Spa Motor / Wetend Question

[dodgefate]

Hi all, long time reader first time poster here. Thank you in advance for looking at my question.

Background:

Let me start off by saying I would love to do things the right way and replace everything. but I dont have the money to do so as when I did when I purchase my spa. Approximately 10 years ago I purchase a Dreammaker X400 spa that was a floor model (and got a great price on it). When I moved to my current residence (approximately 5 years ago), I had let it sit upside down for about a year until I could acquire a used cover for it as mine had went bad. Then about 4 years ago I finally found a semi-good cover for it, placed it on my porch and set it up. I noticed the top side controller was bad at this time and replaced it. About 2 years ago, as my replacement cover deteriorated, I began to have a problem where the pump would cycle on and off rapidly. After investigating (and having some decent knowledge in electronics) I found that the relay, on the circuit board, that controls the pump motor was overheating and causing this. To make a temporary repair to fix this, I installed a cooling fan on the circuit board housing, drilled some vent holes, and set it to pull the hot air out while pulling cold air over the relay. I also installed an exhaust fan on the outside of the access panel to help pull out hot air and pull in cold air. When I went to start it the next season the pump motor wouldn't turn and the cover was shot so I let it sit.

Fast Forward to this week... I got a new cover that fits for free. I went to start it up and forgot the motor was stuck. I took the motor out and did a half asses job rebuilding it. Then the shaft seal for the wet end started to leak. Attempting to get to it was murder and inturn I ruined the impeller as it was frozen on there. I noticed the motor shaft was really rusted and pitted. I think, but am not sure that the impeller seals on the shaft seal and not the motor shaft its self. Lastly, when testing everything I noticed that the temp down button on the top side controller was being activated some how. I found that water had dripped inside the cable leading to the circuit board.... I brought the topside controller and cable inside to dry out.

So here are my questions:

1. Could I get away with just buying a wet end and use it on the badly pitted shaft after I do a proper rebuild on the motor (the threads for the impeller are still spotless)?

2. Does the shaft seal for the wet end seal on the impeller some times or is it always on the shaft (it looks like it could possibly seal in the impeller If I had to guess I would say I am 90% sure of this)?

3. Could the motor relay that was overheating have been caused by the motor rusting up inside and placing a bigger load then anticipated on the relay?

4. If after I get it up and running and have the same temperature lowering button activation problem where do I start the topside controller or the circuit board (both passed a visual inspection and I did not see any burnt out components)?

Thank you for reading and any help is greatly appreciated!

[PreservedSwine]

" 1. Could I get away with just buying a wet end and use it on the badly pitted shaft after I do a proper rebuild on the motor (the threads for the impeller are still spotless)? "

Sure- grind down the shaft so the new impellor will slip easily over the shaft.

"2. Does the shaft seal for the wet end seal on the impeller some times or is it always on the shaft (it looks like it could possibly seal in the impeller If I had to guess I would say I am 90% sure of this)? "

I'm not sure what you're asking here. The shaft seal is two parts. 1/2 of it fits on the impellor, the other half fits inside the volute (rear) of the wet end. When the impellor is screwed onto the shaft, the two halves are pressed together to make a waterproof seal, where 1/2 of the seal is spinning, and the other 1/2 stationary. I have no idea if this answers your question.

3. Could the motor relay that was overheating have been caused by the motor rusting up inside and placing a bigger load then anticipated on the relay?

Very unlikely. If the load is too large, the breaker will usually trip 1st.

4 If after I get it up and running and have the same temperature lowering button activation problem where do I start the topside controller or the circuit board (both passed a visual inspection and I did not see any burnt out components)? Thank you for reading and any help is greatly appreciated!"

Take a mental not of the temp. Unplug the topside while the spa is running. Count to 10. Remember what it read before you unplugged it. Plug the topside back in, and quickly look at it. Is it where it was when you unplugged it, or has it continued to decrease? If it stopped going down while unplugged, bad topside. If it continued it's march down even while unplugged, bad circuitboard.

Good luck