Abstract: Apparatus for electrical water heater air entrapment detection includes two electrodes residing at opposite ends of a heater housing. The electrodes are part of a circuit and if either electrode is surrounded by air, the circuit is opened and entrapped air is sensed. The temperature sensors are located at opposite ends of the heater housing, the electrodes may be integrated into the temperature sensors. When entrapped air is sensed, a heater relay is opened preventing powering a heater element(s). A spa pump is operated to clear the entrapped air, and when a variable speed pump is present, the pump is turned to high speed to clear the entrapped air.

Abstract: A spa heater includes a heater element having a single outer wall with indentations near each end for receiving clips for positioning the heater element. The indentations are preferably stamped or formed by some other method which does not weaken the outer wall and the heater element is retained by use of the clips in the indentations. Incorporation of the indentations and the clips allows use of a single thin outer wall thereby reducing cost. The heater element is held and sealed by a combination of O-rings, stepped washers, snap rings clips, and caps. An electrical connection may be made using ring type wire ends residing under the caps or by connecting to posts extending from the ends of the heater element. The heater element is preferably a spiral heater element and a titanium outer wall may be used to resist corrosion and increases heater element life.

Abstract: A spa wall mounted head rest directs a curved sheet of water against a user's neck and shoulders. The head rest is fed by two laterally spaced apart water flows and includes an internal manifold to uniformly direct the flows across a curved outlet. The resulting curved flow is uniformly directed against the user's neck and shoulders. The head rest has a curved back to allow mounting in a corner of the spa wall and includes an easily removable and replaceable head rest cover allowing easy maintenance.

Abstract: An improved spa shell is vacuum formed using a mold and removable edge parts. The edge parts are positioned on a shoulder surrounding a top edge of the mold. A sheet of plastic is heated and pulled down over the mold and edge parts by clamps. Vacuum is drawn from the interior of the mold for forming the shell interior and through the edge parts to draw the plastic into a channel surrounding the spa shell edge to form a belt and recessed lip. After cooling, the shell is lifted away from the mold, also separating the edge parts from the mold. The edge parts are then free to extract from the shell. The formed shell may be assembled with a spa frame, and wall pieces removably positioned around the exterior of the spa by engaging the recessed lip.

Abstract: An electric spa motor includes a ring circling the motor and in direct contact with the motor case. The ring carries a flow of water to cool the motor and to provide heat to the flow of water to supplement a spa heater. The ring includes a passage through the ring for carrying the flow of water. The ring and the passage have cross-sections with approximately equal height and width.

Abstract: A spa heater includes a heater element having a single outer wall with indentations near each end for receiving clips for positioning the heater element. The indentations are preferably stamped or formed by some other method which does not weaken the outer wall and the heater element is retained by use of the clips in the indentations. Incorporation of the indentations and the clips allows use of a single thin outer wall thereby reducing cost. The heater element is held and sealed by a combination of O-rings, stepped washers, snap rings clips, and caps. An electrical connection may be made using ring type wire ends residing under the caps or by connecting to posts extending from the ends of the heater element. The heater element is preferably a spiral heater element and a titanium outer wall may be used to resist corrosion and increases heater element life.

Abstract: A spa heater includes a heater element having a single outer wall with indentations near each end for receiving clips for positioning the heater element. The indentations are preferably stamped or formed by some other method which does not weaken the outer wall and the heater element is retained by use of the clips in the indentations. Incorporation of the indentations and the clips allows use of a single thin outer wall thereby reducing cost. The heater element is held and sealed by a combination of O-rings, stepped washers, snap rings clips, and caps. An electrical connection may be made using ring type wire ends residing under the caps or by connecting to posts extending from the ends of the heater element. The heater element is preferably a spiral heater element and a titanium outer wall may be used to resist corrosion and increases heater element life.

Abstract: An electric spa motor includes a ring circling the motor and in direct contact with the motor case. The ring carries a flow of water to cool the motor and to provide heat to the flow of water to supplement a spa heater. The ring includes a passage through the ring for carrying the flow of water. The ring and the passage have cross-sections with approximately equal height and width.

Abstract: A spa wall mounted head rest directs a curved sheet of water against a user's neck and shoulders. The head rest is fed by two laterally spaced apart water flows and includes an internal manifold to uniformly direct the flows across a curved outlet. The resulting curved flow is uniformly directed against the user's neck and shoulders. The head rest has a curved back to allow mounting in a corner of the spa wall and includes an easily removable and replaceable head rest cover allowing easy maintenance.

Abstract: A spa heater/control includes sensors and processors to monitor and display indicia of common failures. The heater/control includes voltage sensors and processing to measure proper power connections to the heater/control. The spa heater/control further monitors various voltages, currents, flow rates, and temperatures within the spa to provide diagnostic information which is easily obtained by a spa owner to provide to a spa dealer to reduce the time and cost of spa repairs. In particular, the heater/control compare a present current draw of a spa pump to the expected current draw. A difference exceeding a threshold, may indicate a draw blocked by, for example, a small child, and the pump is turned off.

Abstract: A dual inlet and dual outlet valve controls a flow from dual inlet pipes through dual outlets to dual outlet pipes to increase flow where space is not available for a single larger diameter pipe. The valve includes a rotatable cylindrical plug with vertically spaced apart plug mouths. The plug may be rotated to align the plug mouths with one of both dual outlets to allow a flow to the dual outlet pipes, or the plug may be rotated to block the flow to both outlets. The dual inlet and dual outlet valve is particularly useful in a spa where narrow spa walls limit pipe sizes. The valve allows parallel pipes into the valve and from the valve to jets, thus increasing the water flow to the jets and the resulting turbulence.

