Problem With Platinum Elite Ii Ozonator

[New NW tub owner]

Yesterday, noticed that the trail of bubbles from the ozonator outlet port in the bottom of the hot tub had gotten a lot smaller. Took the cover off of the pump compartment and noticed that the T-handle on the valve on the outlet of the heater was dropped down. The ozonator works by pulling air into the circulating water stream through a venturi fitting. Apparently, the circulating flowrate had decreased so that the amount of air being pulled in had decreased. I pulled the valve handle back up and the flow of ozone bubbles returned to normal. I might have bumped it earlier or it might have slipped down by itself but to prevent future problems, I took a 12" piece of electrical tape and folded it around the shiny valve stem to make a 6" streamer 'flag' to prevent the valve handle from closing inadvertently. If I ever need to close the valve, I can just take the tape off.

Love the hot tub, especially with the colder weather we've been getting.

Platinum Elite II 06 (purchased at Costco)

[Tom]

I took a 12" piece of electrical tape and folded it around the shiny valve stem to make a 6" streamer 'flag' to prevent the valve handle from closing inadvertently. If I ever need to close the valve, I can just take the tape off.

Interesting fix. I once used a little clamp from a dollar store to do the same job - just clamped it onto the rod above the valve body. No sticky residue from tape. Your way is faster and cheaper and you can easily wipe the adhesive off the valve stem with a little WD-40 or similar product.

[paintnsunni]

same issue, I called Hydrospa who said check the valves , clean the filters and if tha doesent do it the they would send a tech....Filters where dirty so that was my issue but just a note to those sayeing no customer support, I beg to differ.

[Hot H2o]

Yesterday, noticed that the trail of bubbles from the ozonator outlet port in the bottom of the hot tub had gotten a lot smaller. Took the cover off of the pump compartment and noticed that the T-handle on the valve on the outlet of the heater was dropped down. The ozonator works by pulling air into the circulating water stream through a venturi fitting. Apparently, the circulating flowrate had decreased so that the amount of air being pulled in had decreased. I pulled the valve handle back up and the flow of ozone bubbles returned to normal. I might have bumped it earlier or it might have slipped down by itself but to prevent future problems, I took a 12" piece of electrical tape and folded it around the shiny valve stem to make a 6" streamer 'flag' to prevent the valve handle from closing inadvertently. If I ever need to close the valve, I can just take the tape off.

Love the hot tub, especially with the colder weather we've been getting.

Platinum Elite II 06 (purchased at Costco)

Now aren't you a whiz bang!

[paintnsunni]

Now aren't you a whiz bang!

whats that supposed to mean?

[jmendoza17]

whats that supposed to mean?

I think it means that you got lucky that you got someone on the phone and they gave you good advice. I am curious to see what happens with Hydrospa when you have a real problem. I sincerely wish you good luck and caveat emptor.

[jmendoza17]

Shouldn't the T valve work properly and stay open when you open it and closed when you close it. Plus, what a hassle taking the the cover off of the pump compartment just to troubleshoot a new spa. That Hydrospa is a real winner. Have fun unscrewing the covers and taking off the tape.

Yesterday, noticed that the trail of bubbles from the ozonator outlet port in the bottom of the hot tub had gotten a lot smaller. Took the cover off of the pump compartment and noticed that the T-handle on the valve on the outlet of the heater was dropped down. The ozonator works by pulling air into the circulating water stream through a venturi fitting. Apparently, the circulating flowrate had decreased so that the amount of air being pulled in had decreased. I pulled the valve handle back up and the flow of ozone bubbles returned to normal. I might have bumped it earlier or it might have slipped down by itself but to prevent future problems, I took a 12" piece of electrical tape and folded it around the shiny valve stem to make a 6" streamer 'flag' to prevent the valve handle from closing inadvertently. If I ever need to close the valve, I can just take the tape off.

Love the hot tub, especially with the colder weather we've been getting.

Platinum Elite II 06 (purchased at Costco)

Shouldn't the T valve work properly and stay open when you open it and closed when you close it. Plus, what a hassle taking the the cover off of the pump compartment just to troubleshoot a new spa. That Hydrospa is a real winner. Have fun unscrewing the covers and taking off the tape.

