Ok, as promised, here it is...
This one is a 2005 Dimension One Nautilus. I actually paid something for this tub, which is not the norm for my rebuilds, but it was too nice to pass up.
This one is no great adventure like the last two. No frozen pipes or rotted frame here, just a little detective work and a list of expensive parts.
I got this tub from another tech I know who picked it up but hadn't had time to get into it very far. He knew it needed a topside and maybe circuit board. Otherwise, it was a minor freeze risk and pumps supposedly worked before a winter in a garage. It has serious scale on the shell, the cover is junk, the recycled plastic side panels are sun bleached on one side, and it has no pillows. (Sigh...)
So, first I blocked it up and fixed the leak at the light that I found while using it to hold the water while I fixed the other D1 I was working on. This has a light that is accessed from inside the spa, so you must drain it to replace the light bulb. PITA! And the removable face sticks and, if you aren't careful, you twist the whole flange fitting instead of the faceplate. So I pulled the flange, replaced gasket and o-ring, and cut out behind the cooling fan to access the light from the equipment area. A few choice words were said, some blood was shed, but it got done.
So it has been full but not running for 2 weeks, no leaks with COLD water. I replaced pump 1 with a used pump I had as it had a locked rotor. I have it running automated functions but no heat and no display or buttons on topside. Auxiliary button will turn on pump 1, and both pumps act as they should for filter cycles. Circ pump (looks new) is running great.
I can tell that the flow switch is not original, that the high limit sensor has been changed, and that the temp sensor is not routed as original so was likely changed (no other reason to remove it in the first place). I suspect the heater is also newer from the condition of the terminals compared to the other metal parts around them, and I can see the scratches in the box from when it was scratched by channel locks removing the chase nipple, which you only do to replace the heater.
So I suspect the previous owner put a bunch of money into a circ pump, heater, and sensors just to have the topside and possibly circuit board Crud out shortly after. He bought a used tub from the guy I got this one from, who hauled this one off.
I happen to own 2 of the ($500) circuit boards from a former D1 dealer getting rid of old stock that I bought in bulk for cheap.
The topside runs as low as $310 on some sites, but is currently out of stock almost everywhere. It seems the gecko factory in Canada has been closed due to covid and is out of a bunch of items. After several days of searching everywhere and contacting those that listed it in stock just to be told they did not, in fact, have it. (Many online suppliers are just an order point and do not stock their own parts. You order from them and they order from their supplier, who gives them a discount (and profit margin) for high volume purchasing.) I finally found it with someone who said they had it. I ordered it Friday, $480, so we'll see if it shows up.
I also ordered a new cover, pillows, diverter gate,, and auxiliary button.
I am on the fence about an ozonator. (I know, shocking right!) I love ozone, but this is a 2005, which is right on the cusp of being a cover eating injection system. I would have to install a mixing chamber and I have ZERO room in the equipment bay and no play on the plumbing. I would have to cut out part of the equipment bay wall and dig out foam to access the plumbing behind it to get a mixing chamber in there. Since it won't really add any resale value, I doubt I will bother.
I dropped the ph into the yellow to clear off this scale. I filled it higher than the worst of the waterline scale, not realizing just how bad it was.
So now I have it filled to the brim working on the rest. It's amazing what acid does to limestone (aka "scale").
I sanded a small spot on the bleached out side and it cleaned up nice without too much trouble, so I think that's the route I'll take to "refinish".
I will be bringing both pumps in for bearings and putting in seals myself.
My investment will be about $2k plus a $500 circuit board and (a bunch of) my labor. I will be asking $5k.
I will keep you posted as I go.
This one is a 2005 Dimension One Nautilus. I actually paid something for this tub, which is not the norm for my rebuilds, but it was too nice to pass up.
This one is no great adventure like the last two. No frozen pipes or rotted frame here, just a little detective work and a list of expensive parts.
I got this tub from another tech I know who picked it up but hadn't had time to get into it very far. He knew it needed a topside and maybe circuit board. Otherwise, it was a minor freeze risk and pumps supposedly worked before a winter in a garage. It has serious scale on the shell, the cover is junk, the recycled plastic side panels are sun bleached on one side, and it has no pillows. (Sigh...)
So, first I blocked it up and fixed the leak at the light that I found while using it to hold the water while I fixed the other D1 I was working on. This has a light that is accessed from inside the spa, so you must drain it to replace the light bulb. PITA! And the removable face sticks and, if you aren't careful, you twist the whole flange fitting instead of the faceplate. So I pulled the flange, replaced gasket and o-ring, and cut out behind the cooling fan to access the light from the equipment area. A few choice words were said, some blood was shed, but it got done.
So it has been full but not running for 2 weeks, no leaks with COLD water. I replaced pump 1 with a used pump I had as it had a locked rotor. I have it running automated functions but no heat and no display or buttons on topside. Auxiliary button will turn on pump 1, and both pumps act as they should for filter cycles. Circ pump (looks new) is running great.
I can tell that the flow switch is not original, that the high limit sensor has been changed, and that the temp sensor is not routed as original so was likely changed (no other reason to remove it in the first place). I suspect the heater is also newer from the condition of the terminals compared to the other metal parts around them, and I can see the scratches in the box from when it was scratched by channel locks removing the chase nipple, which you only do to replace the heater.
So I suspect the previous owner put a bunch of money into a circ pump, heater, and sensors just to have the topside and possibly circuit board Crud out shortly after. He bought a used tub from the guy I got this one from, who hauled this one off.
I happen to own 2 of the ($500) circuit boards from a former D1 dealer getting rid of old stock that I bought in bulk for cheap.
The topside runs as low as $310 on some sites, but is currently out of stock almost everywhere. It seems the gecko factory in Canada has been closed due to covid and is out of a bunch of items. After several days of searching everywhere and contacting those that listed it in stock just to be told they did not, in fact, have it. (Many online suppliers are just an order point and do not stock their own parts. You order from them and they order from their supplier, who gives them a discount (and profit margin) for high volume purchasing.) I finally found it with someone who said they had it. I ordered it Friday, $480, so we'll see if it shows up.
I also ordered a new cover, pillows, diverter gate,, and auxiliary button.
I am on the fence about an ozonator. (I know, shocking right!) I love ozone, but this is a 2005, which is right on the cusp of being a cover eating injection system. I would have to install a mixing chamber and I have ZERO room in the equipment bay and no play on the plumbing. I would have to cut out part of the equipment bay wall and dig out foam to access the plumbing behind it to get a mixing chamber in there. Since it won't really add any resale value, I doubt I will bother.
I dropped the ph into the yellow to clear off this scale. I filled it higher than the worst of the waterline scale, not realizing just how bad it was.
So now I have it filled to the brim working on the rest. It's amazing what acid does to limestone (aka "scale").
I sanded a small spot on the bleached out side and it cleaned up nice without too much trouble, so I think that's the route I'll take to "refinish".
I will be bringing both pumps in for bearings and putting in seals myself.
My investment will be about $2k plus a $500 circuit board and (a bunch of) my labor. I will be asking $5k.
I will keep you posted as I go.
That foam didn't have gunk on it, it was made of gunk. I hit it twice with the recommended 3oz of mix, and might just do it again when I drain it to load it up. 
