My '95 Cal Spa seems to have very poor flow out of the Jets. It does switch between 1-2 speed fine, but seems like the flow out of 2 speed should be the slow speed. It barely boils the water, I also dont get any air our of the jets. The pump does say 4hp on it, I would think that would be enough? Whats some troubleshooting steps I can do on it?

Have they always been like that or did you just recently buy the tub and are just setting it up? Some companies put 4HP stickers on their pumps even if they are not.

1. Take the filter out to see if it gets any better.

2. The valves could be half closed from changing the element, as I said in the other post they are not very reliable.

3. Pump could be airbound or sucking air on the intake line (o'ring or cracked nut). Does it leak when it is off?

Does the tub only have 1 air valve control or several?...could be that if there is only 1.

We just got it. I took the filter out, didnt change anything and it does not leak. Is there any easy way to check the gate valves?

Try to push and pull on the valves with some force a few times and see if anything changes. The pump impellar could also be clogged with debris. No easy way to inspect these valves with water in the tub.

When I change elements in tubs with these valves I always have expandable plugs ready in case the valves leak.

Is the tub wired 110v or 220v and is it different from what the previous owner had it?

Thanks for the quick replies!

I did push and pull on the valves while it was running, it sure does seem to change. Expandable plugs are a great idea, where do I score some of those?

The tub is wired 220v, same as previous owner. Perhaps I can email you a short video clip of it?

No problem...a pool store should have them, sometimes hardware stores.

I was only asking about the voltage to see if it was converted and the pump could be running on 110v instead of 220v. Not the case though if it is the same as the previous owner.

You said there was a change, so is the water flow significantly better?

No, slows down when I push down the valves. From what I can see externally, valves are working.

Is there 1 air control valve or several? If there is 1 then it may be bad. Not familiar with the style of valve in these. If it is a lever or dial the top may be turning but what it connects to underneath could be broken.

Also, do the actual jets themselves turn? Sometimes the 'bezel' around the jet itself can be turned to control the flow.

There are two control valves up top for the air, opening them both up only barely lets out air on one of the jets. They are the lever kind. Are you talking about the little little circle thing inside the jet with the hole in it? If so, then they barely turn, if any at all. I can stick my finger in there and turn them easily.

I spoke to the original owner who bought it new last night. He said that it always was like there wasent enough power. Would the size of the jets make a difference? If there was a smaller orfice, wouldnt that make make a harder/faster stream?