[New NW tub owner]

Shouldn't the T valve work properly and stay open when you open it and closed when you close it. Plus, what a hassle taking the the cover off of the pump compartment just to troubleshoot a new spa. That Hydrospa is a real winner. Have fun unscrewing the covers and taking off the tape.

Shouldn't the T valve work properly and stay open when you open it and closed when you close it. Plus, what a hassle taking the the cover off of the pump compartment just to troubleshoot a new spa. That Hydrospa is a real winner. Have fun unscrewing the covers and taking off the tape.

I've taken the pump housing cover off several times since I got the tub to look at things. It isn't difficult to remove. I did make little marks on each side of the access cover to help alignment when putting it back on and to make it easier to put the screws back in. The cover comes off with 4 screws. There are no maintenance requirements to remove the cover, however. As far as the T-valve is concerned, every new hot tub I've seen (and I always looked in the pump compartment when I was looking at tubs) used the exact same T-handle valves so they look like an industry-wide thing to me. My valve did not look loose and I'm not sure why it closed. I may have bumped it or it may have gradually dropped down by itself . Either way, it does not seem like a big deal to me. In fact, it seems more on the trivial side. My tape solution appears to be doing the job since the ozonator was really putting out the bubbles when we were in the tub last night.

You seem awfully bitter, Jmendoza. I'll probably regret asking but where are you in your hot tub saga? Last I heard back on 9/24, you posted that the tub had 'died' and you were going to return it to Costco. Did Costco take it back? If you haven't returned it yet and you still want a hot tub, I would encourage you to get it fixed and start enjoying it. It's a good tub and you can beat up on Hydrospa until they rain parts down on you to fix it. You will never find another tub that even comes close to the Platinum Elite II for anything like the money you paid. Costco doesn't have any more of them to sell and next year's model is supposed to cost $5,000 (still a good deal in my opinion). I am sure that your tub can be fixed unless a cement truck ran over the shell or something. It is great to have a tub! Why not enjoy it? Also, you have posted that you thought I attacked you. I didn't intend to attack you personally and I am sorry if it seemed that way.

[paintnsunni]

I've taken the pump housing cover off several times since I got the tub to look at things. It isn't difficult to remove. I did make little marks on each side of the access cover to help alignment when putting it back on and to make it easier to put the screws back in. The cover comes off with 4 screws. There are no maintenance requirements to remove the cover, however. As far as the T-valve is concerned, every new hot tub I've seen (and I always looked in the pump compartment when I was looking at tubs) used the exact same T-handle valves so they look like an industry-wide thing to me. My valve did not look loose and I'm not sure why it closed. I may have bumped it or it may have gradually dropped down by itself . Either way, it does not seem like a big deal to me. In fact, it seems more on the trivial side. My tape solution appears to be doing the job since the ozonator was really putting out the bubbles when we were in the tub last night.

You seem awfully bitter, Jmendoza. I'll probably regret asking but where are you in your hot tub saga? Last I heard back on 9/24, you posted that the tub had 'died' and you were going to return it to Costco. Did Costco take it back? If you haven't returned it yet and you still want a hot tub, I would encourage you to get it fixed and start enjoying it. It's a good tub and you can beat up on Hydrospa until they rain parts down on you to fix it. You will never find another tub that even comes close to the Platinum Elite II for anything like the money you paid. Costco doesn't have any more of them to sell and next year's model is supposed to cost $5,000 (still a good deal in my opinion). I am sure that your tub can be fixed unless a cement truck ran over the shell or something. It is great to have a tub! Why not enjoy it? Also, you have posted that you thought I attacked you. I didn't intend to attack you personally and I am sorry if it seemed that way.

