Catalina cl-750 mariah

[CanadianSpaTech]

4 hours ago, Daves_hottub said:

I will give them a chance to respond before I put out their name.

Fair enough...but they pulled a fast one in my opinion from 2000 miles away. Good Luck hope they do you right in the end. Always here if you need help.

[Daves_hottub]

Thanks for the advice so far, thought I would give a quick update.

The only major issue with the plumbing was that one big crack. They gave me the parts to fix it and I put it all back together.

The pump that it was on is definitely newer than the other one so I still think they must have cracked that fitting when they tried to tighten it up.

The pump works but is a lot louder than the other one, almost like something is rattling around in there.

I do have one small leak somewhere up deep in the foam, 100 ml every 2 days, so I am going to try the Leak Stop and see if that works before digging it all out.

The blower trips the breaker when the blower is connected but like I said it worked when there was no water in the tub.

It trips the breaker after about a minute of being hooked up or as soon as i try and turn it on.

It also has a Sony stereo in it and the Sony marine control panel on top. When I connect the control panel it also trips the GFCI so I will just leave it disconnected.

My plan is just to put an amazon dot in there instead and then I don't have to worry about any controls and I can access any media I want. 🙂

@CanadianSpaTech I figured maybe you could just pop over and have a listen? 😉

[CanadianSpaTech]

Stop leak won't work. find it and fix it right...one way check valve has failed on the blower line and is letting water into the blower causing the trip by water shorting it out.

[Daves_hottub]

No check valve that i can see but it could be buried in the insulation as well I guess.  
😞

Speaking of insulation. Is there any particular spray foam I should be using once I start to patch this all back up?

I am pretty sure I read on one of the foams (Great Stuff maybe) that it might not like pipes.

 

 

[CanadianSpaTech]

Insulation is the least of your problems. Rock Wool would work. Spray foam is expensive and great stuff you would need a lot of cans as it is usually only used to fill cracks and small areas. Post a pic of the blower set up. Some use a check valve some use a Hartford loop

[Daves_hottub]

There isn't a lot to see as it goes into the foam almost right away.

Blower1.jpg is the end of the blower on the left and the pipe going to the right.

Blower2.jpg takes the pipe up and to the left.

Blower3.jpg is where it is already covered in foam

Blower3.jpg

Blower2.jpg

Blower1.jpg

[CanadianSpaTech]

Blower 1 photo.... Disconnect the blower from the white plumbing  and have a look inside the plumbing. That first white hard plastic fitting just before the elbow fitting might have a flapper inside and could be the check valve. Once you get the blower out look for any water inside of it. Then let it dry out for a day or 2 and try it again before reinstalling and if it still trips you will have to replace it. It could be that it is just a bad blower and nothing to do with the check valve. Could be both the check valve and blower will have to be replaced... Hard to tell from here...lol 

@RDspaguy anything to add? I can't remember ever changing one out. 

Let us know results

[Daves_hottub]

Will do.

Unfortunately the blower is tucked in behind the control panel so it might take some wranglin to get it out, I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[RDspaguy]

The pipe is likely connected to the blower with a screw. It should be apparent if there is water in it.

[Daves_hottub]

14 hours ago, RDspaguy said:

The pipe is likely connected to the blower with a screw. It should be apparent if there is water in it.

Thanks,

I'll look for that and see if I can reach it.

[Daves_hottub]

I had to drain the tub to replace a gate valve  that the plunger had pulled out of so I had a look .

It doesn't look like there is any water in it.

I can't see a flapper in there but it looks like it was something???

There is a small hole in the bottom of the "T" is it just designed to drain any water that might get in?

 

 

[ratchett]

Hot damn this seems like a hell of a lot of work for a hottub you just bought for $1500 CAD and haven't even gotten to enjoy yet.    I highly doubt any dealer would take a return after everything you've done with the tub so far.  I'm rooting for ya to get it going again, but still seems like a lot of money to pay a huge paperweight you can't use for anything else currently 😕

In the meantime, please keep posting pictures of your progress. I love watching the progress

[north_of_boston]

On 6/29/2020 at 11:03 AM, RDspaguy said:

I sent him your way not because of where they are made but where he lives and the temps he deals with (-40c). I figured you would know more about those scrotum shrinking temps than I. I guess we should ask @north_of_boston.

