Hot Tub Air Blower - Explained!
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- Опубликовано: 13 сен 2024
- Ultimate Guide to the Hot Tub Air Blower
A Hot Tub should be, as the name suggest, hot. However, most of us also have a picture of a hit tub with lots of bubbles coming from the jets. Where do these bubbles come from? Simple, the Hot Tub Air Blower. In this blog post we will take a look at all things Air Blower related.
What is a Hot Tub Air Blower?
An air blower for a hot tub is a small, electrically powered fan that air inside of the hot tub. They come in both 120v and 220v current although most hot tub manufacturers recommend using a 220v unit as it allows you to provide more bubble action into your hot tub. This is because the 220V models tend to have a lot more power.
How does the Hot Tub Air Blower Work?
You probably are asking yourself how come the air blower creates such powerful bubbles. The secret behind this is that hot tub manufacturers use a very special type of fan that is designed for underwater applications.
The blower itself is connected to 1.5″ air pipes in your plumbing setup. The air passes through the pipes and then, in our concrete or block DIY Hot Tubs that use Gunite Jets, the air actually mixes with the water inside of these jet bodies.
The water which is of course already under pressure from the pump mixes with the air which too is under pressure and creates a much stronger jet. What you also find is that the jet is more more “bubbly” too which creates the ambiance in the hot tub we are all accustomed too.
Where do you connect the Hot Tub Air Blower to get power?
The Hot Tub Air Blower generally, is connected to your Spa Pack. The Spa Pack is the brains of the operation and usually houses both the heater as well as the controls for the jets and the blower.
There is a topside control unit that has buttons. This will allow you not only to control the temperature of your Hot Tub, tun on the jets, but also allow you to turn on the air blower too.
To connect into your Spa Pack there is normally a pinned connection. These can be referred to as AMP connections. Depending on the model that you have, you may need to change the plug that comes on the end of your hot tub blower. This is a straight forward process.
How do your Attach a Blower to the Hot Tub Plumbing?
Connecting the air blower to your Hot Tub plumbing is a pretty straight forward process.
Depending on the model of the blower, it will either have a socket connection on the end which will be 2″ or 1.5″. Or, it may have a union nut with tail piece that can be screwed on.
Socket connections are straight forward and the pipe is simply glued in place.
If you have a union connection, depending on the size, you may need to use some reducers to connect to your plumbing. In the example below, there is a 32mm union nut, which connects to a 1″ pipe that has been whittled down to fit. There is a 1″ to 1.5″ reducing bush that then connects to a 1.5″ check valve.
What is the importance of a Check Valve for a Hot Tub Blower?
The Check Valve is really important on the Hot Tub Blower as it prevents water entering the blower and damaging the coil and motor.
Whilst is may look the like the 1.5″ air and 2″ water pipes are not connected, they actually are. What that means is that if the blower is not running, then water can enter the air pipes. This happens as this is the reverse process of the water and air mixing in the jet bodies. In this case, when the blower is not running water can enter the blower lines through the same jet bodies.
Without a check valve, the water would enter and flood the blower. This in turn would trip your breaker as we all know, water and electricity don’t mix!
What are the different Types of Hot Tub Air Blower?
There are many different types of blower to choose from when selecting your Hot Tub’s air blower. They come in all shapes and sizes and they come from many different brands.
To be honest, I dont have a preference in terms of brand on the Hot Tub Air Blower. I’ve supplied many different brands from LX to Ultra, Balboa and everything in between.
In terms of power, I usually recommend 900W+ or 1-2HP. If you have a control room that is further away from your Hot Tub then you are going to need to have a larger blower installed.
I hope you have found this article useful.
Thanks for visiting buildahottub.com
This was very informative. I bought a used whirlpool tub and after filling it and inspecting it for leaks before installing it I noticed that some of the air lines at the bottom and sides of the tub were leaking. I found it strange that only the fittings at the bottom of the tub had steel ball check vales on them and not the ones on the side which made me worry as the fittings on the side were "taking in water" in the entire system but after hearing you say that the air lines are designed to take in water that eased my worries a bunch. Now I just need to replace the leaking fittings and pipes
Glad you found the video useful - thanks for the comment! Best of luck with the project - Andi
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AWESOME!!
