The_Penguin

I'm about to do the same, but I don't trust tapping into the low-voltage DC of the controller, so I'm going to tap 120V hot and neutral terminals to a small extension cord (fused at the controller connector) run outside the controller cabinet, then use a small iPhone style USB power supply to power the ESP. I know the ESP doesn't draw much current, but I've had enough spa controller issues to last me a while.

In the continuing saga of DIY guy fixing the money pit wonderful hot tub from Arctic. I neglected to mention the new issue with the blower. During the last major issue (flex hose fell off, controller board fried) after all was back and working, the blower was odd. Sounded different, and only a few of the outlets closest to the blower were bubbling. My first thought was, not electrically connected properly, but I triple-checked it. Next was, another hose fell off. Or failing blower. I was tired of dealing with it, so I thought, if it's not leaking, I don't care. Especially with the price of a replacement. But... Something in the back of my mind (that's a scary place to visit) kept nagging me to check further. Mostly based on the sound. I'm starting a new project to add the hot tub to my home automation system. Hot tub cabinet temperature, water temperature, heater on, pump 1 on, and leak detected. With alerts for low temp high temp, and leak. I plan to pull power to the device (ESP 32, for anyone who cares) from the controller board. That got me thinking again about the connections. So today, while I was chlorinating and had 20 minutes to kill, I thought I'd pull an access panel, shove my phone in, and take a picture of the label on the blower. Well, wtAf? The label says 230V 1 phase. Dangit! The diagram on the controller clearly says 120v and shows the connector numbers. Which I followed faithfully. 1 to neutral, and one to the blower output terminal. What's really odd, the last time I removed/repaired/replaced the controller the blower was fine. So, I moved a connector from neutral to Line 2 and shazam. The blower is just fine. I still don't really care about the blower, but at least now, one of the voices in my head has stopped.

I chatted with the parts guy at the dealer the other day, turns out they will sell it to me. I was under the impression that it was unobtanium to mortals. Good to know.

That's what she said.

OK, I picked up 2 replacements at the local Arctic dealer. Another $12.00 into the money pit Replaced them. The waterfall one works fine. The neck jet one worked once. Turned it on, turned it off. There was still a bit of flow, so I turned it a bit more off. It wasn't stiff, and I didn't go caveman on it, and.... SNAP! Clearly these things have a weak point, as all 4 times they've broken, it's exactly in the same spot. Wondering if A. this is a specific Arctic part, or if it's generic? B. Is there a better quality part out there somewhere?

Just curious. I have to replace the neck jet and waterfall valves, one of which I just replaced last year. Would lubing the O rings help at all?

Why not just replace the valve innards? Parts may not be that expensive. My waterfall and neck jet valves both just broke. $6.00 ea.

Well, it worked for almost 2 years. Part 2 here: https://www.poolspaforum.com/forum/index.php?/topic/58341-arctic-spa-yukon-hose-unglued/&do=findComment&comment=224298

Update: The board repair was not as professional/pretty looking as it was in my head, but still better than I originally hoped. Basically, I cleaned up the burnt areas, and epoxied down the copper traces. Inserted a new terminal (stolen from the unused relay). Inserted the stolen terminal, soldered the solder side, soldered the component side then added some epoxy to give it some strength. Re-installed the board, and fired up the tub. All good! Temperature slowly increasing. Let's not talk about the neck jets and waterfall controlls that just spin and don't do anything. That's next week's problem.

I don't know about the Fox model, but the 3 Arctic tubs I've dealt with default to 102 after powering on, so may not be a power issue. It could be the topside (control panel) I would think if it's a stuck temp down button, it would go below 80 though. Would be nice to catch it in the act to see if it goes down in steps, or straight to 80, and any other errors or anomalies. One question, is it set to 80, or is the temp at 80? I would check, it might be set to lower but the water is still 80.

