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A |
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 Spa Parts Catalog |
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Air Button |
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Electromechanical
spa equipment systems use air buttons to control
components such as spa jet pumps, lights, blower, etc.
The buttons are connected to the control box
air switches
with flexible air tubing. This allows switching spa
components on and off without electricity at the spa side.
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Air
Control |
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The air
control is simply a valve, located topside,
which controls the amount of air introduced into the
hot tub's jetting system. Turning the knob counter-clockwise
increases the air. Turning clockwise decreases or
shuts off the air.
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Air Switch |
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At the other end
of the air button tubing is an air switch. Located
in the control box, these switches electrically control
various components of hot tubs such as: jet pumps, lights, blowers,
etc. |
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B |
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Repair Parts Catalog |
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Blower |
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Air blowers
are used to pump outside air into the spa water.
These are used less in today's spas because they
tend to waste energy by reducing the spa's water
temperature. |
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C |
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Hot
Tub Parts Catalog |
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Clock Timer |
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Electro-mechanical hot tub control systems use timer clocks to control the run
timing of the low speed pump circuit, which operates the
spa's heat, filtration, and ozone functions. Multiple
on/off cycles can be set per day. Electronic hot tub
control systems use solid-state electronics to control
these cycles, instead of a timer.
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Contactor/Relay |
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A contactor or relay is a switch that consists of two independent circuits. The lower power circuit
controls an electromagnet which in turn operates the contacts, opening and closing the high power circuit (such as the heater or pump). When the control circuit is not energized, the spring pulls the contact armature away,
the circuit is not complete, and the device (such as
heater) is shut off.
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Control
System |
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The control system or box is the brain of
a hot tub,
consisting of
the clock timer (in electromechanical systems) and various switching components,
and may also contain the
spa's heater. A complete spa
pack equipment system also includes the pump.
Electronic control systems will have a printed
circuit board inside, rather than individual replaceable
components.
A - Pump suction,
B - Pump discharge, C - Heater coupling |
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D |
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Spa Parts Catalog |
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Diverter
Valve |
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A diverter
valve allows zone control of the jet
action in hot tubs. Allows you to divert water from
one group of jets to another. Not all spas are
equipped with diverter valves. |
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F |
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Repair Parts Catalog |
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Filter
Canister |
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If the spa's filter
cartridge is not housed in the skimmer, it may be a separately
housed in a filter canister in the equipment
enclosure. These are available with bottom plumbing
(shown) or top plumbing; pressure, suction, or universal
types are available. |
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Filter
Cartridge |
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The spa filter
cartridge element is either housed in a compartment in
the spa itself, often with an integral skimmer basket, or
may have its own standalone filter
canister.
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Fuse |
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High current fuse
of the type typically found in a ho tub control
system.
Current ratings range from 10 to 60 amps. |
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G |
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Hot
Tub Parts Catalog |
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GFCI |
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A GFCI
is an electrical safety device which monitors current flowing from Hot to
Neutral. It trips and breaks the circuit if there is any imbalance,
such as might be caused by a bad heater
element. It can sense a mismatch as small as 4 or 5
milliamps, and react as quickly as 1/30th of a second.
(Outdoor GFCI outlet pictured above). Our
Connecticut Electric GFCI Disconnect Box uses a special
high-current GFCI for maximum protection (shown left). |
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H |
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Spa Parts Catalog |
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Heater
Element |
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The heater
element consists of special nichrome wire which
creates heat as a result of its resistance to the
electricity flowing through it. It is surrounded by
a powdered ceramic, and encapsulated in a very strong
metal sheath. Heater elements is spas usually fail
due to corrosion from improper water chemistry. When
a small amount of water penetrates the sheath, the
resulting short will normally cause the GFCI to trip,
shutting down all power to the spa.
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Heater
Manifold |
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The heater manifold surrounds the heater
element,
allowing water to flow through and exchange heat. It
may also house the high limit and pressure switch and has
plumbing couplings on either end.
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High Limit
Switch |
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The high limit is a
safety switch which is normally closed until there is a
problem with excessive temperature. Once the temp reaches its
set point, it latches open, breaking the circuit. This
prevents the heater from meltdown if there is an equipment
failure. It must be
manually reset by pressing its button, after the
temperature condition has returned to normal. A tripped
high limit causes power to be cut before the fuse, immediately shutting down both
pump and heater. High limit switches (A) sense
temperature with a capillary tube attached to a bulb,
which is housed in a thermowell.
