Electric Heater Troubleshooting for Your Hot Tub

The following exercise involves observations we’d like you to check  before you call! We want you to have identified the type heater you have and that you’ve read  the following:

Does "anything" work?

IE, can you activate your pump blower light etc? If it seems like nothing works, check the obvious:  All Breakers, GFCI’s  and Reset buttons on your hot tub equipment pack, or spa pack.  If  you find a tripped breaker, or GFCI breaker, Reset and try operation again, proceeding with caution. Breakers and GFCIs trip for a reason generally.  Many times it is the heater element that will cause this tripping. If the spa trips the second that heat demand is present it probably is your heater element causing this. NEVER BYPASS GFCI"S or "try it without" GFCI protection.  This tells you nothing and is dangerous! If you find a High Limit Reset is tripped ( This is the "red button" found on many spa packs. If you have an older hot tub, the button may be on the heater itself. and possibly covered by a rubber nipple) Go ahead and attempt a reset.  When this button is tripped resetting it will involve a definite "click’  If it wont click in it is just NOT TRIPPED. *note: if you have a digital spa pack you will probably not have a manual High Temp limit switch.  It will be done with sensors.  High Temp limit switches are in place for two reasons.  One to protect the bather from water that could be too hot.  But the other reason is to protect the heater itself from overheating.  Most high limit switches are located with their sensor near the element itself.  If the element is not getting the proper amount of water flow ( pump problems, water level too low in hot tub etc) It will trip even though the spa itself is not hot at all.  Water flow is essential for cooling the element so that it doesn’t burn up.  The high limit may not always protect the heater element because even though it immediately shuts off power to the heater element, the element can overheat quicker than the high limit can react.  * note: Never try to operate a heater if the hot tub is not at its proper fill level!  The pump will loose prime and the heater element can literally burn up in seconds!  Turn off immediately if it sounds like there is water boiling in the heater area.  If your high limit resets, and the hot tub starts normally, check your pump operation closely.  Chances are it was flow problem that cause this issue.  Make sure your pump is operating normally with no leaks or unusual noise.  Also be positive that any shut off  valves are in the open position.  The level of water in your hot tub is critical to your pump operating properly.

Is your Pump Pumping and Water Flowing?

In the section above emphasis was placed on proper pump operation.  After checking resets and power, your next target is the pump.   You want to be sure that not only is the pump running, it is pumping.  To check this you want to open your cover and verify that flow is present. If your pump is running but not pumping be sure to check any  valves that may be closed after servicing.  Only open or close valves with the power OFF! Then try pump operation again.  Other things can keep pumps from pumping as well the most common and easy to fix  is an air lock.  Air locks happen sometimes when the hot tub is drained.  All the water leaves the pump during process and when the fill begins a big bubble gets trapped there.  You can try and open the air control or the air relief valve on the filter but sometimes that’s not enough and you have to get wet…lol.  With the power to the hot tub OFF try  opening the union on the front suction of the pump. This is the best place to release an air lock.  Don’t unscrew  the union completely, just crack it enough to break the seal of the oring.  If there is an air lock, you will hear the air hissing out.  Once the air lock is cleared,  water will begin leaking out.  Let it leak for a second to be sure all of air has been dispelled.  Tighten up the union and try the pump again. If your pump operation is normal and there is still no heat…

Have You Waited Long Enough?

We get quite a few calls that fall into this category.   Initial fill of a hot tub will take awhile to reach temperature.  Hot tubs operating at 120 volts heat approximately 1 to 2 degrees an HOUR!  You will not feel a difference in the temp of the water entering the hot tub.  Your best bet is to walk away for a good 6 hours at least to check for increases in temperature. Once the hot tub attains temperature, it will maintain it.   240 Volt hot tubs heat about 4 to 6 degrees an hour.  Ambient temperature will effect the heating times of any hot tub.  You need a good insulated cover for your tub as well.  80 percent of a hot tubs heat is lost thru the surface area.  A good cover is a must!  They dont have to be expensive either. Check out "The Soft Cover."  They cost under 200 dollars and can ship UPS!  They use an air bladder to insulate with impressive R values.

You’re pumping, you got enough water, no high limit problems,you’ve waited a friggin week and its still not heating?

Well it might be time to roll up the sleeves and do some electrical tests. Your going to need some tools and good logical head.  You are going to learn some more heater logic and learn about common issues that relate to heating that occur "inside the box."  You absolutely will need an electrical meter and know how to use it.  If you are in anyway not comfortable with power on tests, do not attempt them.  Call a qualified person in your area. The next section will explain more about heater trouble shooting which often gets into control troubleshooting.  You might want to identify the spa heater you have.  The majority of the modern heaters are of the Flow Through design.  If your heater looks different  Click on identify your hot tub heater.  If you are ready to move on,  click on Spa Heater Circuits.  We are in the process of revising all of our pages, to our new look and WordPress format.

The Simple Truths About Spa Care

No doubt about it you will get a lot of conflicting advice on Spa Care.  Part of the reason is that a lot of people in the business don’t really bother to understand hot water chemistry.  Chemical manufacturers design kits for spa care that spa dealers then sell to you. The problem is that if you dont have an understanding of your own water, you can actually harm your hot tub using some of the products in a “kit,”  Not because they are bad products, they just shouldnt be used with  “your particular” water values. For instance, Ph up and Ph down are often included in spa kits. The Ph down product is an acid to bring down the Ph and total alkalinity of your hot tub water.  Ph UP reverses low Ph.  You would only use Ph down if your Ph and total alkalinity were extremely high which is almost non existent with a tub treated with bromine.. read on…

Start with a test of your fill water.

This is your most important first step.   Test it using test “strips.” The brand is not really important. We perfer these over the drop type test because they test more values than the 2 in one liquid drop type test kits you often get in a kit.  Now, when testing your fill water, you are primarily concerned with your PH and total alkalinity, because these values affect how your sanitizers will perform.  Ph and Total Alkalinity are also important to the surface of your hot tub and your equipment. Its important to know and correct for proper Ph and alkalinity before you add sanitizers which will affect the Ph and TA.  Later, when you use the test strips to test your water in your hot tub, you’ll also be concerned with the chlorine/bromine levels as well, but the fill test is to know what your starting Ph and total alkalinity readings are. This is important because it tells you whether your water is scale forming, (high ph and total Alkalinity) or corrosive (low ph and total alkalinity)  If you use city water, you will find that your water will be pretty close to being in the correct range for Ph and total alkalinity.  The reason for this is that the water department had to maintain these values fairly closely to keep the pipes from scaling or being dissolved by aggressive water.  If you are using well water, you still need to balance in order to treat problems like high iron content or tannins. Scroll down for problem water issues. Both extremes, High or Low, can cause damage to your equipment and your hot tub shell.  If your ph and alkalinity are high, scale can form on your heater element and on the hot tub shell itself. It feels like sandpaper.  While the scale on the tub is easily removed with muriatic acid, the scale on your heater element will remain and cause problems with heating.  If your ph and alkalinity are LOW, the acidity of the water will eat into anything metal or plaster (if you have a concrete spa.)  Heater elements are very susceptible to low ph. It eats holes right into them and causes water to contact the electrical part of the element, which will short it out and cause  GFCI tripping.  This can happen in a surprisingly short period of time if your water is aggressive.

Ph and Alkalinity Perfect values:

• Ph 7.2 to 7.8  
• TA 80 to 140

If you have a concrete hot tub, you’ll want to maintain above minimum values. Plaster can very quickly become a victim of acidic water causing pitting and erosion

  Everyone needs to think about correction at minimum values above.

Correcting High Ph and Total Alkalinity

If your Ph and TA are in the very high ranges  (Ph 8+ akalinity 140+), you’ll need to add some kind of acid to lower it.  You can use white vinegar, or the ph down from your “kit”  The key is to go SLOWLY.  You do not want to over correct because you’ll be in the far more dangerous side.. corrosive!  IF you are using bromine in your hot tub, the Ph and alkalinity will come down due to the fact that bromine is very acidic. You may not want to treat it at all, just let it drift lower gradually unless you are off the scale on the high side.   You’ll  need to run your hot tub for at least 6 hours after corrections have been made to determine the effectiveness.NOTE: If you are using bromine as a sanitizer and a test kit that uses drops of phenol red to test pH, you can be tricked into thinking that your pH is high when in fact it could be LOW…Use test strips and always verify both values pH and Total Alkalinity!  typically if the Total alkalinity is high, so is your pH, if yout total alkalinity is low, your pH either is low, or will be low soon!

Correcting LOW Ph and Total Alkalinity

The only chemical to use for this in my opinion is Sodium Bicarbonate. If you dont recognize the chemical name, fear not, you probably have a yellow box in your refrigerator that says Arm and Hammer on it. Yep, Bicarb is good ole Baking Soda!   A related chemical, Soda Ash or Sodium Carbonate, is much to0 harsh to use in the hot tub environment.  Be sure its Bicarb you are using.  Bicarb feeds the total alkalinity of the water, which will raise the Ph slowly and buffer it against change.Keep in mind that EVERY product you add to your hot tub has a Ph value..I just completed a new blog post on the use of baking soda in your hot tub.  Feel free to check it out. 

Sanitizers

Now that your Ph and alkalinity have been adjusted to the proper range, its time to consider sanitizers. Sanitizers are a MUST to keep the water free of bacteria!   The most common sanitizers for hot tubs are Chlorine and  Bromine.  Both of these chemicals are in the halogen family.  Bromine being more stable in heat and  turbulence  became popular for hot tubs.  The convenience of a tablet was also nice.  However, after a long time in the field being exposed to hot tubs treated with bromine, i’ve come to detest its smell and the problems associated with using it.  Bromine has a very low Ph.  This erodes the Ph of the water.  Add to that the feeder gets stuck up against the skimmer and the corrosive water is being sucked right into the pump and  then through the heater.  Causes a LOTA damage to a LOTA hot tubs IF you arent aware of it!   Any hot tub being treated with bromine needs constant addition of bicarb to maintain the Ph and total alkalinity.  It also needs regular shocking to eliminate the “bromamines” that form with exposure to ammonia, a common waste product of bather load.

Bromamines are very irritating to the throat.  Sometimes the overwhelming chemical smell coming from a hot tub treated with bromine has people wondering what do do to get rid of it. Removing the floating feeder and leaving the cover off and letting it run on high with air blower on will help dissapate some of the built up bromine.  Shocking with a non chlorine shock like potassium monpersufate  (MPS)  can reduce the bromamines that are strangling you when you open the cover .  You can even use dichlor as a shock with bromine.  I know you’ve heard that you cant “mix” chlorine and bromine. That is true>>>>>>IN A BUCKET.   But in a hot tub.. yes you can.  They enhance each other.   Leave your cover off so some of this sea of chemical  can gas off.  And dont hang around breathing it.

With that in mind, I pretty much have eliminated bromine from my list of recommendations. Sure it works, and being able to put some tablets in a feeder and forget is agreeable to many i’m sure. BUT  I prefer and highly recommend Sodium dichlor as a primary sanitizer for hot tubs.   It is completely soluble in water, it is a stabilized chlorine product, and the best part about it is that is it has a neutral Ph.  It will not affect the Ph balance of your water.   for hot tub use, it is inexpensive as well.   The disadvantage is its granular form.  It must be added regularly as needed a couple of tablespoons at a time.   Use your test strips to determine when chlorine levels are falling below 1 ppm.  Chlorine combines with ammonia and nitrogen as well forming chloramines. They can irritating too, and often are mistaken for High Chlorine levels.  But it is amazing how shocking  the water with a good ole dose ( like a third of a cup) of dichlor will straighten everything out. With spas under covers there is always a bunch of chemical laden steam that rises up to you when you open the cover.  Dont stand there breathing it.  let it gass off a little before everyone jumps in 

Dichlor is not the only type of chlorine on the market. Other chlorines can do the job of sanitizing but their Ph values vary greatly!   Liquid Chlorine has a Ph of 13!  That will effect your hot tub PH balance to the high side!  Another chlorine on the market is Trichlor.  This product comes in a granular form and tablet form.  It has a Ph of 2.  VERY LOW  and will bring your PH down very quickly and can cause damage to your heater and other metal parts.  Dont use it!   Lithium Hypochlorite is a granular chlorine that is usable for hot tubs.  It also has a neutral ph but is harder to find and little more expensive than dichlor, and perfectly acceptable for hot tubs. 

Keep in mind that chlorine and bromine are oxidizers which means they react to organic materials.  always use a clean dry scoop for handling them.  Keep them away from fertilizers or other organic items like motor oil etc.  They can cause fires if not protected from organics. Never mix two chemicals together in the same container.

Ozone Generators

If your hot tub came equipped with an ozone generator, you will find that you will need very little additional sanitizer to keep your hot tub in good shape.  Ozone is a gas that is injected into your hot tub thru various means.  It kills only when in direct contact with the water, there is very little residual effect.  That’s why it is necessary to provide backup sanitation.  Again, Dichlor is the perfect backup sanitizer for an ozone treated hot tub.  You still and always need to maintain your Ph and alkalinity levels according to the values above.   But, using dichlor with ozone will greatly reduce your efforts at maintaining PH and Alkalinity because you wont be adding products that increase or decrease your water balanc

Ozone can build up under spa covers and as a gas it will cloud around you when you take the cover off.  I’d be kinda careful breathing this. Its nothing you want to linger around. Try turning the pump on high.. blower on too and let it run a while with the cover off, so it can gas off.  Also. If you have ONE jet that feeds ozone to your hot tub, you might not want to sit in front of it.  Ozone is an oxidizer.  You don’t want it oxidizing your calf. 

Alternative Sanitizers

There several alternative type sanitizers out there.  One is Baquacil a hydrogen peroxide based system.  I’m not really a fan, and it’s expensive.    Dichlor is my favorite. Salt chlorination systems for hot tubs are not extremely popular YET, but i feel it is coming.  A salt chlorinated hot tub uses a salt base in the water.  A chlorine “generator” converts this salt to chlorine by using a small electrical charge.  It’s pretty amazing and is becoming very popular for pools.  Spas do not need to be emptied as often and maintenance is at a minimum. UV Sterilizers are also being tried on hot tubs.  If you have one,  you  still need maintain some backup chlorination with dichlor. This can be as little a 1 PPM which is barely noticable. Mineral Alternatives include products like Nature 2 and the Spa Frog.  These products are actually pretty good to cut back on chlorine use.  They contain silver (a bacteriacide) and copper (an algacide)  They dont replace chlorine but you can often reduce the amount of residual chlorine in your hot tub.  They share the job, so the chlorine goes further.  These products come in canisters that fit into your spa filter.  They last about 3 months.

Draining and cleaning

Depending on the Bather load,  hot tubs should be drained and fresh fill water added at least once a quarter.  Heavy use could indicate more frequent draining.  Hot tub “parties” definitely require a drain and fill! Keep in mind that 4 people in a 400 gallon hot tub is like having 400 people in a 15×30 swimming pool.  Anytime you start having problems with water balance, smell, clarity etc, its always okay to drain and start over!  Total dissolved solids build up over time and a good drain and fresh water fill eliminate them and get you back into sparkling water. Another sign that its time to drain your spa is the appearance of the water coming out of your jets when they start up.  When the bubbles start to look almost like smoke and if your spa is foaming heavily,  its time to start over. Its not really hard to maintain your hot tub specially if you dont fall prey to a lot of auxilary chemicals that may do more harm than good.  Keep the basics in mind and keep it simple!

Sometimes when you cant drain the whole spa,  Diluting will help.. drain about half  or even a third and fill it back it up again.

Problem Water Issues

If your water isnt from city sources and you have high levels of iron or tannins, or calcium you will need to take some additional steps to make water water crisp and clear.  Metals in the water require a product made for such issues.  There are two types.  One sequesters the metals so they can be filtered out.  This requires attention to your filter!  the small filters in many hot tubs can become clogged with the sequestered metal quickly. You’ll want to monitor your filter after adding a sequestering agent, clean it as needed! The other type chelates or surrounds the metal to keep it from sticking to the walls or other surface.  Both may lower your ph somewhat.   Once you get your water clear you can proceed with other steps.  

Tannins are organic and can be bleached out using Dichlor.  It may take a little more than a normal dose but it will correct itself eventually.

Surprises 

You go out and shock your hot tub with a heavy dose of chemicals and it turns blue, or orange.  Blue is probably copper in the water.  Now most likely, this copper was not there in your fill water.  It is most likely coming from a copper heat exchanger which is bad… very bad for a gas heater!  My guess is bromine treated hot tub, didnt know about the PH thing and your water has been nibbling away at your heat exchanger atom by atom.  Any seemingly “sudden onset metal” most likely has come from something metal the water is in contact with in an aggressive state.  If the Ph is raised, it comes out of solution where you can see it.  Precipitation,  this is called.  You’re going to need to drain and fill to really remove the copper.  Be sure water is balanced towards the high side of normal.  

