I've had a new hot tub since Nov 2006, so I've never had it in the summer. The other night, I had it set for 100 degrees, and the temperature of the water rose to 108 degrees. This is what the digital readout said, and I double-checked it with my pool thermometer. It was so hot I couldn't even get in. I live in St. Louis, and it was 80-85 degrees for a couple days before.
My jets run for 20 minutes, then turn off automatically. I ran both pumps about 3-4 times in a row, so about 60-80 minutes (trying to filter the water, it was cloudy). I called the dealer today, they didn't really want to send anyone over until Tuesday, after the holiday. He told me this was normal -- that in hot weather, just running the pumps can build up so much heat to warm the water. He suggested I put a softball under the cover to vent in -- prop it open a couple inches.
I suspect the heater is turning on anytime the pumps are on, even though the "heater light" does not tunr on. So my questions for you fine, knowledgable folks:
1. can a hot tub heat to 108 degrees simply by running the jets, with the heater set to 100 degrees?
2. is there a way for me to check if the heater is turned on and heating the water, when the light on the control panel is not on?
3. any other reasons why it would get this hot?
Thanks!!