SSpaOwner

I just realized that most spa owners wouldn't be able to answer this question. My house has a gauge that allows me to monitor electrical consumption real time. I'm able to see that this spa heats for about 2 1/2 hours per day, using one of the jet pumps. My previous spa had a circ pump, and there was no way to monitor when it was heating, since the bursts were frequent and brief. The new spa is using massively more energy than the old one, and I'm trying to figure out why.

For a new 300 gallon spa, heated to 102 degrees, sitting in the sun during moderate summer weather, how many minutes per day would you expect it to heat, independent of filtration cycles and usage? I'm also interested in whether spas with and without circ pumps vary considerably.

I have a Coast spa with a Balboa TP600 controller. Two jet pumps, no circ pump. In Rest mode, the pumps and heater only run on demand, as expected. In Ready mode, pump 1 starts every three hours on the hour, and stays on for 15-20 minutes. This consumes a great deal of electricity (I have a usage monitor on my main service panel that confirms this behavior). From what I've read, Ready mode should poll every half hour. Why am I getting this rigid 3-hour cycle?