Search the Community

I’ve got a 2004 Hot Springs Jetsetter that has been relatively trouble free until recently. Last month, a few days after water changeout, the level had dropped about 9 inches and I saw water leaking from below the spa in the back right corner in the vicinity of the motomassage. There was no water in the equipment compartment, so I scheduled a visit from a Hot Springs tech thinking it might be a quick diagnostic/ fix. No such luck. He came out, told me I had a leak and would have to drain the spa, move it away from the house, refill it, reheat it, and have him return. I drained, moved, and refilled the spa. I didn’t replug it since I was heading out of town for a week. When I returned, I replugged it, but did not check the water level. I’m thinking this may have been my first critical mistake. Or not. Did low water cause what happened next? The next day I glanced out to see if the spa had gotten to temp. There were no lights on the Control Panel. I checked the GFCI and it had tripped and would not reset. Checked the breaker in the house and it had tripped. Reset that and then reset the GFCI. The light on the GFCI glowed red so I assumed all was well. But there was no power getting to the spa from the 125v cord, so assumed the GFCI was toast. I replaced the GFCI, tested and confirmed it worked properly. There now is power getting to the main bus on the heater board in the equipment bay, but still no display on the Control Panel. No power from the main bus to the main board either. So I assume that the heater board & possibly Control Panel are toast. But I still have the leak to trace. I’ve pulled off most of the back boards and a few of the side boards. Found some soggy foam and kept digging but all led to dry foam. I can see water pooling in the back corner, but have not yet been able to follow it to the source. Tomorrow I will add some food coloring and be back to digging. The water is still leaking, however the level is dropping verrrrry slowly now- maybe 1 inch over the past 10 days. I’m assuming that’s because the circ pump is no longer working. But maybe not. If the food coloring doesn;t help to find the source, I'll likely drain and try to raise the tub so I can attack it from underneath. My plan is to keep trying to find the leak(s) and get that repaired first. Assuming that’s successful, the next steps are a bit of a mystery. So here are my questions: 1. Any hints on how to better track down a leak or is it just tedious trial and error? 2. Is there a logical way to test the Heater & Main Boards to confirm either is fried or not? 3. Is there a way to test the Control panel to determine if it needs to be replaced? 4. Are there things to check prior to replacing either Board &/ or Panel to ensure they don’t self-destruct again? i.e. what might have caused one or both to fry? 5. Can I bypass the board and energize the circulation pump to get some pressure into the system to help track down the leak(s) 6. Is there a better way to try to salvage this tub than what has been outlined above? It's been a great tub and I'd replace it with the same if we weren't planning to move in the next 2-3 years. Anyone want to weigh in with some suggestions and tell me I'm wasting my time?

Just acquired a 2005 Hot springs Vanguard hot tub. It hasn't been filled in a year or 2 and needs cleaned pretty good. What is the best way to get this clean before filling it up and running cleaner through the system?

Bought a Hot Springs Classic new in 1992. Only repair was to replace the circulating pump once. That is until 5 years ago when I opened it up in the spring (after winterizing) and found a 24" long crack in the shell from the bottom up to one of the pockets for the back massagers. Got the repair kit from Watkins, tipped it up on it's side and dug out the foam in the cracked area and proceeded to epoxy/fiberglass the exterior of the crack and filled the crack from the interior with the MEK melted pellets. Drilled a small hole at the end of the crack. It has always leaked since the repair, about an inch a week. It is on a deck raised eight feet, so I always know if it is leaking. Filled it again this spring and now it was almost gushing water, about 8 inches in a day. Did some careful measurements with a caliper and it slowed down, finally was dropping at the rate of 2.5" per day. Same rate with the pump on as with it off, so it was not in the plumbing. Way too much to make it usable. So I bit the bullet and tipped it up again and dug out the foam I has replaced after the first repair. A small area of my repair has delaminated near the back massager pocket where the bottom takes some sharp angles. Guessing a tiny leak froze during the winter and pushed the fiberglass layers of the repair apart. The surprise? Carpenter ants has burrowed into the foam, making a nest and munching on small areas of the wood base that had not gotten quite enough preservative. I took a wire wheel cup on my angle grinder to clear the foam and loose fiberglass from the edges of the repair. This time I am going to fill the sharp angles with epoxy repair putty before setting another layer (or two) of fiberglass in a thick layer of epoxy. It is a pain working around the wood base slats, but this time I am making sure there is no foam left near the edges and I end up with fully soaked layers of fiberglass. And this time i am not re-foaming the repair area. Any words of wisdom before I start the repair?

