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Troubleshooting
Your Spa
Spa Will Not Heat
"My spa will not heat" is the number one complaint we here, it accounts for almost every repair that is sent in to Spa Care Center. Below is a compilation of almost every possible reason for this occurrence.
Note: If you have a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) in the main control box please click here for circuit board troubleshooting. The information below is for mechanical control boxes, without circuit boards.
STEP 1: Hi-Limit
Switch Trips (Heater Reset Button)
Assuming that everything
else is working properly (i.e., spa is set in the heater/filter cycle
and water is flowing from the jets), the first thing you will look for
is the hi-limit switch, also referred to
as the heater reset button. Now finding it can sometimes be a problem,
it’s as if it was purposely put it in a hard to find place, especially
in some of the older spas. This is why the hi-limit switch has been pictured
below.
What you are looking
for is that red button that is pictured above; it is the only actual part
of the hi-limit switch that is visible without going inside the control
boxes. When you locate it, give it a push, if you feel or hear a click,
or you see a heater indicator light come on that wasn't’t on before, then
you have solved the problem.
It is highly recommended
scrolling down to the section that explains why the hi-limit switch trips.
NOTE: Pictured below
is a typical "hard to find" place you may find the hi-limit
switch installed. The red button is not visible in this case, but is behind
a rubber boot.
IMPORTANT: Some spas
have the thermostats located on top. These are called spa
side controls, they have built in air buttons and orange indicator
lights. One of the indicator lights says heater, this light comes on regardless
if the spa is heating or not. Do not troubleshoot using this light, it
could confuse you.
STEP 2: Why Does the
Hi-Limit Switch Trip?
The #1 reason is filter
related. It has become old, dirty or clogged, which has restricted the
flow of the water. This fools the hi-limit switch sensor into thinking
that the spa water is getting to hot. This is what a hi-limit switch does.
It’s a safety switch that measures water temperature, tripping if it senses
a higher than normal heat rise.
A good way to check
if the filter is causing the hi-limit switch to trip, is to run the spa
without the filter for a couple of days. If the hi-limit switch does not
trip, then it is time to buy a new filter. (See filters)
Another reason the
hi-limit switch trips is for the very reason they were designed; the spa
water exceeded an abnormal temperature rise - Refer to Water
Gets Too Hot section.
The final thing it
could be, without getting further complicated, is the hi-limit switch
is faulty and needs to be replaced.
Other things to look
for:
Are all the jets open
to allow maximum flow? Are the shut off valves open all the way? Is there
enough ventilation where the equipment is? (Can equipment breathe?) Is
there water coming out of the jets at all? (See STEP 3 paragraph (5) referring
to "air locks".)
FINAL NOTE: Before
you drain your spa, turn down the thermostat! By not doing this can cause
the hi-limit switch to trip. If pushing or replacing the hi-limit switch
has still left you without heat, then proceed on to the next test.
STEP 3: Checking the
Heating Element Using the Multi-meter and the Amp-meter.
Assuming that the
heater/filter cycle is running, the thermostat is turned all the way up
and you see water flowing out of the jets; then remove the control box
cover and locate one of the wires going to the heating element, usually
coming from the contactor.
Open the clamp of
the amp meter and wrap it around the ONE wire you chose. With the power
and heater/filter cycle on, you should be reading approximately 15 amps
on a spa that is wired 110 volts, and 25 amps on a spa that has been wired
for 220 volts. If you are getting either one of these readings, then the
heating element is working properly. Spa water heats at a rate of 3 degrees
an hour wired at 110 volts and 10 degrees an hour at 220 volts. If you
did not get a reading at all then continue with next test.
Make sure that the
heater/filter cycle is on, and the thermostat is turned all the way up
doing this test. Using the multi-meter or the amp-meter with the selector
on voltage AC, take one lead from the meter and place it on one of the
heater element post. Then take the other lead and place it on the other
post. If your spa is operating as a 110 volt system, then this is what
you should be reading on the meter, if it is a 220 volt system, then that
is what you should be reading. Below is the most common element (Flo Thru)
used in the industry, however the rules above apply to ALL elements.
Now, if you did the
amp test and had no reading at all, then, you did the voltage test and HAD THE PROPER reading you have solved your problem. Replace the heating
element. Find "heating elements"
in the parts section.
STEP 4: When Testing
the Heating Element for Amperage or Voltage, I Find No Readings.
Find the two wires
that feed the heating element coming from contactor (. With the spa in
the heater/filter cycle and water flowing from the jets, watch the contactor
that is feeding the heating element while you turn the thermostat dial
up and down.( This may require two people.) The contactor should be closing
and releasing as you do this, if it is not, then go on to the next test.
MORE IMPORTANT "CONTACTOR" INFORMATION
BELOW!
*TURN
OFF THE POWER BEFORE DOING THE NEXT TEST!*
Locate the pressure
switch pictured above to help identify it. Once
you have located it, remove both wires that are connected.
TIP: Before removing
the wires spray some WD-40 on the connectors they are attached to, to
prevent the fragile micro-switch from breaking. Then, carefully pull them
off.
Once they are removed,
tape them together; turn the thermostat dial down to the off position,
and turn the power back on. Make sure the spa is on the heater/filter
cycle and water is flowing from the jets, turn the thermostat dial up
while watching the contactor, if it closes when doing this, then re-test
the heater using the amp-meter. If you get 15 amps at 110 volts and 25
amps at 220 volts, then one of two things could be wrong. Either the pressure
switch needs replacing or the filter is old, clogged, or dirty.
Put the wires back
on the pressure switch. Run the spa without the filter, if you see the
contactor close and you have the proper readings at the heating element
then you’ve solved the problem (Replace the filter).
If removing the filter
didn't solve the problem, then the pressure switch should be replaced.
See pressure switch.
MORE CONTACTOR
INFORMATION
In order for a contactor
to close it must have power to the coil, this power is usually
traced through a series of components i.e., thermostat, hi-limit and pressure
switch. If for any reason one of these components fail then the required
voltage to the coil will be jeopardized and the contactor will not close
in order to send power to the heating element. As mentioned above, it
is usually one of these components that will cause a spa not to heat.
Occasionally a contactor will fail, meaning it will have the required
voltage at the coil (see below) but will not close. Below are the
most common contactor's and their coil placements. The same rule applies
when testing a coil as with a heating element. You must put one lead of
your meter on each post/terminal of the coil. If your contactor is 120
volts (see coil info on the side of contactor) then this is what you should
be reading, the same applies for 220 volts
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Mentioned above are
just some of the basic steps in solving the "no heat" problem
and in no way covers all the "could be's". Some other things
to check are:
- Faulty
heater contactor
- Burnt
wires
- Fuses
and/or breakers at spa or house
- Faulty
thermostat
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