Air Lines Aren't Blowing Air Through The Jets

[E. Olson]

I just swapped my old busted air control valves with new ones, but even with the valves open the jets are only blowing water. Is it common for gunk to collect in the air lines? Should I have attempted to clean them out before replacing the valves?

Any help is appreciated.

[topmahof]

I just swapped my old busted air control valves with new ones, but even with the valves open the jets are only blowing water. Is it common for gunk to collect in the air lines? Should I have attempted to clean them out before replacing the valves?

Any help is appreciated.

did they work before you replaced them. take the caps off. with the caps off it should automatically suck air down. look down inside for a ping pong ball or a rubber flap. push it with your finger and listen for air being sucked in. if you have your tub too full of water that could be one reason. are your jets removeable. are they in good shape. do the jet bodies screw in or do they snap out. if they screw in then there should be a rubber oring on the back of the inserts. a lot of times the jets are just loose. but if that rubber oring is dissolved away or pcs are missing out of jets they lose their seal and won't let air in through them . if you take the caps off and turn the pump on and water comes up through the air adjuster then the problem is in your jet inserts, not the air adjusters.

[E. Olson]

Thanks, I'll have to look into all those things.

The hot tub was existing when I bought my house. The air wasn't working when I bought it, but the plastic had oxidized and cracked apart, and the inserts were stuck in the closed position. Therefore, I have no idea if they once worked. My father-in-law's neighbor (who used to work on hot tubs) replaced the valves, but they aren't bringing in air.

Like I said, I'll investigate those items you mentioned. Thanks again!

[topmahof]

one thing you could do if you have a shop vac that blows air is put the nozzle over the air adjuster and blow air down through it and see if air comes out of the jets. you won't hurt anything i do it all the time on service calls. at least that would tell you whether there is any gunk in the air lines.

[E. Olson]

one thing you could do if you have a shop vac that blows air is put the nozzle over the air adjuster and blow air down through it and see if air comes out of the jets. you won't hurt anything i do it all the time on service calls. at least that would tell you whether there is any gunk in the air lines.

I actually thought about that and was even wondering if I could clean the lines by vacuuming them. I guess I'll try blowing through them first.

So are clogs a common occurrence then?

[topmahof]

one thing you could do if you have a shop vac that blows air is put the nozzle over the air adjuster and blow air down through it and see if air comes out of the jets. you won't hurt anything i do it all the time on service calls. at least that would tell you whether there is any gunk in the air lines.

I actually thought about that and was even wondering if I could clean the lines by vacuuming them. I guess I'll try blowing through them first.

So are clogs a common occurrence then?

well it depends on what size pipes are used for the air. older tubs used bigger pipes than the newer ones. algae builds up in pipes in tubs that have sat for awhile especially the small 3/8 air llines that are on newer tubs. you could put the shop vac nozzle on the jets themselves, don't suck through the air adjuster coz there's that ping pong ball or rubber flap in there that acts like a check valve and you'll think you have a clog. and if you suck through the jet, if the air line is a little 3/8 line the shop vac will probably just suck it flat and no air will get through. you need to actually blow it through from the air adjuster. if you have never had air coming out of the jets then that water has been laying in those air lines for a long time.

[E. Olson]

Well, I blew air through the line from the air adjuster, but nothing happened. I then disconnected the hose from one of the adjusters and found a small amount of water in the line. I drained as much as possible, but still no air comes through. I even tried using the shop vac to coax some of the water out, but it did no good.

I also examined the jets, but I can't tell how they come out. I tried twisting them, but they wouldn't budge, and I didn't want to force them. Finally, I ran out of daylight, so I'll have to try again this weekend.

Oh, and the lines are large, either 3/4" or 1".

[topmahof]

you say that you are disconnecting the air line. how? every air adjuster i have seen has the air line glued to the bottom of it. if you can disconnect the air line from the air adjuster how about blowing air through the air adjuster with it disconnected and just making sure there is air coming through the air adjuster. i'm assuming that there is water in the tub and you are blowing the air through with the pump turned on high, right? your gonna have to hold the shop vac on there for a while til it pushes all the water through the lines. it might take a while. it sounds like you have a tub with fixed jets. are they straight nozzle jets, they don't spin or anything?

if your tub is empty and you are blowing air down through the air adjuster and no air is coming out of the jets and you can get air through the air adjuster with the pipe disconnected, the only thing that i can think of is there is some kind of obstruction in the air line itself.

can i assume that the way that this is piped is the pipe comes out of the bottom of the air adjuster and then goes to the first jet, then comes out of that jet and goes to the next jet and so on and so on until the last jet and then it is capped?

[E. Olson]

Well, I tried blowing air through the adjuster, but it's in a tight spot under the deck, so I couldn't really get the vacuum nozzle on it. So, I just severed the line right under it with the intention of re-gluing it later (I've got spare parts). This was when I realized that there was a bit of fluid in there which I drained as much as possible. I then tried blowing air straight through the severed connection. After nothing happened, I put my hand around it to form a seal, but all the shop vac did was rev up, hinting that it wasn't being productive.