Hi again all, I have a Hot Springs Hot Spot SX that isn't heating. I'm able to set the target temp and the spa will attempt to run and heat up but after a while I get the following error code while the jets are running - display reads ===== with 'ready' slowly blinking, with filter cycle icon in lower right lit and jet icon in lower left lit. I already replaced the electronic pressure switch thinking this would solve the problem, but it's doing the same thing. Any guidance is much appreciated!

Hi all, I have a Hot Springs Hot Spot SX that isn't heating. I'm able to set the target temp and the spa will attempt to run and heat up but after a while I get the following error code while the jets are running - display reads ===== with 'ready' slowly blinking, with filter cycle icon in lower right lit and jet icon in lower left lit. I feel like I may need to replace the electronic pressure switch because it dripped slowly for a couple minutes when I first turned it on. Any guidance is much appreciated!

Hi, I have a hot spot mallorca. I was in for a long time last night, more than an hour. Suddenly the spa power went out. The fuse (on the spa's outdoor outlet) had popped. I got out and turned the fuse back on, the display panel lit up, I hit the jet button and the fuse popped again immediately. I tried again today, same result. I opened the service panel today, no apparent problem, nothing was wet in there. Does this sound like a familiar problem to anyone? Does a hot tub have an internal fuse that may burn out and cause this? Thanks!

I have a Tiger River Spa, the Sumatran N model. Recently, the water went cold, and I could not get it to heat. After following threads and discussions in this site and others, I tested and was able to determine that the heater was bad. At that point, everything else in the spa worked, and no circuits had been tripped. Jets ran, control board worked, main circuit board green light and red light both lit. The failed heater was a Watkins No Fault 6000 with the following information on the sticker on the bottom of the unit: 240V6000W, THJ01, SET-DO-OH-CO, 11113, 240328, 36(8?)10 REV K. The replacement heater, as recommended by Watkin's, is a Watkins PDR Titatium 1.5KW/6KW - model #73790. I drained the tub, replaced the heater, and then refilled the tub with the filter removed and the hose in the filter housing tube to reduce the chance of air locks. I then replaced the filter, turned the power back on, and purged the pumps by turning the jets on and off. Everything appeared to work properly. I then added a bottle of the enzyme mix from Carefree Spa, called Le Natural Spa, which I have used for the last 6-8 months. Per instructions, I removed the filter, and added the solution to the filter housing. The instructions then called for me to circulate the spa for 15 minutes. I turned on the jets, and went about cleaning up. After about five minutes, the jets stopped. The jets "on" icon was still visible on the read out on the control board, but no jets operation. I tried to turn the jets off and then on, but to no avail. I checked the circuit board and no circuits had been tripped. I then cut the power to the spa at the circuit board, and let it sit for 30 minutes or so. When I powered it back up, but the jets would still not kick in. Instead, there was a clicking sound from the circuit boards, and I noticed that when I first pushed the jets button, a small green light would light at the very top of the smaller relay board, and then it would click and the very small green led light went out and the small red led light next to it would come on. Previously this had been a constant green. I tried turning off the heater at the circuit board, to see if the jets would then work with the heater out of the mix. That did not work. It was getting late, so I let the tub heat overnight. The heater brought the water temp to the set temperature during the night. In the morning, I went out and tried the jets again, and they came on, but once again after a few minutes they shut down. I have powered the spa down from the main circuit box and let sit for 30 minutes before powering up again, to no avail. At this point, all I get is the above described clicks and shift from the small green to red led on the top of the smaller relay board. I also tried inserting the hose with water turn on high into the filter housing tube to remove any air locks. Any ideas anyone?

