I recently purchased an AP-1400 unit to replace a defective Brett Aqualine unit on my Spa. The AP-1400 was sold to me as an "exact" replacement for the EM-100. In appearance, it was an exact replacement, with the same plumbing and electrical connections. However, when it was fully installed and turned on, the pump made a lot of noise and would shut off after only a few minutes of operation, overheating in the process. When consulting with the AP-1400 supplier, I was told the pump was probably defective. However, I decided to investigate further on my own, concentrating on the electrical aspects of the unit. Here is what I found:

Problem #1:
The output wiring to the pump was via a four wire plug (green, white, black, and red, in that order from back to front). There was 110V on both the black and red leads, as expected. However, there was also 110V on the white (neutral) lead! In fact, the white lead to the pump was connected to a buss bar, then a red lead connected it to the main 110V input. This was the only neutral on the bar connected to a "hot" lead. I disconnected the red lead and reconnected the white lead to another neutral position on the buss bar (all are isolated from each other). The pump then began to work correctly.............no shutting down or overheating.

Problem #2:
The black lead to the pump is for the low speed (filter cycle) and the red lead for the high speed (jets). However, as the AP-1400 unit was wired, the low speed was hooked up to the jets air switch and the read lead to the timer. I reversed the wires.

So, after rewiring the AP-1400, my spa now operates properly. However, I am now concerned that I have voided the warranty on the AP-1400 and also, that the miswiring may have shortened the life expectancy of my two speed pump. I do have digital photos showing the miswiring. Should I go back to the supplier or the manufacturer about the miswiring and demand an extension of the warranty on both items? Has anyone ever run into a similar issue with the AP-1400 units? Can anyone send me a wiring diagram for the AP-1400 so I can verify that the wiring issues were either a mistake or that the unit is not an "exact" replacement?

Any and all help would be greatly appreciated.

Edit: I just got a call from my wife that the 30 amp main breaker for the spa is now tripping after running perfectly since Sunday (three days). I suspect that the pump may have been damaged and is overheating and tripping it, but until I get a wiring diagram, I'm in the dark.

Scarecrow

This is perfectly normal on a convertable spa pack set to 240 volts. If you had a 240V motor, the white wire would be the L2 side of the 240. Also with regards to a convertable spa pack, there will probably be a jumper or two that you will need to move to prevent the heater from operating on high speed if your spa is totally 120V. A 120V spa can not handle both high speed and heat at the same time.

The unit was properly wired, and you as the consumer take responsibility upon yourself when you install it yourself to ensure that the spa pack is set up properly for your system. The warranty shouldn't be affected by the error, but I wouldn't expect anyone to extend the warranty for a customer's mistake.

Black should be high speed and red should be low speed at the motor.

Since you stated that there is a 30A breaker, I would venture to say that you have 120V motors, and a 240V heater? The motor may have been perminantly damaged, however, defective heating elements are the #1 cause for tripping out the breaker. You will have to do some standard troubleshooting to verify which component is causing the breaker to trip. Is the breaker GFI? If so, I would start at the heater. If not, get one, regardless what is causing the fault.

Just an additional note, if you do end up having to replace your pump motor, seriously consider going with the 240V motor instead. They will draw less amperage for the same given HP as a 120V model. All you would have to do is move that white wire back to the L2 buss bar.