tiredofhacks

Okay, thanks guys! I will let you know what they say when they call me back. I'll try to get a little more info on the black box. But the thing that still bothers me, if i paid $1500 to fix this (new spa pack, heater and top control parts only cost $1100, the balance was labor) why didn't they get something that worked in harmony with everything already there and didn't require custom sensors and an additional black box? It just seems like they put in after market parts to save money instead of putting in the correct parts but charged me the same as if the correct parts were installed. Am i going to far thinking that? Have a great week guys and thanks so much for your help! I'll give an update on what I find out. Thanks!

The splice was me (from when I tried splicing the old circuit board connector with the new Hydroquip high limit switch - as i said, no bueno). What do you mean by balboa topside? Is this the picture you're looking for?

yes, the temp sensor plugs in below the hi limit on that black box. I tried getting my big moonhead in there to see if there's a part # and can't, plus it's dark. For the high limit/temp sensors, yes! That is what i originally purchased PT# 34-01395-K. the ends don't fit into the black box. So basically I own a Frankenstein spa and I'm tethered to this guy forever? Because if something as easy as switching out a high limit switch is this difficult, the future is not looking rosy.

Okay, great! Here are 2 pictures of the entire equipment area and a better picture of the the little black box.

I went to the backyardplus website above and it asked for the serial # of my spa. I entered it and it said unknown error. I googled my spa's serial # and it doesn't exist...that I can find. Am I just going crazy at this point? I'm trying to get a picture of the equipment. I have a million pictures on my phone but not a single one showing the whole picture.

Could I just use the Watkins part i purchased 39525 and use this adapter to plug into the new board? I can't imagine it would be this easy. If it was, why didn't the spa company do this?

You're so confused?!?! Imagine me! The plastic piece broke and I thought, "What a simple fix. No errors, just a simple piece that broke. I'll order the part, re-screw it back in, plug it into the circuit board...a dummy could do this!" Not so much. Now that I'm deeper into it, I don't even know what sensor was working in the hydroquip (because it's clearly not the Balboa 32016 or Watkins 39525) but I'm willing to put it back in if I can find a plastic adapter. I went to HD this morning and the associate told me there's nothing this small in pvc. He gave me brass. Said it may break in a year or two because "brass doesn't like the chemicals". Seriously. Something tells me (a) don't put brass fittings in a hot tub and (b) don't put a brass fitting around a temperature sensor. Am I wrong about that? Attached are pictures of the circuit board. I'm not sure if there's only supposed to be one, but there is an additional tiny rectangle circuit board off to the side that the high limit sensors plug in to. I put an arrow to it in the photo. I can't get my camera to focus on that. And unfortunately, I don't have the other piece of broken plastic. Literally, I thought this was going to be an unscrew, fix, re-screw back in. Stupid to not keep it, just in case. I will in the future, I'm learning. HD guy said the threads into the sensor were 1/8" female and more than likely 1/4" male going out and threading into the spa (again, i don't know because I don't have that side of the other part and the 39525 is screwed into the hot tub now holding the water in). Sounds like I'm just waiting for another issue the way it's patched together? If so, what heater do i get that will connect and play nice with all these parts. I'd almost rather spend $200 and make it right than pay the company who did this another $200 to come out and put it back together with duct tape and bubble gum. Because it will break again and I'll be at their mercy AGAIN! Ugh! My question is, if the topside control failed and they had to get a new pack and heater (as stated on the invoice), why didn't they get a spa pack, topside control and heater that all worked together? Why is the sensor a special part? Shouldn't all 3 of those parts been new and worked together without any customization? Like my username says, I'm tired of hacks! If you're a hack and it's your own spa, go ahead and Macgyver it together...I mean, it's only electricity and water, right? But if you're a BUSINESS and a customer pays to fix something, fix it right!!! I'll get off my soapbox.

RDspaguy yes, the hydroquip sensor is in the high limit slot right now keeping the water in but it will not plug into the circuit board.

Jimmythegreek - I tried that and got an HH error. And since there was no problem with the sensor (only a leak) I'm pretty sure the HH error was caused by the splicing. This morning at the spa parts warehouse I was told you could never splice sensor wires. Is that not true?

And I'm a little concerned (even though I've been assured it is) that the 32016 isn't the correct sensor. The old sensor and the 32016 are completely different sizes (32016 on left).

Thanks RDspaguy! I can't post the heater threads and the balboa mount next to each other. I thought I could splice the old sensor circuit fitting into the new sensor part. So I did that and filled up the hot tub. It started but I got a HH error...I now know I can't splice sensor wires. The hot tub is still filled with water with the 39525 part holding it all in without a drip or leak. The Watkins part (39525) fits like a glove. It is the perfect thread fit into the heater but it doesn't plug in to my circuit board. The Balboa part 32016 plugs in to my circuit board but does not thread correctly into the heater. If I had the Watkins part 39525 with a different circuit board end, I'd be gold. But it doesn't seem like they make that...

I have a Tiger River Sumatran spa. 2 years ago, the jets stopped working. I hired a company to come out and they said the topside control failed and no replacement was available. It required a new spa pack and heater. They replaced the control panel with a Balboa 54664 and the heater is a HydroQuip 26-C3160-2S. Everything has been working fine for about 2 years then my renter noticed a leak. I opened the panel and noticed it was coming from the high limit switch so I moved it and was able to pull it right out. The sensor had broken from the housing mount. Easy fix, right? I ordered the Watkins 39525 replacement part but the end does not clip into my circuit board. After some research, i decided I needed Balboa 32016 sensor assembly kit because I figured at this point, I'd just replace the entire sensor kit since the end would clip into my circuit board. I received the part and the Sensor Housing Mount & Heater Sensor Mount Gasket were missing from the package (essentially, those were the only parts I needed because the old sensor still works). I found a local hot tub parts store with the old sensor and the 2 parts I purchased because they had the M7 mount kit. They said they had never seen the sensor mount that has been in the heater before in 18 years of fixing hot tubs and they have no idea where to get the housing mount (the only part I need). The sensor didn't fit into the M7 housing. I can't find anything that looks like that housing mount on the internet and it is so frustrating. Has anyone seen this housing/mounting before and know where I can get it? The control switch has the same housing and has not broken...yet. I'm completely stumped. This should have been an easy swap out. I Hopefully someone can help me! I've attached some pictures of the old sensor that has been working and the housing mount that allowed it to screw in to the heater (that is the part that broke off). Thank you!!