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Need Wavemaster 7000 version 1 help


mrwrick

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Hi, I always get great help on this forum. You have assisted me to keep 2 Hot Spring Classics working for extra years.

Now my 1993 Classic needs Jet Pump help. It is a version 1 Wavemaster 7000, single speed pump. My spa is 110 (115) volts. The pump has had a leak from the main impeller (large, banded) O-ring. I was unable to get the new ring to stay in place to join the 2 halves, so I left the old ring in, to be replaced later. Then, after good operation for perhaps 40 cycles over time ( several months) the jet pump made a noise that sounded like grinding. I thought bearing, so I stopped using it, pending a complete spa drain and maintenance.

Last time I tried to turn it on to hear the operation again it hummed but no jets. I quickly turned it off. Heater and ozone flow are fine, so spa is clear and clean. However, I have had a gradual decrease in TA and pH to very acidic levels. This is a bromine spa with 24/7 ozone through circulation pump. I understand bromine is acidic, so I understand why my water has turned. It goes untended for weeks at a time when I am not present to test or correct.

Now I suspect my old Wavemaster has succumbed to the corrosive acidic water and has frozen up. The circuitry may be OK since it hummed when switch was activated. I hope.

My concern is to be able to get some diagnostic help and guidance for a source to replace the whole pump and connections (I will probably have to cut old 2 inch PVC pipes to get it all out. The pump disconnects from large impeller housing by loosening the steel band, but the connection collars on the pipes do not turn.) 

I am ready to do some disassembly and replace parts if it is (a) cost effective, or (b) the only way if a complete pump is not available. It sure would be easier to obtain a NOS pump and make new connections.

Thanks for your help.

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Although that pump is no longer being produced for Hot Spring Spas, it is still for sale as a complete pump assembly from retailers online. You're welcome to call me, I'm Mike, at Watkins Wellness customer service department (800) 999-4688 ext. 8432, I can give you dealer contact information.

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If the pump is humming but won't turn, the motor is seized.  Sometimes it's just stuck on a "bad" spot and a screwdriver turn of the shaft will coax it back to life, but usually the motor needs to be replaced.

If you leave it on, it will shut down after a few seconds because of it's overheat switch.

I wouldn't try to repair a 25 year old motor.  It's done it's duty, put it to a well deserved rest.  I would replace the pump and motor as a complete assembly, it would be a shame to rebuild the pump, attach it to a new motor and have the pump fail in another six months.  It's also done it's duty over 25 years and deserves a rest.

Get those couplings off the pump -- don't cut the pipe.  There's not a lot of room in there and not a lot of tolerance for moving things if the new pipe isn't exactly the same length.  You will drive yourself nuts trying to make it fit if one of your new glue connections is even 1/2 an inch off.  If you can't unscrew the couplings, cut the couplings off and replace them with slip nuts.  Of course, when cutting the couplings off, remember their are threads underneath the couplings on the pump and you don't want to damage them.

 

 

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Thanks Dave, good advice. I plan to get replacement info from Hot Spring Official and will follow your cues about removal. I know it will be tough.i tried to loosen the upper connection when I did work and it is tight. I will try some strap wrenches you get leverage in that tight space, leaving cutting the coupling as last resort.

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Actually, if you're replacing the pump, cutting the couplings isn't a big deal.  Use a dremel tool to cut them,  If the pump is going in the garbage, cut it with impunity.  But the top 1/2 of the screw-on coupling has a PVC flange behind it, so don't cut all the way through it with your dremel, just enough to weaken the plastic.  Then you can shove a flat edge screw driver underneath to pry the plastic away.  Make sure you buy a slip nut. 

We use oil filter wrenches to get those fittings off.  Never found one the oil filter wrench couldn't handle.  Not the filter wrench type that have a band that tightens when you turn it, get the wrench with teeth.  Looks sort of like a giant size of right hand pliers.  $8 at harbor freight, or $15 at Sears.  For occasional use, the HF is fine.

Most of our customers don't want to spend the money for a Wavemaster pump.  A good replacement is a 48 Frame AquaFlo XP2.  Don't go by the horsepower rating, go by the Amperage on the motor, and make sure you buy the correct voltage as well.  In other words, if your motor label says "115VAC 10AMP", that's what you need to buy.  (One manufacturer calls it 1.65HP, another calls it 2.5HP.)   It's the amperage draw that tells you how much power the motor has.

Of course, the motor label is on the back side of the pump where it's hard to see.  Use your cell phone camera to get back there.  You can use a 9AMP motor to replace a 10 amp motor, but it's not a good idea to go higher.  If you replace a 10 AMP motor with a 12 AMP motor, you may find your circuit breaker tripping.

Sometimes, you can save money buying a two speed motor and and just wiring it up using the "High" speed connectors.  We just carry 2 speed pumps in our shop vans, and wire them up single speed when that's what the job calls for.  For us, it's just half as much inventory to keep.