Hotsprings instructs users to put all chemicals only into the filter compartment. We are using bromine granules, and coincidentally?? the only time my water remained clear is after I put the bromine in the main tub area rather than filer area. Is this a coincidence? Background I have a new hotsprings Pulse spa and the water was cloudy after several days. I discovered the installer put the ozonator check valve in backwards. After many attempts with dealer to fix the chemistry, we finally drained and refilled tub, Then followed all instructions and water became cloudy after a few days, I proceeded to put in bromine 2.5 tablespoons for 380 gal tub. After 16 hours no free bromine detected. Ph 7.2 and alkalinity 122 water still cloudy Next I put in 4 tablespoons (super shock) but this time directly into tub not thru filter area (I also changed filter) Note "older" filter is only 1 month old and has been rinsed every week. Left cover off for 6 hours. Now finally water is clear. What was the problem?? Filter, putting bromine into filter area, check valve? other?? Lastly Should I switch to tablets or chlorine

I have a 2006 Hot Springs Vista (same as a Grandee with different seat layout). I need to replace the original Freshwater III ozone generator. I intend to replace everything associated with it at the same time, such as the tubing, check valve and injector. I would like to buy the replacement parts online before I open the panel, but, I need to know if I need a 120 volt unit or a 240 volt unit and what kind of plug or connection on the end of the cord. The spa is 240 volt, but, that doesn't necessarily mean the ozone generator is 240, although, I suspect it to be. Another question is, is there any real difference between the various brands of corona discharge ozone generators? The Freshwater III is $272 everywhere while units such as the Del 50MCD go for around $99. If the Freshwater is worth almost three times the price, I will pay it, if not, I will buy the Del or another brand. Thank you for any help. Allan

I have Tiger River hot tub- I am guessing it is an 02 or 03 model. The tub powers up then after a couple of hours the red Power light starts blinking and it stops heating. I reset the breakers and it works for a while and then the same thing happens. The more often that I do this the shorter the duration between the resetting of the breakers and the “Blinking of the Power light”. Maybe because the water is getting warmer in the tub? The tub never gets to the set temperature (maybe 10 degrees shy of it). I tested the thermistors- they were still good I have replaced both thermistors – same results I force purged the tub with a garden hose through the gray standpipe- same results I replaced the circ pump (The new one is considerably stronger) – same results I double checked that I didn’t have an air leek or air bubbles in the circ pump. The tub has a stereo- I have removed it and the its ac/dc convertor. I have removed the filters and tested it – same results If anyone has any advice on the next steps to diagnose this problem it would be greatly appreciated.

Hi all, I put my leaking Vanguard up on cinder blocks and dug up through the bottom to find the location of a leak (hopefully *the*leak.) But could someone help me understand what I’m looking at? I’m assuming this is a stretch of flex PVC that is encased in insulating foam? It has a kind of bulge in it -- is that just a random accumulation of foam or a fitting? Water drips off the bottom of the bulge and it feels like the area above it is burst wide open. I was thinking I should cut out the damaged section, and PVC cement in a new short stretch with a fitting on either side, but I can’t quite imagine how I will clean all that foam off for a good fitting. The leak is approximately between "I" and "J" in the red area below (the leak drains the tub down to the jet stream jet "J" without the spa running): Here is a video that shows the leak location: https://youtu.be/tJKnqA7adhk Thank you in advance for any help or advice!

Hi all, I recently took a chance on paying to move a free 2001 Hot Springs Vanguard. The owners said the “pump and heater” were replaced in the “last few years.” They also said there was a small leak from a “pump or hose.” I figured as long as it’s drained I might as well do a few replacements/repairs that are likely culprits for the leak. Reading around it seemed like the pump is a likely source, so I though I’d just look to see which pump --- circulation or jet --- was recently replaced, and then go ahead and replace the other one (figuring it was probably due after 14 years.) But, looking inside, neither pump seems particularly new, and both pumps match the specs on the original spa: a Wavemaster 9000 jet pump and a Silentflo 5000 circ pump. I do think the heater was replaced but more like 7 years ago than “a few.” So this raises some questions: - any thoughts on either pump as a more likely source of a leak? I read that a new pump seal is a good, cheap first fix for a potential leak but I’m not sure which pump or how to find the correct seal for these older pumps. - any advice on a general strategy for repairs or tune ups to do *before* I get this thing wired up and filled up? Or do I need to just get it running and then try to diagnose any issues? - any other obvious red flags you can see in the pics below (hopefully clickable thumbnails)? Many thanks in advance for your thoughts!

