Spa Jets Explained

www.rickrobinsonhomes.com

SPA Jets Explained

Consider a simple spa jet. Spa Jets have 3 main connections – water in, air in, and a water and air mixture outlet. The water is pushed into the jet by pressure from the pump and flows through and comes out the front. This is how the air gets mixed into the pressurized water stream that we will be discussing.

How Spa Jets Work

The air gets mixed into the pressurized water by use of a venturi inside the jet. The venturi effect happens at the tip of the orifice which is a small hole inside the jet that all the incoming water gets pushed through.

To understand the venturi effect you have to first understand the way fluid acts inside a pipe. If we reduce the size of a pipe with fluid moving through it, the velocity (speed) of the water increases, but the pressure in the pipe decreases. So if we have spa water flowing through a 2” pipe and we reduce the size to 1.5” for part of the run, the water in the 1.5” section moves faster but at a lower pressure.

If you look inside a spa jet they all have a reduction in the internal plumbing size, we call this reduced size section the “orifice”. The most common size of the hole in the orifice is 5/16” of an inch. This means that we reduce the incoming water feed that was lets say 1” pipe, and we force all this water through a hole just over a 1/4” wide.

This causes a section of the water to travel at a higher velocity and at a much lower pressure. This low pressure at the tip of the jet orifice is lower than the pressure of the air in the atmosphere outside. Since the outside air is a higher pressure than the water at the tip of the orifice, air gets pushed into the water stream at the tip of the orifice and mixed into the water. This water and air mixture then flows out of the front giving us the jet action we are all familiar.

What goes wrong with Spa jets?

Most complaints about spa jets have to do with them no longer mixing air properly. Customers will report that the jets are “broken” or not working, they will also sometimes refer to the pump “not being as strong as it used to be”, or even talk about the air controls or the air blower being broken.
Jet malfunctions usually lead to weak jets or jets with no air in them at all, but they can also lead to water shooting out of the air controls or a the jet sucking water in instead of blowing water out.
Almost all jet problems are centered around the orifice. I will list some of these troubles below:


Insufficient water input – if the pump is not delivering enough water to the jets they may not develop a low enough pressure inside to suck air from the outside world effectively. This can cause jets to be weak or have no air at all. The diameter of the hole in the orifice determines how much water a jet needs to work properly. If you have insufficient water input it can mean that you have a dirty filter cartridge, an obstruction in the pump impeller, or even an undersized pump for the amount of jets you have.

Too much water input – if the pump is over sized it can cause back pressure inside the jet after the orifice, this can cause the jet to not draw air correctly by applying pressure inside the jet where the low pressure is supposed to be formed. This back pressure is between the orifice and the eyeball at the front of the jet where the water and air mixture come out. Sometimes this problem can be relieved by increasing the size of the eyeball in the front. I have seen this problem most often in gunite spas.
Another problem with the older style gunite spa jets is the length can be an issue. With the orifice tees set back inside the wall the length of the pipe between the orifice and the front eyeball can vary greatly. The length of the pipe run itself can cause back pressure with long piping runs through walls it is often necessary up size the eyeballs, or even reduce the size of the orifice opening in the back of the jet and reduce the water flow. Modern design gunite jets move the orifice to the front and eliminate this issue.

Gasket/O-ring Problems – many modern jets have the orifice inside a removable jet internal. On these jets there is often a gasket or o-ring that separates the water pressure area from the low pressure air suction area. When this separation breaks down the high water pressure can leak over to the low pressure air side making the jet not draw air correctly or at all. If this leakage gets severe enough it can also cause water to come out of the air controls.

Plugged Orifice – a small obstruction can get lodged it the orifice obstructing the water flow. Running a screwdriver or other long, thin object through the orifice will often knock it loose, this works best with the jet pump running to help push the object out. If the the object is too large, you will sometimes need to remove the orifice and manually pull the object out of the jet.
Note that other jets may be affected from a single obstruction. The air line on the plugged jet is usually hooked to the air lines from other spa jets. The neighboring jets will still be drawing a suction on those air lines. Sometimes this will cause the surrounding jets to suck water through the air line backwards through the plugged jet, causing the plugged jet to be pulling water into the eyeball instead of outward. This usually only happens on inground spas where the air intake is far away, or for any reason, easier for one jet to pull water from another jet than to pull air from the air intake.

This Article is courtesy of Spa Parts Plus

Until Next Time....

