Posts Tagged ‘Freezing’
Oh NO! Your Hot Tub Froze?
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.
Unio
ns. 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!
Record Cold in the South=Perfect Hot Tub Weather
Don’t Miss Out on Using Your Hot Tub in the Cold!
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.
How is Your Hot Tub Surviving The Cold?
Heater Help
Electric Heater Troubleshooting for Your Hot Tub
The following exercise involves observations we’d like you to check before you call! We want you to have identified the type heater you have and that you’ve read the following:
Does "anything" work?
IE, can you activate your pump blower light etc? If it seems like nothing works, check the obvious: All Breakers, GFCI’s and Reset buttons on your hot tub equipment pack, or spa pack. If you find a tripped breaker, or GFCI breaker, Reset and try operation again, proceeding with caution. Breakers and GFCIs trip for a reason generally. Many times it is the heater element that will cause this tripping. If the spa trips the second that heat demand is present it probably is your heater element causing this. NEVER BYPASS GFCI"S or "try it without" GFCI protection. This tells you nothing and is dangerous! If you find a High Limit Reset is tripped ( This is the "red button" found on many spa packs. If you have an older hot tub, the button may be on the heater itself. and possibly covered by a rubber nipple) Go ahead and attempt a reset. When this button is tripped resetting it will involve a definite "click’ If it wont click in it is just NOT TRIPPED. *note: if you have a digital spa pack you will probably not have a manual High Temp limit switch. It will be done with sensors. High Temp limit switches are in place for two reasons. One to protect the bather from water that could be too hot. But the other reason is to protect the heater itself from overheating. Most high limit switches are located with their sensor near the element itself. If the element is not getting the proper amount of water flow ( pump problems, water level too low in hot tub etc) It will trip even though the spa itself is not hot at all. Water flow is essential for cooling the element so that it doesn’t burn up. The high limit may not always protect the heater element because even though it immediately shuts off power to the heater element, the element can overheat quicker than the high limit can react. * note: Never try to operate a heater if the hot tub is not at its proper fill level! The pump will loose prime and the heater element can literally burn up in seconds! Turn off immediately if it sounds like there is water boiling in the heater area. If your high limit resets, and the hot tub starts normally, check your pump operation closely. Chances are it was flow problem that cause this issue. Make sure your pump is operating normally with no leaks or unusual noise. Also be positive that any shut off valves are in the open position. The level of water in your hot tub is critical to your pump operating properly.
Is your Pump Pumping and Water Flowing?
In the section above emphasis was placed on proper pump operation. After checking resets and power, your next target is the pump. You want to be sure that not only is the pump running, it is pumping. To check this you want to open your cover and verify that flow is present. If your pump is running but not pumping be sure to check any valves that may be closed after servicing. Only open or close valves with the power OFF! Then try pump operation again. Other things can keep pumps from pumping as well the most common and easy to fix is an air lock. Air locks happen sometimes when the hot tub is drained. All the water leaves the pump during process and when the fill begins a big bubble gets trapped there. You can try and open the air control or the air relief valve on the filter but sometimes that’s not enough and you have to get wet…lol. With the power to the hot tub OFF try opening the union on the front suction of the pump. This is the best place to release an air lock. Don’t unscrew the union completely, just crack it enough to break the seal of the oring. If there is an air lock, you will hear the air hissing out. Once the air lock is cleared, water will begin leaking out. Let it leak for a second to be sure all of air has been dispelled. Tighten up the union and try the pump again. If your pump operation is normal and there is still no heat…
Have You Waited Long Enough?
We get quite a few calls that fall into this category. Initial fill of a hot tub will take awhile to reach temperature. Hot tubs operating at 120 volts heat approximately 1 to 2 degrees an HOUR! You will not feel a difference in the temp of the water entering the hot tub. Your best bet is to walk away for a good 6 hours at least to check for increases in temperature. Once the hot tub attains temperature, it will maintain it. 240 Volt hot tubs heat about 4 to 6 degrees an hour. Ambient temperature will effect the heating times of any hot tub. You need a good insulated cover for your tub as well. 80 percent of a hot tubs heat is lost thru the surface area. A good cover is a must! They dont have to be expensive either. Check out "The Soft Cover." They cost under 200 dollars and can ship UPS! They use an air bladder to insulate with impressive R values.
You’re pumping, you got enough water, no high limit problems,you’ve waited a friggin week and its still not heating?
Well it might be time to roll up the sleeves and do some electrical tests. Your going to need some tools and good logical head. You are going to learn some more heater logic and learn about common issues that relate to heating that occur "inside the box." You absolutely will need an electrical meter and know how to use it. If you are in anyway not comfortable with power on tests, do not attempt them. Call a qualified person in your area. The next section will explain more about heater trouble shooting which often gets into control troubleshooting. 
You might want to identify the spa heater you have. The majority of the modern heaters are of the Flow Through design. If your heater looks different Click on identify your hot tub heater. If you are ready to move on, click on Spa Heater Circuits. We are in the process of revising all of our pages, to our new look and WordPress format.
