There are several different factors that can cause foam in hot tubs. Probably one of the biggest causes is soap, lotions, hairspray, oils and dead skin from your body. When entering the hot tub these products wash off and enter the hot tub water causing the foam. One of the best ways to combat this is by showering before you enter the hot tub. These products and by products over time cause a build up of total dissolved solids in the water. This is what causes the foam. Oxidizers like chlorine (dichlor) and non chlorine shock can help get rid of some of these products but eventually the build up is so extreme that the water is permanently cloudy and  the only solution is to drain the hot tub and start with fresh fill water.

Filling the hot tub with soft water will also increase the foam activity.. take care to bypass water softeners before filling the tub.

Any time you are losing the battle with foam, its time to drain and refill with fresh water.

Digital systems may use pressure switches or temp sensors to determine if there is enough flow for the heater to fire. If the system detects no water pressure, or temp sensors detect temp levels outside the realm of their settings the system will return a Flow error. This is often expressed as “flo” on the digital panel of the hot tub.

When you get an error like this, the first thing you want to check is the pump.  If the pump is either not coming on.. or running, without pumping, you will get this error code.  If you’ve just drained your hot tub, and the pump seems to be running (as opposed to Humming)  but you have no water flow, you need to check for an air lock at the pump.

To check for an air lock, turn off all power to your system at the breaker.   Locate the pump plumbed to the heater and loosen the female nut part of the union on the front of the pump by unscrewing it slightly and wiggling it to break the oring seal.  Keep your hand under the union so you don’t lose the Oring.  If your pump is airbound, when you release the oring seal, you will hear air hissing out of the pump.  Let all of the air hiss out until water starts to come out.  Let the water leak a bit until it is a steady stream and then tighten the union nut back up to the pump.  This should be hand tight only!  When you have the union snugged up and the water is not leaking anymore, turn your breaker back on and see if  the pump starts pumping water again.   If it does, your flow error should be corrected.

If your pump is Not running when you get the error code, you need to check for cause there.  If the pump is not getting power, you could have a spa control issue.  If the pump is getting power, you may have a pump problem.  An electrical meter is the only way to know for sure if your pump is getting power or not.

Checking voltage to the pump is a little tricky because you need to know if the pump is a 120 or 230volt pump.  ALL 2 speed pumps have 4 wires, usually a white, black, red and green.   The green wire to the pump attaches to the pump ground screw.  In both 120 and 230 volt pumps, the white is considered “common.”  In a 120 volt pump the white will be “NEUTRAL.”  Black and red on both 120 and 240 pumps are “switched lines”  feeding low or  high speed connections.   The most common scenario is that the black feeds the high speed pump windings and the red feeds the low speed pump windings, but some control manufacturers may do it the opposite way with red being high speed and black being low speed.   On the pump motor itself, you can see a small H for high and a L for low as well as a C for common where the wires attach to the motor.

The hot tub control system only feeds ONE speed at a time, either high or low, but never both. (if both high and low are fed at the same time which can happen if there is a bad relay in the system, the pump will sound buzzy,  will not work efficiently and will eventually shut off by the motor overload.

Testing a 120 volt 2 speed pump, involves voltage tests between  the COMMON (Neutral) and either High or Low speed connections.

Most systems will energize the low speed pump on startup and in heating situations.  After energizing your hot tub, the pump should start on low speed.  Your test to be sure the pump is getting voltage will be between the common and low speed connection on the pump.   If the pump is to work properly, there should be 115 to 120 volts at this connection.  If you have voltage here, but the pump is not coming on.. you have a pump problem. If there is no voltage here, the problem may be in the control system.

Testing a 240 volt 2 speed pump will also involve a test from the COMMON (LINE 2 in a 240 situation) to the Low speed connection on the pump.  You should have 220 to 240 volts if the pump is to work properly.    In a 240 volt pump, the common is always hot!   Readings of 120 volts do not indicate that the pump is getting sufficient power. You are simply reading the voltage coming from line 2 that is always present.  When the pump is energized for High speed, your 240 volts can be read between the common and high speed connections.

