Hot Tub Forum
Brand Specific Forums => Bullfrog Spas => Topic started by: mightydrake on June 02, 2015, 09:52:23 pm
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Hello everyone,
First time hot tub owner. Got delivery of a brand new Bullfrog A7L last week. Everything went smootly, got it hooked up to electrical, filled it up, heated to 100°.
Then on first test, I notice that on 1 side, the jet are weak even on highest speed. On that side, 1 corner seat emits a loud noise as soon as there is pressure on it (someone sitting in that seat). It makes a strange loud buzzing noise and vibrates. I switched the JetPacks a couple of time but same issue with all of them in that seat. So far, only 1 side (pump1) with 2 jetpacks is working fine.
Any of you encountered something similar with Bullfrog ? Inconsistency between pump 1 and pump 2 or noisy/vibrating seats ?
Do they have any Quality Control at Bullfrog Spas ?
Having problems with brand new spa, is this something normal in this industry...? I guess that's why everyone recommend to choose the dealer before the brand.
Today 1 guy from the dealer came by but he has no idea how to fix it. He will send someone else. I guess I'm unlucky and got a lemon, but it gets me wondering if I made the right decision in buying a Bullfrog instead of a Jacuzzi...
I will let you know as soon as I get any updates on these issues.
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Stuff sometimes happens. One problem, that's barely been looked at, is not a lemon. All manufacturers, of course have quality control. I've never known a manufacturer that doesn't fill each and every spa and test them out at the factory. Keep in mine though, the spas are shipped and trucked around the country. This can on occasion have a negative effect...but you have a warranty for this type of thing It sounds like your dealer is being very responsive and I'll bet they'll take care of it no problem.
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I brought my car in for service Monday because there was an issue and I was sure it was major (past warranty) and was prepared to hear the worst. The problem ended up being the spark plug gaps were off when they replaced them a short time ago. Quick fix and no cost to me.
Its too early to panic. Let them figure it out.
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It has to do with that rubber fitting at the btm of the jet pack.
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Bullfrog has excellent quality control, though things will occasionally happen. They are also very good about solving any issues that arise. I wouldn't worry at all. They will make it right.
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We've had our Bullfrog A7 for about 6 weeks now without a single issue whatsoever. We've used it almost every day with up to 6 people, both pumps running at high and low speeds, switched the jetpacks around, etc.
It's so frustrating to spend that much money and then happen to get the rare tub with an issue. I agree that it was probably a shipping problem since Bullfrog has a robust quality control program and fully tests each tub before it leaves the factory.
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Mightydrake,
So sorry to hear about this problem with your new spa. We are pretty sure we understand what may be happening. It is likely a small issue with a gasket on a JetPak that is not aligning. Your spa is under warranty and this is generally a simple fix. Please contact us via private message here on the forum. Let us know your name, dealer, and spa serial number and we will be happy to help coordinate the repair with you and your dealer.
All the best,
Jake
Bullfrog Spas Support
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I would consider that great service. Thumbs up for bullfrog
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As a sales guy and spa/service manager, I have seen nothing short of great service from Bullfrog spas since bringing them on. I have had customers calling me that bought older versions of the B,frog spas 3 to 5 years ago from the competition that we took the line from and they dropped those customers like a rock leaving them hanging. The Bullfrog techs are great guys to deal with and talk too in finding the right parts for some of older Bullfrogs that I know nothing about!
On a side note..
The company I work for is opening a new store North of Seattle. We can't have Jacuzzi there because of another big dealer in the Seattle area but we will have Bullfrog spa's. In fact we are selling our house and I am going to be running that store, its about 60 miles south of me. Big change for me and my family as I wanted to die here and be buried under the tree over there which you can't see. ;) Anyway I look forward to the challenge and have huge support from my wife and 2 kids. Jacuzzi Jim might have to come off the side of the company truck. :'(
Anyone interested in beautiful home with 6 acres 90 miles north of Seattle and 20 miles south of Canada? I will throw in the Jacuzzi ;D
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Jim,
Best of luck in your new job. You helped me out a lot when we were buying our spa and I really appreciated it. Sorry that I can't help you with the house though!