Well the holidays are over now what?

www.rickrobinsonhomes.com

Well the holidays are over now what?


It back to reality and the tasks at hand, paying off the credit cards and getting back to some normal life and responsibilities. 


Now for those of you that have a spa and love using it over the winter now is a great time to get back to monitoring the water chemistry and since there most likely were a lot of users over the holidays it probably needs close attention right now.


This will be the time you need to give that filter or filters a good filter soak as to get rid of all the body oils and things that have built up over the last month or so.


Just hosing the filter off will not do it, you need to get a filter cleaning solution such as Filter Perfect made by natural chemistry. Take the filter out and place in a bucket of water, be sure that the water covers the filter. Remove the filter from the water and add the filter cleaning solution and mix, then place the filter back in the bucket and soak over night.


The next day remove from the solution and lightly hose off the grids. Re-install the filters into the spa and you should be back in business for another couple of months. Those of you who have a back up filter are in great shape as you can take your time and just swap out the dirty filter for a clean one and then soak that one at your leisure.


Be sure to test the water to see where everything is at now, usually the PH will be low after a heavy bather load so be prepared to add PH and or Alkalinity to get the water back in shape, REMEMBER to add the products one at a time at a rate of no more than 2 tablespoons per 500 gallons of water and allow water to circulate for 20 minutes then retest and add more as necessary.


Always adjust the Alkalinity first then the PH and then the Calcium Hardness, get those levels good BEFORE you start the chlorine or Bromine treatment.  If these chemicals are off the sanitizer will not work effectively and you will find it a pain to get the water back in balance.


If you take your time and do it one step at a time you will have the water back in shape in no time at all and can get back to enjoying the spa for yourself again.


Until Next Time...

Follow these steps now and avoid any issues going into winter

www.rickrobinson.kwrealty.com

Well the summer is mostly over and I have to say it went by too quick, I did not even get a chance to go to the beach this year.

I will say that this summer was a beautiful one very mild temperatures nothing way too hot and not a lot of rain so all in all I would say we had a great summer.

Now it is the end of September and most people are closing their pools and opening their spas for the fall and winter months.

If you have a spa and you use it all winter then you will want to follow these steps now and avoid any issues going into winter.

• Drain the spa and wipe down the surface with an approved surface cleaner (no abrasive cleansers as they can scratch the acrylic)
• Soak the filter in a filter cleaning solution overnight if your filter is over 1 year old you may want to consider replacing it now.
• Make sure you have all the necessary chemicals to start up the spa once you have it refilled with water. You will need a metal remover, PH up, PH down, Alkalinity boost, calcium increaser, and your sanitizer either chlorine or bromine.
• Fill the spa with water, put the hose down into the filter compartment first to push through any air bubbles in the lines, as the spa is filling add 8 oz of metal remover.
• Once the spa is full test the water with your test kit and determine where the PH and Alkalinity are at. Always add the Alkalinity first as this is a buffer for the PH and will help stabilize it. Once the Alkalinity level is good move on to the PH, then the Calcium Hardness.
• Providing all the previous levels are now good wait till the temperature of the water reaches 70 degrees or higher then add your sanitizer either chlorine or Bromine.

Now the spa should be good to go and ready for the winter use, you should not have to drain the water again till march if you do this by Thanksgiving the rule of thumb is every 4 months.

Now is also a great time to invest in a Fire pit, these units are a great way to still enjoy the outdoors for a little while longer without freezing your --- off. I am getting my fire pit ready this weekend so go out and get your today and don't forget to stock up on some fire wood.

Until Next Time...

3 Steps to Cleaner Spa Water

3 Steps to Cleaner Spa Water

You bought a spa because it’s one of the best ways to relax after a long day. You don’t want to have to spend a ton of time with maintenance, but you know you need to put in some work to keep the water clean.  If you follow a few basic guidelines, you can easily keep your spa water clear and sparkling. All you need to do is work smarter, not harder.

1. Keep the water clean

Every spa requires some form of sanitization to kill off bacteria and keep the water clean. Most spas will use either chlorine or bromine as a disinfectant. Chlorine is very popular and is widely used, but has a stronger odor than bromine.

You can use a floating dispenser to slowly add both chlorine and bromine to the water. When testing the water quality you will need about 1.5 to 3 ppm of chlorine, or 3 to 5 ppm of bromine to effectively treat the water.

