The time had come when we decided we needed a hot tub to bridge the gap until we can build our pool. As supply chain issues still plague vendors into 2021, a new unit was out of the running; with 6-12 month delivery times! Looking for used hot tubs was a continued bust, months turned up items destined for the dump, or they were seriously overpriced.
After searching in earnest for months, our hot tub was online for sale. It had been posted late Sunday evening, and Eric was the first to respond and set up a viewing Monday morning. By the time Eric had done a once over, other families had shown up to look as well. A full price offer was made and deposit given on the spot to secure this hot tub. Four days later, it was moved from their yard to ours. And the story begins…
Our Jacuzzi is home! This unit is in phenomenal cosmetic shape, with the hot tub and cover looking just shy of new. The seller did say that a few things didn’t work, and that it had a small leak. We would dig into it soon enough. Obvious wear items such as the headrests were ordered immediately. In order to find those parts, we looked up the make and model number; this unit is still in production, and at the time of this writing, base price is $13,700 without options. This unit is fully featured and ready to get back to work!
The biggest challenge we faced: how would we power it? A little thought and ingenuity meant we could use our generator inlet as a power source. (This isn’t recommended for a variety of reasons, but it is a temporary solution for a temporary hot tub.) Ends were salvaged from another project, and a junction box was placed with the appropriate NEMA L14-30 receptacle.
This rat’s nest is being cut down to just the junction box, as the inlet for power at the hot tub.
Inlet and GFCI breaker at the hot tub. This conduit is not the factory one, and is substantially oversized. We will leave well enough alone for now.
We have ignition! We wanted to enjoy the fruits of our labor and enjoy the hot tub while sussing out what it needed. The list started growing pretty quickly.
Phillip catching fish.
The first order of business was to find out why the lights were not operating. Once the covers were removed, it became obvious: the ribbon cable had been pulled off of the connector. The backing for this plug is no where to be found, and in lieu some high strength super glue was used around the edges to hold it in place.
The connector back in place on the LED control board. One item down!
This tub has two jet selectors, which can direct all of the pump output to either seat, or both at the same time. One handle was missing, and the O-rings were leaking as well. Repair kits were ordered to replace all of these items.
Valve cover removed.
New o-rings installed.
New cover and handle installed. Rinse and repeat for pump #2, and now we have a back up handle in case one finds a new home.
The headrests are deteriorating from the chemicals and ozone generator the hot tub uses. Simple replacements here as well.
The old headrests were past their end of life, as seen here.
New headrests include a new backing, and the missing Jacuzzi emblems that light up with the light system.
The biggest unknown was the leak. The tub was empty upon viewing and purchasing, and despite the offer to fill it, we rushed to get it purchased.
A decent leak, but not enough to make it to our drain. Leaks aren’t good either way, and a plan was put into action to address it.
Fix a Leak by Marlig Industries was found, and based on it’s low price and fantastic reviews, a bottle was purchased. Here it is being warmed as directed prior to deployment.
Our brand new filters were removed to pour the Fix a Leak directly into the pump intakes. All three pumps were cycled for a few hours to thoroughly mix the solution with the water, and to evenly distribute it through all of the plumbing. Within hours, the dripping had ceased from the pan of the hot tub. They recommend 48 hours before draining the water and using the hot tub again. Time to wait…
24 hours later, all dripping and moisture around the pan has stopped and dried. Time will tell how long term this repair is, but for now we will take it!
The water needs to be changed after the leak fix, as the water is saturated with the silica components. We pumped the water out, versus draining as the drain was a contributor to the leaks.
We used a lawn sprinkler to distribute the water in our front lawn area, so nothing went to waste.
Filters have been reinstalled and the hot tub filled back up, and chemicals re-balanced.
One of the gas struts on the lid was damaged in the move… Grrrrr. A new set was ordered as well. The original struts had 60 pounds worth of force each, and honestly, it worked well with just one strut.
The replacement struts have 40 pounds of force, and work very well in tandem. The cover requires assistance down the entire way.
Here is the top after a good scrub, and two coats of Mother’s Vinyl Protector. Looks sharp!
All of the speakers are beyond repair, with the surrounds torn and voice coils corroded. Replacements were ordered from Crutchfield, model matches made by Aquatic AV.
Before the speakers could go in, we needed to find out why the stereo wasn’t working. As it turns out, the black box in the above picture is the 12 volt power supply, and it has zero output. And with it’s location, it was obvious that it wouldn’t be coming out any time soon. What to do?
This is a basic 12 volt marine radio, and a generic 10 amp power supply should be enough to get the show back on the road.
What wire is ground? Time to check with a voltmeter, and it ended up being the gray one.
The wire was routed into the control box through an existing connector.
It turned out that there were available spade connections for both hot legs, and the power supply was wired accordingly.
All buttoned up, now to check the stereo for operation.
It works! We had a bet going if there was a CD in the player, and there was: Essential Beethoven.
New speakers and grills arrived, time to get to work (again…)
These are direct replacement, down to the connector.
Our controller doesn’t work, and that will be addressed later. New speaker is in, and it had a new adhesive seal to keep water in the tub.
The grills aren’t the perfect color, but that will have to work.
New speakers, grills, and headrests make this Jacuzzi look a lot cleaner than it was when we bought it. The stereo gets pretty loud too!
Speaking of stereo (in a Jacuzzi?!) the remote control was inoperable. All attempts to find reasonably priced and high quality replacements were all back ordered with no shipping date. A reluctant decision was made to buy a discount brand for the control and Bluetooth enabled head unit. Here the old control is removed, and it left behind a very messy gasket.
Elbow grease, a razor blade, and Goof Off helped tackle the adhesive removal.
The new controller installed, we are getting close to wrapping this project up.
The new deck’s wiring harness being spliced into the spa wiring.
A quick test shows the remote and deck are operational. Bluetooth paired immediately, and we will be free of the 3.5mm extension cord.
New deck at home, and we are fully wireless for music now. I think it’s a wrap!
Update 1/22/2023
After many enjoyable hours of use, the problem with the filter cover clips was due for a repair. There are a few vendors selling replacements, and we found one that was Prime on Amazon for $9.99 each. It was worth a shot!
We decided to go with this JB Weld product used for automotive panels. If it can secure a fender, it should hopefully work in this application.
These clips had locating posts on the back, and these were mostly removed with a pair of side cutters. A 5/16″ drill bit was used to drill out a locating hole in the still attached original plastic that was adhered to the fiberglass. This was mostly out of laziness, if this didn’t work, we planned to use an oscillating multi-tool to remove the original parts and order a second set of clips. The adhesive has a 30 minute cure time, and painters tape was used to keep everything in place. A gentle push and pull after curing didn’t cause any concerns.
We can finally enjoy Pump 2 without the cover floating away!