Excellent Service Call

Bryan of Rapid Spa Repair (no website) arrived right on time at 1000. He very patiently explained what he was doing and showed me a number of maintenance tasks I can (and should) perform myself.

First off, he told me that yes – Thermospas are worth their high price. The quality of the tubs and enclosures are far better than spas you can buy locally (Thermospa custom builds each spa to customer specifications and ships direct from the factory). And the components (pumps, jets, controls, etc.) are the best / highest quality in the industry. He said that Termospas really are the Mercedes-Benz of hot tubs.

Two lower jets were replaced – they had clogged with debris and build up over time and that’s why they didn’t function. Simple low cost jets – easier to replace than to try to clean.

The leak? I’m embarrassed to say it was so simple I should have seen it myself.

Fittings (black) Were Loose

Over time, fittings that are screwed on simply became loose.

The fitting at the inlet end of the heater was just a tiny bit loose. When the pump was on – suction would seal the fitting. When the pump was off – sometimes the joint would leak, sometimes not. That’s how little the threaded fitting had worked itself loose. From now on I need to hand tighten all the fittings about once a year.

The main control valve in the foot well controls the distribution / pressure of water around the tub. A very small amount of sand / grit had gotten trapped and I couldn’t turn the valve. Bryan showed me how to take out the round handle, remove the valve retainer clip (there's a trick to it) – remove the valve – clean it and reinstall it.

Plus, I should rotate the valve every couple of months which diverts full power to either side of the tub (distributes to both sides in normal use). The additional force of water will blow out / clean out any tiny debris that gets trapped.

Bryan also installed a simple air release valve (a one dollar part) and some tubing to an available port on the pump. By putting that valve in – whenever I drain the tub completely – the valve will vent / release air from the system.

Previously, whenever I drained the tub to change the water – after filling the tub back up – it always resulted in an air lock. I had to take the side panels off to get to a spigot to release the air.

This little valve worked perfectly when we filled the tub back up. Why the *&C% Thermospa (or other manufacturers) don’t install this at the factory is astounding.

He also told me that I could replace the foot well light with an LED bulb.

The LED bulb has four colors and works with the existing switch on the control panel to change the color. It can also be set to rotate between the colors each time you turn the light on or can be set to change colors gradually while it is on.

The LED is controlled by simply turning it on and off (within 30 seconds) to rotate through the different settings. If there is a setting I want it to stay on – simply leave it on for more than 30 seconds and it will keep the last setting in memory when I turn it off.

The LED cost around $25 and he charges $75 to put them in. But he told me where to purchase it and told me how to disassemble the light housing to install it. It’s much larger (diameter) than a regular bulb so it can’t be just plugged in – you have to remove the housing – install it from the front – and then reinstall the housing. In addition to the colors, since it’s LED, it should last a lifetime and never need replacing.

What an excellent service call. The tub is back to operating just like new. Actually better than new as he trimmed some tabs on the main valve so it is less likely to get stuck from debris and installed the automatic air release valve.

And, he gave me a great education in maintenance and service. That alone was worth the cost of the service visit.

If you live in central North Carolina and need a fantastic hot tub service guy - call Bryan at Rapid Spa Repair: 919-630-2389.

Weekend Update - January 30, 2011

Not much going on here at Casa de Bill.

I worked last week at Appalachian State University in Boone. Pretty setting for a school although I like the setting at Western Carolina better.

It was cold in Boone. Started sleeting Tuesday night; snowed all day Wednesday; a little more sleet and flurries Thursday; and snowed all morning Friday. It was pretty but made getting around problematic.

Today at home, it's in the mid 60's and I've got the doors and windows open. Feels like spring compared to what I was working in just 2 days ago.

Hot Tub

Tomorrow the technician is scheduled to fix the hot tub. Hope that works out – keeping my fingers crossed.

Basketball

State had a 19 point lead over Clemson and ended up losing by 10. I think the stat was we were outscored 48 to 12 in the second half. Saturday – we just stunk it up at UNC.

You can tell the kids are frustrated. You can also tell by watching Coach Lowe's expression and demeanor that he knows this is his last year as head coach.

As I’ve said before – it’s sad.

I predict we will win 2 more games: at Wake Forest and at home vs. Georgia Tech. Maybe we’ll pick up another win somewhere. Possibly at Virginia.

I’ll still be at the games cheering on the team.

Odds and Ends +Addendum

NC State Basketball

I haven’t been talking about basketball. There’s a reason.

With a top 5 freshman class, State was poised to finally turn the corner in Sidney Lowe’s 5th year as Head Coach.

Combining the new recruits with last year's team which went deep in the NIT - including all ACC senior power forward Tracy Smith, senior point guard Javier Gonzalez and excellent sophomores Richard Howell and Scott Woods (and a solid bench that could start for a lot of teams) - making the NCAA Tournament was a given. We were expected to finish 3rd in the ACC – right behind National Champions Dook and UNC. Getting to the Sweet 16 was a real probability.

Not going to happen.

To date, State is 1 and 3 and tied for 8th place in the ACC. We have dropped 3 “should have won” non-conference games against Division I Tournament caliber teams.

We have 12 ACC games remaining. To get to the NCAA Tournament, we need to go 10 and 2. Maybe 9 and 3.

It will not happen.

Watching the team play – we have amazing talent and ability. Unfortunately, they can’t play as a team. They are not prepared nor coached on how to play the college game.

I have been saying that this was the year we’d find out if Coach Lowe has what it takes to be a Division I ACC coach. I’m afraid the answer is in.

It’s going to be a painful rest of the season.

I’ll be at every game, cheering the kids on and hoping for the best. But what I’ll be seeing is the decline and end of Sidney Lowe’s career as a college Head Coach.