Always, disconnect power at the breaker before opening or removing any panels from any component.  These tests are best performed immediately after energizing your system.  High voltage can kill you!  Plan your moves  and understand your multimeter! If you are uncomfortable with these tests hire someone qualified to do them for you but make sure they perform THESE tests. 

Notice the 3 positions on the bottom

The GFCI breaker is unusual because of the white curly pigtail attached.

Where the heck does THAT go?

The GFCI Breaker should be in the off position before wiring it, and the all power to the sub panel terminated.  Install the load wires, line one, line two and NEUTRAL to the spaces indicated at the base of the breaker.

The curly pigtail goes to the neutral bus bar.

NOTE the LOAD NEUTRAL DOES NOT GO TO THE NEUTRAL BUS BAR BUT TO THE POSITION LABLED NEUTRAL AT THE BOTTOM OF THE BREAKER!!!

IF you locate the load neutral to the neutral bus bar, the breaker will trip immediately upon energizing!

This information is provided for you to use at your own risk!

Please evaluate your skill level before attempting this test.  All tests performed by you are at your own risk

Power Off At Breaker

Disconnect heater element from any wires attached to it.  Be careful when unscrewing the nut holding the wires in place on the element, you do not want to twist the “cold pin” that leads to the element.  There is usually a fixed nut below the removeable one that will allow you to secure the cold pin.

It is not necessary to remove the heater assembly! You want water in the heater manifold during this test!

Continuity Test:

With your meter set on the most sensitive  ” ohms” setting (the OMEGA symbol on the meter)  put one probe on one element lead and the other probe on the other lead.

If you meter does not change,it is showing no continuity, the element is bad

If your meter measures resistance then it is showing continuity which indicates the filament inside is intact, but the heater could still  be bad!

Ground Fault Test

Move one probe to a metal part on the heater casing leaving the other one on one pole of the heater element .  If there is any flicker of continuity from one element lead to the heater casing (ground)  The element is bad, even though you may have tested good  continuity above!  This is a ground fault situation and is what your GFCI is picking up and saving you from!

If you have an intact filament and no fault to ground, the heater element  should be good and you may have a different problem.

Since gfci’s are very sensitive, you could still have a bad element and your meter sensitivity may not be allowing you to pick up the fault.

Okay it’s bad, now what do I do?

Now you need to replace the element (if replaceable) or the entire heater assembly. 

The most common replacement element is the flow through element.   If your heater manifold is a stainless steel straight flow through tube,  this is the element you’ll need. 

Even if that doesn’t look like one you need, clicking on the image will take you to our page with all heater elements, popular manifolds and complete heater assemblies. 

My favorite sanitizing chemical for hot tubs is Sodium Dichlor.  I’ve outlined the reasons in other posts and the spa care guide, but what about other chlorine compounds?  I’ve noticed some recent searches lately that brought to my attention the fact that some folks want to know about the possibilities of using other chlorine compounds like Calcium Hypochlorite,  Sodium Hypochlorite,  TriChlor,and Lithium Hypochlorite. 

• Calcium Hypochlorite:  Cal-Hypo as we call it in the industry is loaded with calcium and has a high hH. Now if you were filling your hot tub with soft water from a conditioner (which you should try to bypass) You could use Cal-hypo to bring up your calcium a bit. Continuous use however will raise your pH swiftly and your calcium levels as well and could cause scaling on your hot tub walls and your equipment, mainly heater elements.  As an emergency sanitizer or one time use, it probably wont hurt.  It just shouldnt be the chlorine you use all the time.  If you do use it, you should test your water frequently and adjust for ph levels that will increase!
  
• Sodium Hypochlorite:  You know this chemical as “Bleach.”  It too can be used in emergencies but also has an extremely high pH which over time will cause scaling and possible staining.  Using Sodium hypochlorite requires monitoring pH levels closely and correction will be required.   
  
