Spa with Circuit for Detecting and Responding to Excessive Changes in Pump Current
First Claim
1. A method for controlling a spa, the method comprising:
- measuring a normal current draw of a spa pump;
storing the measured current draw;
measuring the present current draw of the spa pump;
comparing the stored current draw to the present current draw of the spa pump; and
controlling spa elements to prevent damage associated with a low spa pump flow rate indicated by a low current draw.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A spa heater/control includes sensors and processors to monitor and display indicia of common failures. The heater/control includes voltage sensors and processing to measure proper power connections to the heater/control. The spa heater/control further monitors various voltages, currents, flow rates, and temperatures within the spa to provide diagnostic information which is easily obtained by a spa owner to provide to a spa dealer to reduce the time and cost of spa repairs. In particular, the heater/control compare a present current draw of a spa pump to the expected current draw. A difference exceeding a threshold, may indicate a draw blocked by, for example, a small child, and the pump is turned off.
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Citations
7 Claims
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1. A method for controlling a spa, the method comprising:
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measuring a normal current draw of a spa pump; storing the measured current draw; measuring the present current draw of the spa pump; comparing the stored current draw to the present current draw of the spa pump; and controlling spa elements to prevent damage associated with a low spa pump flow rate indicated by a low current draw. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A method for controlling a spa, the method comprising:
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measuring a normal current draw of a spa pump; storing the measured current draw; measuring the present current draw of the spa pump; comparing the stored current draw to the present current draw of the spa pump; and preventing turning the spa heater to “
ON”
when the present current draw of the spa pump is substantially lower than the stored current draw, thereby preventing damage to the heater when a spa pump flow rate is low.
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7. A method for controlling a spa, the method comprising:
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measuring a normal current draw of a spa pump; storing the measured current draw; measuring the present current draw of the spa pump; comparing the stored current draw to the present current draw of the spa pump; and turning the pump off to prevent damage if the present pump flow rate is substantially less than the stored pump flow rate.
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Specification