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We have had our new Bullfrog A8 for a few weeks now ans we are IN LOVE. Beats our old Sundance Optima is size, comfort, jets and look. Sorry you are having issues. Please post an update on their service and what the problem turns out to be.
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Welcome to the forum. Sorry, I'm late with that, I was on vacation. Let us know how this works out for you in the long run.
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Mighty,
Thanks for communicating with us on this. Hope this issue is solved soon. Keep us in the loop and we'll be happy to continue to work with your dealer on this.
Jim,
Sounds like a name change may be in order. ;) "Bullfrog Jim" has a nice ring to it. All the best in your new gig.
Jake
Bullfrog Spas Support
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I would consider that great service. Thumbs up for bullfrog
Agreed. (objective opinion, don't own one or ever seen one. No dealers here in Columbus, Ohio)
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Stuff sometimes happens. One problem, that's barely been looked at, is not a lemon. All manufacturers, of course have quality control. I've never known a manufacturer that doesn't fill each and every spa and test them out at the factory. Keep in mine though, the spas are shipped and trucked around the country. This can on occasion have a negative effect...but you have a warranty for this type of thing It sounds like your dealer is being very responsive and I'll bet they'll take care of it no problem.
Well said, my first hot tub had what seemed like a major problem to me, turned out to be caused by a service guy at the store. I found out later he showed a customer how to replace a gasket in a diverter valve and didn't put it back in the tub correctly. End result the first time pushing the jet button, water in my face.
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I love these types of threads where the new spa owner comes on and airs his grievances but then you never hear from them again!
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Quick Follow-Up:
I have been on vacations for a month, then had to wait for the dealer to come in to have a look at the Spa.
Now since beginning of June I have 3 dead speakers. Dealer is ordering 3 new one.
For the vibration issue: The repairman came, have no idea how to fix that. Only solution was to ask a complete replacement from Bullfrog. Got a call from my dealer (Mermaid Spa today), said they have no idea what to do, too expensive to diagnose/repair and that they need to contact BullFrog. At this point, they are not willing to try to repair that on their own.
Will update again once I hear back from the dealer.
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Thanks for keeping us updated. I would be interested to know how this is resolved.
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So was the vibration from the jet pack or did they bother looking at that. If you remove it does it go away?
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So was the vibration from the jet pack or did they bother looking at that. If you remove it does it go away?
If I remove the jetpack the vibration goes away. Whenever there is a jetpack (I tried all 5) in this particular seat, we get the noise/vibration. I noticed that it's worst when all jetpacks are on full power on this pump.
I don't know if it's a problem with the pipe, it's as if the sealing around the jetpack and the tub is not good (seems like water flowing between the jetpacks connector and the seat socket causes the vibration/noise).
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So was the vibration from the jet pack or did they bother looking at that. If you remove it does it go away?
If I remove the jetpack the vibration goes away. Whenever there is a jetpack (I tried all 5) in this particular seat, we get the noise/vibration. I noticed that it's worst when all jetpacks are on full power on this pump.
I don't know if it's a problem with the pipe, it's as if the sealing around the jetpack and the tub is not good (seems like water flowing between the jetpacks connector and the seat socket causes the vibration/noise).
It does sound like pressure getting past the pak to shell seal and causing resination. Sadly it would have to be in the shell (pak slot) if none of your paks made it go away. Bullfrog guys, are there tolerances that may have slipped in that particular pak slot? Can a pak or pak slot be shimmed to create a tighter fit? Some kind of oversize sealing ring/s tighten it up?
I never look at them close.
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Quick Follow-Up:
I have been on vacations for a month, then had to wait for the dealer to come in to have a look at the Spa.
Now since beginning of June I have 3 dead speakers. Dealer is ordering 3 new one.
For the vibration issue: The repairman came, have no idea how to fix that. Only solution was to ask a complete replacement from Bullfrog. Got a call from my dealer (Mermaid Spa today), said they have no idea what to do, too expensive to diagnose/repair and that they need to contact BullFrog. At this point, they are not willing to try to repair that on their own.
Will update again once I hear back from the dealer.
Any update?
