Hot Tub Pumps and Motors

Maintenance and Repairs

3. Unbolt the Base Pumps should be secured to the hot tub cabinet floor or the concrete base of your equipment area. Simply unscrewing the bolts will release the unit.

Simply reverse the order of these steps when you return the pump to service. When you reinstall the plumbing, take a look at the equipment area. Keep bends and turns to a minimum. Remember, each turn creates resistance in the system. Also, don't locate the pump close to the base of the filter. When you open the filter for cleaning, water is sure to flood the motor. Last, try to keep motors at least 6 inches (15 centimetres) off the ground. The bracket of the pump does this in part, but heavy rains or flooding from broken pipes and filter cleanings can flood the motor if it is too close to the ground.

Use this basic removal and reinstallation procedure whenever there is a problem you can't solve, such as replacing seals or motor components. It will be faster and cheaper in most cases to bring the unit to your hot tub professional for more complex repairs, but you will save a lot of money by avoiding the house call by a technician for the removal and reinstallation.

Troubleshooting Pumps and Motors for Hot Tubs

RATING: EASY

The first and most common motor ailment is water! Motors get soaked in heavy rain, when you take the lid off the filter for cleaning, when a pipe breaks, or when you look at it wrong! In all cases, dry it off and give it 24 hours to air-dry inside as well before you start it up—moisture on the windings will short them out and short out your warranty as well. The basic problems beyond this are as follows.

HOT TUB MOTOR WON'T START

Check the electrical supply at the time clock and breaker panel, and look for any loose connection of the wires to the motor. Sometimes one of the electrical supply wires connected to the motor switch plate has become dirty. Dirt creates resistance which creates heat which ultimately melts the wire, breaking the connection. Clean the switch plate terminals, too, and reconnect the wiring.

HOT TUB MOTOR HUMS BUT WON'T RUN

Either the capacitor is bad or the impeller is jammed. Open the strainer pot and remove the basket. Use one finger to manually turn the impeller. If it won't spin, there is an obstruction and the pump must be disassembled to remove it. If it does spin, the capacitor is probably bad and you should call your hot tub professional.

LOUD NOISE OR VIBRATIONS

First check that the pump/motor unit is firmly bolted to the floor or cabinet. If it is secure, the problem is likely to be worn out bearings. Remove the unit and have the motor replaced.

THE BREAKER TRIPS

Use the procedure described above to disconnect the motor's electrical supply and then reset the breaker. Turn the motor switch (or time clock "on" switch) back on; if it trips again, the problem is either a bad breaker or more likely bad wiring between the breaker and the motor. Be very careful with this test, of course. Switching the power back on with no appliance connected means you are now dealing with bare, "live" wires. Be sure no one is touching them and that they are not touching the water, each other, or anything else. If the breaker does not trip when you conduct this experiment, the motor is bad and will need to be replaced.

Priming the Pump

RATING: EASY

Sometimes the most difficult step is to get water moving through the pump. Priming means getting water started, creating a vacuum so more water will follow. If the pump is located below the water level of the hot tub itself, water will always flow normally into the pump. If the pump is located above that water level or some distance from the hot tub, you may need to assist the priming process:

1. Check the Water Level Before starting a pump that you have had apart, always make sure there is enough water in the hot tub to supply the pump. When you take apart equipment, water is usually lost in the process, and now there may not be enough to fill the skimmer.

2. Check the Water's Path Often, priming problems are not related to the pump, but to some obstruction. Check the main drain and the skimmer throat for leaves, debris, or other obstruction. Open the strainer pot lid, remove the basket, and make sure there are no obstructions or clogs in the impeller. Last, make sure that once the pump is primed, it has somewhere to deliver the water! In other words, be sure all valves are open and that there are no other restrictions in the plumbing or equipment after the pump.

Fill the Pump Always fill the strainer pot with water and replace the lid tightly so air cannot leak in. Keep adding water until the pot overflows, so you fill as much of the pipe as the pot.

TRICKS OF THE HOT TUB TRADE: NOISE CHECKLIST

RATING: EASY

Not all noise is caused by the motor. Track down noises by a process of elimination, experimenting with various pieces of equipment (such as booster motors, automated valves, hot tub blowers, and heaters) all turned off, then turned on one at a time. Here's a list that will help you find other culprits:

Security

•           Is the hot tub pump properly secured to the deck or mounting block, and is the mounting block secure?
•           Are check valves rattling?
•           Are pipes loose and vibrating? Hold onto sections of exposed pipe and see if the noise changes.

Cavitations

•           Are suction and return line valves fully open or open too much?
•           Is suction plumbing undersized? Refer to the hydraulics section. Air
•           Is the pump strainer basket clean and the lid tightly fastened?
•           Is the skimmer clogged or the water level low?

Other troublemakers

•           Is the equipment located in a sound-magnifying environment, such as large concrete pad and masonry walls? Consider a vented "doghouse" cover.
•           Is the heater "whining"? (See "Hot Tub Heaters")
•           Is the hot tub air blower loose or vibrating, or is the discharge restricted, producing a louder sound?
•           Are loose filter grids rattling inside the filter canister?

4. Start the Motor Turn the pump motor, and open the air relief valve on top of the filter. Give the pump up to 2 minutes to "catch" prime.

5. If at First You Don't Succeed... If water does not begin flowing, repeat the steps. If that fails, you may have an air leak. The pump is sucking air from somewhere, meaning it will not suck water. Air leaks are usually in strainer pot lid 0-rings, or the pot or lid itself has small cracks. The gasket between the pot and the volute may be dried out and leaking. Of course, plumbing leading into the pump might be cracked and leaking air. If any of these components leak air in, they will also leak water out. When the area around the pump is dry, carefully fill the strainer pot with water and look for leaks out of the pot, volute, fittings, or pipes. Another method is to fill and close the pot, then listen for the "sizzling" sound of air being sucked in through a crack as the water drains back to the hot tub.

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