I can't remember if the pump was on high, but I'll make sure I try that while blowing air through. The jets are a mixture of straight nozzles and spinners, and the air lines are configured as you described.

The tub is full, by the way. It's also filled to the proper level.

Hey, thanks for all the brainstorming you've been doing. I'm rather baffled by this issue. Are these kinds of clogs common?

[topmahof]

Well, I tried blowing air through the adjuster, but it's in a tight spot under the deck, so I couldn't really get the vacuum nozzle on it. So, I just severed the line right under it with the intention of re-gluing it later (I've got spare parts). This was when I realized that there was a bit of fluid in there which I drained as much as possible. I then tried blowing air straight through the severed connection. After nothing happened, I put my hand around it to form a seal, but all the shop vac did was rev up, hinting that it wasn't being productive.

I can't remember if the pump was on high, but I'll make sure I try that while blowing air through. The jets are a mixture of straight nozzles and spinners, and the air lines are configured as you described.

The tub is full, by the way. It's also filled to the proper level.

Hey, thanks for all the brainstorming you've been doing. I'm rather baffled by this issue. Are these kinds of clogs common?

usually not on the larger pipes like you have. well if you have the pipe cut underneath you could try putting the shop vac on the pipe and duct taping it and try sucking through the pipe and see what comes out. if you do that don't turn the pump on, have everything turned off.

when i said to blow air through the air adjuster itself, i meant blow it through from the top of the tub. take the handle off and whatever cover is there and blow down through the top. if air comes out underneath, at least you know that the air adjuster works. that would mean that the problem is in the pipes. you can't blow on it from underneath coz there's a check ball or valve, depending on the type of air adjuster that was installed, and that will keep air from blowing through that way. blow down through the top.

[Dr. Spa]

Try blowing air through with the pump OFF.

[E. Olson]

Try blowing air through with the pump OFF.

I actually tried that already, but nothing happened.

[topmahof]

Try blowing air through with the pump OFF.

I actually tried that already, but nothing happened.

ok, i must be missing something, i'm about stumped at this point. i guess we need roto-rooter.

[E. Olson]

Try blowing air through with the pump OFF.

I actually tried that already, but nothing happened.

ok, i must be missing something, i'm about stumped at this point. i guess we need roto-rooter.

Well, I'll at least try blowing again with the pump on high and see where that gets me.

Thanks again for all your assistance.

[topmahof]

Try blowing air through with the pump OFF.

I actually tried that already, but nothing happened.

ok, i must be missing something, i'm about stumped at this point. i guess we need roto-rooter.

Well, I'll at least try blowing again with the pump on high and see where that gets me.

Thanks again for all your assistance.

i worked on a tub that sat for about 3 years and it had air bubbler jets mounted in the seats. when i turned on the blower nothing came out but like you, i heard the motor rev up like it does against a restriction. i left it on for about 10 minutes and skinny black strings started coming out of the little holes in the bubbler jets. by the time air finally started coming out those strings were about 6 inches long. they had the consistency of toothpaste. now those jets were fed by a 3/8 plastic line. your air tube to the jets is probably 3/4 to 1 in pvc. they are going to have water in them from water backing up from the jets, there's always going to be water in them. you're going to have to make a pretty good seal on the shop vac hose to the plumbing in order to push the water and then whatever is clogging up those lines out. i don't know, maybe duct tape, pvc adapters. i use a sears 12 amp shop vac and it still has a hard time pushing stuff through.

[topmahof]

Try blowing air through with the pump OFF.

I actually tried that already, but nothing happened.

ok, i must be missing something, i'm about stumped at this point. i guess we need roto-rooter.

Well, I'll at least try blowing again with the pump on high and see where that gets me.

Thanks again for all your assistance.

i worked on a tub that sat for about 3 years and it had air bubbler jets mounted in the seats. when i turned on the blower nothing came out but like you, i heard the motor rev up like it does against a restriction. i left it on for about 10 minutes and skinny black strings started coming out of the little holes in the bubbler jets. by the time air finally started coming out those strings were about 6 inches long. they had the consistency of toothpaste. now those jets were fed by a 3/8 plastic line. your air tube to the jets is probably 3/4 to 1 in pvc. they are going to have water in them from water backing up from the jets, there's always going to be water in them. you're going to have to make a pretty good seal on the shop vac hose to the plumbing in order to push the water and then whatever is clogging up those lines out. i don't know, maybe duct tape, pvc adapters. i use a sears 12 amp shop vac and it still has a hard time pushing stuff through.

there is one more thing you can try, plumbers use a device that connects to a garden hose and they stick it in a clogged pipe and it expands to the size of the pipe and water pressure builds up and pushes the clog through. i forget what they're called but it is made out of rubber with a garden hose connection on one end. there are different sizes, i have one for my drains in my house and it's worked everytime. i got mine from a little hardware store on the corner but lowe's might have them or home depot. just make sure you measure the inside of the pipe so you don't get one too big. you have to be patient, it has to build up pressure against the clog. it took 20 min to move a clog in my house. have the pump off so you can tell when water comes out of the jet.

[topmahof]

Try blowing air through with the pump OFF.