I purchased a used Hot Springs Prodigy H hot tub. They originally had it wired using the 115 VAC wiring. When I installed it I went ahead and converted the tub to the 220 VAC converted Spa wiring. I did everything as described. Used 8-3 wire from the panel to the sub panel (55ft). then 10-2 and 12-2 wire from the two (30A & 20A) GFCI breakers in the sub panel to the hot tub (8ft). All wires are sealed in the liquid tight casing and fittings. I removed the jumpers on the Terminal block and installed one at the 4 & 5 locations and installed the program jumpers in locations 1, 2, 3, & 9 as directed by the owners manual and the wiring label on the back of the board cover. When I turn on power to the spa the LIM OK light is lit up green and the control unplugged is lit up red. Nothing will operate. I have triple checked everything and I can not seem to figure out what I am over looking. The control is plugged in and I witnessed it with my own eyes working correctly before I swapped it to the 230 VAC converted spa requirements. What am i missing?

Greetings - this is my first post on the forum but I have been reading the forum frequently for the last month or so. It has been very useful, thanks so much to all of you experienced folks who take the time to post such good info. I have been doing a lot of research and dealer visits and so far my favorites are the Bullfrog A8L and the Hot Springs Envoy. I have been quoted about $13K for the A8L, the Envoy quote is harder to pin down and seems to vary between about $12.5K and $14.5K depending on phase of moon and whether dealer is in "special sale this week!" mode. What are good prices on these tubs? I'm trying to figure out what I should aim for. Trying to find pricing information from actual owners has been tough, particularly on the NXT models. There are still no user reviews for the NXT tubs on the Hot Springs site either, have any of you actually purchased one - if so how do you like it? I am going to visit another city next week that happens to have a Jacuzzi dealer so I will check them out as well. I have visited a number of other spa dealers and while most of the products I have seen appear to be pretty decent, the dealer salesmen left much to be desired. Is there a tub model any of you could recommend that has a set of jets in the wall specifically for "stand up" therapy of hips and legs? Are ozonators really safe? I have been trying to get a straight answer on whether the ozone is hazardous to human skin, very interested in this answer as my hide has already accumulated more than enough damage from lifelong UV exposure - must avoid any extra damage...

Where I live on the East coast, I seem only to find one major company selling portable spas, Hot Springs. The local rep seemed nice, not sure he gave me all the correct info (said frame was pressure treated wood). Found one other local store carrying Hibiscus (think parent company is called Alps Spas). The second company's products looks just as nice, but about a third cheaper. Can't find out much about other spa manufacturers in my area, and the only thing about Hibiscus I could find is from their company's website. Seems like Consumer's reports hasn't yet reviewed portable spas. Just looking for some direction how to buy about a 84"x84" spa. I don't want to just buy a Hot Springs because that's what everyone else has.. I like to be an informed consumer looking at the ratings of different companies and models.. We'll be first time owners. Love using them, now want one for ourselves. I'd love especially hearing from anyone owning a Hibiscus spa, Thanks in advance!