Well said but I almost think he is a Costco tub impersonator and is really a dealer just trying to bash the tub. I know three people in federal way that have that tub and no issues other the talking with customer service to understand the new features of the spa.. How is calling Hdrospa a a crapshoot. leave a message or email or talk to a service rep........not to hard in my book

[jmendoza17]

I've taken the pump housing cover off several times since I got the tub to look at things. It isn't difficult to remove. I did make little marks on each side of the access cover to help alignment when putting it back on and to make it easier to put the screws back in. The cover comes off with 4 screws. There are no maintenance requirements to remove the cover, however. As far as the T-valve is concerned, every new hot tub I've seen (and I always looked in the pump compartment when I was looking at tubs) used the exact same T-handle valves so they look like an industry-wide thing to me. My valve did not look loose and I'm not sure why it closed. I may have bumped it or it may have gradually dropped down by itself . Either way, it does not seem like a big deal to me. In fact, it seems more on the trivial side. My tape solution appears to be doing the job since the ozonator was really putting out the bubbles when we were in the tub last night.

You seem awfully bitter, Jmendoza. I'll probably regret asking but where are you in your hot tub saga? Last I heard back on 9/24, you posted that the tub had 'died' and you were going to return it to Costco. Did Costco take it back? If you haven't returned it yet and you still want a hot tub, I would encourage you to get it fixed and start enjoying it. It's a good tub and you can beat up on Hydrospa until they rain parts down on you to fix it. You will never find another tub that even comes close to the Platinum Elite II for anything like the money you paid. Costco doesn't have any more of them to sell and next year's model is supposed to cost $5,000 (still a good deal in my opinion). I am sure that your tub can be fixed unless a cement truck ran over the shell or something. It is great to have a tub! Why not enjoy it? Also, you have posted that you thought I attacked you. I didn't intend to attack you personally and I am sorry if it seemed that way.

Appreciate the apology NW. I am pretty bitter its because I paid $4,000 for a product that has been a lot of trouble and it was not important enough to the manufacturer to care enough to get it right. The burden of getting problems resolved should not be on an honest dollar-dropping consumer, and in fact should be top priority to the manufacturer. It is with COSTCO but not with Hydrospa.

Instead of sitting in a nice tub for the past three months, the burden has been on me to hound these people to service their product and they did not get it right. If Hydrospa was worth their salt, they would have done a lot more to take care of the problem right away and ensured that I was satisfied with the product. As is is, I feel very fortunate that I have COSTCO's guarantee to shield me because otherwise, I might very well be stuck with legal problem.

Now, I still have to go through all the logistics of researching a replacement, arranging another a crane to remove the defective tub and going through the whole installation again with a new product. Hydrospa is way to much effort to deal with. I paid the money so I could enjoy the tub. not spend hours dealing with problems, so you might see why I am unhappy about the whole thing.

Thanks for the good advice. I am looking at the COSTCO version of the KEYS Backyard and Hot Spring models and look forward to enjoying the tub soon. I will tell people about my experience with Hydrospa because it is unfortunately true.

[paintnsunni]

Appreciate the apology NW. I am pretty bitter its because I paid $4,000 for a product that has been a lot of trouble and it was not important enough to the manufacturer to care enough to get it right. The burden of getting problems resolved should not be on an honest dollar-dropping consumer, and in fact should be top priority to the manufacturer. It is with COSTCO but not with Hydrospa.

Instead of sitting in a nice tub for the past three months, the burden has been on me to hound these people to service their product and they did not get it right. If Hydrospa was worth their salt, they would have done a lot more to take care of the problem right away and ensured that I was satisfied with the product. As is is, I feel very fortunate that I have COSTCO's guarantee to shield me because otherwise, I might very well be stuck with legal problem.

Now, I still have to go through all the logistics of researching a replacement, arranging another a crane to remove the defective tub and going through the whole installation again with a new product. Hydrospa is way to much effort to deal with. I paid the money so I could enjoy the tub. not spend hours dealing with problems, so you might see why I am unhappy about the whole thing.

Thanks for the good advice. I am looking at the COSTCO version of the KEYS Backyard and Hot Spring models and look forward to enjoying the tub soon. I will tell people about my experience with Hydrospa because it is unfortunately true.

