Len Gordon

Len Gordon air buttons, mounting plates and pneumatic spa controls

Len Gordon is a familiar name on the control side of spas, whirlpool baths and jetted pools, where the user interface is pneumatic rather than electrical. Instead of wiring a switch into the deck, a soft air button is pressed, a pulse of air travels down a length of flexible tubing, and an air switch inside the equipment pack toggles the pump, blower or light. The parts listed here belong to that system: the visible hardware on the shell or panel, and the trim that holds it neatly in place.

How a pneumatic control system is put together

The appeal of an air control is that nothing live sits within reach of a wet hand. The chain is simple and each link can be replaced on its own, which is why individual components are worth stocking rather than changing a whole topside.

• Levegőgomb — the bellows or dome the bather presses, fitted through a hole in the shell, skirt or deck and sealed with a nut and gasket.
• Légtömlő — small-bore flexible tube running from the button to the equipment area; it must be free of kinks, splits and standing water.
• Légkapcsoló — the receiving end, with a diaphragm that converts the pressure pulse into a momentary or latching contact.
• Mounting plate or bezel — the trim that carries two or three buttons together at fixed spacing and gives a tidy, aligned finish on the panel.

Faults are usually mechanical rather than electrical. A button that feels soft, stays depressed, or has gone chalky and brittle after years of sun has reached the end of its life. Intermittent operation often points to a split tube or a trapped slug of water rather than the switch itself.

The air button mounting plate for 2 or 3 buttons

The mounting plate listed under 951522-000 is the carrier for a two or three button group. It sets the spacing between buttons, keeps them square to one another, and presents a single finished face to the user rather than three separate holes drilled by hand. On a spa skirt or a tiled surround this makes a visible difference, and it also means the buttons are supported evenly, so pressing one does not flex the panel around the others.

Because the plate holds either two or three positions, it suits both the common pump-plus-blower layout and installations that add a light or a second pump speed. When refitting, label each air tube before disconnecting anything. The tubes are usually identical in appearance, and once they are off the buttons there is no reliable way to tell which one drives the blower and which one drives the pump without tracing them back through the cabinet.

Identifying the right part before ordering

Topside controls are not interchangeable between every spa, so a few measurements save a return. Work from the part you already have rather than from the model name of the pool.

• Count the positions — note whether the existing plate carries two or three buttons, and whether any position is blanked off.
• Measure the hole diameter for a single button through the panel, and the thickness of the panel itself, since the retaining nut needs enough thread to grip.
• Measure centre to centre between adjacent buttons; this spacing is what a multi-button plate fixes, and it must match the holes already cut.
• Check the tubing — measure the outside diameter of the air tube and look for hardening or cracking near the barb, which is where splits usually start.
• Photograph the layout before removal, including which function each button operates, so the new assembly goes back the same way.

If a replacement is being fitted into an existing cut-out, compare the footprint of the plate against the surrounding trim as well. A plate that is slightly larger than the original will cover minor marks; one that is smaller may expose them.

Len Gordon at PoolParthub.com

Here you will find Len Gordon control hardware for spas and jetted pools, currently centred on the air button mounting plate for two or three buttons, part 951522-000. It is the kind of component that is rarely thought about until a panel is stripped for a pump change and the old trim turns out to be cracked or discoloured.

Pneumatic controls are built to be serviced piece by piece, so a tired button group does not have to mean a new topside. Parts are listed by their original reference numbers to make cross-checking against an exploded view or an existing component straightforward, and measurements taken from the part in hand remain the most reliable guide to a correct fit.