Ultimate Guide to the Hot Tub Air Blower

A Hot Tub should be, as the name suggest, hot. However, most of us also have a picture of a hit tub with lots of bubbles coming from the jets. Where do these bubbles come from? Simple, the Hot Tub Air Blower. In this blog post we will take a look at all things Air Blower related.

What is a Hot Tub Air Blower?

An air blower for a hot tub is a small, electrically powered fan that air inside of the hot tub. They come in both 120v and 220v current although most hot tub manufacturers recommend using a 220v unit as it allows you to provide more bubble action into your hot tub. This is because the 220V models tend to have a lot more power.

How does the Hot Tub Air Blower Work?

You probably are asking yourself how come the air blower creates such powerful bubbles. The secret behind this is that hot tub manufacturers use a very special type of fan that is designed for underwater applications.

The blower itself is connected to 1.5″ air pipes in your plumbing setup. The air passes through the pipes and then, in our concrete or block DIY Hot Tubs that use Gunite Jets, the air actually mixes with the water inside of these jet bodies.

The water which is of course already under pressure from the pump mixes with the air which too is under pressure and creates a much stronger jet. What you also find is that the jet is more more “bubbly” too which creates the ambiance in the hot tub we are all accustomed too.

Where do you connect the Hot Tub Air Blower to get power?

The Hot Tub Air Blower generally, is connected to your Spa Pack. The Spa Pack is the brains of the operation and usually houses both the heater as well as the controls for the jets and the blower.

There is a topside control unit that has buttons. This will allow you not only to control the temperature of your Hot Tub, tun on the jets, but also allow you to turn on the air blower too.

To connect into your Spa Pack there is normally a pinned connection. These can be referred to as AMP connections. Depending on the model that you have, you may need to change the plug that comes on the end of your hot tub blower. This is a straight forward process.

How do your Attach a Blower to the Hot Tub Plumbing?

Connecting the air blower to your Hot Tub plumbing is a pretty straight forward process.

Depending on the model of the blower, it will either have a socket connection on the end which will be 2″ or 1.5″. Or, it may have a union nut with tail piece that can be screwed on.

Socket connections are straight forward and the pipe is simply glued in place.

If you have a union connection, depending on the size, you may need to use some reducers to connect to your plumbing. In the example below, there is a 32mm union nut, which connects to a 1″ pipe that has been whittled down to fit. There is a 1″ to 1.5″ reducing bush that then connects to a 1.5″ check valve.

What is the importance of a Check Valve for a Hot Tub Blower?

The Check Valve is really important on the Hot Tub Blower as it prevents water entering the blower and damaging the coil and motor.

Whilst is may look the like the 1.5″ air and 2″ water pipes are not connected, they actually are. What that means is that if the blower is not running, then water can enter the air pipes. This happens as this is the reverse process of the water and air mixing in the jet bodies. In this case, when the blower is not running water can enter the blower lines through the same jet bodies.

Without a check valve, the water would enter and flood the blower. This in turn would trip your breaker as we all know, water and electricity don’t mix!

What are the different Types of Hot Tub Air Blower?

There are many different types of blower to choose from when selecting your Hot Tub’s air blower. They come in all shapes and sizes and they come from many different brands.

To be honest, I dont have a preference in terms of brand on the Hot Tub Air Blower. I’ve supplied many different brands from LX to Ultra, Balboa and everything in between.

In terms of power, I usually recommend 900W+ or 1-2HP. If you have a control room that is further away from your Hot Tub then you are going to need to have a larger blower installed.

I hope you have found this article useful.

Thanks for visiting buildahottub.com

 

Can I Help You?

If I can help you in any way I would love to hear from you. You can get in touch using the form below.

Thanks - Andi

 

Hi, Andi here. I own Buildahottub.com and also write all of the articles and info pages on the site. Some years back now, I built my own hot tub but struggled to find the information I needed. So, once my tub was complete, I started this website to help others in their own pursuit of hot tub and plunge pools DIY building information.

Today, I've helped over 1000 DIY customers just like you all over the world build hot tubs and pools. Have a good look around the site, there are lots of resources here. Please do get in touch if I can help you. - Cheers, Andi