Questions About Recently Aquired Hot Springs Sovereign

[duffer]

I recently purchased a (somewhat) rebuilt 1998 Hot Springs Sovereign spa and I have a few issues with it that I'm hoping some forum members can weigh in on. The problems I am having with the spa area as follows:

#1 Temperature reading is not accurate to actual temperature in the spa.

-the readout of the temperature is about 6-8 degrees below that actual spa temperature. The spa thinks it is getting up to temp, the green light goes on and the heater turns off, but in fact it is considerably cooler than the readout. This is a problem because even if I max out the setting, it's not warm enough. My thought is that this could be a faulty thermostat/ thermoswitch (not an expensive part to replace) but I'm wondering if I should be looking at anything else before I go ahead and order a new thermo? Is there any way to adjust the current one?

#2 Spa takes a long time to heat up/ reheat.

-the spa is currently running on a new dedicated 20 amp 110v GFI circuit that I had an electrician run direct from the breaker box. It was a long run (140ft) and the electrician used 12 gauge (pretty sure) copper for the run even though I questioned him on it not being heavy enough. He said it would be fine for 20amp service. I'm wondering if the voltage drop from a run this long could have anything to do with the slow heating/ re-heating? Is there any way to test for this?

-while I am on this topic I have read various posts about 240 being more "efficient" than 110/ 115. Is this true and if so, any hard facts on how much more efficient? I live in a fairly temperate climate but if there was major energy $$ savings to be had I might consider rewiring to 240

#3 Spa is "bubbling" even though there is no ozonator

-currently awaiting delivery of an ozonator (might be getting one from the people I bought the spa from - might be ordering a new one), the spa is ozone ready and the "Freshwater II" ozonator that was in the spa has been removed. The venturi tube is still there, and the end of it has been plugged with a screw very tightly however the spa still "bubbles" as if it were getting ozone into the line. Is this something that I should be concerned about? Should I be looking for air leaks into that line before I install the ozonator? Could a potential air leak in that line affect my ozonator performance?

Any help with above would be greatly appreciated. I spent some time this morning reading through the forums and there is some really good info here and very informed people so hopefully with your help I can get to the bottom of this.

[Dan.The.Spa.Man]

#1 Temperature reading is not accurate to actual temperature in the spa.

-the readout of the temperature is about 6-8 degrees below that actual spa temperature. My thought is that this could be a faulty thermostat/ thermoswitch (not an expensive part to replace) but I'm wondering if I should be looking at anything else before I go ahead and order a new thermo? Is there any way to adjust the current one?

Make sure you check it with a medical thermometer...most of the cheap pool ones are inaccurate. Do you have it set for UT4 (upper temperature 4)? Once you get to 104 you can increase the temp another 4 degrees by pushing the temp up button. If the temp truely is off then it is most likely your thermistor.

#2 Spa takes a long time to heat up/ reheat.

-the spa is currently running on a new dedicated 20 amp 110v GFI circuit that I had an electrician run direct from the breaker box. It was a long run (140ft) and the electrician used 12 gauge (pretty sure) copper for the run even though I questioned him on it not being heavy enough. He said it would be fine for 20amp service. I'm wondering if the voltage drop from a run this long could have anything to do with the slow heating/ re-heating? Is there any way to test for this?

A 110v tub will only heat up about a degree or so an hour, the long run shouldn't affect the heat but you very well may have problems with the jet pump running (and burning out) on low voltage. I would turn on the pump and test the voltage with a meter. In a decent climate you shouldn't have too much heat loss during use...you may just be getting used to the temp. If you do convert it to 220v the heater will run at the same time as the jet pump..it will not at 110v.

#3 Spa is "bubbling" even though there is no ozonator

-currently awaiting delivery of an ozonator (might be getting one from the people I bought the spa from - might be ordering a new one), the spa is ozone ready and the "Freshwater II" ozonator that was in the spa has been removed. The venturi tube is still there, and the end of it has been plugged with a screw very tightly however the spa still "bubbles" as if it were getting ozone into the line. Is this something that I should be concerned about? Should I be looking for air leaks into that line before I install the ozonator? Could a potential air leak in that line affect my ozonator performance?

The ozone line must be getting some air in it somewhere...maybe some small holes in it or leaking past the screw? Take the tube off at the valve and plug the end with your finger to see if you still have bubbles. A new ozonator will usually come with a new injector and hose.

[duffer]

Make sure you check it with a medical thermometer...most of the cheap pool ones are inaccurate. Do you have it set for UT4 (upper temperature 4)? Once you get to 104 you can increase the temp another 4 degrees by pushing the temp up button. If the temp truely is off then it is most likely your thermistor.

Thanks for the reply Dan. I am testing with an accurate meat thermometer, actually (range of 60 to 160). And this morning at UT4 - it is reading 102 degrees (and feels like it - we have another tub at a vacation home in Canada and 104 feels really hot there). I think I will invest the $20 in a new thermistor and see if it remedies the problem.

A 110v tub will only heat up about a degree or so an hour, the long run shouldn't affect the heat but you very well may have problems with the jet pump running (and burning out) on low voltage. I would turn on the pump and test the voltage with a meter. In a decent climate you shouldn't have too much heat loss during use...you may just be getting used to the temp. If you do convert it to 220v the heater will run at the same time as the jet pump..it will not at 110v.

That's good news about the long run and the heater, as we don't really ever turn the jet pump on but prefer to just soak in the heat. However - if I wanted to test voltage loss can you give me the laymans explanation of how to do this? Where would I test the voltage? In the control unit where the jet pump is plugged into the board? At the outlet?

[Dan.The.Spa.Man]

That's good news about the long run and the heater, as we don't really ever turn the jet pump on but prefer to just soak in the heat. However - if I wanted to test voltage loss can you give me the laymans explanation of how to do this? Where would I test the voltage? In the control unit where the jet pump is plugged into the board? At the outlet?

If you have a multi-meter you can set it for voltage and put the leads onto the terminals where the white and black wires come into the control box (from the power cord). I would do it when the red 'heater on' light is on. Also turn the jets on and put the leads onto the black and white terminals that the jet pump wires go to. You should have at minimun 110v or preferably over.

If you are getting less than 110v with just the circulation pump and heater working then you can do damage to the heater.

[Nat]

I can address the electrical and the heat up time. Last month I bought a Watkins Tiger River Bengal tub (yours and mine are made by the same company). Its a 110 Volt model as well (I would have had to upgrade my electrical service if I got a 220 volt model, an expense I did not want to incurr). I live in Northern Virginia, and the water temp in the spa has been at the set temperature, even on the coldest night so far (about 25 deg. F.). The only thing that could be considered a drawback, is the heater will not run with the jet pump, but the large mass of the water holds the temperature for as long as I want to soak (about 20 minutes).

12 gauge wire is correct for a 20 amp circuit. From what I read, wiring runs in excess of 50 feet should go to the next size wiring (10 gauge) to prevent excess voltage drop. You can actually measure the voltage drop when the spa is heating. You may want to consult an electrician or the NEC (National Electrical Code) to be sure.

My spa (330 gallons) took right at 25 hours to heat up to 101 degrees F., from an initial water temperature of 60 degrees. This is near the correct amount of time, given that the heater is 1,500 watts (the 220 volt Watkins use a 6,000 watt heater). You can calculate the time, knowing the heater size, the degrees of temperature rise, and the volume of water. The time will actually be a little longer, because of heat loss.

--Nate