Type (B) is a surface mount sensor also called a
thermodisc. NOTE: on older systems, the high
limit may only cut power to the heater element when
tripped. |
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I |
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Repair Parts Catalog |
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Impeller |
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The impeller
is located in the wet end of the
pump. It spins with the pump motor, centrifugally
pulling water in (suction side) and forcing it out (pump
discharge end). |
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J |
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Hot
Tubs Parts Catalog |
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Jet |
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Jets come
in many shapes and sizes. Shown is an adjustable hot tub jet
with air and water fittings. |
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L |
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Spas Parts Catalog |
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Light
Assembly |
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The spa light
assembly (shown exploded view) consists of colored lens
cover, light wall fitting, nut and reflector/bulb-holder.
Most spas use 12 volt light circuits.
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Light
Transformer |
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The light
transformer reduces the voltage down to 12v for
operating the spas low voltage safety/mood light. |
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O |
|
Repair Parts Catalog |
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Ozonator |
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The ozonator is
a device which produces ozone for spa water
purification. The ozonator is connected electrically to the
spa's controller to operate with the low speed pump. The ozone is introduced into
the jet lines using an ozone
injector. |
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Ozone
Injector |
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The ozone
injector is device which draws ozone into the water flow
from the attached ozonator via
flexible tubing or bypass manifold, using Venturi action. Sometimes called a Mazzei
injector. |
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P |
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Hot
Tubs Parts Catalog |
Pressure
Switch/
Flow Switch |
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The pressure
switch or flow switch is a safety device which shuts
off the heater circuit if water flow is interrupted.
Closed during normal spa operation, it snaps open if pump
fails or an air pocket forms. This prevents the
heater from meltdown if there is an equipment failure.
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Printed
Circuit Board |
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If your spa's control
box has a printed circuit board inside, it is an
electronic control system. This means that the timer
and many other functions are solid state, rather than
electromechanical components.
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Pump |
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The jet pump is
what moves the spa water. It consists of the motor,
and wet end containing an impeller. Most modern spa
pumps are two-speed designs. Unions
are installed at either end.
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Pump
Seals |
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The pump seals separate the wet
end from the pump motor, which is the dry end.
Bad seals are a common cause of hot tub leaks. |
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S |
|
Spa Parts Catalog |
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Skimmer |
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The spa's skimmer
is located at the waterline, and may incorporate a removable
skimmer basket (shown). It is often where the filter
cartridge is housed (not shown). The skimmer traps
large debris prior to filtration.
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Spa Pack/
Equipment System |
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A spa pack is
the brain and muscle of your spa. It may include the
pump as well as the control system box which consists of
the timer and various switching components, as well as the
spa's heater. Spa packs with pumps are referred to
as equipment systems or spa skids.
(A) Pump suction (B) Pump
discharge (C) Heater coupling
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Spa Side |
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The spa side
(topside) control is the keypad which controls various spa
functions such as heater, jet pumps, etc. It may be
electromechanical (air switch), or electronic and may feature a digital
temperature readout and thermostat control. It
connects to the control box.
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Suction |
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The spa's suction assembly (shown exploded view) is
typically located in the footwell, and returns water to
the pump. It incorporates a cover to prevent debris
entry. Some spas will have more than one suction
fitting as a safety feature. |
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T |
|
Repairs Parts Catalog |
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Thermostat |
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The thermostat
consists of a rotating control for setting temperature
level, and a capillary tube with bulb attached for
remotely picking up the spa water temperature. The
sensor bulb is
often housed in a protective thermowell. For proper
operation, the thermostat must be located in the spa
plumbing between the suction point and the heater-- never
after the heater.
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Thermowell/
Sensor Mount |
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A thermowell is
a protective housing for thermostat or
high limit bulbs,
which in turn sense water temperature. There are
several types: (A) is a replacement thermowell for an
existing housing. (B) is a self-contained PVC thermowell
fitting. (C) is not actually a thermowell, but a sensor
mount which allows direct retrofitting of a thermostat
sensor by tapping a threaded hole into existing spa
plumbing. A sensor mount is often the easiest method for
adding a thermostat to a system which does not already
have a thermowell. |
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U |
|
Hot
Tubs Parts Catalog |
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Union |
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Pump
unions are typically PVC fittings used to mate the pump
suction and discharge to the spa's plumbing and heater
connections. The unions facilitate easy removal of
the pump when servicing the hot tub. Pumps utilize
the buttress thread type (i.e. MBT = male buttress
thread). |
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V |
|
Spas Parts Catalog |
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Valve |
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Hot tub valves
are typically located at the suction side of the pump and
at the heater output. Shown are the knife (slice) style gate
valve (A) and the ball style valve (B). The purpose
of these valves is to allow removal of spa equipment
without the need for draining the hot tub. |
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W |
|
Hot
Tubs Parts Catalog |
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Wet End |
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The wet end bolts
onto the motor to form the pump. It contains the
impeller which moves the spa water; pump seals
are located in the wet end. The front is the
suction side of the pump. Wet ends are available in
side discharge (shown) and center discharge
configurations. |
