Sundance 880

[warzbiz]

Hi everyone. I'm new to the forum and to spa ownership. I bought a used 2007 Sundance Majesta and have had it running without any problems for about 6-months now.

Since the outside air temp was around 50 degrees yesterday, I decided to drain the tub and refill it with fresh water before winter arrives here in the Buffalo area. I ran both pumps and the air blower for a few minutes before I got started just to make sure everything was working properly. Then I turned off the electrical breaker and opened the drain plug. Once the tub had drained, I used a small bilge pump to remove the remaining water from the footwell & seats. After cleaing the filter & giving the tub a quick once-over with a sponge, I closed the drain plug and filled the tub through the filter bay (which the manual said would prevent air from becoming trapped in the plumbing).

Once the water level was above the highest jets, I reconnected the power. The spa's control panel displayed normally at first but, before the pumps ran, I heard a relay click and then the display swithced to "- - - -" which is "Watch Dog" mode according to the manual.

Any trouble shooting suggestions? It's hard to believe that something could've broken just from a drain & fill.

Thanks in advance.

[jeffinpickering]

See http://www.poolspaforum.com/beta/forum/index.php?showtopic=29195&st=0&p=130296&hl=error%20message&fromsearch=1entry130296

and

http://www.poolspaforum.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=28762&st=0&p=129091&hl=watchdog&fromsearch=1entry129091

[warzbiz]

See http://www.poolspaforum.com/beta/forum/index.php?showtopic=29195&st=0&p=130296&hl=error%20message&fromsearch=1entry130296

and

http://www.poolspaforum.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=28762&st=0&p=129091&hl=watchdog&fromsearch=1entry129091

Based on my research, it seems that this "watchdog" problem occurs for many Sundance spas following a power shutdown/power outage during cool weather.

Like many people, the first thing I tried was a new water temp sensor ($50) but that didn't solve my problem. I kept researching online and found some helpful info (including a link to a related tech service manual) here:

http://www.hot-tub-spa-covers.com/cgi-bin/messageboard.pl/page/1/md/read/id/125244

Based on that post (and several replies to it) I used a "torpedo" style heater to warm-up the spa control box & circuit board for approximately 45-minutes. This time, when I turned the circuit breaker back on, the topside display indiated 54 degree water temp and the pumps & heater fired-up properly. (400 gallon ice cube averted.)

[spaguyva]

I am new to this site and looking for help with a 2003 sundance altamar hot tub. The problem is the 2 speed pump is not working. It simply "clicks" through the first and second speeds and then into the off position. No water moves. Everything else seems to work fine. The local spa company said it was a problem with the 2 speed pump so i bought a new one and installed it and it does the same thing. Also, I have a new circ pump and this works fine. So, what is the likely problem? Any help appreciated.

[spaguyva]

Hello forum family! Still hoping someone has an idea what could be the issue with the 2 speep pump on my altamar hot tub! Anyone have a thought on what I should do next? Is there a simply way to check voltage to the pump, trouble shoot the control pad or circuit board for this isolated problem. I am told a blown fuse would make everything non-functional, so this would not be the case.

Thanks.

[JAMES THE HOT TUB GUY]

I can help both of yall contact me when you get a chance premierhottubs@etcmail.com

[CoreyAsk]

Ok, so this seems to be a common question with owners of sundance hot tubs. I will answer the problem and explain why it happens. On the main circuit board of a sundance tub, there are 2 large capacitors in the center of the board. These 2 capacitors act as a filter for electricity which is mainly used on start up. A capacitor generally has a life span of about 2,000 hours, and when they start to go bad, they either will leak or buldge on the end. The buldge may be ever so slightly, but it is indication that the capacitor is bad. Again these are mainly used on startup when they are charged with a higher voltage and "blast" of electricity. If the capacitor can't handle it and "purify the current, it will trip the board. in turn this is why you see the watchdog code. you will notice when looking at these there are a few numbers on the side. when you order new ones keep in mind those numbers. but you need to change is the voltage. The current one is either 20 or 25v......buy one for 35v and use that as the replacement. yes this is ok...just means the capaciter can handle better voltage and will last longer. I believe this is something sundance overlooked when making the boards (lifespan and improper voltage) bot capacitors should run about $6. You may have read about a blow dryer trick, and everyone says this is not possible to make it work, but they are WRONG. What the blowdryer does, is apply heat to the capacitor which warms the gel like substance inside, the heat forces the gel back to its original place and shrinks it back so the electricity can flow---i forget the technical name, but if it is not severly shot, this blow dryer trick will work, either until the tub is put under heavy load or the power goes out. this usually only happens in cold weather, as when it is hot out the capacitor is warmed enough by the outside air temp.

to replace the capacitor your self you will need a soldier gun, soldier, and the cloth like strip to pull the older soldier when removing the old capacitors. keep in mind the positive and negative side, and that direction should be the same for both capacitors. with out cutting off the new capacitor wire insert them in the open holesben them slightly to hold in palce and re- soldier. have a good tip soo it does not splatter, ensure you have a steady hand and do not over do it! once secure in place take a wire snip and cut off remaining leads and make sure no ther connections ar touching where you soldiered. replace board in control unit and restart------of course shut the power off at the breaker before doing any of this. it is not necessary to remove the board completely, just enought to flip it down forward.

Hope this helps, i am sure there will be critics----hot tub repair companies as they will advise to buy a new board.---keep in mind hot tub reapir people are not electricians for this type of job...maybe plumber/electrician for household stuff.....they are there to make money and sell you expensive stuff to make a living. If you don't feel comfotable doing it yourself, simply take a picture of the wire connections, remove the board order the new capacitors and take to a tv/ electronic repair shop and tell them you want the 2 capicitors you bought swapped with the old-----no need to tell them anything else or even for what it is for and they should do it for a nominal fee. this litterally takes less than 5 min. take it home look at pictures and hook it back up.

Again this i believe was an oversight by sundance in these earlier models and is a very easy fix,,, don't fall fo rthe new board stuff.

In addition if you do the blow dryer trick other things such as the light and sensors may not operate as they are supposed---you may see erratic light changes, or the display saying their is air in the system---this is caused by the current not being pure as it passes through the defective capacitor that has been "over ridden"

Hope this helps, i know i will recieve critism, but guess what....i am right, i have done it, i have knowledge of electronics, and it works!