Had a simple fix, now my bubbles are wrong.

Jump to latest Follow Reply
R

robertt8

Member
Sep 29, 2020
13
Wilmington, NC
Hello!

Odd thing is happening since draining the Dynasty Swim Spa, getting a small leak on the drain (to empty the water) and replacing the Ozonator...

I refilled the spa through the filter (as I'm supposed to) and everything appears to work fine...nice pressure through the jets, but... the bubbles are wrong. They're much larger (not the fine bubbles you normally get in a hot tub). It's more like when you boil water.

I'm not hearing anything out of the ordinary and it's not making much sense to me. Anyone have an idea what's happening? I looked inside and nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

Any thoughts on this?
 
Welcome to TFP :)

It sounds like it is working like it is supposed to... The air tube may have been blocked or you did something to make it work like it should... mine had air bubbles so much you could not see anything under water :)
 
cowboycasey said:
Welcome to TFP :)

It sounds like it is working like it is supposed to... The air tube may have been blocked or you did something to make it work like it should... mine had air bubbles so much you could not see anything under water :)
Click to expand...
Thanks for responding Cowboycasey!

It actually isn't working properly. The bubbles are like *maybe* half as much as before and less pressure.

Could it be a partial air lock?

Before my "fix", the bubbles were super fine and fizzy...like you shook up a soda and opened it. Now the bubbles are much less and much largerlarger like you're blowing bubbles with a straw...BIG difference.

As you mentioned. I used to NOT be able to see anything under the water through the fine bubbles (like any hot tub). now you certainly can.

Any thoughts?
 
hmmm, maybe it is now blocked, there should be a suction hole/plug looking thing somewhere on the hot tub where it get the air from, mine was about 1 or 2 inches from the top of the tub... I have no idea where mine went and I really have no idea where yours goes but if you find it maybe see if it has a bend or maybe blocked with something..

Other than that I am not sure...
 
Sounds like a flow restriction. Could be air in the pipes, clogged filters, debris in the circulation pump, or a failing pump.
If it hasn't already cleared up, remove the filter and put a garden hose into the pipe and block off around it with a towel or your hands to force water through the pipes and help push out any air. If you have a small 24/7 circulation pump, remove the mounting screws and shake the pump with the pipes still attached and power on.
 
RDspaguy said:
Sounds like a flow restriction. Could be air in the pipes, clogged filters, debris in the circulation pump, or a failing pump.
If it hasn't already cleared up, remove the filter and put a garden hose into the pipe and block off around it with a towel or your hands to force water through the pipes and help push out any air. If you have a small 24/7 circulation pump, remove the mounting screws and shake the pump with the pipes still attached and power on.
Click to expand...

Thanks RDspaguy! It's a 13' swim spa so it has two filter areas. I've tried to put the hose down each of the filters, but it didn't really do much. There *may* be a bleed valve on the pump, but it's in a weird spot, so it's hard to see. I may give that a go, but I don't want to mess with too much and screw things up more.
 
You can also loosen the nut (union) that connects the pipe to the pump to release air at the pump. Note I said "loosen", not "remove".
Post some pics of your equipment, especially the control box/heater area and any pumps nearby. Not the spread out jet pumps, just the ones by the heater.
 
  • Like
Reactions: cowboycasey
RDspaguy said:
You can also loosen the nut (union) that connects the pipe to the pump to release air at the pump. Note I said "loosen", not "remove".
Post some pics of your equipment, especially the control box/heater area and any pumps nearby. Not the spread out jet pumps, just the ones by the heater.
Click to expand...
Thanks RDspaguy! Booked today, but I'll try and open it up tomorrow. You rock!
 
RDspaguy said:
You can also loosen the nut (union) that connects the pipe to the pump to release air at the pump. Note I said "loosen", not "remove".
Post some pics of your equipment, especially the control box/heater area and any pumps nearby. Not the spread out jet pumps, just the ones by the heater.
Click to expand...
On a side note, the "service technicians" for Dynasty Spas claimed it is/was a "water chemistry" issue and it's now solved. *me blank stare*. what???

The water is balanced fine as per water test kit (as it was before this weirdness). It sounds like an attempt to do nothing to solve said problem that still exists.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
RDspaguy said:
You said you replaced the ozonator? The bubbles originate at the ozonator, so perhaps there is a connection. Did you also replace the mazzei injector and check valve? Did you replace it with the same ozonator?
Click to expand...

