Spa Problems

[bfrank66]

Hello,

I have a hot tub included in the house that I bought, but I've let it sit for years. It was operational but now I'm having trouble either getting to work correctly or I'm overlooking something.

I bought a used working heater because we had natural gas installed.

I had the pump rebuilt.

The line pvc leaving the pump will go to the heater or drain into the yard depending on how I set the valves.

The only switches I have are one the previous owner wrote is the heater switch (inside near the tub) and the circuit breaker for the entire system. Nothing explicitly to turn on/off the pump. There's also an "air button" which turns on the bubbler.

I can fill the strainer bucket with water, turn on the circuit breaker and nothing happens.

But if I then hit the air button to turn on the bubbler, the system comes to life and the water in the strainer bucket gets pumped out.

But in the tub, the water bubbles but none of that water gets to the pump.

Its as if there is another valve stopping water from the tub to the pump and I'm starting to feel like that line might be blocked because when I try to send water with a hose from the strainer to the tub, the water starts to fill the pvc but then comes back, no evidence its getting to the tub. But there is no other valve and the pvc is buried.

I am surmising the pump is working because the water flows out when I add to the strainer but why is it necessary that the bubbler be on for that to come to life. There is another unit outside which is what the air button turns on and the noise and vibration of that on the pipes makes it hard for me to be sure the pump is operating except that do see the water in the system get expelled and left dry.

Am I over explaining this? Just too many unknowns and no hot tub ownership experience for me to be sure whether I'm doing something wrong or not. Maybe I'm not priming the pump or something but the water just won't flow from the tub to the pump. I want to make sure its not something simple I'm overlooking before I think about renting a plumbing snake to see if the pipes are clogged.

Thankyou, any help is greatly appreciated.

[Dr. Spa]

So this is an inground spa, with the equipment remotely located and above the water line? Just the one air button? If so, it's probably a multi function air switch. Something like, 1st push turns on the pump, 2nd the pump and air blower, 3rd just the blower, 4th off.

Between the pump and spa is probably a check valve (a 1 way valve). Just keep filling the basket, turn on the pump, then turn it off and fill the basket again. "Eventually" it should work.

You should also have a filter between the pump and heater.

[bfrank66]

Yes, inground and all equipment remotely located above the water line.

Yes the filter is there between the pump and heater.

One air button and I did notice it does take at least 3 pushes to cycle back to bubbler. I'll get that button setup outside near the equipment and then I can play with it.

That's a good clue.

I'll look for a check valve, I don't think I saw anything else above ground but that would explain the water from my hose not getting to tub.

I'll try your suggestion to keep filling the basket. Do I need to turn pump off, fill, turn on, repeat? I need to keep the basket lid on when pump running right? Its the suction building in the system that would get that check valve to open?

Thanks for the helpful advice!

[Dr. Spa]

"Do I need to turn pump off, fill, turn on, repeat?"

yes

"I need to keep the basket lid on when pump running right?"

yes