I have recently been given 6 man outdoor hot tub...
After re-wiring most of the control panel, I finally have the pump running and the switch seems to work between low and high speed.
The pump sounds like it is running fine, all valves seem to be open, but there is no water pumping out of the jets.
Can anyone suggest some troubleshooting steps to find out why? Is there any way the pump is not working, even though it sounds like its running between the two speeds? The jets do not seem to have an on / off option.
Duane - Thanks, if all else fails I will pull the pump out and take a look. Can I run this for a second or so by itself to make sure everything is turning ok?
Rusty - Thanks. I had not considered bleeding the system. I assumed since all the jets are under water, and the return path is under water, and there is no pipes above the water level, that air would be pushed out by gravity. Is this not true?
GENERALLY, when the water isn't flowing through the pump, there is a message on the panel that says FLO or FLOW, or a light comes on.
What happens is .......
When the thing is drained, there is an air bubble in the pump. You have to find the bleeder, turn the pump on, open the bleeder, and let the air out, or at least until it catches prime.
On mine, I drain the spa into the pool, then refill the spa from the pool so I don't have to heat up as much water. Any time the spa is drained, the air bubble phenomenon occurs. On mine, I can turn the pump on and off, and sometimes it catches prime. Not always, and I have to take off the side panel and reach in there in all the spider webs and insects and open the bleeder.
DO NOT let the pump run for long with nothing coming out.
It is an easy fix unless you fry the pump, then you're talking serious.
No biggie once you've done it once.
Also, kill the juice to your spa. Take off the electrical access panel. There is usually fuses in there. Go get extras. When the thing just won't work, check the fuses, and change them. If that don't work, then you call the repairman. No sense calling them out for an $80 call that you can fix for a buck.
Sometimes, there is an air bubble in the pump, and the pump cannot pump air. I guess they are different than pool pumps, because my pool can suck air, and it still catches prime and kicks off. Not so with the spa. I have had to do the bleeder thing after multiple on/off attempts to get it to catch prime.
Impeller froze once before and shaft is broken or setscrews on impeller stripped so only motor is running but pump isn't turning. Could also simply have a solid blockage in inlet.
If it is air locked, another way to get the air out of the pump is to use a garden hose to force some water through the system under pressure. I can do this on mine through the filter housing, with the filter removed. Of course, you want to do this with the pump turned off.
Normally, a spa should self prime. I've drained mine many times over
15 years and only had it get air locked once. Why it happened that one time, I don't know.
I got two Catalina spas. I can drain them, fill them back up, and they won't catch prime SOMETIMES. The water is over the top of the filter intake by about a foot.
Yours probably works different.
But it is no problem to turn them on and off a few times, and then if that doesn't work, just crack the bleed valve.
On mine, I need a person with a tiny crooked arm. Using my big ham, I have to reach in there between pipes, do a ninety at the wrist, then turn the bleeder with the last 1/2" of my fingertips. One of the bleeders is right out there, and the other is in a bunch of pipes.
"That's not normal on a large number of spas. Priming by bleeding is so fast and easy, it's not worth the effort to argue against doing it, needed or not. "
I'd beg to differ. Why anyone would want to remove screws and an access cover, then a plug in a pump, every time you change the water if it's not needed is beyond me. Plus now you have homeowners who may not even be comfortable with basic safety, inside the spa where you can get into trouble if you don't know what you're doing. Like letting water run into the power pack. These are supposed to be simple consumer friendly units by now. And the ones I've seen have been. There's no mention in my owners manual of the need to do this. This isn't rocket science, they should be able to make them so they self prime.
If the pump has a strainer basket on its inlet, Make sure the basket is full of water. Losening its lid may be sufficient, or remove the lid and fill it with water.
I hope you didn't run it for more than a couple of seconds at a time! Those pumps are plastic, and don't last very long if you run them dry. They depend on the water flowing through them for cooling and lubrication.
The reason you have no water coming out is because you didn't bleed the air out of the pipes. After filling the tub, and before starting the motor, you should loosen several fittings, such as the ones where the plumbing connects to the pump, and let some water run out.
Not true. If you haven't bled the pipes, then the chance that I gave you the correct answer rises to about 99%!!!
You have an airlock, and no water will get to the pump until the plumbing is bled. It takes only a few seconds to do. Just loosen the connectors one at a time until you hear a faint hiss and some water comes out. Then tighten it back up. Do this at a few points if possible.
That's not normal on a large number of spas. Priming by bleeding is so fast and easy, it's not worth the effort to argue against doing it, needed or not.
Why it DIDN'T happen all the other times is a bigger mystery!
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.