Owners/Dealers of Marquis Epic--Help

[cappykat]

We have a 2005 Epic and have noticed the power in the jets from pump 1 are not as powerful as the jets from pump 2.  I thought it was just me but my husband brought it up also.  

I contacted my dealer and he contacted Marquis.  Supposedly, there is a "minor" difference because when pump 1 is running it's also filtering which draws the power somewhat.

Has anyone else noticed this?  We are favoring the seats on pump 2 because they are more powerful.  

Any techs out there that know how this might be changed?

[drewstar]

Cappy, as you know, I'm not a dealer,  but I am curious, has the pressure changed since you first got the tub, or that you are just now noticing it?  


The other week I thought I had a problem with pressue.  The jets just did not feel right.  Someone (cough) wife (cough) had changed/rotated the jet collar to reduce the flow out of my favorite seat.      

Also, Would a dirty/worn out filter effect jet pressure in anyway?

[cappykat]

Not sure, Drewstar... Since we aren't everyday users and sometimes go a week or more without use--I think we've just noticed it.  It's not a "huge" difference but the jets on that pump are just not as powerful.

I don't know if I buy the filter thing--when you're in the hot-tub isn't the filter always working??

[TubsAndCues]

 

Also, Would a dirty/worn out filter effect jet pressure in anyway?

Most Definately!!!  Not only can dirty filters affect jet pressure, but depending on the tub it can also keep your tub from heating properly due to low water flow through the heater.

We always recommend cleaning your filter(s) every 4 to 6 weeks depending on use, etc.  And by cleaning I mean soaking in a filter cleaner/degreaser, not just hosing them off or even soaking them in acid.  The biggest thing that will clog a filter is body oils, and acids won't touch them.

Try removing the filter if even for a few moments and see if your jet pressure shoots up significantly.  You'll have your answer really fast.

-D

[spa_dr.]

  100% of the water beeing moved by P1 is being filtered, P2 however does have a bypass. This might explain why pressure is down on P1.  I would recomend that next time you use your spa take out both filters for a couple of minutes and see if that fixes the problem.

[cappykat]

Spa Dr...that's exactly what my dealer told me.  We removed the filters and didn't notice anything different.  Same pressure with or without the filters.

Oh, and the filters look very clean.  My dealer said to just hose them thoroughly and I do that weekly.

[Mendocino101]

Did you check your air valve...make sure both are set the same....also make sure the adjustable jets are all open to full...

[Bonibelle]

Cappy, I remember talking a while ago about the pump issue and certain ones being replaced. Did they replace your pumps or are these still the original ones?  This is a stretch, Mendo but isn't pump 1 the pump that is easily replaced because there is a shutoff in line? Is it possible that that valve was not  completely opened when the new pump was installed? (assuming that they did replace Cappy's pump)?  
Pump1 has to power the waterfall and the therapy pillar so the work load is more than pump 2 anyway isn't it?

[J._McD]

Cappy, IF you ever run the pump with the filter out, like taking the filter out for cleaning, it is possible to suck in debris.  We have removed a number of different things I don't need to describe here that get into the impellar and reduce performance.

You can, 1) turn the power off, 2) open the suction side of the pump and let water flow out of it while you stick your finger in there to feel around.  This would dislodge any debris that could do this.

i.e. rubber band, band aide, hair clip, and I will just stop there.

Oh yeah, your dealer is telling you what you would like to hear, just rinse them off and put them back in.  That is not going to work.  You ave to soak them in a "cleaning agent" before hosing them off.

[cappykat]

Ok, I see I need to do an update.  No, the pumps were not replaced. The issue of the slow speed not coming on must have been a fluke because hasn't happened again.  Dealer was going to replace with FloMaster pumps and that is what I already have.

Air valves are open and all adjustable jets are open to full.  As far as "junk" in the pump I really don't think that is the problem.  It's only me and the husband and most of the time we go bare.  I will start soaking the filters in a cleaning solution but they pratically look the same as the day we installed them.

[DPS]

Pump 1 does supply the waterfall, so turn off the waterfall for highest therapy output on that zone.  The most common cause of weaker jets on zone 1 is the filters.  
With the pump shut off, remove the filters.  Make sure there is no debris of any kind in the filter area (the only way to get "junk" into the pump is by running the spa with filter out).  Test run the spa with filters out briefly to see any difference between jet performance with filters in vs. filters out.

[cappykat]

Yep, we've done that.  Didn't notice any difference with them in or out.  Seems like we do run the waterfall so I'll test with that off.

In lieu of this any other remedies?

[Bonibelle]

Cappy, the waterfall will make a big difference. Sometimes I intentionally turn it on to take away a little power ...Be sure all your jets are turned full open too.
I think you may feel a bit of difference too because of the different kind of therapy and the jet configuration difference in the pump 1 areas vs. the pump 2.  

[DPS]

Bonibelle has a good point - the jetting on the individual therapy zones are different.  Example: Therapy pillar on zone 2 has 4 hk-40 jets, so they are flowing 40gpm each.  Deep soak seat across from filters (on zone 1) has 6 hk-40's, so they are flowing around 26gpm each.  The different zones are not supposed to feel the same, each offers different individual therapy.

[cappykat]

Thanks, everyone.  I appreciate all the responses and input.