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Any comparisons out there on blower motors? Hayward, Waterway 'Air Supply of the Future', aka noise, cubic-feet-per-minute, etc.
Hello thanks for the information, I have a question. How many PSI does the air pump need to have in order to mix with the water?
in my mind the pressure produced by the air pump needs to be greater than the pressure of the water pump, is that correct understood?
Thanks for the comment - not sure on psi as the blowers tend to be in HP or Watts - 1hp or 700w tends to be the smallest you would put on a tub - hope that helps - Andi
I was the 1k subscriber! Yayyyy
Thanks Jon!!
να έχει υπότιτλους στα ελληνικά αλλά πολύ καλό βίντεο απ ότι είδα
Hello, how many minutes or hours you can continuously use the blower?
Hi Justine - absolutely no idea! Sorry. From personal experience, I've certainly run mine for a couple of hours non-stop but any more than that, not sure. It isnt something that is stated in the manuals or specs for the blowers. I guess the expecation is a couple of hours constant use - that is how most will use their tubs. Hope that helps - thanks, Andi
@@Buildahottub appreciate it. Thanks much!
Hiya so I have the same blower as the one your holding but it has a ridiculously loud turn off like I’m saying REALLY loud, almost as if a car was accelerating and then a backfire it sounds so close to it, all bubble jets work on the hot tub
Hi Will, could be a bearing that has gone - they are not that loud at all so something isnt right - shoot me an email (andi {a.t} buildahottub.com if you would like a quote for a replacement, I have these in stock - cheers - Andi
@@Buildahottub would you like a quick video? I can post one quickly on my page.
ok
@@Buildahottub okay I’m gonna post it now
Never heard anything like that. At first it sounds like the blower has become disconnected from the pipework somehow but the noise when it shuts down - never heard anything like it - not sure if it can be repaired, you would need to take it out of the plumbing and inspect to see if you can find anything - if not, replacement is in order - hope that helps
How I can reduce the air flow? My arctic spa blower is too strong
Hi Italo, you could drop a ball valve into the air lines in front of the blower, then you could manually adjust the air flow. Hope that helps - Andi
Maybe a stupid question im replacing my sunken in spa i noticed the blower plumbing, seems to come out of blower then drops 500mm and raised 500mm,is this for same reason as your check valve?
Hi Jason, thanks for the comment and question. Not a stupid question at all. I have seen on blower pipe runs where they go up and over the waterline of the tub in a "U" bend shape then drop down to create a "check valve-like" array of pipe to keep the water out. I have not seen them drop down 500mm as anythig below the waterline would not really have an effect of keeping water out and would still need a check valve on. Hope that helps! Thanks for watching, cheers - Andi
My blower blows air, hard. I could blow leaves around my yard with it. But the bubbles don't show up in my hot tub anymore! The blower isn't really sealed to the pipe.... I can lift it off quite easily. What could my issue be?? Thanks! Andy, Fort Lauderdale Florida
Hi Andrew, if you dont have you pumps running, does that make any difference? I have seen it on gunite style jets (that have air and water lines) that lower pump pressure acutally works against the blower. Also, has the check valve stuck shut by any chance - this would block of the air totally if it has failed and doesnt open to let the air in any more. They are the only things I can think of at the moment Andrew - hope that helps
@@Buildahottubif the blower stopped working, is it repairable? Does it have a reset button or brushes to replace? I have the Ultra9000 1hp 4.5A 120V blower..with Balboa system. Thanks
@@kingbee4474 I beleive there is a fuse in the back of those models when you open them up - that would be worth checking first. If there is no fuse or it checks out ok - there is not a lot elese you can do with these - I have a replacement in my store if you need it - parts4tubs.com/product/blower-air-supply-ultra-9000-1-0hp-115v-6-0a-4ft-amp-3910131/ - hope that helps - Andi
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