1999 Sundance Cameo Spa Repairs
Here is a full list of all the repairs I have made over the years, along with some details of the fixes, in case it helps anyone else. My hot tub worked quite well from about 1999 to around 2008, and then some leaks were fixed by replacing the pump seals, and I think a new circulation pump and ozonator were needed as well. Also around this time, some "gunk" had built up around the water line. Some people from the local Sundance dealer came out to fix it all. They might have used acetone (or something that smelled like it) to remove the gunk. Not sure. It continued to work fairly well until around 2013, when the leaks grew worse (especially due to a cracked diverter valve), and another circulation pump failure, as well as some sensor failures and another saturated cover. I finally decided to power it down and empty it, in hopes of getting it fixed. Unfortunately, I lost my job around this time, so I left it powered off, and decided I would try to fix it myself when I was ready.
There are 2 things I wish I would have done differently:
Not started hacking apart the diverter valve right away (I later found crack repair kits online that might have fixed it a lot more easily.)
Kept the hot tub covered at all times, either with the old water-logged cover, or with foam and a tarp. (I tried plywood for a while, but it wasn't ideal, because it left some scratches and didn't seal well.)
Here is a rundown of all the repairs:
New Pump Seals - These were replaced by a Sundance service tech, though I probably could have done the work myself.
New Circulation Pump - I have replaced this at least twice over the years. I can't remember if it was showing the FLO warning, or if it tripped the GFI, or perhaps both.
I had to replace the temp sensor in the filter bay once. I can't remember if there was an error or if it just stopped reading. It was also leaking, so I had to replace the rubber O-ring. Actually, many rubber seals and O-rings will need regular replacement.
Problem - Cracked Diverter Valve with bad leaks.
Solution - The sleeve might have been easier and cheaper, but I ended up replacing the entire thing, with new PVC plumbing. Unfortunately, I cut all the PVC right away, thinking I would get to work faster, but that didn't happen. I should have plugged the top of the old valve so I could have kept using the hot tub with equal flow to both the therapy seat and foot jets. Instead, it sat empty and unused for several years. I finally got the necessary PVC, and cut the sections I needed. At first I was trying to get it exactly like the old design, but it was going to be too difficult to glue all the pieces at once. I ended up dry-fitting, taking a photo, numbering all the connections, and glued them in order. 2 pieces of flex tubing came up from the bottom, but I re-routed one of the pipes to the side so it could be connected last, without dependency on the other fittings.
Problem - Numerous leaks.
Solution - I first tried the leak finder that is added to the water, but that didn't help. Then I tried Plast-aid. I should have first emptied the hot tub before applying. My tub was leaking an inch per day at one point, and it just felt overwhelming. I was worried the foot jets were leaking, and that I wouldn't be able to access them. I was hoping I could quckly fix the worst of the leaks. I finally did what others suggested, and used the brute force method of stripping away insulation until I found wet insulation. At first I was thinking I could re-use the old insulation, but soon gave up, realizing much of it was old and saturated, and would not insulate very well anyway. I started with the obvious big leaks, and worked my way down to the small leaks. I took photos and videos of each PVC pipe and connection, and marked where they were leaking. I started with water in the tub, dried each pipe and connection several times, and then noted all the drips. I removed all the side panels, and looked for insulation that was darker than the rest. I felt around at the bottom to see where water was pooling. Once the pipes were exposed and leaks were located and marked, I drained the tub, cleaned each fitting with paper towels, dremel, sand paper, and acetone, and then applied Plast-aid. The first attempt got most of the leaks, but the water was still dropping about 1/4 inch every few days. A 2nd attempt found 2 or 3 more locations with slow drips. I used fans, leaf-blowers, and mirrors with sunlight to try to dry out the inside faster. It had gotten very wet over the years, some wood had rotted, and one of the pump mounts had rusted away. For now I just put the pump on a piece of 2x4, though it is a little louder than proper rubber pump isolation mounts. I will add those later.
Problem - Jets were still working but stopped spinning.
Solution - After pulling some out and trying to clean or repair them, I realized the plastic was too old and they just wouldn't be smooth anymore. I ordered new generic ones for about $12 each. They spin great, but they don't hold their position for rotation with high water flow, so maybe it didn't matter. In any case, I was able to get in to better clean the jet housings. A NEW toilet brush worked great for cleaning.
Problem - 2-Speed Pump was only buzzing when applying power.
Solution - New Start and Run Capacitors for Pump Motors. These were about $12 each on Amazon, and easy to replace. Make sure the old ones are fully discharged before touching them. There are plenty of videos online.
Problem - 1-Speed Pump was spinning but no water was flowing.
Solution - Purge air from plumbing by briefly unscrewing the Pump connections. I had never had air in the lines before, but maybe it was because I redid the PVC on that pump.
Problem - 1-Speed Pump was later tripping the GFI.
Solution - Again, I purged air from plumbing by briefly unscrewing the Pump connections. Even with proper filling, it happened again. I'll have to keep an eye on that in the future.
