/sandstone, and I have the blue! 😂

I'm not having current issues - knock on wood! I recently had a random main board failure and got my board repaired, but before that my setup ran fine for about 2 years, out of 3 1/'4 I've owned the tub, ever since I swapped out the whole control box and topside for a used matching set I got off ebay. Looking at my options for repair vs. replacement of the main board, I realized that the topside would likely also need to be changed. This led me to discover that replacement topsides are now extremely difficult to find, even compared to 2 years ago. So, if I can find a used or new old stock topside - or even just the housing or the ribbon cable - at a reasonableish price, I'm going to snap it up, because if my current topside fails then all of a sudden I've got a non-running tub and no quick way to get a new part. I live in Ohio and keep the tub running through the winter, so I'd like to have some redundancy on hand. If I saw someone selling other parts cheaply I might buy those too, but we are fortunate that most of the 2002 Martinique's main parts other than the mainboard and topside still appear to be used on current Watkins/Caldera models, so they are still readily available. Because other control systems are available too, as RDSpaGuy mentions, I think as long as the shell and plumbing are OK, our tubs can be kept going - it's just an individual question of how much work and money is worth it. For me, it's a fun hobby! One question - could you link me to the water sensor that goes to the internet you use? I've seen some of these before but always wondered how well they worked, and if the one you use is reliable, I might like to try it. Thanks!

I would go ahead and replace the other sensor, based on best practices and RDSpaGuy's recommendation - it's cheap. Still, based on my personal experience and what Caldera/Watkins said, I wouldn't be shocked if the topside is the issue. Finding replacement topsides for this 18-year-old tub at this point is very much a no-man's land of dead stock from dealers and possibly or definitely used parts, where you have to take your chances on whether anything will really work or not. The supply of these topsides is just. not. out. there. I know, because I'm looking for one too! So, if you want to keep it running and have the $ available, it may make sense to upgrade to the new control box and topside. As long as you keep switching the temperature to keep the issue at bay, I would be worried that your heater relay board is going to give out, if you forget to reset the temperature one day and the relays keep going on and off. I had this happen a couple of times before I got things stabilized, and the boards are about $150ish - not killer by themselves, but it adds up.

Glad you got ahold of a dealer to confirm. I have used 72493 also. A bit of advice: be careful not to lose the O-ring that comes off when you unscrew the housing and pull the old one out! If you want to replace that O-ring to avoid any chance of a drip, I found one that fit mine at Lowe's - just take the old one up there to compare. Here's a resource I use re: part numbers: https://www.hottubspasupplies.com/amfinder?find=caldera-martinique-2002-4495&sid=dq28cT2ucx (link is to this tub). I have not purchased from this site, and I can't speak to their complete accuracy (and would not count on it) but it may be helpful, though I have not actually purchased from them. I have purchased from http://www.calderaspapartsplus.com/caldera-spa-thermistor-temp-control-2002-72493/ (link is to your temp sensor) - several times in the past 3 years, most recently just a month or so ago, and have always been pleased with them. Highly recommend purchasing from a dealer if you are at all unsure.

@RDspaguyis the tech - I'm just another owner - your thanks are properly delivered to him, just FYI!

I'm just over here in the peanut gallery, marveling at your v1 heater relay board still going! 😂 (I replaced mine twice due to past equipment issues.)

Howdy - your post might be seen better if you post it as a new post. You could link to this one if you want to reference symptoms and so on. For what it is worth, after having my original mainboard tested and found apparently good, I now believe my issue was a bad topside. Unfortunately these topsides are almost impossible to find anymore.

To avoid the issues with possible topside incompatibility, I ultimately sent the 0974701 board I had been running out to a company that repairs spa boards. I also sent them the original 39514. The results were that the 0974701 needed a new power supply/converter, and then it booted up and looked for a topside. The original 39514 appeared to be working - booted up and looked for a topside with no repairs. Makes me think that my original issues with that board might have been a bad topside, as I know the display was fritzy, perhaps other parts of it were too. Unfortunately the topside is now quite hard to find from any supplier so I'll have to keep an eye out for a backup. I just put the repaired 0974701 board back in, and I am happy to report that it fired up just fine after successfully burping out an initial air lock, I imagine due to shop-vaccing out the water/vinegar from the jets I worked on. Those new jets spin nicely - looking forward to trying them out once the tub's fully warmed up and the weather cooperates! Thank you, again, @RDspaguy and @castletonia both for your comments on this!

I think a little ceramic one may be nice to have around anyway. Feels like less fire risk too. I'll just position it away from stuff as best I can, ha! Thanks!

Well, the mainboard in my 2002 Caldera Paradise Martinique went out and I am waiting on a replacement. No problem... except my area is getting an unexpected late cold snap. This is supposed to get down to 35 tonight, a high of 64 but then a low of 45 tomorrow night, and a high of 47, low of 27 Friday night (eek!) and then possibly a low of 33 on Monday. The tub is currently full of water but is not running. Should I drain this or not? I have some thought that the larger body of water may help avoid freezing but am not sure. I am also aware of the concept of winterizing but have never done it, always run straight through winter. I do have a shop vac and an air compressor - just not confident I'd adequately get the water out, and I don't have any antifreeze handy, though I could get some. The tub has a drain hose, but I have never used it for fear of the drain hose cap not sealing back on tightly after I go to re-fill. I use a submersible pump to drain, typically - would the hose be likely to get out more water? I have also never opened the jet pump or circ pump or heater water fittings so have the same concerns about sealing back up tightly. Even if I do drain it, I'm pretty sure I won't get ALL the water out, so I'd still be at risk for freezing of residual water. I do have a tarp that is big enough to cover the whole thing all the way to the ground. I thought about putting some blankets around the base of the spa (which sits on plastic panels above gravel above dirt) and throwing the tarp over it, fastened down with rocks. I also have a small electric heater I could probably set up on the end near the control panel and route the air under the tarp, though I have concerns about the fire risk there. Thanks for any thoughts/advice!

That makes sense. Thanks! I'll update when I get the board swapped and hopefully everything's good again.