benXpac Posted January 26, 2011 Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 I have a Cal Spa 5000 outside on my deck. It has been working great since I bought it this fall. Recently, we had an extremely cold weekend here where temperatures plunged to -31 degrees F. The hot tub was covered the whole time. Today (Tuesday), when I went to soak in the tub, I pushed the Jet button once to turn the filter jet mode on and it sounded louder than usual and the jets were not running. Pushing the button twice turns the full jets on, but again there was nothing. I am worried the extremely cold temperatures caused damage to the pump. Does anyone have any information or advice they can give me? I turned the GFCI breaker off in the mean time which means the heater isn't running. The temp right now is around 20 degrees F outside and the spa temp is 104...so I have a little time. Thanks for any info! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benXpac Posted January 26, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 Update: Well, I turned on the breaker again to see if anything changed. Bad idea. The electronics seemed to work ok, when I tried to turn the jets on, smoke around the metal box that says heat exchanger, which I'm sure is the pump because it smelled like a burning DC motor. Any suggestions (does it sound like it would be the pump?) I'm not very knowledgeable when it comes to spa hardware, but I'm sure I am capable of repairing it with a little direction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hillbilly Hot Tub Posted January 26, 2011 Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 Sounds like your pump but you need to check where the pump hooks into the control system and you board on the control system also, hopefully it did not smke a bunch of stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benXpac Posted January 26, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 Thanks, I 'll check that today.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benXpac Posted January 26, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 Inspected the hot tub this morning in the daylight...worse than I expected. It's not the pump. The intake and outtake pipes of the heat exchanger burst from the cold. Here are some links to pictures that give a better understanding of what it looks like. I checked the circuit board and I see no physical damage, but the area smells like burned circuit board..maybe it's the heat exchanger that has the same smell to it, I don't know. I would appreciate any and all help. Thanks http://i1080.photobucket.com/albums/j327/benXpac/IMG_0444.jpg http://i1080.photobucket.com/albums/j327/benXpac/IMG_0446.jpg http://i1080.photobucket.com/albums/j327/benXpac/IMG_0445.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benXpac Posted January 26, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 Found out the tub is shot. The hot tub cover insulated too well and there was still water in the pipes that froze in the -30 and below temps. Pump head and all of the piping is wrecked...can't even drain the tub. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bdubya200 Posted January 26, 2011 Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 Wait, the water froze, in the lines, despite the fact that the tub was powered on and maintaining 104 degrees? How is that even possible? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Posted January 26, 2011 Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 Wait, the water froze, in the lines, despite the fact that the tub was powered on and maintaining 104 degrees? How is that even possible? It's saveable!!! get the water pumped out of the vessel. Insulate the outside with tarps and throw heat at it to get the balance of the water out of the lines by opening all possible drain points. Are you in Minnesota? We had 33 below on Thursday last week. Funny there must of been a failure of some kind to freeze those pipes because the pump is supposed to kick on when the water in the pipes reaches 50 degs. At least most spas are like that but you never know what Cal does. Seems every tub is different! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PFC5 Posted January 26, 2011 Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 I imagine there will be more and more people posting about problems with the heaters and pipes freezing this time of year especially with all this global "warming" lowering the temps to new record lows. Hopefully I will not be one of them with my new spa. I feel better that I have a remote thermometer in the cabinet with a display in the house to watch the temp in there, so if something happens I will know about it sooner to avoid pipes freezing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bdubya200 Posted January 26, 2011 Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 But he said his spa was holding 104. Thats where im confused. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benXpac Posted January 27, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2011 I live in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It got -22 in Sault Ste. Marie where I live, and -36 in Raco, about 15 miles from here. When I checked the spa last night before I turned off the breaker (when it started smoking) it said 104. CalSpa customer service called me today and were pretty helpful about the whole thing considering I don't have a warranty for it anymore. He said the only possibly scenario he can think of with the pictures and description is that first, the pump failed, causing the water to stop moving through the pipes. He said he doesn't understand why the pump wouldn't be running constantly at those low temps so it must have seized somehow. The water then froze causing ice blockage to the heat exchanger, and then the heater started burning up. He told me since the water is still relatively warm I might be able to salvage it by syphoning out the water from the tub since the drain tube is frozen solid, which I'm going to try to do...but I'll still have to buy a new pump, new heater, new unions, and possibly new circuit board (it still reeks of burned circuitry). Catastrophic failure. I just bought the thing in September and loved it. I filed a claim with my homeowners insurance, so they are supposed to call tomorrow to have a claims adjuster come out. I'm hoping for the best - it is the best purchase I've made living in Sault Ste. Siberia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PFC5 Posted January 27, 2011 Report Share Posted January 27, 2011 I would get a sump pump to pump it out faster and easier. Check these out: http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Search?keyword=sump+pump&langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053 This would work well and be cheaper, but you would