Pump replacement struggles

[Cnthinkoname]

Hello everyone,

I own an 8 year old Dynasty Liberty II spa which has 2 5hp waterway pumps. One pump failed, and the other started to rust badly due to a leak, so I'm replacing both. Of course I thought this would be a relatively simple operation, but I have encountered the following problems:

1) The front cover of the old wet end has two nipples which had hoses attached to them, the new pump only has a cover which can be removed to place the nipples, what is this part called?

2) The new motor has a ground in a different location, too far away for the wiring harness to reach. Can you couple the ground lead to another to lengthen it?

3) I purchased new seals to go between the plumbing and the wet end. The new ones are flat, whereas the old ones had grooves to go into the plumbing side. Once I opened the shutoff valves with the new seals, the connection was leaking badly, so I assume I need the other style. Does anyone know the part number or what this style is called?

Thank you in advance! 

 

[Jersey Hot Tub Repair]

16 hours ago, Cnthinkoname said:

Hello everyone,

I own an 8 year old Dynasty Liberty II spa which has 2 5hp waterway pumps. One pump failed, and the other started to rust badly due to a leak, so I'm replacing both. Of course I thought this would be a relatively simple operation, but I have encountered the following problems:

1) The front cover of the old wet end has two nipples which had hoses attached to them, the new pump only has a cover which can be removed to place the nipples, what is this part called?

2) The new motor has a ground in a different location, too far away for the wiring harness to reach. Can you couple the ground lead to another to lengthen it?

3) I purchased new seals to go between the plumbing and the wet end. The new ones are flat, whereas the old ones had grooves to go into the plumbing side. Once I opened the shutoff valves with the new seals, the connection was leaking badly, so I assume I need the other style. Does anyone know the part number or what this style is called?

Thank you in advance! 

 

1)  The new pump should have plugs where your old pump has nipples.  Just remove the plugs and re-use the old nipples in the new pump. 

2)  The bonding wire can be coupled to an additional length of wire to make it longer.  You can also move the bonding lug to another part of the new motor, as long as it's attached to metal, and obviously not to anything electrically active.

3) Sounds like your old seals are either gaskets with an imbedded O-ring, or just plain O-rings, and they sent you flat gaskets.  The flat gasket with the o-ring molded into it is sometimes difficult, because their are several different sizes of 2" couplings and you have to have a perfect fit.  The flat gaskets are much better because they fit everywhere. Regular O-rings only give you about 1/16" of sealing surface where the flat gaskets give you 1/2" (or whatever size you received.)  I always remove the o-rings and replace with flat gaskets.  Also, I suggest coating the flat gaskets (or o-rings) with a thin layer of silicone lubricant, which will help them last longer.

If the leak is from the pump connections, than your gaskets are either misaligned or the coupling needs to be tightened.  Mind you, all that threaded coupling does is hold the gasket against the pump - it's the gasket that makes it watertight.  In other words, you shouldn't need a monkeywrench and the strength of Zeus to make it watertight.  A sixteenth to a quarter of turn with a wrench should do it.

If your shutoff valves are leaking, it has nothing to do with the pump gaskets.  Shutoff valves are notorious for leaking, they sit in the tub unused for ten years and the day you go to use them, the rubber parts inside have deteriorated and they break.  Welcome to the world of being a hot tub repairman. 

[Cnthinkoname]

Thanks so much for the help! 

Both bumps are now replaced, running well, and leak free. 

If anyone has the same issues in the future:

1) I broke the old nipples trying to remove them from the pump. If you purchase new ones for the waterway pumps make sure it has an o-ring . 

2) Thanks! I was able to move the grounding lug just enough to get the old ground to reach. 

3) They were gaskets with embedded o-rings. No matter what I tried, I was unable to get the flat gaskets to work without leaking. I was able to find the embedded o-ring gaskets locally and now have no issues!

On a side note, getting this tub back up and running has made me appreciate build quality much more. I found the ozonator was not wired, there was insulation in the diverter valves, and the pump mounts were poorly secured to the frame.

While removing the skirt, I noted the 1/4 indoor grade plywood was rotting and the synthetic "durable" siding was stapled onto this plywood. Most of the siding panels fell off the plywood, so the next project is rebuilding the skirt to make the tub look decent. Anyone have recommendations on a synthetic material to back the skirt, or would painting it without outdoor paint be an easier way to go?

[Jersey Hot Tub Repair]

Older Ozonators are essentially an ultraviolet bulb in a housing.  The bulb dies after a year or two of service so the ozonator is not creating ozone.  The check valve fails in the hose and water backs into he ozonator, causing it to short circuit.  As a repairman, I always tell the customer I can replace the ozonator or just disconnect it so it won't short out and let the customer decide if it's worth the money.  So, seeing a disconnected ozonator is neither unusual or a sign of neglect or incompetence.

Pumps are typically mounted with 4 screws in the factory.  Of course, they build the guts and then lower the tub over the frame, making those back bolts difficult to replace.  I never replace the rear bolts.  The rigidity of the plumbing and weight of the pump will keep it in place and one or two screws in the front will stop it from vibrating. I've encountered plenty of tubs where a previous repair had left the pump completely unmounted.  For the most part, it's not an issue, although I wouldn't go that far.

Cheap wooden skirts with plastic siding is very common as well..  There are companies who sell tub skirts, but they're not cheap.  You could use small screws to remount the slats, but that's a lot of work.  Not a fun job.

 

 

 

[njmurvin]

16 hours ago, ScubaDave said:

 ... Pumps are typically mounted with 4 screws in the factory.  Of course, they build the guts and then lower the tub over the frame, making those back bolts difficult to replace.  I never replace the rear bolts.  The rigidity of the plumbing and weight of the pump will keep it in place and one or two screws in the front will stop it from vibrating. I've encountered plenty of tubs where a previous repair had left the pump completely unmounted.  For the most part, it's not an issue, although I wouldn't go that far.

 

 

 

I just replaced the 2-speed pump on my Marquis.  The pump is located behind the control unit/heater. So, it was a real pain to get the 4 nuts off the motor mounts.  After removing it, I realized I didn't have to remove the back nuts.  Marquis uses a metal bracket that angles up 45deg.  You mount this bracket to the rubber mounts on the spa and then slide the motor's bracket underneath the angled metal bracket.  Then, you merely attach the front nuts to hold everything down.  As stated, the plumbing also does a good job of stabilizing the motor.  Kudos to Marquis for designing in the eventual replacement of the motor.

 

FWIW, my replacement motor came with new unions.  I merely used the O rings that came with those during the replacement along with some lube on the contact surfaces and the threads of the unions.  I ordered replacement washers with the molded O ring for a 2" connection, but they didn't quite fit.  The regular O rings seem to be leak free and that's what was on there for the past 6 years.