My 13 year old Coast Spa blew it's pumps last winter and we are looking to replace it with something more efficient. I'm 6' tall and my hubby is 6'9", so size does matter and we we're looking to get a 6/7 person spa (the Coast Spa was 92" x 92" x 39"). We'd like open seating with different jet options in each seat (including foot jets), but a lounge, lights and stereo are not important to us. So far, we've looked at the D1 Meridian which we liked because of its opening seating and large footwell, but with no option to wet test the Meridian, we tested the Latitude and weren't impressed at all. That takes D1 off the list. Still in the running is the Hot Springs Pulse (scheduled to wet test later this week, quoted cost $8,600), the Cladera Niagara (also hoping to wet test this week, quoted cost $9,900), and maybe the Sundance Optima (I just found this one mentioned in a few other posts and decided to look into it, but I have no idea of cost). We've tried and liked the Hot Spring Grandee, but it is a bit larger than we wanted, it lacked foot jets, I found myself floating all over the place, and with its $10,500 price tag, it is more than we were looking to spend. Given these parameters, any other ideas on quality spas we should check out? Another question, I know that Watkins owns both Hot Springs and Caldera, but is one superior to the other? The Hot Springs rep said that the mid-tier Pulse is superior to the top-tier Caldera Niagara. This sounds fishy to me. Anyone have thoughts on this? These two tubs are very similar in look (and even the rep said they were similar), though I found the Pulse's seating to be a bit more open which I lean towards. Also, the dealers don't seem willing to negotiate price. How do their prices seem to you educated masses? Any ideas on how to negotiate? As far as dealers, I think the Caldera and Hot Springs are similar (though the Caldera dealer says it doesn't charge a trip fee while the spa is under warranty while the Hot Springs dealer charges $50 after the first year). The Sundance is only available at a big box outdoor retailer (Great Escape), so I'm not sure how good service would be after the sale (which is a valid point of concern). As I said, we haven't made a trip to check out the Sundance tubs yet, but will if given some recommendations. Looking forward to your responses. PS: We did check out the Marquis too, but didn't see one in the showroom that we liked dry, the dealer seemed suspect and the prices thrown around were $10K plus. PPS: We live in the NW burbs of Chicago.

Hi. First time posting, and hope to get some advice on my 2003 Hot Springs Sovereign model. It takes a lot of direct sun and the wood skirt/siding has deteriorated badly and needs to be replaced all the way around. I've had contractors (not spa specialists) tell me that the cost would be prohibitive (2K) and I should just consider a replacement. Is there an easy, reasonable fix to replace the siding with something durable? I hate to toss an otherwise good spa, but have to do something because the inner insulation is now exposed and things will only get worse. Thanks.

We are newbies with hot tubs and have a new Hot Springs Grandee. Have had it for 3 months. The green "logo" light recurs on blinking errors. We have cleaned the filters (which were pristine). We check the diagnostics screen and it will first show as in the yellow. Then we turn off the tub, wait, and turn back on. Then the same screen shows all in the green. A few hours later, we have to do it all over again. Manual chemical test strips show everything where it should be. Any suggestions as to what the issue is?

Hi All, looking for some more help on spa repair. Thanks to this forum I got my tub working! It's awesome, and I love that all the parts are available online. My problem is that my control head works just fine, but the LCD display went bad. This is not ideal as I can't see the set temperature or any other read outs. The replacement control head is $263, but I'm hoping there is a way to just replace the LCD. Anyone done that before or know how? Seems like a waste to replace an entire control head (the front controls, not the whole iq2000 boad that is inside) when the LCD probably only costs $40 or less. Thanks

I have a 2004 Hot Springs Sovereign 240v that has been working like a charm. I went out to use the tub and the heater and jets do not work. The circulation pump is running and lights work. The indicator lights on the control board are green (LNE) and Red (heat) and nothing lit for third. When I activate the pump, the light comes on (red) on the board and the indicator on the dispaly says "jets" but pump does not kick on. Heater is only a year old. Any suggestions on what it would be. My real dilemma is the temp is going to drop well below zero for the next week or so, of course!! Any suggestions? I did see a post similar to my issue a while back, it sounded like a wiring problem. Thanks, Mike

