Jets Popping Out Of 2009 Sundance Hawthorne

[Robin from Israel]

Hi from sunny Israel. My name is Robin, I lurked on this forum quite a bit when we were looking to buy our spa and really learned a lot. Now I'd like to pick your collective brains about a problem we're having if I may.

Lately all different types of jets have suddenly been popping out of our 2009 Hawthorne when we turn the jets on. It's not limited to one kind of jet, all sorts of things seem to come flying out when you try to adjust them, or even just spontaneously. We did get a major upgrade to our home's water pressure about 2 months ago but since the tub isn't actively filling I wouldn't think that would have affected anything.

We had the dealer out recently to fix a widget that failed and caused the whole tub to drain (he said it was a manufacturer's defect and fixed it for free) but he blew off our jet issue since at that point it was just one little one, he figured someone had unscrewed it...

Any ideas what could be causing this / what we should do about it?

Thanks so much,

Robin

[paoutdoorsman]

Hi Robin, have you been maintaining Total Alkalinity and pH regularly? I have friends who decided that was not really important and it didn't take long until their jet bodies were all deteriorting and began popping out on a regular basis. Look closely at the condition of the plastic and see if you notice any deterioration.

[Robin from Israel]

Thanks for the response, I'll check the condition of the plastic. We do check levels weekly and change out the water every few months and things are usually within the correct range (I can't tell you specifics, my husband is the water-checker-guy...). Could very hard water like we have here make the plastic disintegrate faster?

[paoutdoorsman]

A certain amount of calcium hardness is actually good. Industry standards recommend maintiaining calcim hardness in spas to 150-250 ppm. This is something that your husband should be checking on a regular basis in conjuction with Total Alkalinity and pH.

I don't think high levels of calcium hardness would increase the rate of deterioration of the plastic jet parts, however it could affect the accuracy of the results of the TA and pH tests. All three components must be taken into consideration for maintaining proper water balance. Low pH would indicate corrosive/acidic water that could attack and deteriorate the jet bodies and components. Innacurate pH test results, as a result of not monitoring all 3 necessary components to water balance could put you in the same situation unknowingly.

[Robin from Israel]

Thanks for the explanation, much appreciated. We'll take a good look at the jets and then give our local dealer (who's facing the same type of water issues) a call to discuss testing accuracy, etc.