RDspaguy

Fair enough. Some people come here first to let us do their research for them. I don't mind helping, but I too have a life, and expect some effort from the people asking for help. Tomorrow I will make a couple of calls to some old co-workers and see if they have ever encountered this issue.

I am happy it is working good for you. If you peruse the recent posts, you will see many la-z-spa threads about problems that remain unresolved. The same is true on the other forum I frequent. It seems that parts are nearly impossible to get, and even getting into it to troubleshoot is an ordeal.

The mineral purifier plays absolutely no part in this. Eliminate it and you need 5ppm bromine in your spa. What brand of spa do you have? Your biggest problem is adding borate before your water is balanced. You are making your job harder. Get your alkalinity right first and foremost. It is ridiculous to believe that you cannot maintain a proper ph with a proper alkalinity. Everyone else on earth can, so why not you? At 88 CH and 50ppm alk, your ideal ph is 8.1(to high for sanitizer to work). Raise alk to 100, ph ideal is 7.8 (the maximum ph for bromine to be an effective sanitizer). Raise calcium to 150 at 100 alk, ideal ph is 7.5 (ph of human eye). Your goal should be that. 150CH, 100Alk, 7.5ph. I would recommend you do some homework on water chemistry. You are not grasping the basics of water maintenance. A google search will bring up much more information than you need.

When you did the continuity test on the fuses did you remove them or test them installed? How exactly did you test the capacitor, out of curiosity? If the cap is bad the motor hums or buzzes for a bit then will click audibly as the internal overheat protection trips. Are there any error codes on the display? Did you test line voltage? (Voltage at the spa hookup.) Can you post a pic of your control box and circuit board?

Start fresh. Test and adjust alkalinity to 100ppm. Wait at least 4 hours. Test and adjust ph to 7.5. Wait 4 hours. Test to verify alk and ph have stabilized. Alk 80-100, ph 7.4-7.6. Add borate (ph stabilizer, locks in ph and alk) if you choose. I personally do not use borate as it makes it difficult to change balance when I need to. Add sodium bromide and install floater. Maintain bromine 2ppm minimum. Bromine is acidic so will lower your ph and alkalinity. Aeration raises ph, so if your air injector controls are open all the time you will see rising ph. Test and adjust weekly. Shock weekly using dichlor or mps per package instructions. Dichlor is ph neutral, mps is high alkalinity. You must have a reliable test kit. Test strips are very accurate until you open the bottle on a humid day or near the spa steam or in the rain or reach in the bottle with a wet finger or etc..., then they are junk. Get a test kit.

He has a combo bromine and mineral floater. The last reading he posted are fresh water at fill up before he adds anything.

Sorry Craig, I couldn't begin to tell you. I know that from all the unresolved threads I have seen about them, I would not even recommend one to my brother-in-law, whom I can't stand. Best of luck.

I have been fixing spas for 25 years and was an electrician for 5 years before that. The quoted description of the problem does not make sense, they use terms that are not standard in the English language. I would surmise from that quote that there is both a control panel and a power board within the pump "body", whatever that is. And that, for some inexplicable reason, it has had a wire come loose. We see quite a few people on here that revive old unanswered threads about these inflatable tubs. Bottom line is, in my opinion, they are disposable and were never made to be fixed. In many threads, people are unable to find parts for them. Throw it away and buy a new one. Try a real spa, you will not be impressed with your inflatable anymore. Check facebook and craigslist for used or refurbished spas. Unfortunately, that is the best advice I can give you. Good luck.

That is to pull a cable through that pipe, which goes to the auxiliary control on the opposite side if I am not mistaken.

Good info. Thanks for sharing that. 👍

Well you don't have to get nasty. That's what you do if he DOESN'T cover it. Give him the chance to be ethical.

I am not familiar with the frog serene bromine method. Please elaborate. What are you using to test the water? What are your readings at fill up before you add anything? Are you on city water, well water, or softened water? What is your process to balance and sanitize your spa at start-up and routine maintenance? Do you have an ozonator in your spa? How often, how long, and how many people use it? Do you shower before use? Do you use lotions or oils on your skin?

Disconnect the heater. Does it still trip? No? Bad heater. I know the math. I also know from fixing them for 25 years that ANY CONTINUITY TO GROUND IS A FAULT. Scale will not cause this directly, though it can lead to the damage that will. You either have moisture getting into the element or corrosion at the terminal creating a path to ground. It happens to every immersed heater element sooner or later. Poor water maintenance can speed it up rapidly, but every element is on it's way to destruction as soon as you put it in the water.

Did you check for fuses in the control?

As a former electrician, it is my opinion that your electrician screwed the pooch. Those systems are intended to be wired by licensed electricians because they understand electrical circuitry and have the knowledge and tools to verify that it is done in a safe and effective manner. Did he look to see what voltage it was set to and wired for? If you, not an electrician, could figure that out, your electrician should have known before he ever got the wire out of his truck. That is his job. Shoddy workmanship is all that is. I would be asking him when he will be there to install my new circuit board that he is buying.

Glad you like the site. I wish I could help you, but I am really not familiar with the new tubs. I don't usually see them until they are out of warranty. For me, dealer reputation and longevity are more important than brand. It sounds like you have a couple to choose from. Consider yourself lucky. Get the one you like best. I suggest a wet test before you buy.

If you can access the controller circuit board try to brush it gently with a brass brush over the entire surface, giving extra love to close components and solders.

Yep. Bring it to an electronics guy.

Is it controlled by a control system or stand-alone? Is it wired to a breaker or plug-in? Is there anything else on the circuit?

👍

@castletonia, you have any suggestions? I would say call around to various Hot Springs dealers, someone has one on a shelf. Or bring it to an electronics/ computer repair guy. That LCD may be a common item in appliances, or it may be something else altogether. It could just have moisture in it shorting out the power to the LCD. But if you do need a new control system, you may have other options besides a Hot Springs.

So you have no return to the pool that does not go through the spa? And no way to maintain the pool separate from the spa? How do you keep your spa hot and your pool clean and sanitized at the same time? Sorry, a bit off the subject. Just trying to figure out what's going on there. I would have plumbed that differently, for sure. It has to be a bad valve on the suction, that water is coming from somewhere. I am confused about the trickle of cold water from the... was it a jet or the return for the overflow? By then it should all be the same temp, having gone through the filter and heater. Remove the actuator, cap, and stem and inspect for damage. Bad seals should not allow 60% flow from the closed side.

They have advised a high starting sanitizer to help oxidize the residual contaminants from the manufacturing and testing process. And it is a very good idea. You won't need it that high except on the first fill or after a period of disuse. Or maybe spill a bottle of wine, or some such. If your spa has ozone, it should be down by tomorrow. Leave your cover open for a few hours to let the gasses escape. I hope you balanced your ph and alkalinity first, you will likely bleach out your test at that chlorine level and have to wait until it comes down some to get an accurate reading.

Your image is unavailable. Is your equipment above water level? The backwash pipe is hard pipe and buried, I assume? Does it stop if the pump is off and the filter bleeder is open? How far down does the water level get?