HI:) This is my first post here, I have search this site for answers to my problem, so I am hoping someone may help me decide what to do. In November 2012 I bought a new Hot Springs Aria Spa from our local Dealer, with in a month of purchase, I was having problems with the Blue power light going out completely and not coming back on for several hours, this results in no Heat and a flashing red light on the circuit board, nothing in the manual on this error so I called Dealer to explain problem, Their answer was shut off power to reset unit and clean filters, well the tub is 30 days old dirty filters already I think NOT! So anyway I chemically cleaned them and tested the water (well water) test came back good. Still having the same problem today. I have called Hot Springs 1-800 number many times and talked with several people about this and just last month we ran the serial # and found their was a software issue with the spas circuit board that is causing the blue light function. Hot Springs customer service contact local dealer for service, I have yet to receive a call from dealer for service on this issue, I am VERY DISAPPOINTED in dealer the only time they showed up it was unannounced, jumped over my deck railing, lifted the cover and left all in minutes, fixed NOTHING, very unprofessional!! In my opinion,.. the dealer is pissed that I called Hot Spring directly on this issue, I tried to explain the problem to dealer and I stated its not the filters it IS something else. I am pasted the point of saying "see I told you so, I was right" I just want it fixed, I spent 10 grand for this spa and it has been a very unpleasing experience! If this does not get resolved I think I should get my money back and they can just pick it up. In no way do I fault Hot Springs corporate in this matter other than they need to light a fire under this local dealer's ASS. I have gave up on talking to this dealer directly, and would be happy if some other dealer came to service the unit, I would be happy to pay the minimal service charge. Thank You

Hey guys, I have a tough situation one that I need some help with. I bought a Hot Spring Envoy a few months back and the previous owner did clean and rotate the filters as often as he should have. The plastic at the top and bottom of the filter started to brake down and it got into the hottub and developed a layer at the surface level of the hot tub. I tried to get it off, but if I get a magic eraser I have to scrub it for about a minute to just get a little bit of it off. It would take forever to clean the entire hot tub like this. It's a very thing (but hard) residue to get off. I can actually scrap it off with my finger nail if I work hard at it. (I've attached a picture of part of my shell so you can see it.) I was wondering if anyone had any ideas of a product (hopefully something I can pick up a Home Depot or the grocery store) I can use to spray on the shell to help brake this stuff down so that I can clean it off the shell. I really want to get this stuff off my hot tub. Thanks for your help!

I am looking for the documentation that details the main control board jumpers J1 to J12 on the Hot Springs IQ2020 motherboard. What I want to know is what each jumper controls. Anyone have such doc they could share? Thanks Much Grumpy

I'm looking for help with my 2002 Hot Springs Sovereign. The power light is flashing red. I know this has been discussed a few times here, but I was hoping to get more specifics. My circ pump was replaced by a tech about 1 1/2 years back. So, this is what I've done so far. 1- removed the filters and reset the breaker (a few times). Plus, tapped on the circ pump. 2- removed the circ pump, opened it to look for debris and visible damage. It was fine. 3- put a voltage meter on the circ pump cable, it was fine. When I turn on the power at the breaker, the spa tries to kick on. It makes a hiss and a clicking noise a few times and I can see water trying to flow out(?) of the heater(?), but its kind of just sloshing around. After anywhere from 20 to 60 seconds, it stops trying to come on and the light starts flashing. The temp is at 98. Should I snake out the line from the heater into the tub (something I've read in other posts). Or does any of this indicate that I do (or do not) need to replace the thermistors? Any help is appreciated, thank!

Hey everyone, So I've been doing a good deal of research on a new spa purchase. I know I want a larger tub, that is preferably deeper(I'm a larger fella, tall and heavy, but not huge). A big plus for me in a tub is easy maintenance, with lower to no odor, and minimal skin irritation. I'd like something my girlfriend and myself can stretch out in, but also that will accommodate several people for when we have parties. I intend to build a Sauna in close-ish vicinity to the tub, not that this is all that relevant, but I'm assuming you guys and gals have more experience with this, so who knows, perhaps it's a point to be made. Anyhow, build quality and energy consumption are huge selling points for me, as I'd like a tub that is low maintenance, durable in southern Michigan winters, won't cost me a ton to maintain in both price and time, and will cause me less hassle in the long run. I know that a good relationship with a dealer is extremely important, so that aside, assuming they all give equal service, what are your thought on Models, and brands I should be looking at, methods for getting the best price, and filtration and sanitization methods and add-ons for these models, to make maintenance as easy and cost effective as possible. Also, are there any brands that simply just blow the competition out of the water in terms of any of these specifics? Thanks for your input, and try not to make this a soap box for disdain.