Weak or dead jets feel like a serious failure, and most of the time they aren't. Before you start worrying about the pump, there are five things to check that cost nothing and account for the large majority of these calls.
1. Check your diverter valve first
This is the most common cause by a wide margin. The diverter is the large handle on the rim of your tub, and its job is to send water to one side or the other. Turned fully one way, the jets on the opposite side get nothing — that's the valve working correctly, not a fault.
Turn it to the center and you should see flow return to both sides.
Two rules worth knowing. Only move the diverter when your pump is on low speed. Turning it on high will break it. And when you're done soaking for the evening, leave it centered so water circulates evenly through both sides. Leave it parked to one side and the stagnant half goes stale — people then fight their water chemistry for weeks without realizing the diverter caused it.
2. Check whether individual jets are closed
Most jets twist. Turn one clockwise and it closes off, so no water reaches it. Turn it counterclockwise and it opens. Look into the face of the jet and you can see whether it's open or shut.
It's easy for a jet to get bumped closed by someone's shoulder, and closing jets also reduces total flow through the system. If you want maximum pressure, open them all.
One caution: if you keep twisting clockwise past the stopping point, the jet pops out of its housing by design. That's how they're removed, so don't force past that point unless you mean to.
3. Check the air controls, water level, and filter
The air valves on the rim mix air into the jet stream. Closed, the jets feel soft rather than sharp. Those are separate controls from the diverter.
If your water level has dropped below the skimmer, the pump starts pulling air instead of water. Top it up.
And a dirty filter restricts flow to everything downstream. Pull it out and run the tub — if your jets suddenly come back, the filter needs cleaning or replacing.
4. If the pump runs but nothing moves at all, it's probably an air lock
This one has a signature: the pump is clearly running — you can hear it — but there are no bubbles and no water movement whatsoever. Not weak. Nothing.
Air locks happen after the tub has been drained and refilled, or on a brand new tub's first fill. As water rises it enters the plumbing through the jets, lines cross, and a pocket of air gets trapped where the pump can't push past it.
To clear it: open every jet all the way, run the diverter fully one way, then fully the other, and finish in the center — otherwise the trapped air has nowhere to escape. Take the filter out. Many air locks clear by loosening the union at the pump just enough to let the trapped air bleed off, then snugging it back down. A small plunger worked over the filter well is an old trick that works surprisingly often. Don't use your toilet plunger - that's gross.
Air locks are common enough that they happen to us too, on our own tubs.
5. If none of that did it
Worn jet internals stop seating properly and lose pressure — and a jet that keeps popping out on its own is telling you it's worn. Replacement jets and repair kits are available for most models.
Beyond that, you're looking at the pump itself: a failing impeller, a motor that isn't getting up to speed, or a pump ceased up.
Where DIY stops
Everything above — diverter, jets, air valves, water level, filter, air lock — is squarely homeowner territory, and that covers most weak-jet calls.
If the pump is noisy, humming without moving water, or you've cleared the air and still have nothing, that's a pump or plumbing problem. Call us before you keep running it — a pump running dry doesn't stay fixable for long.