Balboa Water Group ML900 Quick Reference

Initial Start-up

When your spa is first actuated, it will go into Priming mode (after displaying some configuration information). Please see
the M-7 Installation Instruction Manual for complete instructions on Power-up and Pump Priming. The Priming

mode will last for up to 4 minutes and then the spa will begin to heat the spa and maintain the water temperature in the
Standard mode. You can exit Priming mode early by pressing “Warm” or “Cool.”

EL SERIES (Mach 1) CONTROL WITH ML900 PANEL

The ML900 panel can be used with the EL8000, EL5000, and EL2000 systems. This reference card lists all features that are available
for this panel. If your spa is not fully equipped, the panel buttons on your spa control may not be laid out as shown or respond as
described in this document.

The pump responsible for heating and filtration (pump 1 low on non-circ systems, or the circ pump on circ systems) will be
referred to simply as the pump.

Timeouts refer to a preset length of time that a function is programmed to operate before shutting off automatically. Certain
conditions (filters or freeze) can cause a function to operate longer, while faults can cause a function to operate for a shorter
length of time. The system keeps track of timeouts regardless of other conditions occurring.

In multi-button sequences, if buttons are pressed too quickly in sequence, they may not register.

1. Setting the Time

Once the spa has been properly connected the first time (every power
up on the EL2000), notice the “Time” icon appearing on the screen.

Press Then

Select the hour by pressing

Press

to exit the time setting procedure and enter
the optional filter cycle programming. (Exits
programming on some EL2000 systems.)

Or

2. Optional Filter Cycle Programming

You are not required to set filter cycles; however, it is an option
available to you. To change the filter cycle settings:

Press “Time” “Mode/Prog” “Mode/Prog” “Mode/Prog” within 3
seconds. You will see the “SET FILTER 1” and a flashing “START
TIME” icon appear on the display.

Press “Up” or “Down” to choose the filter start time hour. Enter the
hour by pressing “Mode/Prog”

.

Press “Up” or “Down” to choose the
filter start time minutes. Each press changes the start time by
5 minutes.

Enter the minutes by pressing “Mode/Prog.”
Press “Mode/Prog” to see the “SET FILTER 1” and a flashing “END

TIME” icon. Adjust the time as done above.
Press “Mode/Prog” to see the “SET FILTER 2” (PM cycle) and a

flashing “START TIME” icon. Proceed as above.
Press “Mode/Prog” to see “SET FILTER 2” and a flashing “END

TIME” icon. Adjust the time as done above.
Pressing “Mode/Prog” will enter the new filter cycle times into the

system and display the current water temperature.

Pressing “Time” at any time during this programming sequence will
save the values entered up to that point and exit programming.

If you would like to select continuous filtration, set the filter 1
start and end times to be the exact same time.

Press

to exit programming.

Press

to enter.

Select minutes by pressing

Or

(Each press changes the time by 1 hour)

(Each press changes the time by 1 minute)

Jets Icon - Spins fast on high speed; spins
slow on low speed.

Light Icon - On dim, the LCD will show the
center circle plus one quarter of the light
beams. Half of the light beams will show
on medium brightness, and all of the light
beams will show on bright.

Fiber-Optic Light Icon - Spins when the
wheel is on; stands still when wheel is off.

Heat Icon - Indicates different stages of heating.

Icon Legend

Example of one Auxiliary Panel available

Blower Icon - Biggest in highest speed;
smallest in lowest speed.

Blower

1-speed operation: on/off;
2-speed operation: med/hi/off; or
3-speed operation: lo/med/hi/off.
If left on, the blower will automatically turn off after
15 minutes.*

Mister (optional)

Press the “Mister” button (or “Option” button if your system is
equipped with a mister but your panel does not have a mister
button) to turn the Mister on and off. If left on, the mister will
automatically turn off after 15 minutes.*

Option (when not used for Mister)

Press the “Option” button to turn optional equipment (such as
TV or Stereo) on and off (with no timeout), or to operate
some types of TV lifts.

Invert

Press the “Invert” button to change the numbers in the display
to read upside down. Another press returns the display to its
normal right-side-up display.

Light (optional if fiber wheel is installed)

Press the “Light” button to turn the spa light on and off, and to
shift between dim and bright settings if your light is dimmable.
On dim, the LCD will show center circle plus one quarter of
the light beams. Half of the light beams will show on medium
brightness, and all of the light beams will show on bright.

Fiber (optional)

If a fiber-optic light with wheel is installed, press the “Fiber”
button once to start the light and wheel, press it again to stop
the wheel, and then again to turn the light off. The fiber icon
stands still when the fiber optic light is on by itself, and rotates
when the color wheel is also on.