• Tri Chlor:  Typically used in tabletized chlorine for swimming pools, tri chlor has an extremely LOW pH and a very high available chlorine content.  It will bring down your pH and Total alkalinity quickly and should not be used for hot tubs.
  
• Lithium Hypochlorite:  This chlorine compound is not as readily available as others but it has a neutral pH and is totally soluble. It is fine for use in hot tubs but more expensive than dichlor.
  
• Sodium dichlor:  Dichlor has a neutral ph and is also stabilized. It is the perfect sanitizer for hot tubs.  some people may argue that the stabilizer builds up over time, but if you drain your spa on a regular schedule it should not be an issue.
  

Hope this helps  clear up the confusion on this often searched issue!  Using the right chlorine compound in your hot tub is critical to both your enjoyment and the condition of your equipment!

Hot Tub Freezing

Yes you wanted to avoid it for sure! But the power went out in the middle of a blizzard and now you have a mess of frozen pipes.  First things first!

• Turn off your hot tub breaker!  You do NOT want your hot tub energized if you have frozen pipes!  It can cause a whole lot of other problems.
• If you have a mechanical type thermostat, turn it to the off position. Time clocks too.  When you do re-energize the tub, you do not want the heater to come on unitl you are certain you have water flow through your system, AND that you don’t have water spraying from a cracked pipe or manifold.
• If you have a digital system that is going to boot up and start no matter what when you energize,   you want to be sure all pipes are thawed. before you return power to the system.

Depending on where you live, it may be awhile before you can actually go through a thaw process. But when its time you can start by putting a worklight inside the hot tub cabinet for warmth and to slowly start the thaw process. Be sure you use a GFCI  protected outlet  to plug in your work light.  If there are cracks in plumbing the area will get wet as it thaws. Use a clamp on type worklight and clamp it in an area where it will not get wet as the thaw begins. Make sure it isn’t touching or too close to anything that could burn.  They do get quite hot.

As the thaw begins you are going to notice your problem areas pretty quick.  There are several areas you will want to inspect closely.

Manifolds.  These are the pipes with spokes that feed your jets.  Typically the barb fitting at each spoke is the part that cracks.  This can be a multiple problem if you have manifold cracking.  Most hot tubs with lots of jets have lots of manifolds.  If you click on the image, you can see your various choices for manifolds at SpaPartsNet.com.  Some are male to female and you can connect several together. Some are female female so you can run pipe in between.  You’ll want to check your jet bodies as well because the area where the tube attaches is just as vulnerable as the manifold spoke area.

Jet Bodies. The 3/4 inch barb connector on jet bodies is also often prone to cracking in freezes.

 Unions.  The female threaded part that connects the pump and heater to the plumbing can crack under the expanding stress of ice.  There are split nuts available so that you dont have to replace your entire union, but if this is from a pump fitting, we need to know that in order to provide the proper split nut.

        Heater Nuts.  Also a union fitting many are replacable with a “split nut” rather than a complete new heater assembly.  Most straight flow through heaters are flanged at the end so that the removal of a one piece nut is impossible.  The “split nut” allows you to replace the one piece nut without replacing your heater assembly. Cool huh?

Filter Lock Rings.  This is also a common item affected by freezing weather.  This lock ring holds the filter lid in place.  ALWAYS INSPECT BEFORE START UP!  If it fails the lid can blow off with excessive force!  Check the filter lid itself and the cannister as well before sending water through your system!  Click the image  for access to all filter parts and complete filter assemblies on SpaPartsNet.com

Pump Wet Ends.  These can often crack as the result of cold.  The best thing is you can actually replace most wet ends without having to replace the complete pump and motor assembly. If your wet end is leaking this might be the right option for you.  It is a fairly simple replacement task as well. See all of our wet ends by clicking the image to visit SpaPartNet.com

Final words of wisdom? Go slow as you inspect your hot tub after a freeze.. always be aware that things under pressure can come loose with amazing force that can be dangerous!  Inspect anything under pressure like top load pressure filters!  Always start your hot tub on low speed before turning on your pump at high speed.  You want to see leaks at low speed, not exploding parts on high speed!  Know we are here for you after the cold is gone!