 

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Thank you for the extra tips. My plan is to remove the old pump and see what I can figure out it is suffering from before i buy a new one. If it just in need of seals and a cleaning up of shaft and brushes that is what I will try. If it is corroded from acidic water imbalance it will be replaced. But, ouch, the sticker shock is powerful. I appreciate your recommendation of the alternate pump.

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Dave, another question to follow up your suggestion. I see an Aqua-Flow XP2 at 115 V, but rated at 14.4 amps on high speed. It is a good price, but I have to check my motor's amperage. I understand your idea of wiring the pump to operate at the high speed as a single speed pump, and that amperage is key. The other XP2's I see listed are for 230 V, though they are rated to draw lower amps at high speed, from 6 to 8.5. I can replace the Wavemaster 7000 version 1 for about $700. The Aqua-Flow XP2 is only $200. I understand that fitment will be the issue if AI go with the Aqua-Flow over the Wavemaster, which is set up as a direct replacement for my serial number and model of Hot Spring Classic spa. If you have other information to help me understand the different needs and options I will appreciate it. THANKS, CHAD.

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I just looked on line and found the Wavemaster 7000 Version 1 is 16 AMP at 115VAC.  http://www.backyardplus.com/pumps-wavemaster-7000-version-1-36070-parts.php

The Aquaflow XP2 you could use is 15/3.9 at 115VAC.  The part number is 06115000-1040.  It is a very common pump.

You can also use a Waterway Executive 48, part number 3420610-1A.  It's amperage is 16.4/4.4.  A tad higher, but I doubt it will make a difference.  Still, I try to avoid going up from original equipment because the spa is engineered for a certain amperage draw and if you draw too much you'll either trip your breakers, or even worse, generate too much heat and prematurely wear out your circuits.  I'll let a more knowledgeable electrician answer that one.

I have had good experience with both Waterway and AquaFlo pumps, although if you change enough of them, you occasionally get a bad one.

The 1AMP difference is the cost of a $250 pump vs. a $700 pump.  I doubt you will notice the difference in water movement because we're not talking about motors that are calibrated for a space shuttle here, this is mass-produced everyday consumer products.  I'd bet the amperage is +/- a few percent from what's on the label.

Both pumps will have a different footprint than the Wavemaster.  But a new Wavemaster will also have a different footprint, so don't let that be a deciding factor.  The pump couplings are the most important because there's not a lot of wiggle room.  The Wavemaster is a 48 frame pump, so you need to replace it with a 48 frame pump.  I carry a car box full of spacers to accommodate the difference in pump mounting options.  Some rubber pads that can lift the pump up 1/8", some pressure treated plywood strips for higher mounting and some rubber bushings that can sit between the pump base and the tub.  It seems like every tub is different. 

Always hook up the plumbing before you mount the pump to the tub, and don't be alarmed if you have to drill new holes in the floor for the motor.  I use self tapping screws and only physically screw in the front two mounts.  Between the plumbing connection and those two screws the pump is not going anywhere.  You have to be a masochist to try to put the rear bolts in, and the factories are sadists for doing the same.  You'll see what I mean when you try to get the pump out.

The two major differences between the Aquaflow and Wavemaster is the starter capacitors sitting on top of the motor and the heat hose.  Although it depends on who Aquaflow is using to make the motors for that particular batch of pumps, you may get two starter capacitors instead of one.  That sometimes makes fitting a pump into the compartment a challenge.  You're going to have to eyeball it and figure it out.  I've never not been able to do it, but sometimes I've had to move the pack or the circ pump to get it in there.  The second difference is the heat cowl on the back of the wavemaster that attaches to a hose to take the warmed air for heating the tub.  The Aquaflow has a compartment to run your wires into, whereas the Wavemaster back has terminal posts, and a plastic cowling that fits over it.  An Aquaflow replacement will not have a screw mount for that heat cowling.

That hot air is reused to warm your water, theoretically reducing your heating costs.  It's akin to those kits you put on your clothes dryer that take the exhaust and run it through a filter into your house. 

When I tell customers I can get them a Wavemaster pump for $500 more than a standard pump, they all say "save me the $500 and I'll let the heater run a little longer."  You can try to jury rig the cowling to fit on the pump, maybe duct tape or that adhesive insulated aluminum foil tape that heating contractors use?

 

 

 

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  • 4 years later...
  • 2 months later...

My Watkins 7000 water pump hose has a leak.  The leak seems to be where the hose enters the foam.  The leak is right at that  junction. I am not certain if it’s in the hose or coming out of the tub where the foam is. Is there anything I can do, besides digging into the foam? Is there any kind of sealant or Apoxsee I can put on there?   Hot Springs wants to take my tu b for three months dig into the foam and it will cost anywhere between $1,500- $2000 or more.  I don’t have that kind of money. Any help would be truly appreciate it!

Mary

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