Hot Tub Repair Redux +Addendum

 

Regular readers may recall that I had a problem with my hot tub last year. The circuit breaker kept tripping.

There were 2 attempts to schedule an appointment with the Thermospa repairman. One no show and another no show at the appointment time but he showed up on a totally different day when I wasn't home. And - he claimed to have looked at the tub but it was running fine for him. Uh huh.

Eventually, the electrician who wired my house replaced the circuit breaker and removed the air blower pump as it was showing a fault. However, when the pump was looked at by a local repairman - no fault could be found.

We reinstalled the pump and it's been running fine - until a couple of weeks ago.

The tub tripped again but this time the circuit breaker wouldn't reset.

Hmmmmm . . . .

Tried to call my electrician - but his phone number is no longer in service.

What gives?

So - called my builder and he happened to have his new electrician with him right there on a job. Made an appointment with Tim Gautier and he came to the house right on time yesterday.

In short order he tracked down the trip fault to the same air blower pump. When we pulled it out - you could smell where the motor was burned up.

Today I got on line and the pump manufacturer has an easy to use web site - Acura Spa. The air blower was listed right where it should be and I was able to place the order on line. Within 10 minutes I had an email reply from a sales person confirming the order. The correct PW type plug will be connected to the pump and it will be shipped tomorrow.

Now that is what I call a quick resolution to the problem.

Thermospas charges something like $100 per hour plus $50 initial charge or whatever - I can't recall exactly, but it's a lot. And my past experience was not good - hell - I never even saw the Thermospa technician since he was a no show - and he didn't diagnose the problem when he was purportedly here.

Tim charged me $40 for the service call. The pump, with shipping is $110. And it will be really simple for me to plug it in and connect it to the tub plumbing.

The total cost will be less than a service visit alone from Thermospas.

One good thing from the last go round with the hot tub. Danny and his crew had to lift the tub out of it's deck recess to get to the side where the pumps are. The side panels are held on by a screws in a column - which you can't access the bottom ones when the tub is in it's recessed spot.

Before we put the tub back - I removed all the bottom screws (28). So this time - I only had to remove the upper 2 screws in each panel column and was able to slide the side panels up and out - along with the insulation boards. Simple and easy.

The tub is only recessed about 6 inches. It makes it easy to step into and out of the tub without wood steps. And now being able to remove the side panels (without lifting the tub) - access and maintenance is a snap.

I can't believe Tim solved this problem in one short 45 minute visit.

When the new pump arrives, I estimate it will take me all of 15 minutes to install it. Actually, the pump itself only needs to be positioned at the end of the air conduit, a set screw tightened and plugged in to the control / power box. The real time is spent removing and replacing the side panels.

The tub is operational as is. In fact - the air blower was an option. Which frankly, I don't use all that much. Too powerful on the bubble jets which, ah, kind of hurt if you're sitting in the wrong spot. :-0

Actually, I could have just left the blower off. But there's a button for it on the control panel - so what the hay.

Instant Addendum

Got an email at 6:10 local time; 3:10 California time - the plug has been wired onto the pump and it's already been picked up for shipment by UPS.

Between Tim Gautier and the pump manufacturer - WOW!

Thermospas and former electrician only farked around with this (bleep)damn thing for weeks and weeks and weeks last time.

South Florida is no Bull

South Florida University came into town last night with a number 13 ranking and proceeded to show NC State why they are ranked so high.

I fully expected to lose, but you always want the kids to at least be competitive.

Last night, the South Florida Bulls took advantage of a young and weak Wolfpack and put together the perfect game plan. There’s no point in going into detail – the score tells the tale – 41 to 10.

Frankly, it wasn’t even that close. South Florida could have made it a lot worse if they had wanted to.

We have such a young team and are so riddled with injuries that we’re playing backups to backups and walk on players. Kids that came to State knowing they’d be on the scout team – but here they are in the game. These kids are playing so hard – it’s got to be tough on them.

Still, watching them play, you sense they will get better. They are struggling, but you see talent and coaching and a game plan. It’s just going to take another year or 2 for it to all come together.

Thanks to Nuke’s Dad Ward and his friend Chris for going to the game with us.

How Much Is . . . .

How much is $700 Billion Dollars?

If you had $700 Billion Dollars you could:

NFL

Own every National Football League Team - every one.

AND - you could own every NFL stadium every team plays in - every one.

