Hi All:
Just a little update about my tub "situation."
As you know, I replaced the main circuit board last week and was able to successfully restart and use the tub. Shortly after, I had a number of error codes and strange temperature readings that were somewhat reminiscent of my previous issues.
It turns out that I think most problems were caused by a small amount of water leakage from the seal around the control pad that was directly above the spa controller pack and associated control wiring. During times when I had kids in the tub or a bunch of adults (in both cases the tub would overflow) water would flow over the control pad, leak through the seal, travel down the control wires and directly contact the temperature probe connection. If this sounds a little crazy, consider that most problems occurred during overflows and that the corrosion on the temperature probe lead was consistent with this explanation.
To resolve this, I pulled the control panel from the tub. It appears the way it was sealed was with double side glued foam packing that had open corners. Water could enter directly from the corners and leak into the pump space. I tore off the foam and used high-grade silicon to seal the panel, followed by siliconing the small hole where the wires enter the control pack. I also glued a double thickness sheet of aluminum foil across the top of the pack, extending out by about 1 inch. The foil will act as a drip edge to keep water away from the interior controls and should also alert me (if it starts having corrosion) if water is still coming in.
On Friday night, I "combat" tested my repairs. 5 kids, 13, 11, 9, 5 and 4 went at my tub for 2 hours. The weather was 28 degrees and windy. For 2 hours (yep, 2 HOURS!) they played in that tub and treated it like a swimming pool in August. The tub maintained 102 degrees with no problems and all pumps running. By the time they got out, I had lost 6 inches of water and my entire patio was ice.
BUT, guess what? NO PROBLEMS! No error codes, strange readings, etc. The tub also maintained a decent temperature, even with the harsh weather and "user" conditions. When I checked the pump space after everyone had left, it was bone dry.
So, it appears I'm good to go! I’ve been using the tub regularly now and I’m once again enjoying “hot water.” The only thing I would consider upgrading is the 4 KW heater to 5.5 KW, the lower rated heater is stressed during some of the “cold” weather we’ve been having.
Please see my other e-mail of this date for “thank you messages”
Drewski