Have you tried talking with a customer sevice agent and telling the your dissatisfactionoverall? A person I know is going throug a simmilar headache with a Sundance tub that is "crazing" and they are blowing him off after he paid 10k. the said its his fault on a 6 month old tub HA!!!!! Where is the dealer on this? hidding in his bunker not returning calls and deferring my freind to the feild rep from the factory..... do I smell the same trick as Hydrospa? What I am sayeing is I don't think one brand is much better on the service end then your current tub. All spas have issues and we all hope we get one that doesen't. I would be verry dissapointed if a crane deliverd a tub then a mickey mouse attempt to fix it was made. I think this is a temporary issue for you as lots of people have possitive to say about there service abd alot haven't had the need for service. I have been accused as being a Hydrospa rep which isn't true but if I can help let me know

[wesj53]

Have you tried talking with a customer sevice agent and telling the your dissatisfactionoverall? I think this is a temporary issue for you as lots of people have possitive to say about there service abd alot haven't had the need for service. I have been accused as being a Hydrospa rep which isn't true but if I can help let me know

If you're not a HydroSpa rep or employee, you sure seem like one. Between the apologetics, the offer to help on a company matter, and your posting primarily only on HydroSpa issues would lead most to believe that you are associated with them.

[paintnsunni]

Well, If I keep takeing my pain meds for my shattered wrist the I will think am the official spokesman for Hydrospa.....Heck I could have sworn that when I got in my tub last night the Hydrospa emblem almost looked like Hotsprings!!!!!LOL! Must be the percoset......I am fairly good at getting things done and knowing what to do in situations where someone needs help is all. just hard to type one handed is my only delima for now.

[New NW tub owner]

Appreciate the apology NW. I am pretty bitter its because I paid $4,000 for a product that has been a lot of trouble and it was not important enough to the manufacturer to care enough to get it right. The burden of getting problems resolved should not be on an honest dollar-dropping consumer, and in fact should be top priority to the manufacturer. It is with COSTCO but not with Hydrospa.

Instead of sitting in a nice tub for the past three months, the burden has been on me to hound these people to service their product and they did not get it right. If Hydrospa was worth their salt, they would have done a lot more to take care of the problem right away and ensured that I was satisfied with the product. As is is, I feel very fortunate that I have COSTCO's guarantee to shield me because otherwise, I might very well be stuck with legal problem.

Now, I still have to go through all the logistics of researching a replacement, arranging another a crane to remove the defective tub and going through the whole installation again with a new product. Hydrospa is way to much effort to deal with. I paid the money so I could enjoy the tub. not spend hours dealing with problems, so you might see why I am unhappy about the whole thing.

Thanks for the good advice. I am looking at the COSTCO version of the KEYS Backyard and Hot Spring models and look forward to enjoying the tub soon. I will tell people about my experience with Hydrospa because it is unfortunately true.

It sounds like you still have the tub and you still want a hot tub. If you do not intend to fix the tub, you should return it to costco. If you just let it sit in your yard, it will freeze up and/or deteriorate from bad water. Neither of those are covered by the warranty. If you don't want it, return it to Costco so that someone who does want it can get it and start enjoying it.

What exactly is wrong with the tub, anyway? What does it do when you fill it up and turn on the power? All that I can recall you posting is that it 'died', that you can't reach anyone at Hydrospa on the telephone, and that you are really unhappy with your hot tub because it does not work. Have you tried just sending Hydrospa a letter or an email? I called the 800 number and didn't have any trouble reaching anyone so they must answer their phone, at least some of the time. Maybe you should give them another try. Also, you don't sound as if you are very mechanical so maybe another idea would be to call up a local hot tub repair guy and have him come out and look at it. Even if you have to pay his some money, at least you will have an expert opinion which you might need later anyway if you end up in litigation with Costco/hydrospa over the tub and maybe he could tell you what's wrong with the tub, who knows? It seems to me that anyone knowledgable should be able to look at and figure out what's wrong in 5 minutes or so. Hot tubs are just not that complicated...certainly not as complicated as the power steering system on my Mustang. Or...maybe you have a neighbor or friend who knows something about hot tubs who could help you. Another possibility would be whoever it was that installed the tub in the first place back in June. They might even know if there's a problem with maybe the electrical connection or something.