Took a good look today, and there's enough copper left to do a decent board repair. Will need to epoxy a new terminal in for enough stability to push the relay on. Went to get a new relay, the Omron relay has been obsolete for a while, and out of stock at my usual suppliers. There's one on eBay in Montreal for too much money and $30.00 shipping, and an Arctic store in Edmonton that wants $40.00 plus who knows how much shipping. Discouraged, I took a hard look at a Global motherboard that should work with my existing sensors, but at close to $700... and I found out it won't fit in the metal box that the Global/Genius 3000 is in. And an Ecopak (same board and new sensors, in a plastic box) is close to $1200, and I'm not sure about the motor connectors... Also, the way these boards fry, not sure I want it in a plastic box After a head-shake and resisting buying a new board, I found that Potter & Brumfield have a compatible relay for about $10.00 locally. $10.00 seems a bit better than $1200. I may continue this project tomorrow, will post updates.

Sooo. Yesterday I finished installing the new lifter and gave it a fill. No leaks. Fired it up, and with pump 2 on there was just the slightest seepage. Torqued the hose clamp a bit and it's fine. Yes, I know that means the glue job wasn't perfect. Eff it. I'll keep an eye on it, if it gets worse, I'll try to buy 8 inches of that *&^ing Arctic hose, and re-do it. Then this morning, hoping it was up to temp to ease my aching back, it was 66 degrees. F. Sonofa.... Just like the last time I did plumbing, https://www.poolspaforum.com/forum/index.php?/topic/53650-arctic-yukon-no-heat-problem-identified/#comment-211502 the heater circuit has failed. Way worse this time. This F*&^ing hot tub hates me. I'm too pissed off to evaluate whether I can fix it, or have to source a new board. That's a tomorrow job. Drinking on the couch instead of in the hot tub. FML.

Makes sense. Thanks for the insight!

So I tried to hire someone to do the fix, (1 part laziness, 2 parts my back and arthritic ankle don't like me doing that sort of work, and 2 parts I don't trust myself to not melt a hose with the heat gun). of 4 companies only 1 called me back and said they wouldn't re-glue the hose but would replace the manifold. Uh no, why potentially mess up 4 connections to fix 1? So I did it myself. Haven't leak-tested yet. I'm installing a new cover lifter, if it doesn't clear the fence I may need to move the tub an inch or 2. Once that's done, fill 'er up and pray. Wish me luck.

Thanks. I think I've seen that recommended before. Is it significantly better than Oatey?

Thanks. If I can find my heat gun I'll give it a try.

Yes they can and do get waterlogged. My first Arctic spa had a metal cabinet, it was replaced under warranty with a spa that has a cedar cabinet, and they moved the lifter over to it. After the cover got waterlogged, a house guest was a bit too strong for his own good and the lifter damaged the cabinet. I got a new cover and it was fine for a while. The design of the Arctic Yukon really limits the options for mounting a lifter, but I finally found one that will work and it screws into a totally different area. It's been on my list since Dec. but I finally removed the old one, and am repairing/re-staining the cabinet. Maybe I'll get it installed before the snow flies.

Hi all. It was time for a drain/clean/refill, went to turn off the breaker, and it had tripped. Opened the cover to a half-full tub. Was fine 3 days previous. Found one of the "flex" hoses unglued. I would normally call the tech I used when I needed some other work done on the "flex" hose after I replaced a pump, as he's pretty good with a heat gun (these flex hoses aren't very flexible) and glue, but he's been unavailable. I'm contemplating fixing it myself, wondering what kind of glue I would use. Thanks.

Wow! That's worse than mine was. Relays are cheap ($7.00 ish) but repairing the PCB likely not economical, and you have to know what you're doing to DIY it.

We had a Cub, replaced under warranty with a Yukon. Don't miss the lounger at all.

Hmm. I have some blistering on my Arctic shell. Maybe I'll chisel the blisters off and patch with ramen. I'm supposed to be cutting carbs, so it's not going to get eaten....

Update: All is well. Hot tub is working great. Had to replace the neck jet valve, as it broke. I still need to to some cabinet maintenance sand/stain, and I'm probably due for a new cover (7 year old hottubcoverscanada cover) It's tearing in multiple spots and gaining weight. Did an Ahhsome purge, got some gunk out, not as much as I expected. Will do another one in 6 months. Hopefully that's it for a while.

Yes, should be infinity. Any reading from either side to ground would cause the GFCI to trip.

Did you measure ohms on each side of the element to ground/metal heater tube?

Looks like discolored glue/sealant to me, which can also be problematic, as certain brands of glue used on boards can become conductive when it ages, but doesn't look like the type I normally deal with on monitors/power supplies etc.