Give or Sell That Hot Tub to Someone Who’ll Love it!

Hey folks! A new feature at SpaBabes.com is our Classified ad section.  If you have an old hot tub that’s seen better days and you want to find it a new home,  LIST IT HERE FOR FREE!   There are lots of people who want a hot tub for fun  or NEED a hot tub for their health and don’t mind a project spa. Moving and don’t want to take that hot tub with you?  List it here!

Even if you have a hot tub that needs parts the new owner can get all the parts they need from SpaPartsNet from , from jets and plumbing parts to pumps and heaters and even  complete replacement spa equipment packs!

Don’t be shy… List NOW! 

The listings work very similar to Craig’s list or any other classified system.  You don’t have to put personal info in your ad, people can contact you through our email system.  The information we collect is only used to contact you through this system. You can upload up to 4 pictures of your tub as well.

All  ads and pictures  are approved by admin before posting.

While you CAN list pre owned equipment, These posts are limited to HOT TUB RELATED PRODUCTS ONLY.

THANK YOU! Good luck with your listing!

I’ve noticed several searches recently on this subject so i thought i might expound on it a bit.  Baking soda, (chemical name: sodium bicarbonate) can be an  important additive for many hot tubs.   The primary reason for using "bicarb"  is to raise the total alkalinity of the water. This Buffers your Ph against change, raises it slightly and keeps your water from being aggressive to your equipment.  As you probably already know.. perfect Ph for a hot tub is between 7.2 and 7.8.  With the ph scale from 0 to 14,  with 0 to 6  being  acidic and 8 to 14 being  basic,  the "7’s" are  considered "neutral."   That being said.. the Ph scale is exponential…like the richter scale. A pH of 6 is 10 times more acidic than a pH of 7.  It all has to do with hydrogen ions but i’m not going to get into that now. 

Aggressive (acidic) water is the single most damaging issue that confronts hot tub owners.  Aggessive water will EAT your heater element up .. fast!  Even if the damage is slight… a little pinhole in the sheathing that protects a heater element’s electric core, the heater (or element)  is now garbage, will cause GFCI tripping, and must be replaced!  

So how, you ask, did my water become aggressive?   Because certain products you may use in your hot tub affect the pH and alkalinity.  Probably the biggest culprit is one of the most popular sanitizers in the industry :  Bromine.  Those convenient little tablets have a pH of around 2.  You throw your floating bromine  feeder in water that is perfectly balanced:  pH between 7.2 and 7.8  with an alkalinity of 80 to 140 and guess what happens.  The Acidic properties of the Bromine bring DOWN your pH AND alkalinity!  Now, i realize that you have a cover on your hot tub, but when you remove it., where is your bromine feeder?  Its sucked up against the skimmer or caught in your filter wier.  The water flowing across it and drawing it to these suction ports of your hot tub is now pulling LOW pH water through your pump and pumping it right across your filter element!  Can you say "formula for disaster?"  At least to your heater element!

there are other products that can erode your pH and total alkalinity as well.  Tabletized chlorines like trichlor also have extremely low pH.  Anytime you CAN check the pH of a product do so! 

How do you prevent this erosion of pH and Alkalinity?  BAKING SODA!  Good ole Arm and Hammer! Sodium Bicarbonate…YES!  Since Bicarb raises you total alkalinity, it also will bring up your pH and protect it from eroding. 

I often get calls and letters from people saying that their pH is high and they cant get it to come down.  My question is usually: what is your total alkalinity?  Many times the answer is "I dont know"  My next question is how are you testing your water?  Most people who are testing their water with drops can experience a phenomenon that bromine can cause: a "seemingly high" pH.   The problem with many of the 2 in 1 test kits is that they don’t test alkalinity!  My reccommendation is to use 4 in 1 test strips.  These strips will give you a total Alkalinity reading which is very helpful when trying to decide if you water is aggressive.  My experience with bromine is this… you will NEVER have a high pH and you will always be adding bicarb to bring UP the pH and TA of the water.   If you use bromine and aren’t adding bicarb on a regular basis, i can promise that your water is aggressive. 