FL Person
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It's ironic that I was the last to post in this thread, prior to buying a Bullfrog. I now have an R6 and have a similar problem that I have diagnosed to be a bad seal on a Jetpack. The o-ring/gasket on the bottom of the Jetpack is cracked and the glue/silicon has that is supposed to retain the gasket has failed (the gasket can be removed, while the gaskets on the other two Jetpacks are secured in place with glue/silicone).
I'm already three+ weeks into waiting for the heater to be replaced under warranty. I will be calling my dealer again this morning to find out what they intend to do about the faulty Jetpack gasket/seal/o-ring.
For those interested, the symptoms are similar to what was described by the OP; with the pump running, there are all kinds of sounds and vibrations emitted from the Jetpack. But the most obvious indication of a bad seal is the water that is clearly being forced up behind the Jetpack.
FL Person
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It's ironic that I was the last to post in this thread, prior to buying a Bullfrog. I now have an R6 and have a similar problem that I have diagnosed to be a bad seal on a Jetpack. The o-ring/gasket on the bottom of the Jetpack is cracked and the glue/silicon has that is supposed to retain the gasket has failed (the gasket can be removed, while the gaskets on the other two Jetpacks are secured in place with glue/silicone).
I'm already three+ weeks into waiting for the heater to be replaced under warranty. I will be calling my dealer again this morning to find out what they intend to do about the faulty Jetpack gasket/seal/o-ring.
For those interested, the symptoms are similar to what was described by the OP; with the pump running, there are all kinds of sounds and vibrations emitted from the Jetpack. But the most obvious indication of a bad seal is the water that is clearly being forced up behind the Jetpack.
FL Gulf
3 weeks for a heater replacement? Wonder if bullfrog had a bad run In the production run
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3 weeks for a heater replacement? Wonder if bullfrog had a bad run In the production run
I don't know. Ironically, about 20 minutes after posting this morning, the repair contractor called and said they'd like to come to install the replacement heater :) So, the new heater is in but I have't yet refilled the tub.
With regard to the torn and loose gasket at the bottom of the Jetpack, the repair guy bedded it in a think layer of silicone. It's still setting-up. He's going to order a replacement since this one is torn but hopefully it'll seal properly for the time being, once the silicone cures.
Here's a couple pictures of the gasket. You shouldn't be able to remove this from the Jetpack. It should be glued (siliconed) in place.
FL Person
(http://imageshack.com/a/img922/5673/DRlyBZ.jpg)
(http://imageshack.com/a/img922/6285/MSviAq.jpg)
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It's ironic that I was the last to post in this thread, prior to buying a Bullfrog. I now have an R6 and have a similar problem that I have diagnosed to be a bad seal on a Jetpack. The o-ring/gasket on the bottom of the Jetpack is cracked and the glue/silicon has that is supposed to retain the gasket has failed (the gasket can be removed, while the gaskets on the other two Jetpacks are secured in place with glue/silicone).
I'm already three+ weeks into waiting for the heater to be replaced under warranty. I will be calling my dealer again this morning to find out what they intend to do about the faulty Jetpack gasket/seal/o-ring.
For those interested, the symptoms are similar to what was described by the OP; with the pump running, there are all kinds of sounds and vibrations emitted from the Jetpack. But the most obvious indication of a bad seal is the water that is clearly being forced up behind the Jetpack.
FL Person
3 weeks for a Heater? we get them in 5 days and that's assuming we have to order it from the factory which is rare because we always stock heaters. If the JetPak is bad and/or the gasket won't maintain it's proper fit just have them warranty it...these are issues that can be resolved with a phone call from your dealer to Bullfrog, they take care of stuff very very fast and even have a full online order system your dealer can order direct from
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I'm already three+ weeks into waiting for the heater to be replaced under warranty. I will be calling my dealer again this morning to find out what they intend to do about the faulty Jetpack gasket/seal/o-ring.
FL Person
Out of curiosity, what was wrong with your heater? I'm having the heater in my 2 month old R8 replaced on Thursday - there is an intermittent buzzing sound coming from it when pump 1 is on low that I posted about here http://www.whatsthebest-hottub.com/forum/index.php/topic,20140.0.html (http://www.whatsthebest-hottub.com/forum/index.php/topic,20140.0.html) that the dealer diagnosed as the element vibrating against the inside of the heater.
