How Do Spa Pumps Work?

The design of a water pump in a spa is much like the design of one in a car, pool or well. Spa pumps are the most important component to a spa. Without the pump, the spa could not be heated and the water would not circulate. The pump also creates massaging jets and massaging streams of water. The principle behind a spa is that water passes through intakes and comes out hot, for the users' enjoyment.

 How spa pumps work:

The interior is taken up by an electric motor from which extends a metal shaft. The shaft extends into a waterproof chamber. The shaft in this portion of the chamber flares out into a turbine, looking very much like the blades of a fan. There are two pipes connecting to this chamber. When the pump activates, the turbines spin, creating an effect due to combining acceleration. Essentially the whirlpool generated by the spinning turbine pulls water in from one pipe and forces it out through the other. The direction of the pump depends on the design of the fans and the direction in which the turbine turns.

Different types of pumps:

Some spas use one pump for both the filtering of the water and for providing water to the jets. Other spas have two pumps, one for the filter and another for the jets. All pumps have an inlet, where the water is drawn in, and an outlet where the water moves out. The water is pulled through the filter, moves through the pump and out the other side of the pump. From there, the water is pushed through the pipes leading to the jets and back into the spa.

Timers:

There are two ways to turn the spa pump on. One is a timer, which will automatically turn the pump on to filter the spa. The timing settings will depend on the size and type of spa being filtered. The other is pushing the spas on and off switch, so the owner can turn the jets on whenever they enter the spa.