Both spa light and fiber-optic light can be used simultaneously
on the EL8000 and EL5000 systems. If either light is left on, it will
automatically turn off after 4 hours.

Fiber with wheel is not available on EL2000. Use the “Light”
button if your fiber-optic system is on/off only (no separate
wheel stop).

Circ Pump (optional)

If your system is equipped with a circ pump, it may be
configured to work in one of two different ways:

1) The circ pump operates continuously (24 hours) with the
exception of turning off for 30 minutes at a time when the
water temperature reaches 3°F (1.5°C) above the set
temperature (most likely to happen in very hot climates).

On certain configurations, the circ pump stays on continuously,
regardless of water temperature.

2) The circ pump will come on when the system is checking
temperature (polling), during filter cycles, during freeze
conditions, or when another pump is on.

Preset Filter Cycles

On all systems, the pump and the ozone generator** will run
during filtration. At the start of each filter cycle, the blower will
run on highest speed for 30 seconds to clean out the air
channels. The lowest speed of pump 2 and pump 3 will run
for 5 minutes; the mister will run for 5 seconds.

(The following is specific to all systems that are
programmed according time)

There are two filter cycles per day. The start/end times of each
cycle are programmable. To program, set time as instructed
above, then press “Mode/Prog” to advance to the next setting
(or to exit after the last setting). The default filter cycles are
as follows:

The first filter cycle is automatically activated at 8:00 AM and
operates the pump until 10:00 AM. The filter 1 indicator icon
will light when filter 1 is running.

Temp Set (80°F - 104°F / 26.0°C - 40.0°C)

The start-up temperature is set at 100°F/37.5°C. The last measured
temperature is constantly displayed on the LCD.

Note that the last measured spa temperature displayed is
current only when the pump has been running for at least
2 minutes.

Warm / Cool

Press the “Warm” or “Cool” button once to display the set
temperature. Each time either button is pressed again, the set
temperature will increase or decrease depending on which
button is pressed. After three seconds, the LCD will automatically
display the last measured spa temperature.

Time

When time hasn’t been programmed, the TIME icon flashes. To
set the time, press “Time” then “Mode/Prog.” Use the “Warm” and
“Cool” buttons to adjust time. See previous page for more
detailed instructions. (Time settings on EL2000 systems are not

preserved in the event of power loss; time will have to be
reprogrammed upon each power up.)

If your spa has an optional pH/ORP sensor (not available on
EL2000 systems), pressing “Time” twice will display the current
pH level; pressing it three times will display the current ORP.

Mode/Prog

This button is used to switch between standard, economy, and
sleep modes. Press “Mode/Prog” to enter mode programming,
press “Cool” to cycle through to desired mode (LCD flashes until
confirmed), then press “Mode/Prog” to confirm selection.

Standard mode maintains the desired temperature. Note that the
last measured spa temperature displayed is current only when the
pump has been running for at least 2 minutes. The “STANDARD”
icon will display until the mode is changed.

Economy mode heats the spa to set temperature only during
filter cycles. The “ECONOMY” icon will display until mode is
changed.

Pressing “Jets 1” while in Economy mode puts the spa in
Standard-In-Economy mode, which operates the same as
Standard Mode, then reverts to Economy Mode automatically
after 1 hour. During this time, a press of the “Mode/Prog” button
will revert to Economy Mode immediately.

Sleep mode heats the spa to within 20°F (11°C) of the set
temperature only during filter cycles. The “SLEEP” icon will
display until mode is changed.

Standby Mode

Pressing “Warm” or “Cool” then “Jets 2” will turn off all spa
functions temporarily. This is helpful when changing a filter.
Pressing any button resets the spa.

Jets 1

Press the “Jets 1” button once to turn pump 1 on or off, and to
shift between low and high speeds if equipped. If left running,
the low speed turns off after 2 hours and the high speed turns off
after 15 minutes.*

On non-circ systems, the low speed of pump 1 runs when the
blower or any other pump is on. It may also activate for at least
2 minutes every 30 minutes to detect the spa temperature
(polling) and then to heat to the set temperature if needed,
depending upon mode. When the low speed turns on
automatically, it cannot be deactivated from the panel; however,
the high speed may be started.

Jets 2 (optional on EL5000 and EL2000)

Press the “Jets 2” button once to turn pump 2 on or off, and to
shift between low and high speeds if it is a two-speed pump. If
left running, the pump will turn off after 15 minutes.*

Jets 3 (available on EL8000 only)

Press the “Jets 3” button once to turn pump 3 on or off, and to
shift between low and high speeds if it is a two-speed pump. If
left running, the pump will turn off after 15 minutes.*

*15-minute timeouts may be changed to 30 minutes and 2-hour timeouts may be changed to 4 hours on some models/installations.