110v hot tub issues.. anyone here have suggestions?

[bigdirty]

So i have this 'dream maker' 110 volt hot tub i picked up for $400.. was working well, but the heater jacket was leaking (PO 'repaired' with glue of some sort, but it wasn't cutting it. Basicaly its just a plastic heat exchanger that sits on the electric motor. yup, that is what heats the thing up) so I upped the $130 for a new part.. now not even a MONTH later, the new part has cracked, leaking water everywhere. Including into the pump motor, and out the back of it sprayed all over the control box.

Tub wasn't running when i got home today, read 74* (huh?) so I cranked it back to 103.. 10 mins later it was off again.. top side controls started acting strange, hit the temp up button, the LIGHTS turn on.. oh crap... THEN I noticed the leak and unplugged the thing. Now i HOPE if it drys out the control/board is ok and will work again.. And no, it has not been frozen, I use the thing almost every night, its never been below 95* since i replaced the heater jacket..

So I'm gona try to get a new heater jacket (again) from the local spa place, but it takes 3 days to come in, and that's IF they will give me a replacement, cause no way in HECK i'm paying for another one.. Problem number one, its going to be below freezing temps here by next week so I'm looking for other options in case I cant get a new one.. Problem 2 is I don't trust the obvious poor quality of these units now, and even IF i get a new part, it could fail as well... so i'm wondering if anyone 'knows' this stuff and can help me out..

I'm wondering if I could just get an external ELECTRIC heater unit, and rig it to the existing hoses that are on my pump motor.. ?

 

[kahuna123]

Re: 110v hot tub issues.. anyone here have suggestions?

Can't you go with propane or natural gas for heat? Why not a small house water heater? You are only looking for less than 103F.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: 110v hot tub issues.. anyone here have suggestions?

It sounds like you are in a pickle. The heaters are normally integrated into the pump and air units...... supplying an outside heat source will only heat the water and you will still need a pump for circulation and air. The pump is what is leaking....... The pipes are the concern in the hot tub and if you are that concerned with them freezing I would suggest you drain it. I know it sounds like a PITA but, it is easier then replacing pvc pipes that are normally hidden inside of allot of blown in insulation.

My hot tub is about 250 gallons but when you consider it.....it's not too much water.

Is the pump rubber mounted? I would examine the mounts and pipes carefully to find out the WHY when it cracks and fails BEFORE you install the new one.

 

[bigdirty]

Re: 110v hot tub issues.. anyone here have suggestions?

It sounds like you are in a pickle. The heaters are normally integrated into the pump and air units......

Yes, but not in this tub.. :lol: The motor that runs the pump and jets will run regardless of the heater jacket being there or not, but obviously without it the water would never heat up.. The pump itself is ok, its not leaking.. i'm going to look around today for a small house hot water heater, i'm thinking i could hook that up to the two hoses that ran to the heater jacket..

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: 110v hot tub issues.. anyone here have suggestions?

Sound like it will work BUT be VERY careful that you set up some failsafe or you will get that water too hot. 103-104 is the MAX and if you go higher it could kill someone........ and your engineering would make you responsible.

 

[bigdirty]

Re: 110v hot tub issues.. anyone here have suggestions?

Sound like it will work BUT be VERY careful that you set up some failsafe or you will get that water too hot. 103-104 is the MAX and if you go higher it could kill someone........

Oh ya, I know that for sure. The nice thing is, (if my control unit is still good) it has a high temp sensor/cut off built in, so it shuts down the pump/motor if it hits 104* and it wont turn back on till the temp drops down. In theory I could set my 'auxiliary' heater to whatever temp I wanted, and once all the water in the tub equalized, i could fine tune it down to what i need.. a problem i see with this though, is eventual calcium/other build up in the water heater from the tub chemicals..

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: 110v hot tub issues.. anyone here have suggestions?

I use Baqua spa chemicals .....no chlorine smell because it's not chlorine BAQUA Spa?

 

[bigdirty]

Re: 110v hot tub issues.. anyone here have suggestions?

Mattguiver to the rescue... heh heh.. "Fixed." :laugh:

$16 at home depot,10'of 3/8" copper tube. Took all of 15 mins to wrap around and hook up.. on the plus side, as copper conducts heat MUCH better than plastic, and its now wrapped 360? around the motor (as opposed to the factory plastic piece only covering the top/180? of the motor) the tub has gained 10? in only 4 hours! That same kind of temp gain used to take 6-8 hours! Now I'm kicking myself for spending $130 on the new part (that cracked anyway) in the first place! :facepalm:

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: 110v hot tub issues.. anyone here have suggestions?

A layer of that silver bubble wrap insulation would improve that efficiency

 

[bruceb58]

Re: 110v hot tub issues.. anyone here have suggestions?

Seems like a pretty lousy way to heat a hot tub. Can't believe it didn't come with a real inline heater.

I am actually going to be get rid of my above ground spa. If that's what you get for $400 maybe I should be reconsidering what I sell mine for.

 

[bigdirty]

Re: 110v hot tub issues.. anyone here have suggestions?

Seems like a pretty lousy way to heat a hot tub. Can't believe it didn't come with a real inline heater....

Ya I thought so to,but it DOES work... and its pretty cheep. Found the original receipt from 2004 when it was new, someone paid around $2500 for this thing.. :laugh: but hey, a 220 (normal) tub usually runs upwards of $5000, and you need dedicated 220V hydro setup.. this thing has a GFI built into the plug end, you literally plug into ANY 120v wall plug and it goes..

And Bob, yes that is 'stage two' for me now.. planing on wrapping some insulation around my home made coil to maintain temp better/longer. As it is, it has reached 101? already.. from the 78? (and falling) it was at in about 14 hours... and its only about 35?F outside right now.. so I'm pretty happy with it!

 

[bruceb58]

Re: 110v hot tub issues.. anyone here have suggestions?

Does the pump run at full blast when it is trying to heat it up or is it a 2 speed pump?

My hot tub can be run on either 110 or 220. I paid around $2K new for it many years ago. I run it on 220 now so I can heat it up when I want it rather than keeping it hot all the time. Cuts way back on the electricity.

 

[bigdirty]

Re: 110v hot tub issues.. anyone here have suggestions?

Does the pump run at full blast when it is trying to heat it up or is it a 2 speed pump?

My hot tub can be run on either 110 or 220. I paid around $2K new for it many years ago. I run it on 220 now so I can heat it up when I want it rather than keeping it hot all the time. Cuts way back on the electricity.

Ya, it runs full blast, all the time, single speed. I knew the hydro use would mean an increase on my monthly bill when I picked it up, but I can deal with it for the $400 I spent.. It seams to bump my bill about $30/month and i will only use it from say october to april.. still cheeper than my summer relaxation/enjoyment. (that BIG AZZ BOAT in my driveway right now..) :laugh: