World's Dumbest Spa Plumbing Questions?

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PopcornSally said:
You guys think I should get a different electrician to look at it? I have one that I like a lot better.
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Yes. Anyone who tells you that there are no breakers in the entire state is likely incorrect.

[Edit] Actually, some breaker panels only take specific breakers. [Edit]

So, if you have a very old or unusual panel, there might be an issue with finding a compatible breaker.

Do you have a picture of the breaker panel label that shows the compatible breaker list?
 
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JamesW said:
Yes. Anyone who tells you that there are no breakers in the entire state is likely incorrect.

[Edit] Actually, some breaker panels only take specific breakers. [Edit]

So, if you have a very old or unusual panel, there might be an issue with finding a compatible breaker.

Do you have a picture of the breaker panel label that shows the compatible breaker list?
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See my other post. I'm getting a different guy whom I've used before and trust. Thanks for your help!
 
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JamesW said:
Actually, some breaker panels only take specific breakers.
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Indeed they do. SquareD is different even on modern breakers. Many others have a standardized breaker (homeline).
Last I checked (about a month ago) the HD near me didn't carry the gfci spa subpanel that they have had forever. They did have a 50amp gfci homeline breaker.
 
jimmythegreek said:
Nobody has Cutler hammer style anymore in a gfci, I've had to order several this year. The new ones are all plug on nuetral so ita possible to not be able to get it
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That's good to know. Guess I'll be waiting while the new electrician orders it.

I'm still glad I'm getting a new set of eyes on the thing even if the previous guy wasn't pulling my leg on the unavailability of the breaker. He charged me more than triple what he said he was going to on the second visit to hook up the equipment (I didn't have it in writing tho). He was going to charge me another several hundred to come back the third time to change the breaker. Plus a few other issues with scheduling, etc. that I didn't think were very professional.

The new guy is coming in a couple of days. I'll update here on what happens.
 
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PopcornSally said:
Hahahaha... Well, that's what I thought, too but the guy said there were "none in the entire state." I also searched the internet and saw there were some available at places like HD, but since I know almost nothing about electrical, I didn't question him. I thought maybe we needed some special kind of breaker. And we live about half a mile from Home Depot!

You should hear the story about his buddy who did the landscaping in our yard. He was a real gem, too.

After thinking about it, I've decided to get a different electrician to come out next week to change out the breaker and check the other guy's work. Thanks for the input. Oh, the joys of being a naive homeowner.
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Sounds like a good decision! Good luck.
 
The new electrician was here yesterday. He looked at the entire setup and tested the voltage to the pump--everything checked out OK. They have to order the 240 breaker for the heater but he'll be out next week to put it in. That shouldn't have any effect on the jets, though.

So my plumbing and faulty jet function is still a mystery. My two next steps are: 1. try a new air intake valve and 2. re-route the funky hoses that might be causing a problem. I guess it makes sense to do #1 first as it requires less cutting.

Any new ideas or suggestions welcome!
 
Well, I cut the suspicious air intake valve off. Sure enough the ball was stuck in place by a little PVC glue. I figured that was the cause of the problem, but I turned the pump on high after I cut the valve off. There is still no air flowing through the 5 small jets. I can blow air into the line and see it come out at least a couple of the jets, though it's hard to tell which ones.

So I guess it might be a plumbing problem after all? Or does the air valve have to be on the air intake pipe to make the circuit work properly?
 

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I am at a loss.
The venturi is built into the jet internal, so water flow out of the jets (with the internals in) will create a vacuum on the air line. If there is a water pressure leak into the air channel it can flood the air line, which is why I asked if you were missing an o-ring on the jet internal. I can't think of anything else it could be. The air lines of spas typically do alot more twisting and turning than yours, and if you can blow air to the jets then there is no blockage. It has to be at the jets.
 
I'm just coming back to this today... I haven't done anything to try to fix things yet. I just wanted to say--what O rings in the jets? I guess I missed that in your comment before!

Are there supposed to be O rings??? Yikes! I didn't see ANY of those on ours!
 
PopcornSally said:
Thank you for the help! The pump is 120 volts and 11 amps according to the literature. There are 6 jets, one of which is a Hayward Turbo Jet. The smaller jets are: 1 inch jet (2), 1.5 inch jet (3). I took out one of the nozzles shown below.

I've confirmed there is very little or no air flow to the small jets which are all on one air loop with one air control opening. Even with the turbo jet turned all the way off. The turbo jet has it's own separate air inflow which works just fine.

View attachment 175051
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This type of jet has the water coming in at the bottom (as pictured) and the air comes in the windows on the side. There will often be an o-ring or gasket that separates the two, on yours it would sit in the small shoulder just above your thumb. It is possible that there is no o-ring and the jet seats tightly enough to prevent any issues, in which case having them tightened all the way in without cross threading the retaining ring is crucial.
I am grasping at straws here, but I just don't have a better idea at the moment.
 
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