Of course now you want to know how much to add.  It all depends on where your alkalinity is when you start, but if you add it in 1 to 2 ounce increments and closely monitor daily you should be able to come to your own formula based on your experience. NOTE.. if your ph and alklyinity are radically low.. don’t be shy about using a  third of a cup or so IF you can’t drain.  If you CAN drain and refill or drain half and dilute.. that would be a good start.. Then if still low, you can add some from there.

Fresh fill water can solve many problems and one of the reasons i reccomend that over a heavy dose of bicarb is that if damage has been done.. IE you water now has dissolved metals in it, radically raising the pH can cause these metals and minerals to immediately come out fo solution and turn your water shockingly orange or blue.  This indicates metals in the water and these metals are there because the acidity of the water has dissolved them. 

Fill water testing is always reccommended.  For those of you who have read the Spa Care Guide, you know i recommend testing Fill from the start to know from the beginning what your values are,  A point to know is that  municipal water supplies need to keep their water in the good and neutral range as well or else copper pipes, iron pipes and concrete pipes will be damaged by low pH.  Well water is different and may vary extremely across the board. For more info Check the Spa Care Guide..

There are a few hot tub heaters out there but not so many that you can’t find yours here!

By far the most common spa heater is the Flow Through

  This heater is mounted horizontally, usually attached to your spa control. it can be at the top or the bottom and sometimes is placed away from your control in a remote type installation with a cord that runs to your spa control from the heater. The heater manifold often has a threaded hole for a pressure switch. It can also have wells for thermostat and high limit sensors as well. Many manufacturers had custom Flow Through heater manifolds designed for their particular purpose.  There are now generic versions available that allow many locations for pressure switch and sensor location, so one is not tied to the original manufactured manifold that may be more expensive than the generic one. The most commons size is 15 inch long by 2inch diameter.  There are also manifolds that measure 12, 13, 18, and 19 inches long. There are a few 1.5 inch manifolds as well but they are difficult if not impossible to replace the element. 

The element  is easily replaced and inexpensive.  The heater element is held in place by two large nuts.  Smaller nuts hold the wires that energize the element in place. It is rare that you actually have to replace the entire heater housing, unless it is rusty and corroded, or the plumbing connections are mangled. The element comes right out with a little persuation, and the new one bolts right in.  When replacing the wires to the element, its important that the cold pin (the part of the element that carries the current to to the emersed part) is NOT TWISTED during tightning.  Most elements have a 1/4 inch nut built in under the nuts the wires attach to, to secure the cold pin when tightening the wires.

  The "Brett Aqualine" Style heater was common on many older hot tubs.  No manufacturerer is currently using this large boxy style heater with a replaceable bolt in element but there are many in the field.  The Box on this heater was so roomy, that some manufacturers used that space to create an actual spa controller.  Hydro Quip is one manufacturer who utilized this housing and expanded its functionality to a hot tub control/heater that often mounted right above the pump.The way to tell the difference is that if all component wires plug into this unit, it is a contoller.  If only the wires used for the heater and control loop go into this box, then it is functioning as a heater only. 

The element is replaceable in either case. However sometimes everything in the box needs to be removed to get to the bolt in heater element.  The element in most cases has a threaded hole for pressure switch mounting, a hole to mount a current collector, and studs for the use of a themodisc high limit.  If you click on the above image it will take you to SpaPartsNet.com and the element with pressure switch and high limit attached.  Its important to always replace the orings that seal the element to the heater housing.  The plastic heater housing is also sold separately.  

The Brett style  heater IS outdated, Today it is manufactured only as a replacement part.  the element is more expensive and difficult to replace than the flow though type heater element.  If you have the brett style heater, it would not be a bad idea to consider a new spa control with a flow through stainless heater attached. If you are replacing the complete heater assembly (above) its only 20 DOLLARS more.. to go with a complete new spa control system with a flow through heater!  The Epak Shown here is 355.00 COMPLETE with heater, topside control, all new circuitry.