[paintnsunni]

Great advice! Hydrospa offerd to send a tech in two days if i didn't get my ozone lack of bubbles worked out, all it was was a dirty filter but here is a quote from a Hotspring premium tub.... don't think for one second that a higher cost tub leaves you immune to issues.

"After much research, we bought a Hot Springs Vanguard in April 2006. Six months later I can look back and evaluate. Delivery and installation was very professional. The price was higher than some "comparable models" but I can honestly say it was worth every penny. There have been 2 minor problems with switch seals, which simply required a phone call to our dealer who sent his technician right out to fix. We have also called them numerous times with general questions, which they gladly answer. They even came out just to check our water for us.

Just to put things in perspectve as a premium tub and your tub.

[jmendoza17]

My guess is that NewNWSpaOwner and Paintdummy --who can neither spell nor write-- are working for Hydrospa because both claim to be amateurs yet regularly shoot little personal attacks at other posters who disagree with them or post negative info about Hydrospa. Paintdummy also dispenses advice as if he --or she-- is a spa expert and seems to know an awful lot about solving troubles with Hydrospa tubs. This leads any smart reader to the clear conclusion that Paintdummy has a lot of trouble with the Hydrospa tub. Otherwise, why else would he be regularly calling the tech line form help.

In recent post, they have somehow also incorrectly inferred that because I have written about my negative experience with a Hydrospa tub, that I am not very technically skilled.

Fortunately, for me, that is untrue. In fact, my educational and professional backgrounds are scientific and technical. I am very able to troubleshoot and these devices. Having worked in aerospace, I do not find hot tubs particularly complex. I just do not like spending time repairing brand new products. If I wanted a fixer-upper, I would have gone to the second-hand store.

However, since they have once more offered me an opportunity to come down on Hydrospa products, I will take the opening. If you do in fact work for Hydrospa as apologists –a big word for our friend who cannot write or spell– you will do well to write nice things about their lousy firm and avoid leaving critical comments about forum members who express opposing opinions.

My miserable Hydrospa experience started the day the crane placed the tub in our yard and the expert electrician connected it. Our main problem with the Hydrospa Platinum Elite unit is some type of electrical circuit board malfunction that causes pump1 to surge erratically and uncontrollably. Others have documented this issue in this forum, so I am not the only one who has had this problem. I tried calling and emailing Hydrospa, but got very poor response. After I finally got through, the first diagnosis by their genius techs was that I had an airlock problem. They told me I had to release trapped air from the system. To do this, I had to open the side panels, loosen some plumbing and drain out the air. By the time I lugged out my tools from the garage, the process required about 20 minutes worth of effort. It is not particularly easy to access the fittings and it is a pain in the rear to do this to a new product on a regular basis. I told them it occurred regularly, but somehow they deduced it was airlock. Imagine doing this every other day. How fun. In the end, their diagnosis was incorrect, because the problem persisted. The only way to stop the surging was to kill the breaker. I later found out this reboots the microchips on the main controller. Just like a hard reboot on an old PC.

I called back and finally got through a second time. This time the tech who answered began by accusing me of incorrectly adding water and somehow being responsible for the surging trouble. Another poster on this forum has also written about being blamed by the Hydrospa techs, so apparently this is a regular tactic. I did not take the blame and threatened to return the spa to COSTCO. This approach got them motivated and the tech ADMITTED that they were aware of the issue I was describing and attributed –another big word for dumdum—the troubles to a defective control pad that caused the pump to surge. They sent a replacement part and a very nice local tech came and installed it. He also fixed a leak that was flooding the base of the inner cabinet with water. The unit worked for a couple days, then the control pad got wet and same problem occurred.

I called the tech and he got Hydrospa to send a different part. This time they sent a new heater core and main control unit. The friendly local tech replaced it and again, it worked a few days before the same surging problem occurred.

