Heaters shuting OFF!!

[Gary1911]

In my quest to find the perfect spa :-/ :-/    .............. for me
I have come across this a couple of times. Master spa the heater shuts off with all 3 pumps runnin....... OK ALL 3 I could live with that I guess, Dynasty[thanks WM] Heater shuts off with more than 1 [one] pump runnin.What the heck is that all about!!!Are there any others that doe that? Or is this something I shoulnt worry about? How quick will I lose heat?

ughh I think I gotta take a break  

[golferm]

Hi Gary, don't give up...the end result is well worth it.

This is more an issue of how the tub is wired.  For instance, my Jacuzzi J-345 is wired 50Amp.  That means that when I have both pumps on high, the heater won't turn on.  Had I put a 6 gauge wire in, I could have run a 60 AMP service, that would have allowed both pumps to be on high and the heater to stay on.

Don't get too bogged down by this.  Even if you have my situation, I don't find that I ever have both pumps on high for very long.  The most my tub has ever dropped is 2 degrees (F), and I live in Calgary, Canada.  

Happy hunting...

Mark

[J._McD]

It's a matter of amps.  Most spas are set up for 240 volts 50 amps.  Each motor will pull about 11 amps on hi, the heater will pull 22 amps.  If you have a blower, it pulls 8 amps, that's 52 amps=not heater.  Many spas now will operate on 60 amps and everything works all the time.  I hope this helps.

[windsurfdog]

Master spa the heater shuts off with all 3 pumps runnin....... OK ALL 3 I could live with that I guess

Gary,
Here's a little more detail on the MS heater function....
Of the 3 therapy pumps in my LSX, 2 are 2-speed and 1 is single speed.  If heat is called for by the temp sensing units, the heater is only kicked off if both 2-speed motors are running on hi AND the single speed motor is running.  Any other combination will not cause the heater to kick off.  This has not been a problem in my tub though I do live in FL and do not experience the cold temps of my northern brethren.  The MS setup will heat the water somewhat just from the heat generated from the motors.....whether this would keep up with heat demands at/below intense winter wind chills is questionable though I find that I rarely run all the motors together at their top speeds.  BTW, Master only offers a 50 amp setup though I did install 60 amp rated wire should I replace the tub with a higher demand  model.  So, I don't really feel the MS setup would be an issue.  My suggestion for you is to fugettaboutit and concentrate on the therapy and the dealer and, by all means, stick with a major manufacturer.  Good luck.

[Drewski]

Don't get too bogged down by this.  Even if you have my situation, I don't find that I ever have both pumps on high for very long.  The most my tub has ever dropped is 2 degrees (F), and I live in Calgary, Canada.  

Hi Gary:

Respectfully, I'd be careful with what Golferm is saying here.  His tub might drop only 2 degrees over a short period of time, but if you're in it longer, this might not be the case.

Last winter, I had 4 people in my tub on a 25 degree night with a 20 MPH wind.  It was cold enough that our hair was freezing.  Although my tub could maintain 102, (it started at 108!) it couldn't get any hotter until I put the cover back on. Because of this experience, I'm upgrading both my circ pump and heater this summer.

In reference to the other stuff, 60 AMP service is the way to go if you can do it. A number of tubs now have "set-up" options depending on load capacity, including how many pumps will run with the heater on. To an extent, this is why 2 "big" pumps are sometimes better for load management then multiple smaller ones, even though the industry seems to be going toward multiple small ones for flexibility.

My 1999 Piper Glen has 2 large pumps and a 4 KW heater (all at 220 V) that work fine on a 50 AMP circuit. I've measured actual total amps during use and they peak at about 32 with everything running. This represents about 64% or rated load, well under the 80% recommended limit.

Anyway, just some food for thought...

Good luck...

Drewski

 

[Gary1911]

Hi Gary, don't give up...the end result is well worth it.

This is more an issue of how the tub is wired.  For instance, my Jacuzzi J-345 is wired 50Amp.  That means that when I have both pumps on high, the heater won't turn on.  Had I put a 6 gauge wire in, I could have run a 60 AMP service, that would have allowed both pumps to be on high and the heater to stay on.

Don't get too bogged down by this.  Even if you have my situation, I don't find that I ever have both pumps on high for very long.  The most my tub has ever dropped is 2 degrees (F), and I live in Calgary, Canada.  

Happy hunting...

Mark

Thanks Guys for the encouragement..... MAN this is some serious stuff   . whew!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I AM my own worst enemy I guess I am trying to make sure I cover all my bases and its gettin kinda hard  details details again thanks

PS I did call Dynasty and they said the tub would remain at temp for a while .....I am not sure what that means I DO LIVE IN THE Northeast CAPE COD to be exact I gotta a feelin that with a good BRISK breeze in Jan and no heater runnin "WE GOT A PROBLEM" Then again maybe it will hold I have NEVER OWNED A SPA BEFORE