I "inherited" an older hurricane spa and I am trying to put it back together. I have a problem with the pump unions. The unions have a black o-ring seal and a white gasketthat sits on top of the o-ring. The o-ring is recessed in the union housing. Looking at diagrams is seems that I should only use the o-ring and not the extra (white) gasket. Is this correct? The unit is pretty old (15 years). Should I buy new o-rings? Can I use any type of sealer or silicone to help get it water proof?

Thanks,

Marcel.

Just the O-ring is needed- might be a little stubborn, so someone used the gaskets also. Only way to find out is to fill it up.

Ok, I got the unions water tight, I cheated by using some silicone gasket stuff. Everthing is working pretty well, this is un old unit with a lot of water damage. The heater works good, the small circulation pump seems to work fine, the big pump starts, but there is not much water coming out of the jets, most jets are completely dead, only the lower ones seems to get water. The pump motor turns ok but did get pretty wet at one point. I also had the GFI trip once when I turned on the pump, but now it stays on. So my questions is, what could be preventing the pump from delivering enough water? Could the pump motor have gone bad and the rpm's dropped too low for good pressure? How can I trouble shoot this?

Thanks,

Marcel.

One more thing. This spa has a circulation pump, the only jets that seem to work when in this mode are the 2 little bottom jets. When the big pump runs these are still the only jets that work, but a lot more water is going through these. Is there some switch (pressure based) that allows the other jets to work too?

Any help is appreciated.

Thanks,

Marcel.

Did you close any slice valves while working on it? Are they open?

How about an in-line check valve- might be broken as well.

As far as pump operation- generally, it's an all or nothing venture. It's either working, or it's not- there isn't an in-between.

The intake and out slice valves are open, is the inline check valve a valve in the outgoing line to prevent water from going backwards?

By the way, thanks for all the help, this forum is great!

Marcel.

Yes, it's there to prevent water-flow in the "wrong" direction. However, if it's broken, it may be preventing flow in the "right" direction. Look at the pressure side of the jet pump plumbing- that's where it will be.

OK, I am getting further, the bad thing is that it's freezing here and it's no fun working on this hottub in the cold. But here is what I found:

I think the pump is not getting enough water. The pump intake is via the bottom intake and the skimmer. I think the skimmer feeds through the filter, the bottom intake does not (is this normal)? The filter might be clogged and not working that well. I think this is causing poor flow on the intake. I will try a new filter next. Does this theory make any sense?

Marcel.

I got a new filter and still no flow when the jets are turned on. The only jets that seem to get any pressure are the ones in the bottom of the tub that also work when the jets are off (just using the pressure of the circulation pump). What would cause the main pump to starve for water?
I can think of:
1) Bottom intake is clogged. I think this is fine.
2) Air lock?
3) False air being sucked into the system?

How can I trouble shoot this further? Should I just buy a new wet end to rule out the pump being bad?

Thanks,

Marcel.

I have the tub up and running, the check valve was the culprit, the small door came off (hinge broke) and would either completely or partially close off the water flow to the jets. Swine, thanks for all your help, you were right on the issue. Right now everything is working pretty nice, water is nice and warm, jets are working, all the hard work paid off