Hot Tub Forum

Original => Hot Tub Forum => Topic started by: Neptuner on April 18, 2007, 05:05:38 pm

Title: Blower motor won't come on
Post by: Neptuner on April 18, 2007, 05:05:38 pm
I've had my Catalina El Cortez for 4 years and just experienced its first problem. I doubt that the blower motor itself is bad because I don't use it much. It did come on at the beginning of every filtration cycle, and it was used occasionally for people wanting ultra strong jet power (not me). What could I do to diagnose and isolate the problem?

Talking to my dealer is useless. He is 100 miles away and challenged in every way imaginable.
Title: Re: Blower motor won't come on
Post by: stuart on April 18, 2007, 07:51:01 pm
There is a fuse on the board for the blower on that spa if I remember correctly.

When you push the button on the topside do you hear a click?

Do you have a meter?

Check and see if the plug on the blower is in tight and the pins are making contact.

I would open the box, look to see if there is any obvious melted wires of anything, have someone push the button and listen close to see if you can hear the relay
Title: Re: Blower motor won't come on
Post by: Neptuner on April 29, 2007, 05:18:06 pm
Thank you for responding.

All fuses on the board look the same. There does not seem to be one marked specifically for the blower (J6).

The plug is tight.

I do not have a meter.

There are no melted wires.

When the button for the blower is pushed the blower symbol appears on the topside display.



There is no click.
Title: Re: Blower motor won't come on
Post by: Neptuner on May 02, 2007, 03:58:07 pm
Bump
Title: Re: Blower motor won't come on
Post by: hotubinn on May 02, 2007, 07:26:27 pm
sounds like you may have a bad relay on the board.  call a spa repair professional.
Title: Re: Blower motor won't come on
Post by: Neptuner on May 04, 2007, 01:02:16 am
Thank you, I will.
Title: Re: Blower motor won't come on
Post by: stuart on May 04, 2007, 10:42:59 am
If all the fuses look the same then I would go to Home Depot and buy a new one (should be a 20 or 30 amp slow blow) and pop out the fuses one at a time (with the power off) and see if that works.

My bet is that it is not the relay but a fuse. I have seen some of those relays fail but many more fuses.

You can switch fuses to see if it is blown but you might blow another so you need one anyway.

Do yourself a favor and buy a cheap meter if you have a spa and learn how to use it. You can get them at HD for as cheap as $10. To check the fuse with a meter you need to pull it out of the board or you will get a false reading. You might even pull the fuses and bring them in to get tested. We have people do that all the time.
Title: Re: Blower motor won't come on
Post by: Neptuner on May 08, 2007, 03:51:48 pm
OK, Stuart. I'll get a meter and 2 fuses (a 20 and a 30) and try to fix it. The nearest hardware store is only a 30 mile round trip.
Title: Re: Blower motor won't come on
Post by: Gary on May 08, 2007, 04:21:21 pm
[size=18]Please be careful with these spa systems, touching the wrong thing can get you killed! If you are not familiar with electricity call someone who is.[/size]
Title: Re: Blower motor won't come on
Post by: Steve on May 09, 2007, 11:52:30 am
It's noisy and cools the water anyway... just leave it I say! ;)
Title: Re: Blower motor won't come on
Post by: stuart on May 10, 2007, 10:36:41 am
Quote
OK, Stuart. I'll get a meter and 2 fuses (a 20 and a 30) and try to fix it. The nearest hardware store is only a 30 mile round trip.
Hey where I grew up it was a 30 mile round trip to get anywhere and get anything...

If that was all the further we had to drive we felt like it was next door!
Title: Re: Blower motor won't come on
Post by: stuart on May 16, 2007, 02:23:17 pm
Soo...What happened?
Title: Re: Blower motor won't come on
Post by: Neptuner on May 16, 2007, 02:33:47 pm
Having shut off the electricity before opening the panel, I am still alive.

There are two 30 amp fuses - one for the blower and one for the secondary pump. I interchanged them and there was no change, i.e. pump two runs on either fuse and the blower does not run on either fuse.

I phoned the nearest hardware store. It is out of meters and has ordered me one.

My blower when it worked did not cool the water perceptibly. My spa has some warm air space around the foam which apparently is drawn into the air lines by the blower.

What's a "relay" look like?
Title: Re: Blower motor won't come on
Post by: Neptuner on May 16, 2007, 02:36:52 pm
Quote
It's noisy and cools the water anyway... just leave it I say! ;)
I am 95% deaf and hardly heard it when it worked.
Title: Re: Blower motor won't come on
Post by: Neptuner on May 16, 2007, 02:38:01 pm
Quote
sounds like you may have a bad relay on the board.  call a spa repair professional.
He wanted $150 for travel.
Title: Re: Blower motor won't come on
Post by: Neptuner on May 20, 2007, 02:10:11 am
Quote
[size=18]Please be careful with these spa systems, touching the wrong thing can get you killed! If you are not familiar with electricity call someone who is.[/size]
I'm familiar enough with electricity. I wired my spa. It's electronics I know nothing about.
Title: Re: Blower motor won't come on
Post by: stuart on May 21, 2007, 04:58:09 pm
So if your looking to learn more about your spa...Call and see what the price of a new blower is. If you find that the power at the plug in for the blower is correct just order a new blower and plug it in. It's a little bit of work but you can probably replace the whole blower for under $150
Title: Re: Blower motor won't come on
Post by: Neptuner on May 23, 2007, 03:44:29 pm
Quote
So if your looking to learn more about your spa...Call and see what the price of a new blower is. If you find that the power at the plug in for the blower is correct just order a new blower and plug it in. It's a little bit of work but you can probably replace the whole blower for under $150
The problem was the relay. I did some websearch, bought a new relay and replaced it on the board. A lot cheaper than using my warranty and suffering travel cost.

I live on the pacific ocean southeast of Big Sur. My dealer is in Fremont. Gas prices are around $4.00/gal hereabouts.