Burton153 Posted February 7, 2014 Report Share Posted February 7, 2014 Sitting here waiting for the service tech so I decided to do a 5 year review on my spa experience so far. I've been reading this forum for awhile but never joined. I'm coming up on my 5 year warranty expiring so I'm getting some work done. The spa is a 2009 Arctic Yukon, I purchased it new for about 10K from Apollo spas in Silverdale, WA. (Now out of Business). All the small jets don't spin without the little plastic tab that holds the impeller rod. They are getting replaced along with a control valve that wouldn't seal when the packing material deteriorated. I'm also getting pump 1 replaced because it doesn't have the GPM it used to. My service history has been pretty basic. The first thing that went was the TruGuard heater after 2 years. Which turned out not to be the heater but the cord to the spa pack had melted (near the spa pack). The tech cut the connecter of the new cord off and hard wired it to the mobo. I understand this is how the new models are being wired now also. I can understand why they would try and make people stick with Arctic approved components by making the connecter proprietary. It was around this time that they came out with the new Onzen version 8 electrode that was installed in the footwell. The first tech that came out was new and didn't even have any caulking to seal it properly after he cut a 5" hole in my spa. His wiring job was also the worst and I ended up wiring the controller myself after he left. In the early days of Onzen the tech would tell you just add more salt if it wasn't working. The test strips were unreliable and nobody could agree how much water was in my spa so I ended up buying a $100 salt test meter so I would know exactly how much salt I was running. Recently after speaking to somebody from Arctic they said the units are prone to burning out every 6-8 months, I've never had one last that long. He also suggested that I up my salt to about 1500ppm and turn CP down to 4 to try and make it last longer. Apollo has charged me for almost every electrode that I've replaced, I did get a free one once when I complained that they don't last a year. I purchased my last one from the online story and hopefully they will replace it when it burns out free of charge. Tech just arrived and what a surprise, they don't replace pumps that still work. I would guess that it's running at about 60% of what it used to. The tech also said that I wouldn't be happy with the new pump because it's even less HP than this one. Waste of a $100 trip fee for some jets and an air control valve they could have shipped. I guess I should have asked on the phone what the chances were of getting a new pump for one that still works. I think she knew the chances were less than zero but trip fees make money. So as far as the warranty goes the only thing I got for free was 2 onzen electrodes and a new heater in 5 years, that's almost a $300 value. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apollo217 Posted February 7, 2014 Report Share Posted February 7, 2014 A pump either works or it doesn't. I've never seen one that doesn't work as well as it used too. Was anything else with the tub wrong that you feel should've been warrantied in the 5 years? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burton153 Posted February 7, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2014 When I used to sit in the seats the jets would hit my back and cause a relaxing feeling (almost painful) now even with new jets the pump is lackluster and feels more like bubbles tickling my back. You are saying that pumps don't wear out slowly and just completely fail at some point? I don't believe you. I think this pump is "wore out" from being used in a hot salt water environment for 5 years and needs to be replaced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apollo217 Posted February 7, 2014 Report Share Posted February 7, 2014 It just doesn't happen that way. Some suggestions would be make sure the filter is clean because that would restrict flow if it wasn't. Another thought would be when was the last time you ran a jet line cleaner through the tub? Some of the lines maybe clogged. How long has it been like that for? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PreservedSwine Posted February 7, 2014 Report Share Posted February 7, 2014 Apollo is 100% correct- it's not the pump. If you have lower pressure, some likely causes: a filter is dirty, a valve is broken, some jets are broken, air is getting sucked into the pump, or there's an obstruction in the plumbing or in the impellor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burton153 Posted February 7, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2014 So Apollo is correct and there is nothing wrong with the pump. Why did they not troubleshoot and search for a reason why the pump has low pressure? My filter is changed every 3-4 months, All my diverter valves work well and isolate to the right jets, all of my jets were just replaced and pressure is still the same. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the black/gray round plastic tabs that hold the jet rod are stuck in my pump but I'll never know until it fails. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PreservedSwine Posted February 8, 2014 Report Share Posted February 8, 2014 Try removing the filter, and see if the pressure increases. If so, it may be time for a new one. If that doesn't do the trick, next time you drain it, open up the pump, and take a peek. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loopcity Posted February 8, 2014 Report Share Posted February 8, 2014 My filter is changed every 3-4 months...... Do you mean that you put a brand new one in every 3-4 months, or you clean it that often? Also as preserved swine says, pull the filter and compare the jet pressure. Make sure that there is no debris in the tub that can get sucked into the plumbing with the filter out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apollo217 Posted February 8, 2014 Report Share Posted February 8, 2014 So Apollo is correct and there is nothing wrong with the pump. Why did they not troubleshoot and search for a reason why the pump has low pressure? My filter is changed every 3-4 months, All my diverter valves work well and isolate to the right jets, all of my jets were just replaced and pressure is still the same. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the black/gray round plastic tabs that hold the jet rod are stuck in my pump but I'll never know until it fails. That's a question you should ask the tech who came out. How often if ever do you clean your filter? Just because the jets are new doesn't mean the plumbing behind the jets isn't gummed up. Pull apart the pump and and see if anything is stuck in the impeller. A hot tub is like a car it needs proper maintenance. Most of those issues wouldn't be warranty issues Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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