128. Support: Why does the spa motor over heat or suddenly turn itself off?

A spa motor can over-heat for several reasons. MOTOR TOO LARGE You should have at least 4 standard size jets for every horsepower. Over-powering the spa will overheat the motor. The only option is to add jets (which requires plumbing and cutting holes on your tub) or purchase a smaller motor. VENTILATION Make sure there is adequate ventilation for the motor to cool. Test this by removing the cabinet panel on the side of the spa that the motor sits. Protect the motor and equipment from direct sunlight and water damage. If the motor doesn't over-heat, you can purchase ventilation louvers that can increase the ventilation to the spa while keeping rodents out. RESTRICTIONS There may be water restrictions in the plumbing. Possible valves may be closed, jets and plumbing are clogged order closed, or air in the plumbing. There may also be debris in the pump wet end assembly. Any of these will cause the motor to overheat. Make sure valves are open, clean out any clogs and debris. If air is in the plumbing, bleed air out of the plumbing. CIRCULATION SETTING Low speed is meant for circulation. If your motor is mis-wired so that HIGH speed comes on for circulation or on certain controllers if you leave the motor on HIGH when you exit the tub, the motor will turn back on in HIGH on it's next circulation. High speeds are meant to be on for only about 20 minutes at a time. Low speed can be on for a long period of time. Make sure the motor runs on low speed for the heat and/of filtration cycles, and high speed only for the jet action. EXTENDED USAGE Spa motors aren't made to run for extended periods of time. If you leave a spa motor on HIGH for an extended period of time the motor may thermally overload and shut itself off. TEMPERATURE Some spa motors may run fine in high temperature. When the motor gets too hot, that is when the thermal overload will kick in and turn off the motor. If the thermal overload has not kicked in, then the motor is not hot enough. Consult with the motor manufacturer to find out what is the normal running temperature of the motor. VOLTAGE If incorrect voltage is being supplied to the motor, the motor will overheat and then turn itself off. Once the motor cools, it will come back on and turn off again. This is continuous until the voltage is corrected. Verified to make sure the correct voltage is being supplied to the motor. Check the motor label to verify it's voltage rating.