NBA

AND - you could own every National Basketball Association Team - every one.

AND - you could own every NBA Arena every team plays in - every one.

MLB

AND - you could own every Major League Baseball Team - every one.

AND - you could own every MLB Ball Park every team plays in - every one.

NHL

AND - you could own every National Hockey League team - every one.

AND - you could own every NHL Arena every team plays in - every one.

Airplanes

AND - you could buy a Boeing 747 for every team that you own just to fly them around from game to game - that's 122 planes.

You'd have spent about $175 Billion Dollars.

AND THEN

You'd have enough money LEFT OVER - to do it all AGAIN - 3 MORE FREAKING TIMES!

NCSU 30 - ECU 24 +Addendum

ESPN Highlights


Post Game Celebration

The game was a hard fought, dead even, down to the wire classic. The stats were just about even all across the board. But the total offensive yards sums up the game exactly - NSCU 375 yards - ECU 374 yards.

In overtime, ECU had the ball first and fumbled. It's pretty much over if the first team doesn't score in overtime. Both teams get the ball on the 35 and can usually move into field goal range. For NC State - we punched it in to the end zone for a touchdown.

What an exciting game.

Thanks to Chip, Erica and Nuke for going to the game with me.

It was a blast.

Blue Tongue

This little girl sits a couple rows behind us. She was eating blue cotton candy and it turned her tongue blue.

Saturday Evening

Later, got a hotel room in Raleigh to do a little bar hopping. I was thinking about going to see the Batman movie on IMAX but I was too tired. Ended up watching football on TV in the room after going to the hotel bar. Nuke, being younger, in better shape, and more of a lush carried on with visiting local pubs.

This is the Raleigh skyline from the hotel room.

Addendum

There continues to be a lot of smack talk on the blogs and radio call in shows about last weekend's game.

NCSU won the game and we'll be able to talk junk to our ECU friends for quite a while.

However, in all fairness -

ECU should go on to a 10 and 2 or 11 and 1 season - win Conference USA - and play in a big time bowl. Maybe not a BCS bowl - but a big one none the less.

NC State will be hard tasked to reach 6 and 6.

Showdown

East Carolina Apartment Building

Official Car of East Carolina University

East Carolina University and NC State University have a love hate relationship. We love to hate each other.

Starting back in the 1970’s, NCSU was the only North Carolina and ACC team that would even consider playing ECU.

State has always been Tractor Tech, Moo U, Cow College – but compared to ECU - we’re high class.

Put it this way – State was a double wide with aluminum skirts on your own lot. ECU was the 15-year old rusted out rental single wide with the wheels still on (but no tires) and the car up on cinderblocks in the front yard.

State never would play at ECU. All sorts of reasons such as their stadium was too small; why go to ECU when we could travel to Florida, or Penn State - you know – real schools; and so on.

So the couple of times ECU won at NC State – their fans actually tore down the NC State goal posts! These were alcohol fueled affairs that resulted in near riots. And for a while – the games between the schools were suspended.

And I have been at every ECU @ NCSU game – including the riot games.

State and ECU have resumed their games. NC State has actually travelled a couple times to Greenville.

Last year, State broke its losing streak with an upset victory at ECU. Which didn’t exactly send ECU on a skid – but it did hurt them.

Tomorrow ECU comes to Raleigh flying high with 2 big upset back to back wins over ranked teams including Number 8 West Virginia. ECU is ranked 15 / 16 but since they are playing at NCSU they are favored by only a touchdown.

I got on Craigslist last night just to look. There were over 350 entries of people wanting to buy tickets. Clearly ECU fans are buying tickets at just about any price to be at their expected victory tomorrow.

The game will be very emotional as always.

Fortunately kickoff is at noon – so at least the purple rednecks won’t have all day to drink beer. Hopefully they can try and act like they’ve been to a big time game before.

NC State’s rivalry is with UNC. But ECU is the team you just can’t stand to lose to. At UNC – NCSU games, we tailgate together; watch the games together at friends’ houses or local pubs; and pull for each other when playing in the post season.

But EZU?

Fark ‘em.

A confederacy of Dunces

A confederacy of Dunces - And we the taxpayers get screwed.

In 2004, the SEC exempted five firms from required capital/debt ratio regulations.

They are: Bear Sterns, Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley, and Goldman Sachs.

Thank you George W. Bush Administration.

You Suck.