What happened??? water/electrical problem???

[anne]

I went outside tonight to top off the tub in anticipation of a nice late night soak......I then FORGOT about the hose, and it ran for a solid 2+ hours. The water in the tub is pretty cold, so I assume that almost 300+ gallons spilled (my tub is 390 gal). The scary thing is that the tub is OFF. NOTHING. I tried flipping the switch in the main box, and the resetting GFCI in the tub box, but it wont let me reset. I assume that water got places that water should not go......but now what?

I'm going to wait until daylight, but I'm worried. I know that we have had some heavy rains before with no such trouble. Is it possible that water could get in the control panel on top? That worries me too......

What should I do?

[mattNY]

I just got in from my soak, I hope you get this all set tomorrow anne.  I've had mine overflow quite often when I have too many people in there, but it's never caused a problem like this.  Maybe after a night to "dry out" it'll be fine, but if not, you could give your dealer a ring in the morning and ask, right?  Of course, I'm sure you'll get 15 other responses by morning

[anne]

thanks, Matt- that is what worries me.....I haven't had this much overflow before, but still..... :-/

I'll see what happens in the morning.....

[Pathfinder]

Even with your water over flowing,  water should not be able to get in your control pack if it was built properly.  The only way on an Arctic is if the seal between the shell and the cabinet isnt air tight or the panels are not air tight.  Check to see if your control box has water on it. If so open it up put a hair dryer on the control board for a few mins  then let it sit a while. It should fire up after. Make sure you dont have any air locks as well.  If water did get into your system and the tub wont fire up  you should be covered under warranty. As there would be a defect in workmanship if water can overflow in the tub and get into the spa pack.

[tony]

I went outside tonight to top off the tub in anticipation of a nice late night soak......I then FORGOT about the hose, and it ran for a solid 2+ hours. The water in the tub is pretty cold, so I assume that almost 300+ gallons spilled (my tub is 390 gal). The scary thing is that the tub is OFF. NOTHING. I tried flipping the switch in the main box, and the resetting GFCI in the tub box, but it wont let me reset. I assume that water got places that water should not go......but now what?

I'm going to wait until daylight, but I'm worried. I know that we have had some heavy rains before with no such trouble. Is it possible that water could get in the control panel on top? That worries me too......

What should I do?

This happened to me before.  Its kind of a sinking feeling when you realize you forgot you were adding water to the spa.  My spa didn't trip but I would give everything a chance to dry and see what happens.

[Vinny]

Check the GFI on the tub. Overflowing water should have no impact on any tub. I also have been in the tub with one too many people for the amount of water I had in the tub and had it overflow. 10 gallons or 1000 gallons shouldn't make a difference.

It is possible that the seal around the controller did break and let water in. If that's the case I would think this is a warranty problem. I wonder if there is a rubber gasket or does the factory (any factory) use silicone from a tube to seal it; it shouldn't matter as long as enough sealant is used.

Hopefully by the time you read this all is well.

[East_TX_Spa]

Most spas are waterproof.  Hopefully yours is as well.

Termie

[hottubdan]

Could be unrelated.  Often we jump to conclusions that one thing led to another.  Maybe the spa shut down and was cold before you overflowed it.

My tech told me he did a service call on a 110v spa that had no power.  He proceeded to plug it in.

Embarassed homeowner hadn't checked the plug.  After all, she didn't unplug it.

[anne]

There does not appear to be any leaking around the control panel on top, but when I opened the cabinet to get to the electrical box, there was some standing water in the bottom of the cabinet around one of the pumps. The box itself seems unaffected,  but it was humid in the cabinet, so could that seep into the electrical stuff? Or would water pooling around the base of the cabinet do it?

In hind site, I felt like I had been adding water a lot more lately......maybe there has been a little leak? I just dont see how this water flowing over the top could have gotten in there. Everything seemed tight and sealed.

Dan, the tub was running when I went out to stick the hose in.

[hottubdan]

So, is it running?  Is the failed spa the source of your crankiness? :-/  Don't you wish you had bought that Hot Spring after all?  Then you could have Term advising you to get an AK47 and shoot your hippie neighbors when they come to visit you in your spa.

[D.P. Roberts]

Could be unrelated.  Often we jump to conclusions that one thing led to another.  Maybe the spa shut down and was cold before you overflowed it.

My tech told me he did a service call on a 110v spa that had no power.  He proceeded to plug it in.

Embarassed homeowner hadn't checked the plug.  After all, she didn't unplug it.

I did a similar thing once. I had a dozen or so college buddies in my parents' spa one night. It overflowed when the thirteenth person got in, and the tub shut down. Completely. I was sure I had busted it.

So, we went and woke up my Dad (who likes his sleep). He crankily got up, inspected the spa, and discovered that the timer had just shut off (this was back when all tub functions, including pumps and filters, were controlled on timers). He went back to bed (grumpily) and we got back in the tub (sheepishly).

[anne]

So, is it running?  Is the failed spa the source of your crankiness? :-/  Don't you wish you had bought that Hot Spring after all?  Then you could have Term advising you to get an AK47 and shoot your hippie neighbors when they come to visit you in your spa.

Not running yet. They'll call tomorrow. It is not a big priority at the moment, so I'm just dealing with it. My 13 year old dog is really sick, and I'm up with him abot 4 times per night, the kitchen is in the middle of a remodel, so it is just a room of dust and drywall, and the washing machine broke, and my dealer is 2 hrs away, so I'm just putting the tub in the background right now. I dont wish that I had bought a hotspring, but I do with that I had a dealer as local and as helpful as you!

D.P.- I wish that were the case here! The cabinet had a few inches of water, but I think I already had a small leak, and the "cherry on top" may have been over filling.

I do find it alarming that this *could* happen just from over-filling......

[Tom]

They'll call tomorrow. ...I do wish that I had a dealer as local and as helpful as you!

Sounds like you had quite a weekend... and not able to soak your cares away.   It sounds like your dealer will be working on it soon.

We are working to expand our dealer network, honest!

[Dipstick]

Most spas are waterproof.  Hopefully yours is as well.

Termie

Sorry but unless your spa is made from solid steel or glass it is not waterproof. In all other materials the molecules are not tight enough to stop water but as in acrylic, plastics... is does greatly slow it down.

[LtDan]

Sorry but unless your spa is made from solid steel or glass it is not waterproof. In all other materials the molecules are not tight enough to stop water but as in acrylic, plastics... is does greatly slow it down.

Makes me wonder how all them fiberglass boats are still floating