need to pump for about 2-3 minutes with it sitting on the seat to drain half and then move it to the foot well area to pump the rest: http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-100175651/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053 It should drain the tub within 5-10 minutes except for the last inch. I have a higher end model of this and it works great to quickly drain the spa and I imagine in this weather you want to drain it fast. Hope this helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benXpac Posted January 27, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2011 Awesome, that model looks good. I'll have to look around locally for a similar one or order it - we don't have a Home Depot in my area. Wal-Mart and K Mart is all we get around here! I think what I'll do in the mean time is add a 5 gallon bucket of really hot water a couple times a day so the water temp stays above freezing for the next few days. Thanks for your help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PFC5 Posted January 27, 2011 Report Share Posted January 27, 2011 Here it is at Walmart for $70.00: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Superior-Pump-1-3-HP-Pedestal-Sump-Pump/15125717 It doesn't look like they have them in the local stores so you should move fast to have it shipped to you. If your temp drops fast again you will be doing a lot of bailing and adding hot water to keep the temp up I would imagine. If you have any local hardware stores they should have it as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Posted January 27, 2011 Report Share Posted January 27, 2011 Here it is at Walmart for $70.00: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Superior-Pump-1-3-HP-Pedestal-Sump-Pump/15125717 It doesn't look like they have them in the local stores so you should move fast to have it shipped to you. If your temp drops fast again you will be doing a lot of bailing and adding hot water to keep the temp up I would imagine. If you have any local hardware stores they should have it as well. The water in the vessel is easy to pump out. But the water in the lines left after your drain is where my concern is. You need to get heat inside the cabinet (small electric heater) otherwise more things and lines and fittings are going to start freezing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bdubya200 Posted January 27, 2011 Report Share Posted January 27, 2011 Makes sense now. Sorry to hear about it. Instead of buying a pump, check into a tool rental place...they often have pumps and a 1 day rental would prob be less than 10 bucks. back in the day, thats what id do when i was moving and needed to drain my waterbed....cue cheesy music. Good luck to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PFC5 Posted January 27, 2011 Report Share Posted January 27, 2011 Here it is at Walmart for $70.00: http://www.walmart.c...p-Pump/15125717 It doesn't look like they have them in the local stores so you should move fast to have it shipped to you. If your temp drops fast again you will be doing a lot of bailing and adding hot water to keep the temp up I would imagine. If you have any local hardware stores they should have it as well. The water in the vessel is easy to pump out. But the water in the lines left after your drain is where my concern is. You need to get heat inside the cabinet (small electric heater) otherwise more things and lines and fittings are going to start freezing. He said the pipes underneath were frozen so it is best to get the water not frozen out before it freezes also, and then work on thawing the frozen pipes I would think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PFC5 Posted January 27, 2011 Report Share Posted January 27, 2011 Makes sense now. Sorry to hear about it. Instead of buying a pump, check into a tool rental place...they often have pumps and a 1 day rental would prob be less than 10 bucks. back in the day, thats what id do when i was moving and needed to drain my waterbed....cue cheesy music. Good luck to you. But for a spa it will likely be drained 3-4 times per year anyway so why not just have the pump handy to make it a few minute job instead of going to a rental place each time? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bdubya200 Posted January 27, 2011 Report Share Posted January 27, 2011 Unless his drain is frozen every time, why would he need a pump every time? I was under the assumption he needed the pump this time bc of emergency, not ongoing. Add in that he has no Home Depot near him and shipping will take a few days...now is more important than 3 or 4 times a year going forward. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Posted January 27, 2011 Report Share Posted January 27, 2011 He said the pipes underneath were frozen so it is best to get the water not frozen out before it freezes also, and then work on thawing the frozen pipes I would think. Never seen a vessel damaged from frozen water, never. For sure get it pumped out but MORE impotantly get heat in the cabinet to prevent any further damage from freezing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hillbilly Hot Tub Posted January 29, 2011 Report Share Posted January 29, 2011 We have seen a couple of tubs with vessel damage from freeze, but it took a very long time of being unattended to do it...but ditto to roger, you must get heat under the tub to prevent damage in the rest of the plumbing, or you might as well just junk the tub, also, have you contacted your insurance company? Many cover for damage such as this, we see it all the time, and many people get a new tub because of the extent of damage outweighs the value of the tub. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Posted January 29, 2011 Report Share Posted January 29, 2011 We have seen a couple of tubs with vessel damage from freeze, but it took a very long time of being unattended to do it...but ditto to roger, you must get heat under the tub to prevent damage in the rest of the plumbing, or you might as well just junk the tub, also, have you contacted your insurance company? Many cover for damage such as this, we see it all the time, and many people get a new tub because of the extent of damage outweighs the value of the tub. I've seen ice in vessels before and had to chip at it to get the balance of water out. But while I was working on getting water out of the vessel I was heating inside the cabinet to prevent further damage from freezing. I have what I call a tub tent. Basicaly a couple sets of bakers scaffold modified to hold a canvas heavy tarp. I use a torpedo heater to make it 80-90 degrees inside. Usually messy as it melts. I like to shovel as much of the snow from around the tub as possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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