Hot tub troubleshooting.

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Thomas R

Member
Location
Maine
Occupation
Master Electrician
Figured I'd get your opinions before I tell my customer to call the hot tub company. I despise hot tub service calls...but anyway;

GFCI disconnect trips almost immediately. It holds with L1 and L2 removed at the tub, it holds with only L1 or only L2 connected to either terminal. However once 240V is applied the tripping occurs. I pulled the plugs on the pumps and ozone generator, and it still trips. I'm 99% sure it's the tub and I suspect the heater, but I wanted some opinions before having the customer call the pool co.

Note: power is on long enough for a relay to engage on the tub's control board, maybe one second, and that's it.

Thanks!
 

synchro

Senior Member
Location
Chicago, IL
Occupation
EE
Does the relay that's tripping disconnect both phases to the heater and the coil on the relay require 240V? If so then the heater would not be connected unless both L1 and L2 are powered up.
 

Little Bill

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Tennessee NEC:2017
Occupation
Semi-Retired Electrician
Figured I'd get your opinions before I tell my customer to call the hot tub company. I despise hot tub service calls...but anyway;

GFCI disconnect trips almost immediately. It holds with L1 and L2 removed at the tub, it holds with only L1 or only L2 connected to either terminal. However once 240V is applied the tripping occurs. I pulled the plugs on the pumps and ozone generator, and it still trips. I'm 99% sure it's the tub and I suspect the heater, but I wanted some opinions before having the customer call the pool co.

Note: power is on long enough for a relay to engage on the tub's control board, maybe one second, and that's it.

Thanks!
If this is an existing tub, and it has been working, now it isn't, then you have answered your own question. You say the GFCI holds with the wires disconnected, it's something in the tub and most likely is the heater.
 

Jraef

Moderator, OTD
Staff member
Location
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, USA
Occupation
Electrical Engineer
The heaters have a ceramic coating protected by metal tubing around the element and the chemicals in the water eat away at that tubing until it leaks, which the GFCI picks up on. Look on the board for the terminals going to the heater, lift those wires and I'll bet the GFCI will hold in.

Replacing those heater elements can be a real PITA. They are typically integrated into a SS tube in the piping so you have to disassemble the plumbing to get to it, then they are hard to get out of that tube, then you have to get it all put back together correctly or it leaks. I will not do it again, I will pay a spa flunky to do it for me...
 

Dennis Alwon

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Chapel Hill, NC
Occupation
Retired Electrical Contractor
I agree with many above the heater is almost always the issue. I think you can disconnect the heater and I bet the breaker will hold
 

Dennis Alwon

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Chapel Hill, NC
Occupation
Retired Electrical Contractor
I would let the hot tub company deal with it since electricians don't have easy access to those parts. We check the breaker and then it is their problem
 
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