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Out of curiosity, what was wrong with your heater? I'm having the heater in my 2 month old R8 replaced on Thursday - there is an intermittent buzzing sound coming from it when pump 1 is on low that I posted about here http://www.whatsthebest-hottub.com/forum/index.php/topic,20140.0.html (http://www.whatsthebest-hottub.com/forum/index.php/topic,20140.0.html) that the dealer diagnosed as the element vibrating against the inside of the heater.
Basically, the same problem, though I'd describe mine as a clanging, not a buzzing. And it wasn't intermittent. If the pump was in low, there was noise. I had the tub on the default filter times. Filter cycle 1 was 6pm-8pm. I tend to sit on the lanai at those times and the noise was driving me insane. It's now been replaced but I changed Filter 1 to 3pm-5pm, anyway.
The repair guys said they often open the heater and bend the element away from the housing to eliminate contact. But since this was brand new, he'd just go ahead and replace the entire unit under warranty.
FL Person
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If the JetPak is bad and/or the gasket won't maintain it's proper fit just have them warranty it...these are issues that can be resolved with a phone call from your dealer to Bullfrog, they take care of stuff very very fast and even have a full online order system your dealer can order direct from
I'll refill the tub today and see if the gasket seals properly. If not, my next call will be to Bullfrog.
FL Person
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Just had another Bullfrog Jetpak gasket break free. Terrible quality control.
I'm beginning to wonder if my spa was built on a Friday afternoon.
FL Person
(http://imageshack.com/a/img923/9778/ofQ3Px.jpg)
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What happens if that gasket isn't in place? Loud vibrating? Jets still work?
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What happens if that gasket isn't in place? Loud vibrating? Jets still work?
Yes, it vibrates and is loud - but that's not the point. Without the gasket properly secured, water will bypass the seal, substantially reducing the flow into the manifold. Water is then forced past the seal, up the back of the manifold and "bubbles" at the surface. In short, the Jetpack will not function properly if the gasket is not securely adhered to the Jetpack. To be clear, it's not enough for the gasket to simply be in place. It must be properly secured to the Jetpak in a bed of adhesive.
In the picture, you can see the minimal amount of adhesive that was used at the factory. I have bedded the gasket placed a generous bead of silicon caulk. I'm waiting for it to cure.
FL Person
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Waiting 3 weeks for a heater is a dealer problem not a mnfg problem. I would also say they defiantly skimped on the silicone, and would let your dealer know what you are having to do yourself to repair it. Your dealer needs to be held accountable! Then call BF direct. In the 3 years of dealing with BF I have seen a couple of those O-rings fail and have replaced no heaters as of yet, they did have a bad batch of pump motors a few months ago, but they seem to have resolved the problem.
Bullfrog so far is light years ahead of Jacuzzi in regards to dealers spa service issues.
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Waiting 3 weeks for a heater is a dealer problem not a mnfg problem. I would also say they defiantly skimped on the silicone, and would let your dealer know what you are having to do yourself to repair it. Your dealer needs to be held accountable! Then call BF direct. In the 3 years of dealing with BF I have seen a couple of those O-rings fail and have replaced no heaters as of yet, they did have a bad batch of pump motors a few months ago, but they seem to have resolved the problem.
Bullfrog so far is light years ahead of Jacuzzi in regards to dealers spa service issues.
The dealer farms-out warranty work to another company. I'm going to swing by the dealer this week to let them know about the second o-ring issue.
With regard to support directly from Bullfrog, I'm not too impressed. I first contacted Bullfrog earlier this summer using the generic email contact info on their site (info@bullfrogspas.com). After more than a week, I received no reply so I followed up with another email. Nearly a week later, I received a reply from Brant Harsh. I could have mailed letters from FL to Utah through the USPS and received a quicker reposnse.
Back in October, when I was trying to figure out what was going on with the lights, I emailed Brant Harsh directly. I never received a reply.
FL Person