Hi Gang. Just thought I'd throw this out there for general consumption. The reason I bring this up is because for all sense and purposes it looked like a heater related problem. But that was only a symptom of another problem. I don't shy away from taking things apart.
If you're like me then dig in.
**Of course I take no responsibility if you screw something up so read on and take it at your own risk.**
The other day the heater in my Hot Springs Spa quit working. Great! Oddly I'm not getting the usual blinking red light. The red light is On (steady) green light will come On if I lower the temp. to the degree that the water is. This is the method I followed.
Confirm that both jet motors work... check.
Look across the top of the water to see if the circulation pump is working ... Nope!
(my type of Circ. pump always runs)
Removed service panel. Used voltmeter to confirm voltage from circuitboard clips to
the circ. pump is present... check.
Feel the Circ. pump... HOT! not good. (but that does suggest that it's still trying to work)
Shut off ALL electric to spa using the circuit breakers!
Clamped off hoses to pump/disconnect wires from control panel, then removed pump.
Removed top of pump. I found massive amount of calcium build-up that was stopping
the impeller from turning. I used C.L.R. and removed all calcium.
Re-assembled and re-installed the pump and all connections.
Reset the heater using the button on the back of the heater. (it was tripped)
turn power On.
Water is circulating thru the pump/pump stays cool to the touch/heater is not tripping.
All is good again in Spa Land!
This took me about 2 hours to do all this and saved me over $200.00 not a bad return

Thanks for the post, I haven't taken the pump apart yet, but based on your description and the problems I have been having I think this is exactly my problem!

DropIt

wow! this is a great forum.

I have a Hot Spring Spa Sovereign 8 years old.
It works fine but some parts getting old which is normal.
I had to replace nozzles, the control pad in the spa and... the heater !!!!
The new heater looks different, more compact.

It worked fine for two-three weeks then I noticed a drop in the temperature. I opened the panel to realized the heater was not working even if the relay sends 220 Volts to the heater. At this point the problem appears to be the heater but as I read your forum there is probably another cause. The silent flow works as I can see the water coming out of the drain in the spa BUT the pump gets pretty hot!

Do you guys think the problem might be related to the flow inside the heater ? It looks weird to feel the heat in one tube only of the heater. The former owner of the spa did not really pay attention but since I have it, I take it seriously and every week I add a product to prevent calcium formation.

Do you think my silent flow pump might be the cause of the unstable heater ? After 8 years...

Thanks for your help.

Normand

We seem to have a problem with the circ pump also. But how do you remove it from the Hot Springs Tub? Can anyone please help. I think we can fix it but right now, when we try to remove it, there is a slow leak. And if we can't get the pump reinstalled, we're going to end up with the tank emptying where it's located. And we don't want that. Can anyone help???

You can use a few pairs of needle-nosed vise grips to crimp off the lines (may need to heat them up with a heat gun/hair dryer first). Sometimes you can find the right sized corks to put in there while you work on the pump.

There are not many cases where the circ pumps can be 'fixed'. If they are clogged, you can unclog them, but that's about it.

We think there is a calcium buildup like in the first post. We were hoping to get some feedback on how the pump is actually affixed to the spa. We've figured out how to stop the flow and are now going to attempt to remove the pump.

There are just two small screws holding it down.

1. Slide the clamps back with some pliers (they expand when you crimp them together)

2. heat up the lines so they pop off of the pump easier...

3. You need a torx screwdriver bit to loosen the 4 screws that secure the front of the pump to the back of the pump.

4. pull it apart and see what you have in there. The impellar is not attached to anything and may fall out...not a big deal.

If the pump wasn't doing anything but getting hot it is probably shot. You may be able to clean it out , put it together, and get it going again if you rap on it with a screwdriver, but it won't last too much longer or may not start up again on it's own. Not a big deal if you live in a warm climate, but if you live somewhere cold, if you lose power (even for a few seconds) and then get it back again, the pump may not start up again and the tub could freeze.

Good luck!

Thank you so much!! We live in NC so it does get cold but not like when I lived in CT. We're prepared to order a new pump but just want to make sure first that it's not all gunked up with stuff. Thank you again for your help. lois

Hey Lois- How did it work out for you? I am getting ready to remove my pump this morning. I hope that's it because I've replaced everything else!