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.

Got this in my head so I did some searching - looks like the original board (verified with the one I have in the garage still) was a Watkins 39514, which apparently was replaced at some point by the Watkins 73181, which is currently replaced by Watkins 77089. I was running what was labeled a Watkins 0974701, see my earlier pic with the label in the middle (that metal piece with the sticker came with that board). I was told that was out of a Geneva, and it had a setting for my Martinique, so it worked fine. Upshot is, some casual poking around appears to be $288 for the 77089 from, actually, calderaspapartsplus, who I trust. Hopefully the topside I have will work with that model, as it's the one that came with the 0974701. I'll poke around some more tomorrow. but it looks like the 74903 topside board isn't the easiest to find anymore, nor is the replacement circuit board to go inside. In fact, the topside seems to be harder to find than the control board!

Oh yeah, I got that whole system (box, both boards, topside, some sensors) from someone on ebay for $150 if I remember correctly, used out of a spa that had sprung a leak. I do all the work on this myself, ran my own electric (to code), it's a fun little hobby and it comes out of my "fun money" so yes, I do look for deals, but I buy a lot from websites that seem reputable too - like calderaspapartaplus, where I get parts in sealed Watkins bags. My concern and question - regardless of where I get a new.board - is just trying to think of anything that might have caused the board to fail other than just corrosion, age, etc. For example, the blower, jet pump, circ pump and heater are either original or installed by a dealer for the previous owner no later than 2010-2012 (I have service records) so there is some age there on those parts. I'm worried about a potential cause of the bad board no matter where I source the replacement part from - if the same thing fries it, a brand new board I pay $400 for is just as much a paperweight as the one I've got in there now, if there's some underlying potential issue I'm overlooking. Does that make more sense? Just trying to be thoughtful about tracking down the source of the issue before blindly throwing a new board at it.

Well darn. Any thoughts on what may have caused it to happen - just bad luck? I'd hate to scavenge another one off eBay or whatever only to have the same thing happen to that one. Is that just a risk I have to take? Fortunately iq2020 boards seem to come up with some regularity, and I'm working from the thought that the heater relay board I have is still good so that's something at least. I really appreciate both of your thoughts on this!

Tested the black and red from the heater relay board to the mainboard (at the plugs on to the mainboard) and got 244v. Tested each leg to the neutral off the relay board and got 122v. 122v is what I show in the house on our regular outlets. Testing the hot plug to neutral plug for the blower gave 16some volts. The circ pump and jet pump show no appreciable voltage for the same measurement. Testing the two wires to the heater on the relay board, H1 and H2, shows zero, but I am guessing that's normal because the board isnt calling for heat (or the HTR ON led would be lit).

I do have a multimeter but couldn't get it out tonight because the family had other things to do and I had already spent all afternoon on the tub. I will test those wires hopefully tomorrow if it doesn't rain. Those orange spots were there when I installed the board (got it off eBay - actually got this box, board, power board, and topside all together) and it's been working. I can pull the boards off to look at the back pending weather. I believe I tried to wipe the spots off with a paper towel when I first installed the boards and didn't have any luck.

Wellllll... Got the jets replaced OK. Got an O-ring and the temp sensor situated OK. Fill up through filter hole, flip breakers on, circ pump hums to life, temp reads 58 (agrees with physical tied on thermometer) and I stuck my arm in to check the circ flow coming out - felt it coming out the usual hole, I think a little warmer but not 100 percent, but sometimes it's hard to tell when it first starts up, so OK, this seems normal. Go on about buttoning up the side, etc... And all of a sudden it just STOPS. Nothing on the topside panel. Breakers did not trip (either the 30 or 20 outside or the 50 inside). Nothing is running. Crap. Pulled the filter, opened it all up, everything appears OK but nothing happens when the breakers are flipped on. Nothing from the LEDs on the board. Nothing on the topside panel. Just nothing. Waited an hour and tried again, still nothing. Used a no contact voltage tester and each line going in has power to the board. The 3 wires from the relay board to the mainboard have power. The black and white from the board for the blower seem to have power but not the circ pump or jet pump. Still no LEDs on the board. No LEDs on the board and no response of any kind with the 30 on and 20 off, or vice versa, though obviously different wires have power, etc.. Now, the tub had been sitting dry and powered down since Monday April 27. That's 5 days. Longest it's sat dry since I've owned it, actually. Could that have something to do with this odd behavior? Attached a pic of the new VersaSsage jets in (yay) and also the open control box. Just when I thought I was done... 😅 Really hoping I don't have to replace the entire control box again.

