Fix your CalSpa hot tub (error code SF)
So, I was going to relax in my spa the other day when I saw it would trip over and flash "SF" on the control panel. Here is what I did to fix it. SF stands for safety S uction F ailure. It comes up when your hot tub...
Published on Updated on 2 min read
So, I was going to relax in my spa the other day when I saw it would trip over and flash “SF” on the control panel. Here is what I did to fix it.
SF stands for safety Suction Failure. It comes up when your hot tub doesn’t suck. Typically when something doesn’t suck, it’s a good thing. But here - it’s a problem! Water can’t be sucked into the water pump, typically due to blockages. Obvious visual checks showed no blockages on any inlets. Hmm.
Before the next step - TURN OFF THE HOT TUB CIRCUIT BREAKER. Don’t die because your hot tub doesn’t suck. THAT would suck.
Next, I opened the side panel and disconnected the safety suction from the controller motherboard. It’s the black/red wire with the brown header I’m holding below.
There is (supposedly) another check on the heater so this is redundant and it was for a quick test anyway. Turning the circuit breaker back on and turning the hot tub jets to full, nothing tripped this time. Awesome! So definitely the safety suction unit/sensor.
The safety suction unit has a grey wire coming out and going to the control unit. It also has a blue rubber cover.
If you gently pry the blue rubber cover off, you can detach the two wires and unscrew the entire safety suction unit - which stick 90 degrees off the inlet pipe. Note that if you do unscrew it fully you’ll have a little fountain at that point and it will eventually drain your hot tub. It’s quite low pressure, so you can just screw back your new (or old) safety suction sensor without necessarily draining the entire hot tub. In my case, I put the old non working unit back but disconnected it from the main board. I’ve ordered a new part online (Amazon). As you can see, I needed part # VM12540E-250WI
I’ll update this post when I have the replacement part and have installed it next week.
UPDATE: I got the replacement part and installed it. All good.
Comments (9)
Archived from the original WordPress site. New comments are closed.
Cheri Where do I find the update?sidshetye Updated it but it’s pretty anti-climactic ...Kevin These things are a pita and useless Do yourself a favor unplug them from main board and save the money and aggravationDwane Thanks for your all your helpDwane Will it hurt to unplug the pressure switch for your California spa hot tubDwane Is it necessary to have the pressure switch on the California hot tub or can I unhook himSid It'll "work" but it's a safety feature to switch things off in case of clogs or no/low water. So while it would work, I would buy a new pressure switch and replace it in a day or two.Dwane Blevens I put two new pressure switch is on and I’m still getting that 5F code can you tell me where the black wire goes and the red wire top or bottom I put black on top.Sid Since it's a switch, I don't think it really matters on the red or black being up or down. When the switch closes, it's a closed circuit. Seems like in your case the error code is due to another reason.