Problem - Air bubbles stopped working.
Solution - At first I simply disconnected the power to the air blower motor. Eventually, I opened up the rubber housing and found that the old blower motor was burned out pretty badly. That also explained the bad smell. It looked like the old foam "filter" that was inserted in the PVC air intake pipe was either eaten by a mouse, or had been sucked into the old motor. I don't remember seeing this as a maintenance point, but it really should be! Most old foam eventually turns to tar and is nasty stuff. The filter really should have both a primary and secondary filter. I ordered a new Ametek 220V air blower motor, a secondary filter that fits over it, and made a new primary filter for the air intake that I will periodically check and replace. I also made a new PVC air intake, as I didn't like the smell of tar or the sticky paper that was inside the old section of PVC.
Another problem arose after installing the new air blower motor. It wasn't turning on, and when I measured for voltage at the connector, there was none. I ended up having to also replace the TRIAC and opto-isolator which controls the air blower motor, which had also failed. Luckily the PCB was fairly-easily serviceable, despite all the components and wires. Simply unscrew the 3 smaller Phillips screws at the corners, and the 2 larger Phillips screws near the power mains input. On mine, the stand-offs were all attached to the metal case, so nothing came loose, other than the screws I removed. Once the screws are out, the PCB can easily be folded down for access to the back side for soldering. My biggest complaint is that the extremely small solder pads and solder didn't flow or remove very easily. I used some flux and several attempts with both a solder sucker and solder wick. I also cut the pins of the old devices so the removal would go faster.
Problem - My old cover had become saturated again. Unfortunately, I had thrown it out several years ago when I emptied the hot tub.
Solution - I've replaced my cover at least 3 or 4 times over the years. They never last. It doesn't seem to matter where I buy them, what upgrades I purchase, or how I treat them. I had some plywood and a tarp I used to cover the tub for a couple years. It's good to protect the shell. But eventually the plywood started sagging and leaking and dripping sap or glue, even though I flipped it regularly. And despite being very careful, it also scratched the top of the shell a little. So that wasn't great.
Then came COVID, and although it gave me time to work on the hot tub, it also caused 4-6 month delays for new hot tub covers. I didn't want to order a new cover until I was absolutely sure I could completely fix the hot tub. But then once I did fix it, I didn't want to wait 4-6 months for a new cover. Not to mention I wasn't sure I would be home to accept delivery. So I decided to try making my own cover with 2-inch hard foam, mattress protector plastic bags, Tyvek tape, and another tarp. So far, it seems to be working. I ended up going all in, and spent about $200 on supplies and worked way too hard for something I was thinking would be temporary. I even cut special angled pieces to form a slope for water runoff. Now I might see if mine can outlast the pros. Mine should be somewhat user servicable, in that I can replace the tarp or mattress protector bags any time. I also used higher quality foam. I'm hoping they won't saturate.
Problem - The wood needed staining again, and was beginning to deteriorate on the side that never gets any sunlight.
Solution - I restained the cabinet of course, but I also had to carefully remove the one panel, and rebuild it, as it was falling apart. It was a bit more involved than I was expecting. I ended up pulling out all the staples, sanding down all the wood, and completely refinishing and repairing the bottom board. I probably should have replaced the bottom board entirely, but that would have meant investing in a Kreg jig and doing some routing. Plus nobody can see that side of the hot tub anyway. I ended up using Minwax rotted wood restorer and wood putty. Then I restrained all the parts. I decided to both glue and staple the panel back together. Then I put a bead of caulk near the bottom board to prevent water from pooling in the gaps. Be very careful with your panels, and with the curved corner boards. I imagine they are VERY expensive to replace. Stain them regularly, and keep a close eye on them so they don't deteriorate. I had some leftover Sierra stain from the Sundance dealer. It was very expensive. Probably twice as much as other stains. But the color matched and I liked the original color. I read online that they source their stain from SuperDeck. I'm not sure if it is made for Sundance, or if they just put custom labels on existing SuperDeck stains.
Problem - How to reinsulate the hot tub?
Solution - I got more solid foam, and started cutting sections that fit in between the framing. I was also thinking I could put fiberglass batting in plastic garbage bags to fill some of the voids. It doesn't freeze where I live, so we'll see what works. I also don't know how much heat is lost through the cover vs through the bottom and sides. And it seems strange that mine wasn't insulated much at all towards the equipment cabinet. And none of the pipes in my equipment cabinet are insulated. The shell still has sprayed-on foam. It's just the chunks under the heavy paper wrap that I removed in some areas. Even from the original design, the insulation could be much better in some areas. I'll get to this as I have time.
Jan 7, 2022
Amazing to me, the hot tub works great again, and there are no leaks! I used it about a month before shutting it down while I go on vacation. Everyone had said it wasn't worth it trying to fix it, and I had a lot of doubts before I got started. Although it was a lot of work, and I probably spent too much time thinking about it and researching, it does work, and I probably saved at least $5000 in repair costs. More details and photos to come!
