Hot Tub Low Pressure/Heat Problem

Nov 29, 2004 4 Replies
R

Hi,



I have an Image 615 hot tub that is about 3 years old. Recently the tub is losing heat and the heater will not kick on when the pump is on the low speed. If I set the pump to high speed the heater kicks on and the pump heats up like it is supposed to. Also I have noticed that the pressure from the jets on high speed is not what is used to be and one side of the tub seems to be really hurting for pressure. To top it all off the pump is starting to get noisy, but the noise appears to be coming from the attached plastic pump housing and not the electric motor.



I pulled the pump out of the spa and the impeller seems to be clear with no obstructions. I am planning on blowing air in reverse through the jets to ensure there are no other obstructions.



I should also mention I had to replace my GFCI about 2 months ago when I first noticed the problem it was not passing one of the phases). I was thinking that my pump was going bad but am not so sure now. What other things should I be looking at? Thanks Ray


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C

It sounds like a control pack problem to me. When the temp drops below the set point, the control pack should turn the pump on low and power the heater. If it cycles the heater and maintains the temp when the jets are on with the pump running on high, it tells you the heater, temp sensing, pump are all working. We also know the pump runs on low without heat right? About the only thing left is the power pack, though it sounds like a strange failure mode.

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B

A low flow condition would keep the heater off. That may be why it only heats on high speed. The fact that you had other problems and are hearing noises from the pump suggests that the pump and motor are damaged and in need of replacement. If you go that route, I strongly advise that you buy a preassembled pump/motor combo. The wet ends often do not come off the old motor intact.

These folks are VERY helpful, and their prices are decent, especially when compared to most spa dealers.

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BB

BB

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P
1st re low pump pressure , have you cleaned the filter ? ? ? . 2nd . NO HEAT on low is not a pwer pack problem, somewhere on the unit is a flow or pessure sw. if the pump is not producing enough pressure to acivate that sw, the heater gets nooo juice. It's so that if something happens to the pump or your tub lost water , the heater can't turn on and burn your house down. Soooooo I'll bet if you fix your pumps low pressure problem you will fix your no heat problem. you said pump was making noise , if you have some heavy grease , put a big glob all around the shaft seal and start pump see if it quiets some for a min, yes=bad seal .
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R

I would suspect the control pack, but that is only a year old. I replaced the old pack when it started tripping the breaker. What still concerns me is that the pressure out of the jets is low for both the his and low pump speeds. I am still planning on reverse blowing air through all of the jets to make sure I don't have any obstructions. Ray

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