Dreammaker Pump/Heater question

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J

jpmock

0
Feb 25, 2016
5
Fort Lauderdale/FL
Hi all, I got a Dreammaker spa from a friend for free, in pretty good shape, however when I first hooked it up, the pump ran fine for a minute and then started smoking electrical smoke from the motor.

Here is the original pump:

image2.jpg

So I ordered the replacement pump from PoolSupplyWorld:

02610000-1010_02dots.jpg

Gecko 02610000-1010 Aqua-Flo Flo-Master CP 1HP 115V Dual Speed 48 Frame Center Discharge Pump

They said it was a direct replacement for the pump shown above. I installed it last night and it fit right in place of the old one and pumps like a champ!

Here is the tub:

IMG_7081.JPG

The Problem - Heat

The thing is, I am not sure how this thing is supposed to produce heat. I have tried researching and have found info regarding the wet end being a heat friction pump and other info suggesting the heating takes place after the pump by forcing the water through small holes.

What I am confused about is whether the wet end acts at all as a heating mechanism???? The original pump wet end is red, the new one is black. Does this make a difference? If it does, maybe I need the one with the red wet end?

I called Dreammaker and the lady I spoke with suggested that what I bought from Poolsupplyworld is perfectly fine and that the wet end is not what heats the water...but I am not sure as she didn't seem that confident.
Also, I left this thing running on high last night for 3 hours and didn't see or feel a single change in temperature.

Should I be able to feel it heating out of the jets?

Note, I do not yet have a cover for the spa and would rather not buy one until I verify if this thing will produce heat.

Also, what is this heat stick thing I am reading about? I wish there was better info on this.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.
 
Welcome to TFP!!:handwave:

While some spas in the past (maybe still) were designed to capture excess heat from the pump by wrapping tubing around the motor, this is not the primary source of heat. There will be an in line heater somewhere in the pipe from the pump to the return jets. A couple of more photos may help.
 
tim5055 said:
Welcome to TFP!!:handwave:

While some spas in the past (maybe still) were designed to capture excess heat from the pump by wrapping tubing around the motor, this is not the primary source of heat. There will be an in line heater somewhere in the pipe from the pump to the return jets. A couple of more photos may help.
Click to expand...

Thanks, you mean an in-line mechanical heater? I was wondering about wrapping the motor, as the motor gets so hot...it seems a jacket wrapped around the motor would do the job well.

I will take more pics later when I am home.
 
I left it on for 8 hours yesterday and it didn't heat up past 78 degrees. And it is 60-70 degrees outside here. Only reason I think it got up to 78 is from the sun. Once the sun set, it started coming down...

I am not sure if it is working, but I also don't have a cover. But before I buy a replacement cover, I want to verify it works. Im kind of stuck.

I guess I could buy some insulating foam from home depot and place it over the top of the tub with some weighs on top to try it out
 
You need that red wet end of the pump (that is the "heater"). There are "fins" or groves in that part that create friction and that heats the water. That's the "hot stick" part. Your new pump does not have that. In my experience you have to order the pump from dreammaker (I have replaced 2 on 2 separate tubs). BTW the tub will heat very slowly. I hate their setup :(

- - - Updated - - -

There is no in line heater, and no place for one on the board.
 
PJ said:
You need that red wet end of the pump (that is the "heater"). There are "fins" or groves in that part that create friction and that heats the water. That's the "hot stick" part. Your new pump does not have that. In my experience you have to order the pump from dreammaker (I have replaced 2 on 2 separate tubs). BTW the tub will heat very slowly. I hate their setup :(

- - - Updated - - -

There is no in line heater, and no place for one on the board.
Click to expand...

Actually this is not true. The pump I bought with black wet end works fine and I proved it over the weekend. It is actually not the wet end (PUMP) that produces the heat.

So on Friday I went home and put a tarp doubled over op top of the tub end to end, then placed a sheet of plywood over the tarp and a couple 2x8's to make up the rest of the coverage over the top of the tub so that it was fully sealed.
Turned on the spa and left it. Outside air temp reached a low of about 50 degrees Friday night into Saturday morning. Saturday morning the water was at 90 degrees. I left it running all day and sure enough by Saturday night it reach 100 degrees and shut off. Almost just like the manual says, about 24 hours later.

So what I have determined it is that heats the water is the hot stick: http://images.inyopools.com/cloud/images/561257-4.jpg

I am still amazed that this process does what it does, how it does...it just does it so very slowly. However, I do like the simplicity of it. All that can really go bad is the motor or controller box.

So now that I have proven that it will heat up, I can go ahead and buy a cover. :p
 
I'm sorry I was mistaken....it is the red unions on the wet end of the pump, I should have specified. The two that I worked on though also had fins just on the inside of the wet end of the pump as well.
 
Hi there, my pump went and I believe from your pictures I have the same tub. My question would be the pump that Dreammaker has is 357 but this Gecko one is 232, how did you know the Gecko pump would work?
 

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Hey @jessiet777. Welcome to TFP! While I don't have an answer to your question, it's best to post a new thread when you have a question. All the people in this very old thread excepting one have not logged into the forum since 2016. Perhaps a mod can move your post to it's own thread.

Can you add more details as to what your spa is and what issue(s) you are having so someone who may have the same spa would be able to help you better?
 
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