Soaking in a body of water during a thunderstorm? What could go wrong?
Well here we are 5 days into this endeavor and I guess I'm calling it. Operation STH, which used to stand for Screw This Heat, STH is now Screw This Hot Tub. Wouldn't that be STHT? Shut up, I'm the one naming this operation.
So after deciding I gave that fix a leak stuff enough time this morning, I ran the hot tub with the filter in in order to extract the goo that is this fix a leak stuff. It was running as it was before, intermittently, with the power cord piece housing the reset and test buttons ticking away, and even affecting the electrical system enough to cause the light bulb in the refrigerator to flicker when it was running.
But then soon after noon, it just started running normally, no ticking, and the LED panel, though still missing a few segments of the read out, wasn't flickering anymore. Same with the fridge light, it didn't flicker while it was on. What's more, even though that part that I indicated in the "culprit" post was still dripping slowly, the carpet all around the hot tub was starting to get dry again so I think that some other leak or leaks were in fact plugged up.
But alas, it seems it was all for nothing.
I wanted to clean out the filter so I unplugged the unit, unscrewed the filter, seeing quite a bit of that fix a leak stuff slough off of it, brought it to the kitchen sink and used the sprayer to rinse it out, brought it back and reinserted it, and plugged the hot tub back in. And, nothing.
No LED readout, no ticking, no jets blowing, nothing. It seems my hot tub went 100% Biden and just blanked out. Kept unplugging it, replugging it, pressing the reset button, pressing any button, to no avail.
The power outlet works. The security camera and the hanging Christmas lights work off of it, both plugs. I think it just died.
I gave it an hour or two, tried it again, flat line. Screw it.
I had to take a face cloth to kind of sop up some of that fix a leak stuff anyway so I figured I'd get in my little bathing suit, really a pair of boxer brief shorts, and have one (final?) dip. While thunder and lightning was going on.
The water was nice and cool and it looks and feels relatively clean and clear. There is a little of that fix a leak residue but I was able to sponge up a bit with a face cloth. I can smell the chlorine.
So we're back to the initial drawing board where I was going to use this thing without any power at all. I'll keep it chemical balanced and I guess I'll just replace the water every few weeks or so, or if I feel the water getting yucky or smelling bad. It should still be okay.
FYI: This hot tub is a Vita Spa Duet, two-person Plug and Play unit with a standard baleen filter as well as an installed ozone generator. I think it's a 2007 model. A unit without electronic problems or leaks retails for almost $3,000. I'm figuring that just getting a guy to come out and give it a look over would cost me about 10% that value right off the top. That ain't about to happen anytime soon.
So RIP to the rich person's type jacuzzi and Howdy Doody to the Hee Haw version I now have. I'll dutifully make sure to place a sprig of straw hanging out my mouth whenever I enjoy this unheated, poorly treated, hillbilly not See-ment but Plas-tic Pond.