Air Locks: Causes, Prevention, and Solutions for Your Spa

If you’re a hot tub owner, you may have encountered a common issue known as an air lock. This happens when a pocket of air gets trapped in your spa’s plumbing system, preventing water from flowing properly through the pipes. In this blog post, we’ll discuss the causes of air locks, how to prevent them, and how to resolve them if they occur.

Identifying an Air Lock in Your Hot Tub

An air lock is characterized by a lack of water movement from your spa jets. It can also prevent your hot tub from heating. Your control panel may display error codes such as “FLO”, “FL”, “DRY”, “SN”, “SNS”, or “RhNf”. These codes are telling us that the water isn’t flowing correctly, and the spa lines need to be bled or purged.

What Causes Air Locks?

Air locks usually occur when you refill your hot tub. Air can get into the pipes and create an air pocket that blocks the water flow. Another less common cause of air locks is a water level that is allowed to dip below the skimmer. When your water level falls below the skimmer it allows air to be sucked into your hot tub’s plumbing.

How to Prevent Air Locks in Your Hot Tub

The best ways to prevent an air lock is to maintain a proper water level and fill your spa correctly. When filling your hot tub, instead of putting the hose directly into the tub, you should fill it at the filter area. Simply remove your filter cartridge and place the hose near the hole found beneath the filter. This method fills the plumbing lines under the spa first, pushing any trapped air out of the system. When the spa is started back up the pump should immediately start flowing. If not, you may need to quickly run the pump on high to push out any remaining air.

How to Fix Air Locks

Here are some simple steps you can take when you have an air lock in your spa:

As mentioned above, you will first want to try putting the pump on high speed for a minute to clear the air lock.
If that doesn’t work, you will need to manually bleed the lines. Start by turning off the power to the hot tub.
You can bleed the air from the heater or pump union. The union is a black or white nut that you will slowly turn counterclockwise until you hear some air escape(do not loosen the union completely!). Once you get a steady flow of water, tighten the union back up.
Turn the power on, and run your pump to check that the problem is solved. Should you find that you have a more stubborn air lock, you may need to repeat these steps.

Air locks can be a nuisance, but they’re often manageable. By knowing the causes and prevention methods, you can keep your hot tub running smoothly. If an air lock does occur, the steps we’ve provided should help you resolve it.

While this guide aims to help you handle the problem of an air lock, not all issues can be resolved with DIY methods. If you encounter a more serious issue that isn’t fixed by the steps outlined above, call the pros at Spa Solutions. We are always ready to assist, and get you back into hot water.