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Override 104' High Limit Hot Tub Is Luke Warm


J.J.

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I owned a Hot Tub once before and accidentaly got it so hot once I had to throw ice in it before I could get in.

Not so with my new 'state of the art' Costco Platinum (Balboa Instruments HS200VS 240v 60hz 48a).

I would describe the water as luke warm. Colder than a hot bath. Jumping in to my solar heated pool from the Hot Tub is not a big transition.

Very very disappointed with the temperature but like everything else about the spa.

I've tried several thermometers and am going to buy another one, but seems to be at or close to 104 degrees. I know about the industry limit.

Unless the thermostat and my thermometer are wrong this reminds me of the lady who spilled hot coffee in her lap and sued McDonalds, so now nobody can get a hot cup of coffee.

Thinking of replacing the electronic controls with something more primitive if I can't find a work around.

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  • 4 months later...

GREETINGS FROM ALASKA

Your question was is their a way to override the 104 temp limit

with a HS200VS.

If it has Eeprom chip HS200VSR28 then the answer is "YES" and still have all functions work properly except the "TEMP" read out on the push button controler. It read 20% lower then its new running temp

So now to keep the TUB at 104 you would set the topside at 84. A setting of 88 is 110 degrees.

92 mades it 115 degrees in the tub. We keep ours at 89 and that puts the water temp at 111/112

degrees. We have never ran it above 90 on the panel.

1. locate the Eeprom chip

2. find the "Jtag" port

3. get a Eeprom chip reader

I made mine (6 wires 6 100 ohm resisters & DB-25 plug)

4. get a Eeprom chip reader program.

4. read Eeprom chip and "SAVE"

The about stuff is EASY. JUST make sure you SAVE the orignal HS200VSR28 program.

Its not "if" but how many times you screw up the new program your writing.

And if you screw up real GOOD (too many 1 an 0 on a any one line of code) then it only takes a couple of hours to change out the CHIP you just destroyed.

This code writing process took me and 2 other programmers 7 months to figure out,

and 2 more months to rewrite it. (4 different write locatings.)

P.S. BalBoa it only took 30 minutes to find your backdoor code.

7 and a half months and 20 plus chips to figure out what we were doing after we got it.

NEXT.. if your not a "COMPUTER PROGRAMMER" Then your S.O.L.

The next 3 steps are not listed cause of the number of VS's that we

screwed up trying to get the temp up.

Go into the HS200VSR28 program and lower digital sencor codes (both A & B by 20%)

Save the new HS200VSR28 program

Next Make sure you SAVE the program that you took off of this chip.

Next "ERACE" the HS200VSR28 Chip 5 times

Now if you screw up here, the chip can lock you out FOR EVER. (JUNK)

LOAD your new HS200VSR28 program onto the chip.

Connect up your Brain Box to power and prepare to get cooked or if you did it wrong

prepare to spend some more time programming.

Now were working on making this work on all BalBoa boxes.

P.s. NO we are not in a position to screw up other peoples boxes.

At least not yet. We have talked about making a Eeprom programmer ( you would have to soldier 6 wire to the Cuircut Board) and a cd with the new codes and instructions.

We have 4 HS200VSR28 boxes in Alaska that have been running great for over

the last 6 months with our new codes..

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.. if your not a "COMPUTER PROGRAMMER" Then your S.O.L.

The next 3 steps are not listed cause of the number of VS's that we

screwed up trying to get the temp up.

Go into the HS200VSR28 program and lower digital sencor codes (both A & B by 20%)

Or, try a few different temp sensors. You will find they vary by a degree or two.

B)

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OR he could run a copper pipe from his spa through his gas grill and heat the water , grill a burger and have the hot water return too his tub increass the temp.

Works in RHOD ISLAND

OK so I am kidding but I think you would need to get someone from M.I.T. to perform all of the programing.

Have your tried contacting the Spa manufacturer to see if they can fix problem.

I have my spa set to 102-103 and it feels good.

When it get to 104-105 it is way to hot for me.

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Have your tried contacting the Spa manufacturer to see if they can fix problem.

The position of the spa manufacturer and the spa pack manufacturer (Balboa) is that there is no problem because when the temp guage is set to 104 the water is in fact at that temperature. I bought a fancy thermometer to confirm.

And 104' is "The Law" so to speak, in that Underwriters Laboratories will pull the UL certification of any spa mfg. that makes a spa that will go over 104' or can easily be modifyed to do so.

We probably have our friends the lawyers to thank for all of this. No body wants to wind up in court.

Its like the lady who sued MacDonalds because she spilled a hot cup of coffee in her lap, so now we all get luke warm coffee at MacDonalds.

I find 104' enjoyable but not as hot as I want it or had it in an old fashion hot tub with no fancy controls.

106 might be perfect for me, but I will never now with this spa if I can't find a work around I can do by myself.

I had heard discussions that the SPA industry was lobbying for a review. Obviously SPA mfg's want happy customers, but then again they don't want a law suit from somebody who over does it.

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Just move the temp probe on the heater coil.

I don't know much about what is under the hood.

I know there are TWO temperature probes, and if the electronic spa pack senses something is off by more than a couple of degrees it will shut down the whole spa.

I wish I could find a local spa tech who would be able to implement some of these suggest solutions.

I have also heard of covering the temp probe with expoxy.