An interesting note, I actually drained the spa two times.

The repair guy came out to replace the ozonator (it had been technically unplugged for months and the spa worked fine) and fix a leak by in the main drain (as in draining the water out of the spa), which is why I needed to drain the full spa.

When he came out the first time, he realized he needed a few more parts, so no actual work was done on the spa. Knowing it may be a few weeks until he was able to return, I filled the spa back up *incorrectly*. I filled the spa up with a hose just thrown in the pool (not in the filter). When the spa was full, I noticed this problem had appeared.

I tried some Air Lock solutions (putting a hose in the filter, trying a plunger on the filter...)thinking that may be the problem. I wasn't able to get the bubbles to behave right, but figured this problem would remedy itself next time I needed to drain and refill it.

When the spa guy (technically a pool guy) came back out, I drain the pool again. He replaced the broken ozonator and fixed the leak. I filled the spa back up with a hose going directly into one of the two filters. When the water filled back up, I still had the exact same problem.

So...There's a bit more background on the entire scenario.
 
Once filled incorrectly, an air bubble can be there a while even with partial flow and another refill if you have a 24/7 circulation pump. That would definitely affect flow.
It would help if I could see what you have.
 
RDspaguy said:
Once filled incorrectly, an air bubble can be there a while even with partial flow and another refill if you have a 24/7 circulation pump. That would definitely affect flow.
It would help if I could see what you have.
Click to expand...
Thanks RDspaguy! Here are some photos of what I can easily see from the main panel people seem to open when they check it out.01.jpg02.jpg03.jpg05.jpg06.jpg07.jpg
 

Attachments

  • 04.jpg
    04.jpg
    595.6 KB · Views: 2
RDspaguy said:
Ok. Are you talking about the bubbles out of all the jets when the jet pumps are on, or the bubbles from the heater return that runs all the time?
Click to expand...
talking about the bubbles on the jets when the jet pumps are on. ...you know. the main jets on your typical hot tub or the jets in a swim spa that you need to fight the current. When you turn on the jets (without adding the "air") they feel fairly strong. I'm not sure if they're as strong as they were before, but when you click to add the air (different air switches for the different jet areas), that is what i'm referring to.

This *appears* to be the part for the air on/off >

(screen shot pasted in)1601921539958.png
 
Last edited:
Ok. I misunderstood. I thought we were talking about the ozone injection bubbles that go 24/7. Sorry about that.
The main jet bubbles draw in air at each individual jet and will be affected by both flow rate and air control. Larger bubbles usually means lower water flow rate or increased air flow through the air control. This could be a number of things, but I would first remove the filters and see if it improves, if so replace the filters. Filter cleaners do not get everything, and oily buildup or scale can clog a filter that looks clean.
Also, check the jets themselves. Many jets are individually adjustable at the jet face, and having a few out of adjustment can affect how the others on that line work. Diverter valves also affect flow to the jets, and changing the position will change the jet behavior.
If that doesn't do the trick, we'll start looking at the air controls and pumps, but lets eliminate the simple stuff first.
 
RDspaguy said:
Ok. I misunderstood. I thought we were talking about the ozone injection bubbles that go 24/7. Sorry about that.
The main jet bubbles draw in air at each individual jet and will be affected by both flow rate and air control. Larger bubbles usually means lower water flow rate or increased air flow through the air control. This could be a number of things, but I would first remove the filters and see if it improves, if so replace the filters. Filter cleaners do not get everything, and oily buildup or scale can clog a filter that looks clean.
Also, check the jets themselves. Many jets are individually adjustable at the jet face, and having a few out of adjustment can affect how the others on that line work. Diverter valves also affect flow to the jets, and changing the position will change the jet behavior.
If that doesn't do the trick, we'll start looking at the air controls and pumps, but lets eliminate the simple stuff first.
Click to expand...

Thanks RDspaguy!

  • I've pulled the two filters before and let it run for a bit and there wasn't much (if any) difference. It couldn't hurt to try it again though.
  • I've also opened all jets to make sure they were open and cranking
  • I've also switched between the "swimming jets" and the "chilling jets". Nothing seems to make a difference...same bubble issues regardless of which jets are on, and where they're focused.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply