Hot Tub Service

Hot tub service can mean preventative maintenance which mainly involves maintaining water quality and regularly cleaning the spa filter with annual exchanges.

It can also mean the need to call a service technician when things go wrong. If the spa is still under warranty, contact your retailer. If the retailer is no longer in business, contact the manufacturer of the spa directly.

If you require service out of warranty, a local service company can assist. If you are comfortable and qualified to do the repairs yourself, you can source many spa parts and accessories online for quick shipment.

Many times spa components just need to be swapped out for a quick repair.

Hot Tub Plumbing Repairs

If the problem involves a plumbing issue, it may be hard to get at the plumbing part that is causing the problem. In that case refer to someone who is experienced in repairing spa plumbing.

This may involve cutting a piece of hose or pipe and gluing in the correct fitting with pvc glue. Many spa repair companies like to use the "blue glue". The cans usually come with the applicator attached to the lid. Many technicians recommend to use a primer first on the pipe after assuring it is deburred and smooth from the cut.

Glue the replacement fitting by going all the way around the connection a few times, but avoiding excess accumulation that may drip on other components. Firmly holding the two parts together for a few seconds is usually all it takes when gluing a PVC fitting to a hose or pipe.

Avoid moving the parts once they are connected together for a good bond.

Hot Tub Troubleshooting

spa pack hot tub troubleshooting Hot tubs can have problems no matter who the manufacturer is. This is because many of the components that go into a hot tub are supplied by third parties anyway, so whether you buy a Catalina Spa, Marquis Spa or QCA Spa, the electronic equipment is made by Balboa Instruments and the troubleshooting steps are the same.

Spa packs contain the spa electronics including the spa circuit board, heater and temperature sensor connections. Whenever there is a problem with a spa, it is best to leave the troubleshooting to experienced personnel as working with electricity and water is extremely dangerous. We offer these troubleshooting steps as reminders to experienced spa technicians or to consumers to be able to understand the troubleshooting process better.

Hot Tub Control Panels Show Error Codes and Messages

Many hot tubs have control panels that will show error codes and assists in troubleshooting a problem. Even simpler topside controls will flash error codes when something goes wrong with the electronics.

For example on a Balboa Spa Pack when the message: "HTR TEMP LMT" comes on, it means that one of the sensors has detected water temp of 118 degrees in the heater. This could be caused by several things:

a dirty filter is restricting flow
the pump didn't start when the system called for heat
problem with the heater

Once the water cooled to > 105 deg you can touch any button to reset the system.

Many times the cause of a problems is water quality or filter related. Simple monitoring of spa ph levels and maintenance of spa water quality will help avoid some technical problems.

Clean the spa filter regularly to avoid technical problems caused by restricted water flow.

The troubleshooting steps taken by spa professionals usually involve isolating the problem component and then checking upstream and downstream of the problem to confirm the problem component has been isolated. Then it is just a matter of swapping out the bad part or repairing it.

The most basic problem is: My Spa Doesn't Work!

This doesn't really give the technician on the phone much to go on. It is better to advise if there is any error display on the topside control, if there is anything at all on the topside or if anything at all works. If not, then it is also important to confirm that everything upstream of the hot tub is working. This means that the circuit breaker or GFCI, or outside disconnect box has not tripped or been turned off.

Once it is confirmed that power is actually getting to the spa, then next steps can be determined. Power goes to the spa pack and circuit board. If there is no readout at all, but there is power, then has the main fuse on the spa pack blown? Main fuses are usually large 30 Amp fuses that protect the circuit board from melting down in the case excessive voltage is applied to the input such as during a power surge.

In some instances, lighting strikes nearby may cause such an excessive spike that the 30 Amp fuse does not blow, but say the transformer in the spa pack is destroyed.

If there is a short circuit on the other hand, power will not be getting to the spa because the circuit breaker or GFCI has tripped. This can be caused by the power wires not connected properly to the main connection on or near the circuit board (terminal block). A short circuit can also be caused by a failed component in the spa such as ozonator, blower, heater or pump.

Taking time to be cautious, turing power off before working on electronics and going step by step to isolate any given problem will turn up the culprit component or uncover the problem. Once the component has been identified such as a short circuit in the blower or ozonator, then the old component is simply swapped out for a new one. Buying spa components online is simple and many times the exact same component brand can be sourced because the spa manufacturers just buy those parts from a third party anyway.

Hopefully you can have any problem with your spa repaired quickly and get back to the business of relaxation, water therapy and having fun!

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