What do you mean when you say move the temp probe on the heater coil?? Move it where?

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The cheapest, simplest and safest way is to solder in a 1,000ohm resistor in-line with temp sensor. That will get you close to 108 and still be within safety parameters so the high limits will still protect you and the tub.

If you do something like this is will void all warranties on the spa though.

Of course I have no idea if this works I just heard it from a little birdie ;)

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The cheapest, simplest and safest way is to solder in a 1,000ohm resistor in-line with temp sensor. That will get you close to 108 and still be within safety parameters so the high limits will still protect you and the tub.

Thanks, since there are supposedly tw sensors, I guess I should do it twice (once I figure out where the sensors are).

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I am new here. We have a 2007 Sundance Spa and have the same problem. We have had it since June 8th and only once has it actually retained 104 degrees. Love the spa, but its just not hot enough. The installer said he could hot wire it. But they have since let him go and the owner says he wont do it. However my aunt has the same Spa and her tech added a chip of some sort and it maintains 106 in the winter. Which is why we spent thousands of dollars on this unit. Any help would be excellent!

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I am new here. We have a 2007 Sundance Spa and have the same problem. We have had it since June 8th and only once has it actually retained 104 degrees. Love the spa, but its just not hot enough. The installer said he could hot wire it. But they have since let him go and the owner says he wont do it. However my aunt has the same Spa and her tech added a chip of some sort and it maintains 106 in the winter. Which is why we spent thousands of dollars on this unit. Any help would be excellent!

I think you could have one of two problems. If the SPA does not get up to 104 degrees measured by fancy 3rd party thermometer I would bitch like hell to the people you bought it from.

The bigger problem is if the SPA is in fact getting up to 104 degrees but in your opinion that is not as hot as you want it. That is my problem. It is always at 104 degrees no problem but that is not hot enough.

This has to do with the government trying to protect us from ourselves. Mfg. will lose their UL certification if SPA goes over 104.

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I am new here. We have a 2007 Sundance Spa and have the same problem. We have had it since June 8th and only once has it actually retained 104 degrees. Love the spa, but its just not hot enough. The installer said he could hot wire it. But they have since let him go and the owner says he wont do it. However my aunt has the same Spa and her tech added a chip of some sort and it maintains 106 in the winter. Which is why we spent thousands of dollars on this unit. Any help would be excellent!

Sundance Spas built before 2006 could heat to 108 with a simple jumper change. This is no longer possible. If your aunts spa is one of these earlier models, that is the reason she can get to the higher temp.

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We have a Platinum II, and it is limited to 104. I tested the water, and it is indeed 104. I really want to change this.

Anyone done the resistor thing? Would be so nice to have pictures of what was done.

And this feels "luke warm" to you? Wow, you've got tough skin. :D I'm perfectly happy at 99-100 when it's not too cold, or 101-102 when there's a blizzard outside.

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106 would be nice.

Our old spa had no real limiter. It was in the house, and heated it self up just by running water throught the pumps. With head off, if we did not use if for 2 days it would hi 116.

We had to open it up before we could go in. 108 is the hotest i used it at..and that is pretty freakin hot!

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  • 1 month later...

Hello all,

My tub at 104 just isnt hot enough for my taste. Has anyone tried the resistor idea as suggested. I have a red and black wire coming from my sensor. Which wire would I put the resistor on?

I have looked for any control panel jumper options with no success.

Any other ideas on how to get my tub to maintain a higher temperature?

Thanks

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If you have to ask which wire to put the resistor in, or if you are not otherwise fully comfortable with what you are doing and why it will do what it does, I would not attmept this yourself.

Tyring to keep everyone safe,

B)

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If your tubs have a bulb type control thermistor that protrudes through the shell you can do the following:

1. Leave the control thermistor (the bulb that tells the control pad the water temperature) where it is in the side of the tub.

2. Unplug the electrical end from the control box.

3. Purchase another one and plug it into the control box and wrap the bulb end that reads temperature around the heater in the tub as someone else descrided above.

Since it is now not in contact with the 104 degree water the tub will continue to heat to try and attain the 104 degrees that it is set for. The further away from the heater you put it the hotter the tub will get...but be careful, you could easily get too hot.

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  • 1 month later...

I own a new Jaccuzi 335, which is great, except that it is not hot enough. It is usually 102 or 103, and only occasionally hits 104. (I have confirmed the readings with a thermometer.) I like 106 to 107. My old tub pre-dated the 104 limit.

Can anyone suggest how I can override on this Jaccuzi Model 335? I realize that I will need to do it myself, and that it might void the warrantee, but I still want a hot tub, not a warm tub!

Thanks.

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Hi, at a heater training class a couple days ago they mentioned that the law had been changed to allow 107. If you can prove this to somebody with the know how to change your spa they shouldn't have a problem changing it for you, although most late model ones don't have the ability to go over 104 without rigging. I've heard some silicone on the wet end of the sensor will give you a couple more degrees.

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Bumping in hopes of advice. Thanks. RockyMtn

Nobody at Marquis has heard of the 107 permission. Do you have any way of verifying this news? We are upgrading to a 2008 and would like to get an agreement to retrofit a higher temp contol if they eventually change the regs. 104 doesn't cut it for me and in the cold weather it goes to 103 almost immediately.

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