Hello from Washington - Softub Problems

[Charwa427]

We have a Softub 300 recently inherited from the previous owner of our house, and its about 10 years old. The motor is turning off and on frequently and we're looking for advice. It has worked fine since we moved in last year in October but last night I wanted to get it ready for use and when I pushed the jets button, it momentarily started to run then shut off. Power was cycling at the control panel...it was flashing and I could hear a clicking noise(relay) inside the drum where the motor is-etc . The circuit breaker WAS NOT tripped nor the breaker inside the house. I cycled the power at both breaker locations (House & Plug-in at outlet) and still same result. I shut all the power down, went to sleep and powered everything back up this morning.....the control panel started flashing a few times with the clicking noise and then...Bam !...the jets cam on and started working. But now my problem is that the temp shows 00 and i have no control at the buttons , only the lever to adjust the jets flow. Also, it seems not to be heating up ??. Its just above 32 degrees and I'm not sure what's wrong?...Heater went out?, Clogged filter?, relay bad on circuit board?

The display was showing "P" when pump is off, and shows "00" when pump is on.
When the pump is running, both the Filter and Heat lights turn on.
Pressing Jets button or the lights button doesn't work, so wondering if anyone has tips or troubleshooting ideas!

 

[ajw22]

Welcome to TFP.

I have not seen anyone here with repair knowledge about the Softub. If you dig into it with a multimeter and post pics of what you find maybe folks like @RDspaguy can help.

 

[Charwa427]

How do you start to troubleshoot it? What I mean is...I've drained the water, disconnected the power...removed the cover around the connecting tubes from the "Dome" to the hot tub. How do I get into the dome that is encased in styrofoam ?

 

[ajw22]

I think I you have to chip away the foam insulation to get at the controls and then refoam it when repaired.

 

[ChristyD]

We have a Softub 300 recently inherited from the previous owner of our house, and its about 10 years old. The motor is turning off and on frequently and we're looking for advice. It has worked fine since we moved in last year in October but last night I wanted to get it ready for use and when I pushed the jets button, it momentarily started to run then shut off. Power was cycling at the control panel...it was flashing and I could hear a clicking noise(relay) inside the drum where the motor is-etc . The circuit breaker WAS NOT tripped nor the breaker inside the house. I cycled the power at both breaker locations (House & Plug-in at outlet) and still same result. I shut all the power down, went to sleep and powered everything back up this morning.....the control panel started flashing a few times with the clicking noise and then...Bam !...the jets cam on and started working. But now my problem is that the temp shows 00 and i have no control at the buttons , only the lever to adjust the jets flow. Also, it seems not to be heating up ??. Its just above 32 degrees and I'm not sure what's wrong?...Heater went out?, Clogged filter?, relay bad on circuit board?

The display was showing "P" when pump is off, and shows "00" when pump is on.
When the pump is running, both the Filter and Heat lights turn on.
Pressing Jets button or the lights button doesn't work, so wondering if anyone has tips or troubleshooting ideas!

I am having the exact same problem with my Softub 300. I am so sorry to not see any replies here. Have you continued to troubleshoot elsewhere? I keep thinking it is a temperature sensor issue but I am not certain and those sensors are expensive and there are no returns on them.

 

[framblinor]

there's a capacitor trick about this that I'm gonna be trying today. there's more info about it on this forum

 

[bloedkolben]

I am having the exact same problem with my Softub 300. I am so sorry to not see any replies here. Have you continued to troubleshoot elsewhere? I keep thinking it is a temperature sensor issue but I am not certain and those sensors are expensive and there are no returns on them.

There are other threads dealing with this problem (search for "Softub cycling").
You will need a new circuit board or if you are handy - remove it and send it to Lyratronix for repair (if located in US).
In the other threads you will also find a "capacitor fix". Be aware, that this is not a real fix, just a workaround. People are experiencing different temperature in the pool after this fix (lower, hotter...). And it does not solve the real issue, just gives you some more time.
Temperature sensors are not a problem, they will be dying, if the "short cycling" is ignored long enough. In this case, most likely the top control and the Microcontroller on the circuit board will fail first and this will be beyond repair.