You should also perform a non-chlorine shock treatment periodically to maintain the best water clarity. If you are using your spa frequently, you should use an oxidizing shock treatment about once per week.

2.  Maintain chemical balance

Keeping a good chemical balance in your spa is critical if you want to prevent damage to your equipment. You should test the water regularly to ensure that your pH, total alkalinity, and hardness levels are at acceptable levels for your spa. This information is usually available in your owner’s manual as well.

Here are some commonly accepted values for spa water that is kept between 102 and 104 degrees Fahrenheit.

· pH – the pH level in your spa should be kept around 7.4 to 7.6

· total alkalinity – between 80 to 120 ppm

· total hardness – acrylic finish spas (100 – 250 ppm) plaster finish spas (250-450 ppm)

You don’t have to be a water chemistry expert to keep these values within an acceptable range. If your pH is too low, or your total hardness is too high, don’t panic. There are lots of easy to use products that you can use to balance your water.

3. Keep the filter clean

Hopefully you already know about the water filter that helps keep your spa water clean. This filter cartridge should be cleaned or replaced on a regular basis.  The standard pleated cartridges can be cleaned and reused and will usually last for up to 2 years before they need to be replaced.   When you’re using your spa frequently, you should soak the filter in a cleaning solution overnight and rinse it thoroughly about once every two weeks.   If you keep a backup filter on hand you can install it so you can still use your spa while you’re soaking the other filter. If you’re not sure what kind of filter your spa uses, consult your owner’s manual. Be sure to follow the manufacturer’s guidelines for proper care and cleaning of the filter.

You got that spa because you wanted to relax. Now that you’ve tested and balanced your water quality, it’s time to get in and reap the benefits of your work. Your water is sparkling and there’s no doubt that your spa is the envy of your neighborhood.

Guest Author: Andrew Clement has been writing about water quality since 2009. He is a blogger for WaterFilters.NET and his interests include swimming, kayaking, and relaxing in hot tubs.

There is a great new technology being added to the spa industry to replace ozone units, it is called UV-C.

There is a great new technology being added to the spa industry to replace ozone units, it is called UV-C.


I sell Sundance spas and they have just added this UV-C system to all their spas they call it Clear Ray...and I think this is going to be a great system in the spa industry. It uses a light bulb like the old ozone systems of the past, but does not produce any gases that can damage the underside of spa covers and discolor the fittings in your spa. No ozone gases are a good thing...

The system basically works like this:

The spa plumbing is pushing the water through the UV-C devise, the lamp that is inside the UV-C component is a germicidal lamp, this will neutralize the bacteria and stop them from multiplying. This will allow you to use less chemical in the water as you only need a small amount of sanitizer to kill the existing bacteria.

This technology has been around for some time in other industries like water purification for drinking water, the pharmaceutics industry etc. This will make short work of keeping your spa water clean and balanced.

With all the green technologies that are put there I think this system will be a great step towards creating a green chemical free spa.

Until Next Time...

It's Snowing, Get out there and use that spa!

Rick the Spa Guy

It's Snowing, Get out there and use that spa! Well the NJ finally gets the first real snow of the season, it is cold out there but it is a great time to get out  and get in the spa and enjoy the snow piles and that hot 100 degree water while you relax and watch the stars.


I live in northern NJ and we received about 6 inches today, it looks nice out there with all the white stuff. Don't forget to shovel a path to your spa so you can get out there and enjoy it.


Since the air temp is still very cold there is a chance the the electric wires could freeze and cause power outages if this happens, DO NOT FORGET to go outside after you get power back and check to see that the spa has powered back up. This is when most people forget about their spa and when they do go outside to check, it is frozen already and too late this could be a very expensive mistake.


Check your chemicals as well, be sure the PH and Alkalinity are good, the PH should be between 7.2 and 7.6 ppm and the Alkalinity should be between 90-130 ppm, the Calcium Hardness should be 250 ppm and Chlorine or Bromine should be 2.0 - 3.0 ppm for regular users, if you use a mineral stick or other supplemental sanitation to assist in the disinfecting you will still want a 1.0 ppm level of Chlorine or Bromine.


Next week is supposed to warm up and it would be a great time to change the water in your spa if it is that time again, just make sure once you start you complete the task, never leave a drained spa overnight unless it has benn winterized because IT WILL FREEZE.


Until Next Time...