I actually tried that already, but nothing happened.

ok, i must be missing something, i'm about stumped at this point. i guess we need roto-rooter.

Well, I'll at least try blowing again with the pump on high and see where that gets me.

Thanks again for all your assistance.

i worked on a tub that sat for about 3 years and it had air bubbler jets mounted in the seats. when i turned on the blower nothing came out but like you, i heard the motor rev up like it does against a restriction. i left it on for about 10 minutes and skinny black strings started coming out of the little holes in the bubbler jets. by the time air finally started coming out those strings were about 6 inches long. they had the consistency of toothpaste. now those jets were fed by a 3/8 plastic line. your air tube to the jets is probably 3/4 to 1 in pvc. they are going to have water in them from water backing up from the jets, there's always going to be water in them. you're going to have to make a pretty good seal on the shop vac hose to the plumbing in order to push the water and then whatever is clogging up those lines out. i don't know, maybe duct tape, pvc adapters. i use a sears 12 amp shop vac and it still has a hard time pushing stuff through.

there is one more thing you can try, plumbers use a device that connects to a garden hose and they stick it in a clogged pipe and it expands to the size of the pipe and water pressure builds up and pushes the clog through. i forget what they're called but it is made out of rubber with a garden hose connection on one end. there are different sizes, i have one for my drains in my house and it's worked everytime. i got mine from a little hardware store on the corner but lowe's might have them or home depot. just make sure you measure the inside of the pipe so you don't get one too big. you have to be patient, it has to build up pressure against the clog. it took 20 min to move a clog in my house. have the pump off so you can tell when water comes out of the jet.

at least that will tell you if the pipe itself is clogged, do you know what kind of tub it is, a model number or is there a manufacturer name on the jets themselves. i've worked on a lot of old tubs and if i can find your jets then i'll know how to remove them, if need be.

[E. Olson]

Is it okay for a shop vac to run while revving like that? I just don't want to burn it out or anything.

The hot tub is an old 1994 Cal Spa. I can't find anything online that looks like my jets, but I could post photos later.

[topmahof]

Is it okay for a shop vac to run while revving like that? I just don't want to burn it out or anything.

The hot tub is an old 1994 Cal Spa. I can't find anything online that looks like my jets, but I could post photos later.

well, yeh it is hard on the shop vac . if you can post a pic of the first jet in the line i have books that show just about every jet ever made.

[E. Olson]

Sorry it took so long, but I've had a ton of other stuff to deal with. No luck with sealing the shop-vac hose. It's like it's 100-percent stopped up or something.

Anyway, here's a shot of the two types of jets I have.

[topmahof]

Sorry it took so long, but I've had a ton of other stuff to deal with. No luck with sealing the shop-vac hose. It's like it's 100-percent stopped up or something.

Anyway, here's a shot of the two types of jets I have.

http://www.shop.hottubparts.com/Jet-Wrenches_c29.htm

cut and paste the link above and scroll down to part #2181770 and that is the tool that you need to unscrew those jets. they are called poly jets and the one on the bottom has a rubber gasket on the back of it that is probably no longer there. those jets won't let any air into them at all if that gasket is bad, it doesn't matter what you do. the jet on top is a straight jet and it doesn't have any gasket on it. the link above also has those jets or you could probably replace the gasket with an oring from a hardware store. now, the outer ring on those jets is screwed into the jet body on the back of the tub, don't try unscrewing the outer ring. just the inner part, the jet tool has slots on one end that fit over those 3 spokes and it unscrews off. the top jet has little nubbies down past the nozzle that the jet tool fit on. what happens if you put the shop vac over the jet itself and try to suck. does it still act like it is sealed? you almost have to get the jet out of there so you can get the nozzle down inside of it. those jets look just like the jets that are in a hydro spa. does that ring any bells. is it a hydroquip spa pack. well anyway i probably just gave you more work to do, let me know how you make out.

[E. Olson]

Awesome, thanks. I'll look into all that.

One question: Will the spa leak if I unscrew the jet on the inside? Or should I wait until I drain the spa?

[topmahof]

Awesome, thanks. I'll look into all that.

One question: Will the spa leak if I unscrew the jet on the inside? Or should I wait until I drain the spa?

nope, as long as you just unscrew the inner part with the 3 spokes. the outer ring with the 3 slots is mounted to the tub. the wide part of the jet tool fits on that to replace the jet body which you don't need to do. the smaller end of the jet tool fits over the three spokes and over the nubs on the straight jet. another thing, those jets have to be screwed in pretty tite for air to flow into them. you probably have some calcium built up on the threads so it might be pretty hard for them to unscrew. if you put the shop vac on those jets with water in the tub all you're going to suck is water.

[Buzboy]

I have a 93 cal spa with these jets but mine have chrome trim rings on the outside. I can get the swirl ones out and yes the o-ring is shot but the straight ones won't clear the trim ring!! Question?? If I just replace the o-rings on the two Whirly jets will the air work for all of them? You mentioned that the others don't have o-rings? I don't get any air boost when I open the venturis unless I hit them with compressed air?? Otherwise I need to know how to get the rings off to fix all the jets. Please help. Thanks.