<![CDATA[Online Spa Parts]]> Thu, 17 May 2012 12:38:43 +0000 en hourly 1 <![CDATA[Winterizing your spa]]> Fri, 04 Nov 2011 01:20:20 +0000 1- Cut the power
Always start any procedure by shutting off the heater and then cutting the power to the spa.
2- Drain your spa
Empty the water by opening the drain valve. Some spas allow you to hook up a garden hose to
carry the water away. A spa vac or a submersible pump may also be used to speed the draining
and to remove remaining water and debris from foot wells
3- Air blower
If your spa is equipped with an air blower, you should purge it of water as well. This can be done
by first shutting the heater off to prevent damage, and then with cover back in place and power
restored, running the blower for 15 to 30 seconds. Shut off the spa circuit at your breaker panel.
Obviously if you have no blower, you can skip this step!
4- Remove the filter(s)
Remove the filter(s). Now is a good time to clean and soak them in filter cleaning solution, so that
they can be put away in a dry location for the winter. If they've had a year or more of use, they
should be replaced with new. Never store a dirty filter. Make sure to remove any remaining water
from filter compartment. Clean the filter compartment, and skimmer basket if so equipped. If your
spa has a separate filter canister, make sure it is completely drained.
5- Loosen fittings
There may be several fittings on your spa's plumbing system that can be loosened enough to
allow water to drain. Open any unions on the inlet and outlet of your pumps and heater. Your
pump housing may have drain plugs. These should also be opened as pumps can easily be
damaged when water freezes.
7- Blow water out of the jets
It is also important to get any remaining water out of the jets plumbing. This can be accomplished
by first opening all jets, with your wet-dry vac set to the blowing mode, forcing air into each of
your jet fixtures. Work your way around the spa clockwise, and when you have gone all the way
around, go back around counter-clockwise and blow out each jet again. Repeat until no
significant amounts of water can be purged.
8- Clean the spa shell
Cleaning the spa shell is very important, and will make the job of opening your spa in the spring a
lot more pleasant. Use a non-foaming cleaner. Wipe down all surfaces and rinse with clean water.
9- Mop up
Any remaining water inside the spa should now be mopped up with a towel. Applying spa wax to
inside surfaces is a good idea, and will make start up and cleaning of your spa in the spring
easier.
10- Protect the spa cover
Clean the cover both inside and out, and apply a quality protectant to both inside and outside
surfaces. Never apply any product containing silicone oil to a vinyl spa cover, as it will promote
deterioration. Replace cover, and secure & lock the straps. If you live in a high-wind location, you
might consider the addition of additional tie-downs.
11- Secure the spa cabinet
If the spa has an enclosure with doors, make sure all are closed and any thumbscrews or latches
are secured.
12- Check Wooden surrounds
If the wooden cabinet needs a coat of finish, this should be applied before weather dampens the
wood, or the temperature gets too low.
13- Consider a Spa Coverall
Many people cover their entire spa for the winter, if in a location exposed to the weather. This
prevents rain water or snow melt from seeping back into the spa and causing potential freeze
damage.
14- Set your Controls
If on the other hand, you decide that winterizing your spa is more trouble than it's worth, you can
enjoy your spa in the winter providing proper precautions are taken. If your spa is equipped with a
freeze protection system, make sure it is activated and that the heat settings are set considerably
higher than the bare minimum. Some spas have a timer/auto heat mode selector. If you have one
of these, make sure it is set to the auto heat mode to protect from freezing. If you do not have
freeze protection, you can set your timer switch to cycle on at frequent intervals. In very cold
areas, it may be necessary to cycle on at least 15 minutes every hour. This additional run time is
important in very cold weather. Remember, if you use your spa daily, it actually may use less
energy to maintain a constant temperature, than to let it cool down and then heat up daily. So
keep it warm, and constant.
15- Air Blower and Air Controls
Running the Air Blower or leaving the Air Controls open in the winter will greatly increase energy
consumption from the injection of the cold air into the spa water. If you do use the Air Blower or
the Air Controls in the winter, make certain that they are in the off position when the spa is not in
use
16- Watch the water level
Keep an eye on your spas water level, especially if you do not use your spa every day! If your spa
should lose enough water so that the pump shuts down, the water will not circulate, the heater will
not run, and your spa could freeze.
17- If you lose power
If you ever lose electrical power where you live, have a contingency plan in place. If the loss is
for a short duration, then your risk of freezing is low. Keep the cover on tight until power is
restored. But in very cold locations, with the loss of power for more than a few hours, you will
have a possibility of freeze damage if you do nothing. You may wish to follow the draining
procedures above.

]]> <![CDATA[My heater is not heating, but the pump is running, is the heater broken?]]> Wed, 02 Nov 2011 16:01:07 +0000 The heater may not be broken. The first thing you will want to check is for voltage present at the heater terminals. If voltage is present at the element it is most likely bad and needs to be replaced.

If there is no voltage present follow the plumbing from the end of the heater to the tub return. Is there any restriction device such as a filter past the heater? If not, your problem may be lack of restriction.

Heaters have pressure switches mounted on them to test for an expected backpressure to allow for the heater to come on. Without the expected back pressure the heater will not activate.

In some cases the placing of an eyeball restrictor in the return to the tub will allow for enough restriction to allow the heater to work. In others a filter may need to be added.

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