sandi Posted July 14, 2008 Report Share Posted July 14, 2008 About a month ago, the control pack on our spa was fried during a power surge. Called Infinity customer service, they shipped me a new control pack and arranged for a guy to come out to do the repair. When the guy was finished with the repair, I asked him why we were down about 100 gallons of water from the spa and he explained that the spa was assembled with one of the gate valves missing. So, I proceeded to call Infinity customer service again and they opened another service order to add the missing gate valve. They shipped me the parts and the same guy showed up today to do the repair. Oh yeah, he called me about an hour before his arrival time to tell me the spa had to be empty for him to do the repair. We don't have a submersible pump so all I could do was hook up the garden hose and the spa was about a third of the way empty when he arrived. I came in the house while the guy started doing his thing and about 10 minutes later he was knocking on my door. He proceeded to explain to me that, as soon as he broke off some of the foam that was sprayed on the plumbing, he found the gate valve!!!!!!! I could tell that he was really embarrassed, so (nice lady that I am), I simply told him that I was glad to know that the spa had been assembled correctly rather than asking him if he was going to reimburse me for the cost of 150 gallons of water that I had already drained out of the spa this AM as well as the 100 gallons we lost from the repair that he did a month ago (not to mention the cost of electricity to heat the water up to temp). I was quick to chalk the problem up to shoddy workmanship on Infinity's part; instead it was caused by repair guy stupidity. Wouldn't knowing where the gate valves are located be part of spa repair 101??? Is there something that you repair guys out there can say to redeem this guy?? Sandi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hillbilly Hot Tub Posted July 14, 2008 Report Share Posted July 14, 2008 About a month ago, the control pack on our spa was fried during a power surge. Called Infinity customer service, they shipped me a new control pack and arranged for a guy to come out to do the repair. When the guy was finished with the repair, I asked him why we were down about 100 gallons of water from the spa and he explained that the spa was assembled with one of the gate valves missing. So, I proceeded to call Infinity customer service again and they opened another service order to add the missing gate valve. They shipped me the parts and the same guy showed up today to do the repair. Oh yeah, he called me about an hour before his arrival time to tell me the spa had to be empty for him to do the repair. We don't have a submersible pump so all I could do was hook up the garden hose and the spa was about a third of the way empty when he arrived. I came in the house while the guy started doing his thing and about 10 minutes later he was knocking on my door. He proceeded to explain to me that, as soon as he broke off some of the foam that was sprayed on the plumbing, he found the gate valve!!!!!!! I could tell that he was really embarrassed, so (nice lady that I am), I simply told him that I was glad to know that the spa had been assembled correctly rather than asking him if he was going to reimburse me for the cost of 150 gallons of water that I had already drained out of the spa this AM as well as the 100 gallons we lost from the repair that he did a month ago (not to mention the cost of electricity to heat the water up to temp). I was quick to chalk the problem up to shoddy workmanship on Infinity's part; instead it was caused by repair guy stupidity. Wouldn't knowing where the gate valves are located be part of spa repair 101??? Is there something that you repair guys out there can say to redeem this guy?? Sandi The gate valves should not be covered in foam, makes it difficult to find them and use them, Don't blame the repair guy, it was messy spraying of foam by Infinity. The cost of water is a hazard of owning a hot tub. You are lucky that Infinity covered the control pack since you said it was from a power surge. Acts of god are not covered usually, hopefully an Infinity rep is not lurking on the site.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandi Posted July 14, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 14, 2008 The gate valves should not be covered in foam, makes it difficult to find them and use them, Don't blame the repair guy, it was messy spraying of foam by Infinity. The cost of water is a hazard of owning a hot tub. You are lucky that Infinity covered the control pack since you said it was from a power surge. Acts of god are not covered usually, hopefully an Infinity rep is not lurking on the site.... The customer service guy at Infinity is the one who said it must have been a power surge. The spa was working on a Friday but had no power on Sunday and we were able to confirm that we were getting power from the panel box to the spa breaker and from the spa breaker to the tub so I called customer service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Spa Posted July 14, 2008 Report Share Posted July 14, 2008 There's nothing to redeem. If the manufacturer covers the valve in foam, there's no way to determine if it's there, and no way would the repair guy be responsible to dig through the foam looking for it. What would you think if he started digging through the foam, only to say, nope, it's not there. Here's an analogy. Say the fire department goes to put out a fire. The fire hydrant that's supposed to be on the corner isn't there. But, they still manage to put out the fire. Next week the city comes along to install a fire hydrant...and, oops, there it is! Somehow it got buried under the sidewalk..... Would to fire department be responsible for not being able to find the hydrant??