Low Flow heaters are popular with many hot tub designers

  These heaters are often mounted vertically and utilize a small circulation pump for water flow. There are many styles.  If you have this type, click the image and see the complete selection we have at SpaPartsNet.com.  These heaters usually have to be replaced in their entirety.  An element only replacement is not possible as the element is sealed in the housing.  Shown is the Blue Ridge Gatsby heater assembly.  Leisure Bay, Hurricane and more have used low flow heater systems.

Watkins,   Hot Springs  and their sister companies, Tiger River etc,  also uses low flow heater assemblies.  These are often a bent tube design such as this one: Hot Springs has replaced it’s "no fault" heater about 5 times.  The latest version will always be compatible with your system.  The element only is not replaceable on hot springs heaters.

There are several obsolete heaters that you could find in your hot tub.  One is the screw plug style.  This is basically a threaded element with a box on the end.  In the beginning, they were the only heater so if you have one of these you can consider your hot tub vintage!  But when it goes, we reccomend not replacing it at all with a like type.. Now is the time to upgrade your system totally. 

 Stand Alone Heaters are found commonly on permanent installations they are 240 volt, either 5.5kW or 11kW and are equipped with a thermostat, High limit, pressure switch, contactor and indicator light and are not as dependent on relay logic as portable type systems. They are hard wired to their own breaker. They require flow and temperature demand to fire. Other than that, they still utilize the famous control loop. Manufacturers include: Hayward, RayPak, Teledyne Laars, Comfortzone (Now Hayward) Coates, and others. For outdoor installations this is a great choice. 

  Gas Heaters: Usually found on permanent spas with remote equipment, have their own special troubleshooting area. However, They still utilize the same control loop. Thermostat, pressure switch, high limits ( at least two) On/Off, and a fusible link ( a little gizmo that should always be closed unless flames have burned it up.) Gas heaters are by far the fastest way to heat a spa. Once you’ve had a gas heater you wouldn’t even consider electric. They provide almost instant heat and properly sized should heat up the water within a half hour in most situations. One thing to remember is that the water coming out of a gas heater is only 7 to 10 above the temp of the water going through it. If it was hotter, it would burn you at the top end of the heating cycle. What you’ll feel is water a “little warmer ” than the surrounding water as it’s heating, but miraculously it will do the job and quickly! !Gas heaters are  by far the best way to go for outdoor permanent installs.  With a gas heater there is no reason to maintain a temperature in your hot tub because it is sooooo fast!   Nothing else comes close!  A gas heater is a large appliance located by the equipment.  If you own one, we can help you troubleshoot and we do sell replacement parts for gas heaters.  They are usually very repairable. 

Hopefully you’ve been able to locate your hot tub heater from the above selections and the links to SpaPartsNet.com.  IF not?  give us a call and we can help you get back in HOT WATER!

Much of the year in Florida it’s so hot that using a hot tub may seem like punishment!  Not THIS week!  If you’ve never used a hot tub with temps in the 30’s or 40’s you’ve GOT to try it.  Its like being under a watery electric blanket.  It’s an indescribable sensation that is total luxury! 

It may take a little coaxing to run out to the tub in your bathing suit and jump in but once you are there, get ready for a fantastic hot tubbing experience!  Climb in sink down and experience "AHHHHhhhhhhh"  Relaxation at its finest.! 

Make sure you have a warm robe for use when you exit but when you crawl into bed after your hot tub in the cold experience, you just feel clean!  Really clean!   I have to admit I’ve never used a hot tub iin the snow. I know  at the Ski Resorts it is a totally popular activity, and after last night’s foray into my hot tub with temps hovering near 30 degrees i understand why! 

Try it today or tonight!  I promise you’ll revel in its sensuousness and it will be hard to leave the warm watery nest you’re enjoying!  

Obviously there are some health conditions that would prevent this luxury and the extremes of temperature, if in doubt consult your physcian.