I'll give that a shot if I can retrieve the o-ring out of the silicone. Unfortunately can't fill the tub till I resolve this so it goes well with the jet replacements. I found some "safer" muriatic acid with 90% less fumes from Home Depot to mix with water, and I'll grab a sponge for just this too - an upgrade to paper towels and vinegar for sure! Now, if it would stop raining, that would be nice! At least it gives me time to get the stuff together. Thank you for your help, RDspaguy - I'll update how it went once I'm done.

Ahhh, yeah, they didn't supply a new o-ring with the new thermostat so I reused the old one. Not sure how to get the precise o-ring needed other than buy a new thermowell, which I guess is the part that comes with the o-ring. I have a sinking feeling I'm headed for buying a new thermowell, and I hope not a new temp sensor. I may see if I can find some stronger acid - any particular suggestions that aren't likely to harm the spa? I would probably pour some in the two jets I'd like to replace and walk away, give it a few minutes before even being near it. Then I guess it's time to chip away at those bases - I think if I get the base the rest will come out. I have already employed swearing profusely with variable success on this hot tub! 😂

Howdy folks, I've gotten some great help from this forum in the past, including replacing all my electronics, so I'm no stranger to monkeying with the tub. Now, I have two questions that I'm second-guessing myself on and am hoping for some help: 1) I had to replace my temp sensor a year ago, and ordered an OEM replacement. When I tightened it all back up and filled, it dripped, even tightened as far as I dared push the plastic screw-on nut to the housing. So I applied silicone basically everywhere I could, and it all seemed fine. This month, though, I found it dripping again at the back of the temp sensor. Guessing I didn't allow enough time for the silicone to dry before re-watering, maybe? It is on there pretty solid, but is dripping. Thought I'd ask here before taking any further steps, as I am very worried about breaking the plastic housing the more I mess with it. Picture attached of the entire housing, drip visible at the bottom. My question is - should I try to clean out the old silicone and reapply with an extended drying time? Is there a specific silicone or other substance I should use? Any tips to avoid breaking the temp sensor housing? 2) One VersaSsage jet broke, and replacing it was rough - after soaking in vinegar as best I could, ended up having to chip out the bottom of the old jet - which did work, and the new one seems to be in there fine. BUT - I also have two Versa jets in the same seat that the manual ( available at https://www.thespaworks.com/sites/default/files/2002_paradise_series_owners_manual.pdf ) - says on page 15 can convert from Versa to VerssaSage. That also appears to be the case from the parts diagram of the VersaSsage nozzles I purchased: https://www.hottubspasupplies.com/catalog/product/view/id/5863/s/005064-jet-vsr-insert-rotating-grey/category/2/ (Click Specifications to see the diagram) I believe this is the Versa jet that is in there currently: https://www.hottubspasupplies.com/catalog/product/view/id/5862/s/005044-jet-vsr-eyeball-set-assembly-directional/category/2/ and from this photo and the above diagram, I think I should be able to squeeze together the "pinch points" where there is an opening at the base to pull the jet out. Unfortunately, I can't get the darn Versa jet out. I squeezed together on the "pinch points" at the base of one of the jets, and it just broke off. I stopped and decided to post here just in case I've missed something. My question is - any ideas about how to remove these two Versa jets other than vinegar soaking and then chipping away at them to remove? Grateful for any thoughts on either this drip or how to remove these two Versa jets!

So just to update... this went well! To answer my own questions, for the benefit of anyone who may read this in the future: - be very careful labeling each wire - I caused myself much unneeded stress and odd behavior of the tub by accidentally flipping "blower" and "circ pump" wires. - the plastic tabs holding each connection on can be delicate - I inadvertently broke one on my old board pulling the sensor plug off. - the "program" jumper on the new board was a little different for the Martinique than my old board was - not a problem, works fine, just don't blindly copy it The sticky gasket - cleaned it off easily on the "new" topside. I then pried up the old topside with a pennknife and a very thin screwdriver. Following that, I scraped the old silicone remnants off, and I applied a new bead of silicone caulk underneath the topside, and then another bead continuously around the outside of the new topside. Seems to hold it in place fine, and keep water out, which is the important part! I would encourage anyone thinking about this type of replacement to be very careful and do your homework on it - but it's certainly possible to do even large scale replacement projects like this yourself. In the end - this has been running for a couple of weeks now and is 100% successful thus far - we now have a fully working display, no intermittent heater stop-starts, and overall our hot tub is the best it's ever been.