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hillbilly Hot Tub Posted July 14, 2008 Report Share Posted July 14, 2008 The customer service guy at Infinity is the one who said it must have been a power surge. The spa was working on a Friday but had no power on Sunday and we were able to confirm that we were getting power from the panel box to the spa breaker and from the spa breaker to the tub so I called customer service. Sounds like a bad control system more than a power surge. Was there even any type of storm or electrical issues going on? Nothing else in your house was affected? Did it trip the breaker? But either way, you got it fixed, thats a plus. Sounds like the service tech is getting to you in a timely manner which is great also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandi Posted July 14, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 14, 2008 There's nothing to redeem. If the manufacturer covers the valve in foam, there's no way to determine if it's there, and no way would the repair guy be responsible to dig through the foam looking for it. What would you think if he started digging through the foam, only to say, nope, it's not there. OK guys, while I admire your willingness to defend the repair guy, and that's what I actually asked you to do, after a little looking around inside the cabinet, I'm convinced that this guy must have graduated at the bottom of his class. I was just outside with my husband screwing the front panel of the spa back on (we had taken it off to help the repair guy out and, when he arrived, he took off the side panel where the filter housing is b/c he said that's where he had to install the missing valve. When he was finished, he put the side panel back on but not the front one that we had taken off - whatever). Laying on the floor of the cabinet, right under the gate valve, was the piece of foam that the guy had removed. It was very obvious from the shape where the foam had been on the plumbing, so I laid it back in place to see if it covered the entire gate valve (we're not talking 4 inch thick foam here, we're talking maybe a quarter of an inch thick). With the foam in place, I could not see the end of the gate valve, but I could barely see the t-shaped part of the valve, which was facing away from me toward the center of the spa. So then we took the side panel (he didn't take the side panel off when he replaced the control pack, just the front panel) and, though you could not see the end of the gate valve b/c it had foam on it, you could clearly see the t-shaped part. This was not a case of a fire hydrant being placed under the sidewalk - maybe partway under the sidewalk, but part of the hydrant was definitely visible. If the guy had bothered to take off the side panel of the spa when he was here a month ago, he would have seen the gate valve and that repair would have been a whole lot easier. As it was, he told me last time that he had to stuff towels in the plumbing to lessen the water loss. Anyway, at least I know that the spa was assembled correctly at the factory. I wonder if there is another "authorized" Infinity repair technician in my area - I sure don't have a lot of confidence in this guy?! And I'm absolutely certain that none of the top-notch, expert repair guys on this forum would have made such a mistake!! Sandi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spatech (the unreal one) Posted July 14, 2008 Report Share Posted July 14, 2008 If the guy had bothered to take off the side panel of the spa when he was here a month ago, he would have seen the gate valve and that repair would have been a whole lot easier. As it was, he told me last time that he had to stuff towels in the plumbing to lessen the water loss. Anyway, at least I know that the spa was assembled correctly at the factory. I wonder if there is another "authorized" Infinity repair technician in my area - I sure don't have a lot of confidence in this guy?! And I'm absolutely certain that none of the top-notch, expert repair guys on this forum would have made such a mistake!! Sandi I'm still inclined to side with the tech even if he may not have thrilled you with his work. If I'm going to replace a pump or heater and it has gate valves I expect them to be right there, at the component. Why would I take off a side panel to see if it’s around the corner or partially foamed in down the line? It makes no sense for them to be anywhere but at the component itself, very close to the end of the hose where it attaches. I wouldn't have thought "gee, let me see if some knucklehead attached it further down the line and partially foamed it in". They may have assembled it at the factory but I’d stop short of saying they assembled it “correctly”. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiveofakind Posted July 14, 2008 Report Share Posted July 14, 2008 Infinity's gate valves are right before the intake side of Pump #1. This was a mis-diagnose by an inept spa repair guy......not looking close enough...plain & simple..... All the more reason I like not buy a full-foam tubs.......if I want foam...I will self insulate myself..... Sandi, I am in agreement with you on this repair job assessment......... Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Posted July 15, 2008 Report Share Posted July 15, 2008 Infinity's gate valves are right before the intake side of Pump #1. This was a mis-diagnose by an inept spa repair guy......not looking close enough...plain & simple..... All the more reason I like not buy a full-foam tubs.......if I want foam...I will self insulate myself..... Sandi, I am in agreement with you on this repair job assessment......... Jeff I'm going to opt out of defending or chastizing the repair guy. But I am going to say, on a quality spa you will never have to search for a gate valve. The equipment areas are layed out neat and clean and they are very easy to work on. On the other hand low end tubs are a conglomerate of plumbing that look like third graders put together, which makes them more difficult and takes longer to work on.. No offense to any third graders out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spatech (the unreal one) Posted July 15, 2008 Report Share Posted July 15, 2008 Infinity's gate valves are right before the intake side of Pump #1. This was a mis-diagnose by an inept spa repair guy......not looking close enough...plain & simple..... All the more reason I like not buy a full-foam tubs.......if I want foam...I will self insulate myself..... Sandi, I am in agreement with you on this repair job assessment......... Jeff Not looking close enough? Plain and simple? Then why did she say he should have taken off a side panel (which should never need to happen) and even then all that showed was the top of the t-handle? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandi Posted July 15, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2008 Infinity's gate valves are right before the intake side of Pump #1. This was a mis-diagnose by an inept spa repair guy......not looking close enough...plain & simple..... All the more reason I like not buy a full-foam tubs.......if I want foam...I will self insulate myself..... Sandi, I am in agreement with you on this repair job assessment......... Jeff Not looking close enough? Plain and simple? Then why did she say he should have taken off a side panel (which should never need to happen) and even then all that showed was the top of the t-handle? OK, so the guy knew that he would have to take off the side panel closest to the filter housing (his words when he arrived, "I'm going to need to take off this panel as well b/c this is where I need access...") in order to add the missing gate valve, but the fact that he didn't remove that panel to look for the gate valve the first time he was here is b/c I have a poorly constructed piece-of-crap spa, right?? Now I've got it!!! Gee guys, thanks for explaining things to me!! (No, spatech, not the top of the t-handle - the whole t-handle including the metal rod!) Sandi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Spa Posted July 15, 2008 Report Share Posted July 15, 2008 Just to recap and be sure I (we) understand.... When he came to replace the control pack he did not see the valve. He removed the front panel, replaced the control pack, and told you he would have to remove the side panel to install the valve. If this is correct, there's ABSOLUTELY no reason for him to remove the side panel BEFORE he has the valve in hand. Darlin, Infinity screwed up, two fold. Plain and simple. The valve was NOT installed where it was supposed to be, AND it was then foamed over. I don't believe there's a service person around that would consider digging through the foam to search for something that isn't where it's supposed to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandi Posted July 16, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 16, 2008 Just to recap and be sure I (we) understand.... When he came to replace the control pack he did not see the valve. He removed the front panel, replaced the control pack, and told you he would have to remove the side panel to install the valve. If this is correct, there's ABSOLUTELY no reason for him to remove the side panel BEFORE he has the valve in hand. Darlin, Infinity screwed up, two fold. Plain and simple. The valve was NOT installed where it was supposed to be, AND it was then foamed over. I don't believe there's a service person around that would consider digging through the foam to search for something that isn't where it's supposed to be. We're fast approaching the beating a dead horse stage here, but your recap is a little off so I'll run through it all again. First, the spa stopped working and the repair guy came out to replace the control pack. A lot of water was lost during the repair b/c the guy said the spa was missing a gate valve on the right side. Then, the same guy came out to install the missing gate valve and ... On second thought, let's just stick with you are so right and I am so wrong ... DARLIN'. Sandi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiveofakind Posted July 16, 2008 Report Share Posted July 16, 2008 Dr. Spa, Hard to miss when it is staring you right in the face....well this is mine anyway..... Sandi's could have been buried in an inch or two of foam but the entire handle was clearly showing.... Case closed on this spa repair guy...... Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avasicek Posted July 16, 2008 Report Share Posted July 16, 2008 Not to stir the pot, but shes got sprayed insulation to the point a tech missed a slide valve (no easy feat), and you dont seem to have any sprayed foam at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hillbilly Hot Tub Posted July 16, 2008 Report Share Posted July 16, 2008 Although I still see how the spa tech made the mistake, and have fun finding another one in the area that works on Infinity....if you were not happy with him isn't service one of the other points that have been made about buying a quality spa from a dealer who has trained service personal because the manufacture offers several different schools to help them learn? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spatech (the unreal one) Posted July 16, 2008 Report Share Posted July 16, 2008 Dr. Spa, Hard to miss when it is staring you right in the face....well this is mine anyway..... Sandi's could have been buried in an inch or two of foam but the entire handle was clearly showing.... Case closed on this spa repair guy...... Jeff Maybe yours is hard to miss but on hers you had to take off a side panel (why it would be around the corner is anyone's guess) and then the body was covered in foam and only the handle was visible but yours is visible so he I guess you could extrapolate that fact to say he should have found hers LOL. I will say that if I were out there I'd say to myself "... well it should be right here but it isn't. Hmmm, wait, this is Infinity so all bets are off. I better take off the side panel and see if it’s around the corner in an illogical place and I'll also look to see if it got buried in foam next to the shell". The service guy may not have been overly sharp but you can’t blame him for not looking where it shouldn’t be. If I went in the kitchen and didn’t see milk in the fridge and asked my wife “where is the milk” I hope she wouldn’t say “don’t be lazy, look for it, it’s below the sink in the cabinet”. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiveofakind Posted July 16, 2008 Report Share Posted July 16, 2008 Spatech, That's why I work on them myself.........out of the gate .........Not much to a hot tub.......schooling to work on these......does that require a 2 yr or 4 yr degree ???? I know spending a few extra minutes looking for something where it might not be is asking too much from the repair tech....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spatech (the unreal one) Posted July 16, 2008 Report Share Posted July 16, 2008 I know spending a few extra minutes looking for something where it might not be is asking too much from the repair tech....... The problem is he's used to seeing them at the pump or heater where they belong and it probably just did not dawn on him to look where you wouldn't expect it to be. For that reason, I don't blame him for not thinking to look there. I don't think he was too lazy to look elsewhere, I just don't think he thought to look there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandi Posted July 16, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 16, 2008 Dr. Spa, Hard to miss when it is staring you right in the face....well this is mine anyway..... Sandi's could have been buried in an inch or two of foam but the entire handle was clearly showing.... Case closed on this spa repair guy...... Jeff Maybe yours is hard to miss but on hers you had to take off a side panel (why it would be around the corner is anyone's guess) and then the body was covered in foam and only the handle was visible but yours is visible so he I guess you could extrapolate that fact to say he should have found hers LOL. I will say that if I were out there I'd say to myself "... well it should be right here but it isn't. Hmmm, wait, this is Infinity so all bets are off. I better take off the side panel and see if it’s around the corner in an illogical place and I'll also look to see if it got buried in foam next to the shell". The service guy may not have been overly sharp but you can’t blame him for not looking where it shouldn’t be. If I went in the kitchen and didn’t see milk in the fridge and asked my wife “where is the milk” I hope she wouldn’t say “don’t be lazy, look for it, it’s below the sink in the cabinet”. You wouldn't expect your wife to suggest looking under the sink for the milk, but isn't it possible that she could say, "I know it's not where we usually keep it. Try looking for it on the next shelf down behind the orange juice?" My point was simply that, as you said, when the valve