Spaquip

Spaquip spa control parts and SpaPower sensors

Spaquip is a name that spa owners usually meet through the SpaPower range of spa control systems — the boxes that sit under the cabinet and decide when the heater, the circulation pump, the jet pumps and the blower run. Control packs of this type rely on a small number of sensing and switching components to work safely, and the temperature sensor is the one that tends to be replaced first. Here you will find replacement sensing parts for SpaPower controllers, identified by their original part numbers so that there is no guesswork when ordering.

Because a spa controller makes heating decisions from a single reading, a sensor that has drifted or failed has an immediate and very visible effect: the water will not reach the set temperature, the heater cycles oddly, or the display reports a sensor fault and locks the heating out altogether. Replacing the sensor is usually far quicker and cheaper than replacing a control pack, which is why these parts are worth keeping track of.

What a shell-mounted temperature sensor does

A shell-mounted sensor is fitted through the acrylic shell of the spa itself rather than into a pipe tee or a heater manifold. It sits with its tip in the water and reports the real bathing temperature back to the controller, which compares it with the set point and switches the heater accordingly. In most spa control systems the sensing element behaves as a thermistor — its electrical resistance changes with temperature — so the controller is reading resistance rather than a voltage from a powered probe.

Typical signs that a sensor needs attention include:

• Sensor or probe error codes shown on the touchpad, often appearing as soon as the system is powered up.
• Water that never reaches the set temperature, or a heater that shuts off far too early.
• Overheating or repeated high-limit trips, where the controller is working from a reading that is lower than the actual water temperature.
• A reading that is clearly wrong — ambient-looking figures in a hot spa, or a display that jumps around.
• Visible damage to the cable or the grommet, including nicks, crushing where the cable passes a frame member, or corrosion at the connector.

Before condemning the sensor it is worth checking the obvious: that the plug is fully seated at the control pack, that the cable has not been chafed by a pump mount, and that the circulation flow past the sensor tip has not been reduced by a clogged filter. A sensor reading still water in a dead spot will not reflect what the controller expects to see.

Finding the right sensor for your SP800 or SP1200

SpaPower controllers are fitted to spas from many different builders, so the spa’s own brand name on the cabinet is rarely enough to identify a part. Work from the controller instead. The part number printed on the sensor itself, or on the label inside the control box lid, is the most reliable identifier — here the sensor is listed as Q915445-10 for SpaPower SP800 and SP1200 systems.

When checking a replacement against the one you are removing, compare:

• The controller model — SP800 and SP1200 take the sensor listed here; other SpaPower generations are not automatically the same.
• The mounting style — shell-mounted sensors pass through a drilled hole in the acrylic and seal against it, whereas pocket or in-line types screw into a pipe fitting and are not interchangeable.
• The cable length — the lead has to reach from the shell penetration to the control pack without strain or splicing; measure the existing run before ordering.
• The connector — compare the plug body and pin layout with the socket on the control pack, not just the colour of the wires.

Photograph the old sensor in place before removal. It records the routing, the position of any cable clips and the orientation of the plug, all of which saves time on refitting.

Spaquip at PoolParthub.com

Here we list Spaquip replacement parts for SpaPower control systems, starting with the shell-mounted temperature sensor used with SP800 and SP1200 controllers. Parts are shown with their original references so that a part number taken from the old component or the control box label can be matched directly.

Spa control packs are usually repaired component by component rather than replaced as a unit, and a sensor is one of the few items a reasonably confident owner can change without rewiring anything. Keeping these parts available means a faulty reading does not have to mean an unheated spa for long.