Fixing a dead hot tub, thoughts from the group

[EvilTwin]

EvilTwin pid='7710237' dateline='1547821379']
That sounds like a very good idea.

I have checked the heater itself and the resistance was OK, about 10 ohms, which is about right for the the output and voltage it runs at.  I even opened it up and it looks pretty spiffy inside, like it just came off the shelf.  Of course I'm checking it dry, out of the tub.  Not sure if it would short out with water in it, that is what I suspect.  But dry it checks out fine.

The burn marks are on the circuit board, on the terminals below one of the relays.  It's marked heater input.  I don't think there is any way to check for a short here, I don't even have a schemat for the board to know what to look for.  It almost looks like the relay shorted out as the scorch marks look like they are coming from box, not the connector.

[Roly]

I have checked the heater itself and the resistance was OK, about 10 ohms, which is about right for the the output and voltage it runs at.  I even opened it up and it looks pretty spiffy inside, like it just came off the shelf.  Of course I'm checking it dry, out of the tub.  Not sure if it would short out with water in it, that is what I suspect.  But dry it checks out fine.

The burn marks are on the circuit board, on the terminals below one of the relays.  It's marked heater input.  I don't think there is any way to check for a short here, I don't even have a schemat for the board to know what to look for.  It almost looks like the relay shorted out as the scorch marks look like they are coming from box, not the connector.

Were the connectors you took off of the heater input burnt ?   It looks like those push on connectors got very hot.   If they are soft it will be a problem going forward unless you can replace them or at least solder the connector on.   I cant tell where the smoke came from looking at the picture.  Could the heater input wires have melted together and shorted ?    Roly

[Woodenfish]

If you can get the spa up and running with the heater element disconnected it may be telling you that the element has a hole in it and water is tripping the ground fault circuit breaker. Nice feature to keep the bathers safe from electrocution.

[EvilTwin]

You can't see it in that picture, but the scorch marks are coming from both the input and output relays for the heater.  

At this stage, the only thing I need to figure out right now is if there are any leaks in the plumbing and that the three pumps still work  This afternoon, I got some tubing and plumbed in where the heater went so no leaks in the circ system.  I then got it filled about half way.  Discovered a new leak by where the light goes.  Otherwise I didnt see anything else so far.  I'll have to see if I can seal it up somehow once I drain it back down.

 Plan tomorrow to try and apply power to each pump and see if they run/leak.  If they all pass the test then I'm going to order the easy pac system  which included a new heater, controller and digital keypad.   Wont be cheap, 600 with the special low flow heater.   Next cheaper system about 500.   Linky here if you are interested:  https://www.spadepot.com/EasyPak-Low-Flo...stem-P2625

There are cheaper systems, but they have the heater inline with one of the big pumps, so for the heater to not burn up, you need about 22 gpm flowing though it.  They keep the tub warm by firing up one of the big pumps every so often to warm the water up.

This tub was designed around a low flow system that uses a constant circulation pump that has the heater plumbed into it.  Most tubs didn't use a low flow system, so the ones that did (Jacuzzi) are more expensive to fix.  Oh well, whats a hundred more...

[EvilTwin]

This morning I pulled the pump wiring out of the old box and connected each pump in turn to the 220 source wires. I turned the power on at the nearby breaker to see if each pump worked and or leaked. Cut to the chase, all the pumps worked, and no leaks that I can see. Next step is to decide which system to order and get the parts in. In the meantime I have to seal up the light port. Not sure if that means pulling it out or trying to caulk it from the inside.

[Cub_Cadet_GT]

Just this past spring, my hot tub went bad. It turned out to be a $2 fuse inside, near the control board. Take a close look inside, you may get lucky.

+1

Mine has blown 2 different fuses over the last 3 years. Simple fixes.

[Large Wooden Badger]

So we have an old hot tub at the lake house that was left by the prior owner.  Its not currently hooked up.

I'm fixing to load it up and haul it to the dump.  Should I pull some of the parts out of it before doing so then?

I was thinking of snagging the two motors in there, is there any value in keeping any of the other stuff.  Its got the ozone thingy, etc.  I think it was a cadillac in its time.

[EvilTwin]

So we have an old hot tub at the lake house that was left by the prior owner.  Its not currently hooked up.

I'm fixing to load it up and haul it to the dump.  Should I pull some of the parts out of it before doing so then?

I was thinking of snagging the two motors in there, is there any value in keeping any of the other stuff.  Its got the ozone thingy, etc.  I think it was a cadillac in its time.

The ozone thingy is probably way past burnt toast. The pumps may still be good but probably 220 and 2hp and up. Really depends on how old it is and what the brand is. You could always post the parts on CL.

[EvilTwin]

So here's an update on the project.  I ordered a new controller system that included a new heater, control board and the keypad for the top.  Whole package was 500 bucks.   Not cheap, but not that much more than ordering parts by about a hundred or so. 


 It came last week so I got into it today and plumbed/wired it in.  I had checked all the pumps out about 2 weeks ago and verified that they all still worked.  I also found I had a slow leak by the light fixture, so I ordered another one of those and replaced that as well.  Of course nothing is ever simple.  The hole for the light was a bit small, so I had to enlarge it some.  I found an old drum sander that attaches to a drill.  Was surprised it worked fairly well on the fiberglass, took about ten minutes to open it up.  Also had to do some mods to where the old keypad went.  They supplied a plastic backer plate, but that was too big, so I rounded over the corners and it fit well enough.  

I still have to get a new ozone generator and new filters.  I didn't order them with the other stuff just in case there was another problem with the tub that didn't raise its ugly head yet.  Since it looks ok, I just put the order in for those parts, another 170 bucks, but that should be it for now.  I ran a gallon of bleach with this test fill to sterilize all the old plumbing.  I'm draining it now and will refill it tonight.  Hopefully it will be hot enough by tomorrow.

I still have to finish the wiring. They supplied cables for each pump that I spliced in to each existing motor cable.  I wanted to heat shrink all the individual conductors then heat shrink each cable.  But I couldn't find any large enough heat shrink tubing or enough electrical tape to do it all over.  For now its  wired together with just wire nuts for testing.   Not a cheap repair, but hopefully this will get me another 5-10 years out of the tub.

[Woodenfish]

Ozone generators don’t do diddly other than to fatten the wallet of the spa salesman. Save your money.