wasn't where it was supposed to be, it might have been worthwhile to look around a little before drawing the conclusion that the gate valve was missing. When I put the piece of foam that the guy broke off back in place, and got down on my knees and looked inside the cabinet from the front, I could see the t-handle and even reach it to turn it. The side panel doesn't have to come off to get to it in the future, though it is a little hard to reach and I'll be sure to tell a repair guy where to look for it since it's not in the obvious place. The assembly mistake, to my untrained eye, is that the valve was installed with the t-handle facing into the cabinet rather than facing forward (like Jeff's) where it would be easier to see and get to. With the other end of the valve covered in foam, it looked just like the plumbing pipe. Maybe the guy was just inexperienced and hasn't seen the inside of many spas. Maybe he's a dim bulb, I didn't ask. As he left, he turned on the hose to refill the spa and just laid it in the tub rather than in the filter housing. Wouldn't spa repair 101 teach a repair guy that a spa should always be filled from the filter housing to prevent an air lock? I've read that a number of times on this forum. I just waited for him to drive away and then moved the hose. I actually felt sorry for the guy b/c I'm sure he thought that I thought he was an idiot (which I did) and b/c he drove an hour and a half to my house to fix something that wasn't broken. I'd love to know how he's going to submit a claim to Infinity to get paid for the trip and the repair that he didn't have to make! I just thought you repair guys would get a chuckle out of the story, not get all defensive or go into "your spa is a piece of crap" mode. I'm a teacher and am the first to admit that there are inexperienced teachers who make lots of mistakes, good, even great experienced teachers who still occasionally make mistakes, and lousy teachers who make lots of mistakes and have no right being in the profession. Sandi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spatech (the unreal one) Posted July 16, 2008 Report Share Posted July 16, 2008 Wouldn't spa repair 101 teach a repair guy that a spa should always be filled from the filter housing to prevent an air lock? This is a good question. When a spa is new or when a pump is changed this is definteily what you want to do because the pump will be dry inside and will air in it if the manufacturer did a good job of removing the water assuming they wet tested it (they'll turn it upside down and/or use a vacuum to remove the water). After the the first fill by the customer its usually not a big deal anymore because when you drain it that first time you won't get all the water out of the pump. That residual of water makes the difference so that you don't have to worry nearly as much that it will get air locked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hillbilly Hot Tub Posted July 16, 2008 Report Share Posted July 16, 2008 That's why I work on them myself.........out of the gate .........Not much to a hot tub.......schooling to work on these......does that require a 2 yr or 4 yr degree ???? I would rather have someone that has had training work on my hot tub, water and electricity and not knowing what you are doing could be deadly. They are working in several states to make it mandatory to be tech certified to work on spas so any Joe Smo can't go and do it since "there is not much to them" The classes offered help techs to learn more than just take one part out and put new in, like lets find out why that part may have broke....why do you think so many are on here looking for help? Anyone can be a parts replacer with the right tools. I personally don't want a parts replacer. Then again, I bring my car to a certified mechanic if it needs repair, even though its only a car and pretty simple, not much to it. Again, I don't think anyone is saying any different than YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR and this falls under all aspects of the tub you choose to purchase. Its all in what you want. BADH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiveofakind Posted July 16, 2008 Report Share Posted July 16, 2008 SANDI, That was a great line..... "I know it's not where we usually keep it. Try looking for it on the next shelf down behind the orange juice?" Maybe the guy was just inexperienced and hasn't seen the inside of many spas. Maybe he's a dim bulb, I didn't ask Thats just too funny..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spatech (the unreal one) Posted July 16, 2008 Report Share Posted July 16, 2008 SANDI, That was a great line..... "I know it's not where we usually keep it. Try looking for it on the next shelf down behind the orange juice?" But if its not on the next shelf do you look under the sink for it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Spa Posted July 16, 2008 Report Share Posted July 16, 2008 I think the proper analogy would be...If the milk (valve) isn't in the refrigerator (under the spa) would you look in the cabinet next to the fridge (buried in the foam)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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