(New) Spa Blower shuts off after five minutes

JRB100

Gold Supporter
Mar 20, 2019
81
Dallas, TX
I am stumped. I replaced my spa blower a few months ago with the same model (240v, 1hp, 2.6 amps). The blower runs for about five minutes and shuts off. I put in a bleed valve to divert some of the air pressure away from the spa return. That did not make a difference. I thought the outside temperature (being in the sun) may cause it overheat, but have tried the motor in 50-60 degree weather (no sun) with the same results

It seems the pool pump has a little trouble keeping pulling water from the pool after 30 minutes.

I thought about adding a variable speed controller but finding a decent switch seems unlikely. I have also considered disconnecting one of the lines to make it run on 120v (but have not done so).

Any recommendations?
 
A lot more information is needed from you, unless someone has seen this before. Are you getting a normal air flow from the jets while the blower is running? Water flow normal from the jets? Does the blower get hot? Does it run again after cooling off? Have you put a meter on the blower motor leads to see if 220V is present when it stops running? What controls are in place to run the blower motor? Have you checked the motor current? If the blower is overheating and the thermal overload is cutting out, you may not get too many tries at this before the thermal overload device fails completely or the motor burns out.

As to the pool pump: Is it losing prime? Is the pump basket not filling with water, or fills then the amount of water drops off? What else might you mean by “a little trouble”? Since the blower and water jets in the spa likely share a common return pipe, it seems possible there is a restriction. Could be an operator-misunderstood or broken three-way valve or check valve or other valve issue like operator error (eg shutting off too many return valves). I see this a lot, folks who just turn valves without thinking through what each one does. Or it’s possible there is a real obstruction from something getting into the return pipe. What I learned here in TFP from those who understand pump dynamics is that the pump inlet may have trouble filling the basket if the output is restricted. What does the filter gauge read? What does it usually read? Dirty filters are a common cause there.

Last issue, most important: Sorry if this seems blunt, but the way you wrote about altering the pool pump wiring is scary. If you were serious, you should be referring to a qualified electrician before you harm yourself or someone else. You cannot just run a 220V pump on 110 by disconnecting a lead. Nor can you vary the speed of a single speed pump just by adding an external device. At best you’ll fry the pump or the device or worse, a human.

Another thing occurs to me: Have you measured for actual 220V at the blower or pump? Could be you’re running low voltage to both (breakers, supply, etc). And if you already put some sort of rheostat gadget “switch” on either of them, that would be a mistake.

Hope that gives you some ideas. Please work safely and consider professional electrical help
 
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.