My point in all of this is that why in the hell should any consumer go out of the way to prod and cajole a product manufacturer to repair a defective product. In any business, operational excellence is defined by the way the company treats its customer. Hydrospa so far has:

 Ignored my emails and phone calls

 Given me bad advice on how to correct the problem

 Called and left pleasant-sounding messages without taking any real action

 Tried to blame me for the problem – this is a horrendous blunder

 Incorrectly diagnosed the problem

 Failed to repair the unit properly

It is not my job to fix or troubleshoot a brand new $4,000 spa. If you and Paintdummy enjoy buying crappy merchandise, then good for you. Enjoy it. When I buy a new product, particularly a big-ticket item, I expect it to function properly. If it does not, then the seller is legally and morally responsible for reasonably correcting the problem promptly. My role in this transaction is supposed to be to set up, maintain and enjoy the tub.

I am glad that COSTCO will allow me to return it and I will keep posting this info because I hope it helps someone avoid the trouble of dealing with Hydrospa, in my experience an unresponsive company that makes a poor quality spa. Anyone interested can just check out the threads in this forum for info on Hydrospa. Thank God I have the COSTCO return option otherwise I’d be stuck like some people here: http://www.tattletaleconsumerhotline.com/Retailers.htm

So keep it up boys, you’ve really ticked me off with your barbs. My guess is that you are paid by Hydrospa, but if NewNWSpaOwner and Paintdummy are just ordinary citizens, my suggestion is that they stick to dispensing useful suggestions and refrain –another big word for you dumdum—from criticizing other posters.

[paintnsunni]

Thats the best you can do is call me paintdummy???? and say I can't type or spell.... Well to bad for you! I don't ever recall personally attacking you in that fashion on a personal level as you are now.

As for my typing well your right! I'll let you know why....I have a shatterd wrist so it's very hard to type accurately one handed so I do the best can. Sorry if that bugs you.

If you trully hate your tub, get it back to costco and get a real tub if thats your opinion. Btw. Costco here has not had one tub returned from this series yet they sold well over one hundred units from one store just this summer. Go figure!

The Other thing I notice in your post is nothing is based on factual evidence that Hydrospa is a bad product. Can you also show me where I made fun of one member here???? I think not!!!!!I have never implied a lack of skill or knowledge on your part or anyone else as you have attacked me and others.

In my feild of construction on commercial projects. I have a great deal of construction background with methods, circ. pumps and materials used in the trade in general but, never have nor will I claim to be a Spa expert.I am not.

As to customer service and my experiance? Ive orderd filters from them and called to learn how to adjust my filter time. So your assumption is totally false. I just don't understand why so many people post here on a issue that is a simple explanation or repair had they called customer support.

Not sure why you think you need to fix anything? Ive heard that before and don't understand that statement. Again why not avail yourself of Costomer service and let them help you enjoy the tub. good greif! The way your post reads you act like you have to repair the spa when in fact all thats needed is a explanation of your issue with customer service. Wouldn't you need to explain what the spa is doing to any dealer customer service department of a name brand spa? they are not going to send a tech just because you say it isn't working correctly, they need to know what its doing to best asses and repair it correctly.Am I Missing something here?

If you need help in geeting through to customer servive, I would be more the happy to get that contact information to you.

Otherwise quit whinning and return it!

[New NW tub owner]

Our main problem with the Hydrospa Platinum Elite unit is some type of electrical circuit board malfunction that causes pump1 to surge erratically and uncontrollably...The only way to stop the surging was to kill the breaker. I later found out this reboots the microchips on the main controller. Just like a hard reboot on an old PC.

... the tech ADMITTED that they were aware of the issue I was describing and attributed –another big word for dumdum—the troubles to a defective control pad that caused the pump to surge. They sent a replacement part and a very nice local tech came and installed it. He also fixed a leak that was flooding the base of the inner cabinet with water. The unit worked for a couple days, then the control pad got wet and same problem occurred.

I called the tech and he got Hydrospa to send a different part. This time they sent a new heater core and main control unit. The friendly local tech replaced it and again, it worked a few days before the same surging problem occurred.