 

It's a used spa. 

Ok. Catalina is a mid range spa. As I recall, they don't have a great deal of insulation so will run alot to stay hot in extreme cold and so cost alot to use. If you get it you might want to consider adding some insulation.

Stereos and spas don't mix. It is just a matter of time.


 

First of all,  I don't live up in Edmonton;   I'm in balmy coastal Massachusetts.   So,  although we CAN have extremely harsh weather,  it rarely goes below -10C.   -7C (20F) is around my limit for the outdoor hot tub.    I still bought the Arctic as it's designed for harsh climates.

Second - yes,  Stereos and spas don't mix -   I have an external source for my music in the hot tub.  Outdoor speakers,  with wires to a stereo set inside the house.

 

[RDspaguy]

Is there water in the blower? 

[Daves_hottub]

2 hours ago, RDspaguy said:

Is there water in the blower? 

Nope, seems totally dry.

[RDspaguy]

On 7/14/2020 at 3:20 PM, CanadianSpaTech said:

It could be that it is just a bad blower and nothing to do with the check valve.

Has it worked at all since you got it? What is the voltage of the blower? Can you post a pic of the circuit board?

[Daves_hottub]

3 hours ago, RDspaguy said:

Has it worked at all since you got it? What is the voltage of the blower? Can you post a pic of the circuit board?

It could be the blower I guess.

I thought we verified it in the shop but can't recall.

I verified it is getting 220 , at least at the board, when I push the switch but no worky . 

The hose is not connected right now but I don't think it would need that to turn on.

 

Any idea how I replace the light bulb? 

The last picture looks like that would turn but I don't want to break it.

 

[Daves_hottub]

19 hours ago, north_of_boston said:

First of all,  I don't live up in Edmonton;   I'm in balmy coastal Massachusetts.   So,  although we CAN have extremely harsh weather,  it rarely goes below -10C.   -7C (20F) is around my limit for the outdoor hot tub.    I still bought the Arctic as it's designed for harsh climates.

Second - yes,  Stereos and spas don't mix -   I have an external source for my music in the hot tub.  Outdoor speakers,  with wires to a stereo set inside the house.

 

We rarely get below -40c here so I should be okay. 😉

I am going to put an Amazon dot inside the compartment where the stereo was. 

The speakers still work so I will plug into those.

That way I will have access to all our media and never have to touch a thing.

As long as the neighbors don't figure out that they can just tell at our hot tub to play tunes we will be okay.

[RDspaguy]

If it trips when you turn it on it is the blower or the wiring.

You have to get to the light bulb from the back.

[Daves_hottub]

I am leaning towards the blower but yeah it could be either. 😞

That sucks about the bulb because I think it is enclosed in foam.

we can live without a light I think though. 

[RDspaguy]

It should not be foamed in, but is probably not easy to reach.

[Daves_hottub]

I'll look thanks

[Daves_hottub]

Looks like my bulb is definitely foamed in. I can follow the wires into the foam.

I guess I'll look into the fibre optic and see if I can get that working instead.

 So I replaced a slice valve where the handle just pulled out because I didn't want to worry about that later.

Then I wanted to do a quick test on the blower while the tub was dry so I disconnected the heater and I am wondering if I might not have been as gentle on the nuts as I should have been because now the breaker trips when the heater is connected.

I measure the resistance across the terminals and it is 14.6 ohms which seems in line with what it should be.

I also checked from the terminals to the tube and ground and they aren't shorted.

But the fact remains the tub runs if I disconnect the heater and trips immediately if it is connected.

It sure looks like the element is bad but not sure what else to check.

Oh I have also tried with everything else disconnected and with just the primary pump connected.

Same thing it trips immediately if the heater is attached.

 

[RDspaguy]

Yeah, you have to be careful with heater elements, and get a small wrench on the screw terminal under the nut before loosening or tightening or it will twist the element lead inside the epoxy seal and allow water to get to the conductor. Instant trip. Good news is that elements are cheap. Be careful the new element does not touch the side of the tube or it will burn out in no time.

[Daves_hottub]

I guess I get to test my slice valves then. 🙂

Now I just have to figure out how to remove the tube. I think there might be some screws on the back of the pack holding it in place.

I don't think I will have room to just slide the element in while the tube is in place.