It’ll be sad. No one tries harder or wants State to win as much as Sidney. But it just isn't happening for him.

Even if there is an astounding turn around, that still won't erase the dismal performance we have seen thus far. And the buck stops at the Head Coach's desk.

The obvious choice is Rick Barnes. He was the obvious choice 5 years ago and word is that he was interested in coming to NC State. But our (thankfully) former AD, Lee Fowler, (royally) screwed up the process and Barnes withdrew from consideration.

Hot Tub

The intermittent leak returned last weekend. I’ve drained the hot tub and have an appointment set up with a local guy who is highly recommend – Rapid Spa Repair.

Will let you know what happens.

Darn it – the best time to use a hot tub is when it’s cold. And mine is sitting on the back deck – empty.

:-(

Addendum

Saturday morning - The HVAC guy just left. Replaced a time delay controller on the heat pump. It was cold in this house this morning. Warming up now.

And the rc helicopter I ordered does not work. I'm waiting on a return authorization number from xHeli to send it back for exchange.

When it rains, it pours.

Ice

 

We had a pretty good winter storm Monday. Mostly ice at my house. This is what US 1 looked like this morning. I really should have waited a couple hours before driving in to work.

On Deep River Road, there's a curve that always gets very icy and slippery during winter weather. It's a combination of shade and shape and there's always problems there.

I was driving no more than 20 mph and in 4-wheel drive this morning and I got a good bit sideways going through there. In fact, I should have turned around and gone home.

I was thinking - somebody is going to come through here too fast and is going to have problems.

 

Here's the same spot this afternoon on the way home. If you click on the photo - you can see where people slid off the road (both sides).

4-wheel drive doesn't do much for you when it's solid ice.

Hot Tub +Addendum

Here’s the background.

When I went on my cruise vacation I turned the hot tub temperature down to 50 degrees to save on electricity.

While I was away, the weather turned unseasonably cold – with nighttime temperatures in the mid to low teens (I think it got down to 14 degrees a couple nights).

When I got back – I went to turn up the hot tub temperature and was dismayed by what I found.

The hot tub had drained down to the filter level (about a foot below the normal fill level). When the water gets that low – the pump sucks in air and you get an air lock in the system (air from the filter since water level drops and the intake can on take in air at that point). The pump runs – but it is running dry – i.e. it is not pumping water – just running.

How long the pump was running (but not pumping water) is anybody’s guess. Days perhaps? Those pumps are not designed to run ‘dry’. That’s a sure fire way to burn out a pump.

So – I threw the main breaker to turn the system off. Then I drained all the remaining water from the hot tub (so it wouldn't freeze and burst the pipes or crack the tub).

Also – I noticed long icicles below the deck under the hot tub. Obviously where water had come from the hot tub and frozen.

Since it was still in the 20’s when I got back – the plan was to wait till warm weather and try and diagnose the problem.

Which was today (Sunday).

I’ve filled up the tub to the proper level, removed the side panels and insulation panels, checked the filters and valves (one valve was partially closed) – and then threw the breaker switch to turn the system back on – and waited to see what happens.

The pump and heater came back on. I ran the system self check code – turned the air pumps on and off. Cycled the water pump from low to high a couple times.

Everything is working properly.

I can’t see any leaks inside the housing.

In short – as far as I can tell – everything is running perfectly.

Which is great. Except that something caused the water level to drop while I was gone – and I can’t figure out what happened.

One idea is a line froze up since I had it set on 50 degrees instead of the usual 100 degrees and maybe a frozen blockage cause the water to pump into the tub and over the side instead of circulating through the system.

Or maybe it’s a super slow leak that I can’t see.

Anyway – I’ve still got the sides off and am going to watch it though out the day.

If nothing unusual shows up – I’ll put the insulation and side panels back on and see what happens over the next week.

It’s supposed to turn cold again with temperatures back into the low 20’s. If it’s a line freezing problem – maybe it will show up.

On the other hand – I’m not going to turn the temperature down just to test my theory. I now think it’s best to leave the temperature at the normal operating setting of 100 degrees. Even if I’m away for a week or two. It’s not worth risking a freezing line and damaging the hot tub just to save a few cents in electricity.

Penny wise and pound foolish.

Addendum 1/10/11

Well, it's been over a week now and the water level has stayed the same and the hot tub has been operating perfectly.

Obviously I'm glad everything is working fine, but the great hot tub mystery remains.

New Years Eve 2010

A while back, I reserved a room at the Sheraton Hotel downtown for New Year’s Eve. Got a pretty good rate at the Sheraton right on Fayetteville Street at the Plaza where everything happens.

Nuke (still here) and I drove in to town around 3 PM and checked in. First Night Raleigh was starting just about when we got there.

The hotel gave us a great room - overlooking City Plaza and the Main Stage. Pretty cool – lots of music to listen to. Live music is always good – just about no matter what is being played. I can even tolerate modern jazz, if it’s live. For a little while anyway.

Here’s a link to the photos I took.

Watched the Acorn drop twice – first for the Kid’s Celebration and then later at Midnight – along with the fireworks.

Saturday, we checked out and went to the RBC to watch the NC State – San Diego State basketball game.

State won. D’oh.

Hot Tub

When I got back from the cruise, the hot tub water had drained down about halfway – and there were icicles under the deck. Clearly something with the pipes or fittings – not a leak in the tub itself.

I drained the tub and have been waiting for an opportunity to check out the problem.

It’s been sub-freezing since the cruise and this weekend was the first time the temperature stayed warm enough for me to refill the tub and turn it on to see where the leak is.

That's the afternoon plan.