I think my tub is the same as yours and I think you have provided enough information to have a pretty good idea of what the problem is. Shutting off the power does NOT reboot the onboard controller . It functions like the controller in a car rather than the PC on your desk and never reboots although there IS a way to access its control algorithm that I'll describe in a minute. Pump 1 is a two-speed pump that switches between off-low-high by pressing the Jet 1 button repeatedly on the topside control panel. From what you have described, my guess is that the input button for Jet1 is 'stuck' and the computer is attempting to change the pump 1 speed on every button polling cycle. There might be a physical problem with the button (i.e. it's broken) but I doubt that because you say the tech replaced the control pad and that didn't fix the problem. The computer can get 'confused' if too many buttons or one button are pressed too close together in time or for too long. This happens because the buttons are not really control switches (as they appear to be) but rather are really digital input keys like the keyboard on your computer and are 'polled' in the same way. Push a bunch of keys down on your keyboard at once and you will fill the buffer and the little speaker will beep and things will stop. On the hot tub, the Balboa controls don't have a way to manually clear the buffer (poweroff does not do it, probably for cost reasons) but there is a way that you can do that yourself if you are a little handy.

Here's what you can try:

On the side of the controller (right side I think) in the pump cabinet, there is a tiny little switch panel with 'dip' switches that provide direct input into the computer program. These are also shown on the 'wiring diagram' in the manual in a little box in the lower right corner but are not otherwise mentioned by Hydrospa or Balboa and are mostly undocumented and I don't think they want you to change them. S1 switches the controller between 30A and 50A and comes set at 50A. S2 sets the option for a spa light. S3 lets you set your circulating pump to run 24 hr/day or only during a filter cycle. Not sure what S4 does although it's labelled 'Aux Freeze and is listed as 'must be off.' S7 lets you set Pump 2 to 2 spd but the pump2 that came with my tub is only a 1 speed pump so this switch wouldn't do anything but let you set an additional button press for pump 2 to turn the pump off when it was supposed to be on the second speed. S8 lets you change the temperature display on the control panel from degrees F to degrees C. S10 doesn't seem to be used but I think it was labelled as 'test mode' on my tub. But what about S5?...

S5 sets the Pump 1 to be 1spd or 2 spd and comes from the factory set at 2 spd. This is the switch you want. Follow this procedure. Don't do it in the rain.

1. Disconnect all power to your hot tub

2. Open the pump compartment and find the dip switch panel. I don't think it's under the control access cover inside but it might be. I don't remember and the weather is crummy here so I'm not going to go look at mine.

3. Verify the position of all of the dip switches and write them down in case you need to know what they are later.

4. Change the S5 switch from '2 speed' to '1 speed'. Use the tip of a ball point pen to (gently) move the switch if you need to.

5. Power up the hot tub for 10 minutes or so.

6. Disconnect all power to the hot tub.

7. Switch the S5 switch back to ''2 speed''

8. Close up everything and replace the cover panel.

9. Power up the hot tub and all should now be well.

Your problem sounds like a keypad buffer problem that this procedure will fix. If this fixes your problem, you can keep it from happening again by being careful to press the buttons one at a time and (most important!) count to three before pressing the Jet1 button a second time to switch to a different speed or before pressing another button.

In spite of your nasty comments that I snipped, I don't work for Hydrospa or Costco or Balboa (the makers of the controls) but I do work with computer control systems occasionally (although not in the hot tub industry) and I doubt if anyone at Hydrospa would understand about this although someone at Balboa probably does so I wouldn't bother calling up Hydrospa and asking them about it. If you are uncomfortable doing this kind of thing, show it to your tech and maybe he can do it for you.

[jmendoza17]

Thanks for the advice. You have proved my point to any reader. Why in the world should I be trying to understand logic boards and chaning DIP switches on a controller. No thanks. Next spa will be one that works as it is supposed to. It won't be a Hydrospa

[jmendoza17]

Thats the best you can do is call me paintdummy???? and say I can't type or spell.... Well to bad for you! I don't ever recall personally attacking you in that fashion on a personal level as you are now.

As for my typing well your right! I'll let you know why....I have a shatterd wrist so it's very hard to type accurately one handed so I do the best can. Sorry if that bugs you.

If you trully hate your tub, get it back to costco and get a real tub if thats your opinion. Btw. Costco here has not had one tub returned from this series yet they sold well over one hundred units from one store just this summer. Go figure!

The Other thing I notice in your post is nothing is based on factual evidence that Hydrospa is a bad product.

My personal experience IS a direct fact. Know-it-alls such as you annoy me when they ignoranlty challenge the veracity of other people's assertions. What happened to me sucks and I originally posted the issue to get advice and figure out what to do, not to have someone like you tell me how wrong I am and how I don't understand my own issue. How arrogant can you be?

Can you also show me where I made fun of one member here???? I think not!!!!!I have never implied a lack of skill or knowledge on your part or anyone else as you have attacked me and others.

In my feild of construction on commercial projects. I have a great deal of construction background with methods, circ. pumps and materials used in the trade in general but, never have nor will I claim to be a Spa expert.I am not.

[

As to customer service and my experiance? Ive orderd filters from them and called to learn how to adjust my filter time. So your assumption is totally false. I just don't understand why so many people post here on a issue that is a simple explanation or repair had they called customer support.

Funny you should mention that one. I called Hydrospa to inquire about the readouts on the LED dispaly and they told me that there was no way to adjust them. In fact, Balboa has an online manual that identifies the codes and enables a user to adjust filtration cycles and other variables. So why did I get lousy advice from the customer service people at Hydrospa? I really don't care other than the fact that it happened and I have as much right as you to post my experience.

Not sure why you think you need to fix anything? Ive heard that before and don't understand that statement. Again why not avail yourself of Costomer service and let them help you enjoy the tub. good greif! The way your post reads you act like you have to repair the spa when in fact all thats needed is a explanation of your issue with customer service. Wouldn't you need to explain what the spa is doing to any dealer customer service department of a name brand spa? they are not going to send a tech just because you say it isn't working correctly, they need to know what its doing to best asses and repair it correctly.Am I Missing something here?

Yes you are missing something. What you are missing is that many the times I called and emailed were dealt with poorly. They ignore emails and are hard to get a hold of. This fact is documented by many Hydrospa owners on the web. Just check this board.

If you need help in geeting through to customer servive, I would be more the happy to get that contact information to you.

Otherwise quit whinning and return it!

Why should I quit posting? Because you tell me to? What an arrogant twit you are. If you want to help people and have knowledege, offer it. Otherwise keep your self-admitted amateur opinions to yourself and learn to spell.

[New NW tub owner]

Thanks for the advice. You have proved my point to any reader. Why in the world should I be trying to understand logic boards and chaning DIP switches on a controller. No thanks. Next spa will be one that works as it is supposed to. It won't be a Hydrospa

Somehow, I thought you would say that. I also wouldn't be surprised to find you having issues with your next tub. Well, it's been a long day and...I'm heading out with a beer to soak in my Platinum Elite II hot tub and watch the snow fall...

[jmendoza17]

Somehow, I thought you would say that. I also wouldn't be surprised to find you having issues with your next tub. Well, it's been a long day and...I'm heading out with a beer to soak in my Platinum Elite II hot tub and watch the snow fall...

Good for you dude. I'll go out and swim in my pool and plan on getting a good spa for my next purchase. I can almost be certain that I won't have the same issues again because I'm not buying another Hydrospa. I'm goin surfin tomorrow and then enjoying an outdoor barbeque. Have fun in the snow.

[paintnsunni]

Why should I quit posting? Because you tell me to? What an arrogant twit you are. If you want to help people and have knowledege, offer it. Otherwise keep your self-admitted amateur opinions to yourself and learn to spell.

Just as I anticipated you'd say....Hydrospa didn't design the controlls, they just use them! Call Hotsprings, LA spas, D1 ect. over the phone and tell them to diagnose there controlls over the phone....thay won't!!!!!!

try the Balboa website for tech info......nevermind if thats' to much burden for you.

The issue your haveing is not a normall issue and it sounds like a good tech is in order or simply replace the parts involved. I just can't imagine that Hdrospa won't send a tech to assist you on this issue?

One more thing, please get off the personal attacks as it just shows a lack of character on your part.

[Dr. Spa]

As this thread seems to have degraded to an argument and personal attacks (from all sides), and doesn't seem to be going in an informational direction, I'm closing it.