Our house has a Jacuzzi whirlpool bath in the master bathroom. I use it sporadically, but last month I tried it and the motor hummed but the pump impeller obviously wasn't turning. I tried a few things, then went to the Internet. They mentioned a few possibilities, and also mentioned, "try hitting the pump with a hammer". I decided to just forget it for a few weeks and work on other issue.

Today I decided was the day, so I went to trying to find a way into the pump. The front decorative wood panels luckily lifted off easily. (My normal style is to break something and then discover it came apart a different way.) What I found was that when the house was being built they installed the pump/motor on the "wrong" end of the tub as far as I'm concerned. I've got plenty of room on the other end, but where they put it, I'm blocked by 2 x 4 uprights, PVC tubing, an electrical outlet, and distance. The pump is at arms length. If I could break it loose, I couldn't extract it without doing some significant remodeling. That left me with, "hit it with a hammer". I could barely reach the pump, had no "swing" to generate much momentum, so I just tapped around the case as best I could. Low and behold when I punched the Start button, the pump on the Jacuzzi fired-up good as new.

Now my question. Can I circulate something like CLR through the system once a month to keep the impeller from locking (or dishwasher detergent, vinegar, etc.)? I'm worried the next time that impeller gets jammed, my tapping may not be enough to free it. I can now tell Plan-B would be a bitch.

I'm a long ways from being a pump or electric motor guy but I really doubt it is the impeller locking up unless there is something on it, like a piece of plastic or similar, but then it wouldn't work right if it started turning. My guess is that it might be the capacitor, especially given the relatively damp environment. I dunno if this would help or not, but maybe just turning it on for a minute or so once a week might help. Of course my theory is that if a hammer or duct tape won't fix it, call someone who knows what they are doing.

Not a Jacuzzi guy by any means but I repaired pumps and motors for more than 30 years. Sounds like the chemical buildup on your impellor; has just a few thousandths clearance from the bowl; has locked it up. The light tap of the hammer was just what it needed.
I have seen them with so much crap on them they were unrecognizable for what type of impellor was down there.
Talk to a dealer about flushing agents.
Keep the hammer handy.

Remember in "The longest Day" when that Scottsman wanted that jeep stared + made the comment that "My mum always said if you wanted a mechanical thing to work,give it a good bash!"That being said,the hammer strike most likely broke loose the windings contact from the case.Or you accidentally hit the red reset button.If you have a high calcium level in your water then you might consider a monthly vinegar flush. It will make your dishwasher run forever as well.

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That being said,the hammer strike most likely broke loose the windings contact from the case.

I have done the hit it thing on many a vehicle starter you normally get two hits before it quits totally.

I recommend replacing the motor it is going bad.

Again, I am not a motor guy, but if the impeller was locked up, wouldn't the motor hummm or make some kind of noises?

The motor seems to be OK. I think with the hard water we have that non-use for a period of time allowed the impeller to "set". I think I jarred the crap loose around it. There were small black/gray particles floating in the water after I taught it a lesson with the hammer and allowed it to run for a half hour. I definitely didn't hit a reset button. I suspect that was on the opposite end. I couldn't reach that. I was tapping around the outside diameter of the pump like you would crack a hard-boiled egg....if you were really pissed-off.

I think I'm going to do the vinegar thing, or the CLR. I'm just a little worried that CLR is a little harsh.

Today I'm taking lost okie's advice and stop by a spa place and see what they recommend flushing the system with.

Local home repair guru recommended running Tang in the tub to clean it out. Citric acid ? Does get mould and crap in there if it sits, always some water.

Grizz

probably need to fill the tub a little and let the water sit for a while to allow the dried-on gunge to soften in the pump and pipework. Then run it , empty it and then use a proprietory flushing agent , or even white vinegar .

I stopped by a hot tub / spa dealer yesterday and described what I had run into with my Jacuzzi tub. Basically I had a guy staring at me blinking his eyes. Then he asked a lady who I guess knew more about their product than he did. She basically just stood there blinking her eyes, then gave me a phone number for a guy that she thought knew more about Jacuzzi's than she did.

Back to the Internet.

I found I lot of helpful videos. The bottom line seems to be use "Oh Yuk" from Amazon, or either vinegar, or a combination of dishwasher detergent and bleach.

https://www.youtube.com/result...n+a+jacuzzi+bathtub+

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6odPc0hC7Mk

I'm going to try the dishwasher detergent and bleach first, then move on to "Oh Yuk".

I thought about using my one-year-old grand-daughter as my guinea pig, but started feeling kinda guilty, so I think I'll let my wife test the tub out after I de-gunk it. If she seems OK, then I'll give it a go.

Another vote for vinegar. I'm a plumber and it's what we use to flush tankless water heaters.

My two bottles of "Oh Yuk" from Amazon arrived. The instructions called for 4 ounces circulating for 15 minutes. I used 8 ounces and ran the jets for thirty minutes. I couldn't see any gunk being removed from the system. I shut the jets off. I came back thirty minutes later and turned the jets on, but nothing happened, just a motor humming. (Same old problem.)

I got my hammer and went to tapping on the housing, and the jets started. I ran them another fifteen minutes, shut them off and drained the tub of soapy water. I decided to fill the tub again with hot water and run the jets just to get the lines standing with clean water. Naturally, the jets didn't come back on, just a humming sound. I went to tapping again and I heard the reset button fire and the humming stopped.

So much for the Jacuzzi. I'm now faced with a 12" by 18" opening, and a reset button I can't see on the backside of the motor that is five feet from me. I would need a light to drop back in there, something with a mirror on the end of it so I could find the reset button, and a probe like a shepherd's hook to be able to push/pull the reset button towards me to reset it. Basically, I'm goosed.

I never liked that damned Jacuzzi anyway.