New hot tub build equipment

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Poolwake

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Sep 2, 2019
5
Portland, or
We are looking to build a custom hot tub to our back yard.
Cement, 500 gallons, above ground, insulated cover. We went to a local spa and want to copy their build for size and shape, so we know its doable :)

I need some help picking an electric heater
I already have a Omnihub controller, and a MaxFlo VS 500 omni pump for this build. Are there limitations to the type of heater that the omnihub can control? the manual hasn't been super helpful for me to understand, I saw that it has either 2 or 3 wire external control for heaters.

I think an 11kw heater will be good enough. We anticipate keeping the hot tub heated most of the time as we would use it daily, but the omni controller will help us automate a schedule if needed. It will be fairly well insulated with the concrete, rigid insulation then capped by a wood surround. Considering manufactured tubs of the same size tend to use 5.5kw, I think 11kw will be plenty.

I saw hayward has an 11kw electric heater (CSPAXI11) for over $1k
or Hydroquip has an 11kw Heat max (HeatMax RHS 230v, 11kW, Weather Tight) for $600

But both of these have built in controls which doesn't seem necessary if I already have the Omnihub?


does anyone have any experience with these, and issues with connecting either one of these to the omnihub?
 
Poolwake said:
We are looking to build a custom hot tub to our back yard.
Cement, 500 gallons, above ground, insulated cover. We went to a local spa and want to copy their build for size and shape, so we know its doable :)

I need some help picking an electric heater
I already have a Omnihub controller, and a MaxFlo VS 500 omni pump for this build. Are there limitations to the type of heater that the omnihub can control? the manual hasn't been super helpful for me to understand, I saw that it has either 2 or 3 wire external control for heaters.

I think an 11kw heater will be good enough. We anticipate keeping the hot tub heated most of the time as we would use it daily, but the omni controller will help us automate a schedule if needed. It will be fairly well insulated with the concrete, rigid insulation then capped by a wood surround. Considering manufactured tubs of the same size tend to use 5.5kw, I think 11kw will be plenty.

I saw hayward has an 11kw electric heater (CSPAXI11) for over $1k
or Hydroquip has an 11kw Heat max (HeatMax RHS 230v, 11kW, Weather Tight) for $600

But both of these have built in controls which doesn't seem necessary if I already have the Omnihub?


does anyone have any experience with these, and issues with connecting either one of these to the omnihub?
Click to expand...
Since you are going to want the spa heated continuously, it might be better to have it as a stand-alone unit, separate from the pool equipment.
The Omni uses the low-voltage 24V, that most heaters use as control circuits, when it controls a heater. The wiring diagram for neither the Hayward nor HydroQuip shows a low voltage circuit (no transformer).
You may want to get a separate spa control pack with built-in heater and adapt it to also control the pump through the relay-control capability, if that is possible, but a 2-speed pump would have been better.
 
yeah I was hoping to make my own spa pack using this pump and control panel. They will just be for the spa, the pool equipment is completely separate and has no overlap whatsoever. Also there will be no jets/bubbles for the spa. We just want a gourmet bathtub essentially

I have seen a few inline heaters like this (Hydro-Quip 11kW 230V Flow-Thru Heater 26-0054) but I can't find info on how to wire it to controls, but perhaps thats the direction I need to go in.

​

 
Connect the electric heater through a low voltage relay on the OmniHub.

Since the electric heaters you are choosing do not have a low voltage control you need to use a transformer and contactor wired to the OmniHub low voltage relay.

You connect the high voltage of the heater to the contactor.

Essentially you are using a low voltage relay to control a second high voltage relay, the contactor.

If you are not familiar with outdoor high voltage wiring you should consult a qualified electrician.

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Poolwake said:
yeah I was hoping to make my own spa pack using this pump and control panel. They will just be for the spa, the pool equipment is completely separate and has no overlap whatsoever. Also there will be no jets/bubbles for the spa. We just want a gourmet bathtub essentially

I have seen a few inline heaters like this (Hydro-Quip 11kW 230V Flow-Thru Heater 26-0054) but I can't find info on how to wire it to controls, but perhaps thats the direction I need to go in.

​

Click to expand...
You would still need a thermostat to turn that heater on and off. Otherwise is could, quite literally, boil the water in a tub. It only gets hot, has no idea of the temperature setting, or if there is enough flow so that it doesn't burn itself out, and that happens within seconds at times.
They get their power through the control pack with a large relay that controls the 230V current, thermostat, high-limit safety system, flow sensor so the heater does not operate without adequate water flow, and many have a built-in GFCI for your safety.
All of these are built in to a spa control pack. Your safest way to do what you want is with one of those. You can get one with an 11kW heater, but a 5.5 would be fine as well.
The biggest issue is using the Hayward VSP. Spa controls are used with 2-speed pumps.
You could set up a temperature in the spa control, have your pump run 24/7 at just enough RPM to get the heater to turn on, it would keep the spa at that temperature, cycling on and off as needed, and it would probably work for you.
 
thanks, yeah sounds like a spa pack is the better way. Thats good to know that 5.5kW would be enough, I wasn't sure.
any advice on a good brand/quality spa pack? So far I have been looking mainly at SpaGuts as they have decent write ups on their options
 
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