HOT TUB MOTOR DIED! help?

[bigdirty]

Well now I'm in a pickle.. was workin away in my shop tonite and the lights dimmed, breaker panel started humming, then POP it tripped. Weird, I wasn't using any power tools.. oh crap, that's the hot tub breaker! (I have the tub set up in my back shed, access through the back of the shop) So i flipped it back on, went out to check the tub, and the motor is making a squeaking/chirping bearing type noise.. ok, its on its way out... but still working, I'll have to deal with that this weekend.... A few mins later, the breaker popped again... reset it, check the hot tub, the motor is now humming LOUDLY but not starting up. So its done.. its -33C tonite... :facepalm:

The way I see it, I have until maybe tomorrow afternoon before the water temp falls to the point where things are going to start freezing and destroying the everything.. that said, I cant even do anything out there right now (start taking it apart) as it's too cold to work more than a few mins at a time, and I'm going to end up with water everywhere in the process of removing the motor/pump assy... which will undoubtedly freeze in minits, and generally suck all around..

My last ditch thought right now is to maybe pour some plumbing antifreeze in tomorrow (i'm thinking like a whole damn jug) and try to pump some into the heater lines with an electric drill pump and hope for the best... This is a 110v tub, single speed motor with a coil around the motor case that picks up/transfers heat to the water.. (the 'heater' lines Im talking about) .. I know it will kill the water, I'm ok with that, and not using in any more this season.. but I'd like to be able to use it again next season.. :lol:

Any ideas?

 

[dingbat]

Re: HOT TUB MOTOR DIED! help?

I know not everyone has laying around like I do, but a floating livestock heater would do the trick

 

[bigdirty]

Re: HOT TUB MOTOR DIED! help?

... a floating livestock heater would do the trick

um, what? :lol: googled it... ya, guess that would do it.. dono where Id get one around here tho, and $$$ of course...

 

[dingbat]

Re: HOT TUB MOTOR DIED! help?

Google stock tank heater 1250w

 

[dingbat]

Re: HOT TUB MOTOR DIED! help?

um, what? :lol: googled it... ya, guess that would do it.. dono where Id get one around here tho, and $$$ of course...

We pay $21 each for them at tractor supply. How much did your hot tub cost.....lol

 

[coolbri70]

Re: HOT TUB MOTOR DIED! help?

probably needs bearings and a start up capacitor, if you're done for the season, drain it and pull the drain nuts to the filter and impeller housing then suck the water from the lines with a shop vac

 

[bigdirty]

Re: HOT TUB MOTOR DIED! help?

probably needs bearings and a start up capacitor

Oh, I'm judging by the sounds I heard, sure a bearing or two are not happy, but the shaft still spins freely, its just not starting up.. dont see a cap on it though (maybe on the back side where i cant see) but either way, it has to be repaired i know this... the problem is there is going to be at least 2 days of down time now.. and if i dont figure out something, things are going to freeze... Im gona look for some sort of drop in heater tomorrow i guess...

 

[coolbri70]

Re: HOT TUB MOTOR DIED! help?

the cap may be in the back built into the end of motor housing, you need to get out all the water you can, a live stock tank heater will not circulate water through the plumbing, it will keep the main body of water from freezing but doubt the water in the lines and filter. even if its only 500 gallons you would need 250 gallons of antifreeze to get a 50/50 mix

 

[bigdirty]

Re: HOT TUB MOTOR DIED! help?

Thanks for the replys guys.. I ended up borrowing a submersible sump pump from my boss this morning and draining all I could out of it, but the -30 night may have done it in; this morning the lower drain hose was froze solid, as well as the heater coil around the motor. Got those mostly cleared out, I used a big syringe to pump some antifreeze into each jet, blew air into them from my little compressor (which now has a broken air line as the cold has not let up much today) and at this point I've done all i can.. have to wait for spring, fill it up again and see if it leaks.. oh ya, and get a new or rebuilt motor and pump :facepalm:

 

[thumpar]

Re: HOT TUB MOTOR DIED! help?

I would look at the brushes. We had ours go out. I found replacement brushes online for around $12. All the local places wanted to replace it completely.

 

[bigdirty]

Re: HOT TUB MOTOR DIED! help?

... All the local places wanted to replace it completely.

Well there is a guy local to me that does starters, alternators, motors, etc, and hes done quite a bit for me over the years for decent prices.. but at this point I'll likely be into a new pump anyway (or impeller/gaskets for sure), also the PO has slapped silicone/? all over everything, and its a mess... not to mention its still negative "my fingers don't work in this" temps around here, and will be for the next week at least. Looks like the summer project list just got added to.. :laugh:

 

[thumpar]

Re: HOT TUB MOTOR DIED! help?

I just took mine out of the enclosure and brought it inside. They are easy to work on. Most have valves on each side so you can take it out with water in the tub. There should also be a little connector to disconnect the wire.

 

[bigdirty]

Re: HOT TUB MOTOR DIED! help?

heh... uh, no actually... this was not a high end tub, kinda like the bayliner of spas i guess :lol: No valves/shut offs, just screw off fittings, and there WAS a connection/connector from the motor to control box but.. ah, well.. it shorted and melted a few months back, so I hardwired it to the control box.. :facepalm: it was a similar situation, extreme cold, had to get it back in operation quickly..

 

[thumpar]

Re: HOT TUB MOTOR DIED! help?

Ah I see. Doesn't sound service friendly. We bought both of our tubs in the winter. Have to get them running fast.

 

[coolbri70]

Re: HOT TUB MOTOR DIED! help?

since it don't work now, no harm in pulling the whole spa pack out and seeing what you can do with it, since you say there is silicone everywhere may as well pull it out and put it back right. 20 years ago I was a pump tech at chemical pools down in cocoa beach fl, I have seen a lot of rigged up messes, when I showed up at a job and it was half ***** rigged up, 1st thing I did was pull that mess out and start new. its not hard to work on, make it like you want it, add those shut off valves, then next time you can close it off and pull it out to work on

 

[bigdirty]

Re: HOT TUB MOTOR DIED! help?

^ yup, that's exactly what my plan is, although its not a typical 'spa pack' set up.. Motor and pump are one unit, control box (balboa?) is mounted separately... but i can get to it, its just a pain (already had it out to hardwire motor..) The way i figure it is IF all the lines are good and didn't explode, I'll have a new pump, motor,and good conections/shut offs in place if i need to service in the future. If some lines blew, then the thing is scrap.. but I'll have a better chance of selling off a NEW motor/pump and get some of my money out of it.. if it gets above -15 in the next few day Ill try to yank it out so I can further disassemble and make some decisions, on the WARM workbench..

 

[coolbri70]

Re: HOT TUB MOTOR DIED! help?

I was checking them out and if I had to guess this is the lower end modelhttp://www.cedartubsdirect.com/images/55/220709687455_ebay_1.JPG is this it? if so im not sure where they hid the cap, but it has to have one, it needs one for the initial startup, my guess at the end of the motor