Abstract: A spa heater includes a heater element having a single outer wall with indentations near each end for receiving clips for positioning the heater element. The indentations are preferably stamped or formed by some other method which does not weaken the outer wall and the heater element is retained by use of the clips in the indentations. Incorporation of the indentations and the clips allows use of a single thin outer wall thereby reducing cost. The heater element is held and sealed by a combination of O-rings, stepped washers, snap rings clips, and caps. An electrical connection may be made using ring type wire ends residing under the caps or by connecting to posts extending from the ends of the heater element. The heater element is preferably a spiral heater element and a titanium outer wall may be used to resist corrosion and increases heater element life.

Abstract: A spa heater/control includes sensors and processors to monitor and display indicia of common failures. The heater/control includes voltage sensors and processing to measure proper power connections to the heater/control. The spa heater/control further monitors various voltages, currents, flow rates, and temperatures within the spa to provide diagnostic information which is easily obtained by a spa owner to provide to a spa dealer to reduce the time and cost of spa repairs.

Abstract: A water driven massager mounted in an opening in the wall of a spa. The massager includes a main housing secured to the wall opening and extending outwardly from the wall (i.e., away from a spa user). A gear housing is mounted in the main housing and contains a drive mechanism rotationally connecting between a turbine and a rotating massager. The drive mechanism includes two in-series planetary gear sets for reducing Revolutions Per Minute (RPM) of the rotating massager. The rotating massager includes a plurality of rotating balls held in a ball plate residing proximal to the plane of a spa surface of the wall (i.e., the spa wall surface facing the user), and is covered by a boot providing a massager surface. The ball plate rotates at between 50 and 80 RPM thereby providing a rotating massage on the surface of the boot. The gear housing is easily removed through the wall opening for service and maintenance.

Abstract: An automatic air bleed valve which allows air to escape from water lines. Allowing air to thus escape, prevents pump cavitation and/or air in the heater. The air bleed valve is positioned between a pump and the heater, and is higher than the heater, and no higher than the water level in the spa. The air bleed valve comprises a vertically disposed cylinder containing a piston and having a valve bottom, a valve inlet proximal to the valve bottom, valve top, and a valve outlet proximal to the valve top. The piston moves vertically in the cylinder. While water is present in the cylinder, the piston raises and cooperates with a seal to prevent a flow of water through the valve. While air is present in the cylinder, the piston drops and allows the air to flow past the piston to the valve outlet.

Abstract: A water driven vibrating massager mounted in an opening in the wall of a spa. The massager is supported in a massager mounting frame secured in the opening in the wall of the spa. The mounting frame has a frame elastic member support portion extending inwardly from the frame. An elastic member is held by the elastic member support portion, which in turn holds a massager body. The massager body extends interiorly to a support area on the mounting frame and an inner elastic member is held between the support area on the mounting frame and a support portion on the massager body. The massager body fits within a mounting frame for a water jet and the process of the present invention includes the unscrewing of a locking ring and the removal of a water jet followed by the insertion of the massager body and the replacement of the locking ring. In this way, the massager body can be placed at any position where a spa jet is held.

Abstract: A water driven vibrating massager mounted in an opening in the wall of a spa. The massager is supported in a massager mounting frame secured in the opening in the wall of the spa. The mounting frame has a frame elastic member support portion extending inwardly from the frame. An elastic member is held by the elastic member support portion, which in turn holds a massager body. The massager body extends interiorly to a support area on the mounting frame and an inner elastic member is held between the support area on the mounting frame and a support portion on the massager body. The massager body fits within a mounting frame for a water jet and the process of the present invention includes the unscrewing of a locking ring and the removal of a water jet followed by the insertion of the massager body and the replacement of the locking ring. In this way, the massager body can be placed at any position where a spa jet is held.

Abstract: A spa cooling fan assembly mounted in the wall of a spa cabinet. The cabinet encloses a water circulating pump. A fan motor frame is secured over an opening in the spa cabinet wall and the fan is driven by a turbine. The turbine is driven by a flow of water from the water circulating pump so that when the water pump is running, the cooling fan also operates. A second cooling fan assembly may be mounted in a second opening in the spa cabinet wall. One cooling fan draws air out of the cabinet and the second cooling fan draws air from outside te cabinet into the cabinet. The result is that when the water pump is running, air is being circulated into the spa cabinet to keep the pump motor cool.

Abstract: An air blower assembly for use with spas having a blower-and-motor unit snugly mounted inside an intake housing using a pair of ring-shaped elastomeric gaskets. An outlet housing having a smaller diameter than the intake housing but larger than the motor portion of the blower-and-motor unit, is telescopically positioned inside the intake housing and around the motor portion of the blower-and-motor unit to doubly enclose the motor portion. A muffler, having a muffler inlet port leading directly to a concave air dam, covers an air inlet port on the intake housing to block a straight-line path to the air inlet port.

Abstract: An adjustable, spa massager mounting assembly for use in hydrotherapy hot tubs or whirlpool baths. The mounting assembly includes a first member secured to a hot tub and a second member joined to a spa massaging unit. The first member has a track portion along which a slider portion of the second member captively and matingly slides. The first and second members are capable of releasably securing to each other at a desired relative position by means of a slide-lock component on one of the members. The slide-lock component has an engaging portion which is adapted to releasably engage at least one indentation of a plurality of indentations on the other one of the members. Additionally, in one preferred embodiment a cantilever arm of the slide-lock component maintains the engaging portion in resilient contact with the plurality of indentations during movement of the first and second members relative to each other and when a desired position is reached.