Cloudy Water

If your water just isnt looking clean and clear the best course of action is to shock it.  Manytimes, cloudy water is caused by contaminants that need to be removed before using your hot tub.  Dichlor in a heavy dose can correct any bacterial problems that may exist.  Clarifiers do not sanitize cloudy water! Always start with a shock of some sort.  Potassium Monopersulfate can be used as well.  This product is sold as a “non-chlorine shock”   It acts by reducing the combined chlorines in your hot tub and freeing up the chlorine molecules so that they can go back to work disinfecting your hot tub.  A chlorine (or bromine)  base must be present however for it to work as advertised.   One of the things i love about dichlor is that it can do this same job just by adding extra.  Draining is also an option, specially if its been awhile.  You may have a buildup of total dissolved solids that aren’t easily shocked away.  Sometimes a fresh fill is your best option, with a heavy dose of dichlor at start up to eliminate bacteria in the lines.

Algae

A covered hot tub with adequate sanitizer should not get algae.   So if there is algae present in your tub you need to dose it hard with dichlor.  a third of a cup, and run it for a couple of hours on high speed should knock it out.  You may not be able to use the same day because of high chlorine levels but it will do the job.

A Warning

Hot tubs are maintained and used at a very friendly temperature to bacteria and viruses.  Sanitation is essential. If it doesn’t smell clean and fresh, if its cloudy, with a lot of dirty foam, it probably isn’t safe to use.   there are several diseases associated with hot tubs, but not nicely maintained and sanitized ones.  Sanitation  is the cornerstone  to safe  hot tubbing! 

Fix it Yourself and Look like a Pro with SpaBabes.com!

Welcome to SpaBabes.com, your experienced  source for help with your hot tub or spa equipment issues.  The combined experience level of the hot tub techs at SpaBabes encompasses many years and we can help you with hot tubs manufactured from the early 80's, thru the 90s right up to this year! With today's economy, wouldn't it be nice to know where to get tech support  to fix your own hot tub?  You've found it!  We exist to help you troubleshoot your hot tub. You can not only do it yourself,  you can  buy your hot tub parts and equipment at a discount from people who know hot tubs inside and out!

New!  Great tips and tricks for knowing your hot tub.  Get on our list. 

FREE TECH SUPPORT FOR ANY HOT TUB!

When the diagnosis is complete,we're here with the right hot tub part, spa pack, or equipment at discount pricing! Our spa parts and equipment catalog is easy to navigate, with a great selection of complete hot tub and spa packs, spa controls, spa covers, spa heaters, spa heater elements, pumps, motors, relays and more.  SpaPartsnet.com THE source for all your hot tub equipment needs is a click away!

Just so you know...SpaPartsNet.com has the best selection of spa packs and spa control systems in the industry at great pricing.  If you click on the image to your left, It will take you to the page with our ACC control systems, One of our favorite brands.  But we have more too: Balboa control systems, Hydroquip control systems, Spa Builders Systems Group Controllers, and more! So plenty of selection, plenty of good help with the choice,  based on your equipment configuration.

Want to try and  figure it out?  There is a lot of info right here!

The Glossary is a great place to start.  It goes through common hot tub and  spa equipment  and components, item by item, with helpful hints along the way.  If you are unfamiliar with your hot tub, you'll find it much easier to communicate with us once you've glanced over it.

The Spa Babes Spa Care Guide contains good simple advice for balancing water and and keeping your hot tub sanitary.  It is our most popular page at Spa Babes.

Our hot tub discussion board, SpaForums.com  is one of the most popular hot tub bulletin boards online.  You'll be suprised at  the custom in depth info you can find here.   Just lurking there and exploring the many posts will fill you in on many aspects of hot tub repair and problem solving.  Want to post?  register and please do so!

Spa Heater Problems? Don't feel alone. Heater issues have to be the most common call our support staff gets!

If your hot tub isn't heating, isn't hot enough or is too hot, click  "Heater Help" and  find an easy checklist for solving common problems with hot tub heaters.  You'll also find common hot tub  heater logic and wiring diagrams.

The tech support staff always appreciates it if you have read the check list so you are familiar and have checked for common problems that may not be directly related to your heater. Are you troubleshooting a spa control switch or relay? You'll learn to identify important switches in your hot tub or spa, how they are wired and why they are there by checking out our switch and relay section

FREE Tech Support is only a phone call (or Email ) away. We are always glad to walk you through your hot tub or spa system and share our troubleshooting techniques. That's what we're here for!

Just click "Contact us." Hey!  Are you a pool or  spa service techs? We're here for you too !  Just let us know who you are and we'll get you on our Service Technician Site: spatechs.com, and are here to help with any thorny hot tub problem you might run into.  Call from the field!  We'll be here.

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