adamrich33 Posted March 5, 2017 Report Share Posted March 5, 2017 Got a 2006 Mallorca and it keeps tripping the hi limit circuit. I have ohmed out the thermistor and confirmed its good from a temp/resistance chart. Wierd thing is, is that it is tripping when the tub is not at set point (tub @100 and thermistor is supposed to trip at 118), when the thermistor is cold (even put it in ice water for testing) and sometimes at startup. I can reset power about 3 times and it will come back. I have good water flow, clean filter so im thinking the Spa controller has gone bad. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jersey Hot Tub Repair Posted March 5, 2017 Report Share Posted March 5, 2017 If the hi limit is tripping before the tub reaches 118 degrees, it may be a bad hi limit sensor. I see that you mentioned that you have the resistance measured, but a new hi limit switch will cost much less than a new circuit board. And your resistance measurement may not be that accurate. We don't test hi limit switches with a meter. We pull them out of the heater and if we get hi limit errors when the sensor is not at trip temperature, we replace them. Never been wrong yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamrich33 Posted March 5, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 5, 2017 Got it, but you keep mentioning "hi limit switch". I have a thermistor that is bolted on top of the heater tube. The control sensor is supposed be the same resistance as the hi limit sensor. They both read identical resistance in hot water and cold water, this is what puzzles me. But to your point guess its worth replacing the sensor first and see what happens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jersey Hot Tub Repair Posted March 6, 2017 Report Share Posted March 6, 2017 If the hi limit is tripping when you put it in ice water, it certainly sounds like it could be bad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamrich33 Posted March 6, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2017 thanks, going to try a new hi limit sensor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamrich33 Posted March 13, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2017 well new sensor came in with the same problem. guess its time for a new spa controller. are the spa controllers from acuraspa.com any good? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jersey Hot Tub Repair Posted March 13, 2017 Report Share Posted March 13, 2017 Just a quick question adamrich - are you sure we're talking about the hi-limit sensor and not the temperature sensor? As to the acuraspq controllers, make sure you get one that can accomodate the type of heater & circ pump you have. 2" heater cans require more water flow than mini-circ pumps can provide. If you have 2" plumbing with pump 1 providing heater water movement, my personal spa controller preference would be a balboa or gecko pack, mainly because they are good quality products made by hot tub companies. I see acuraspa controllers in some do-it-yourself'er tubs and my impression is that just because they are cheaper doesn't necessarily mean they're better. With Balboa and Gecko packs, but the kit that includes the controller, topside and heater. Can you post a picture of your current heater and pack? We work on a lot of Hot Spring tubs, but I don't believe I've seen many Mallorca models. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamrich33 Posted March 13, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2017 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamrich33 Posted March 13, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2017 2 hours ago, ScubaDave said: Yes im refering to the senosr strapped on the heater tube Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hot Spring Official Posted March 15, 2017 Report Share Posted March 15, 2017 Hello Adamrich33 your Ice water test on the Hi-limit thermistor would also send the spa into protection mode as the cold temperature is still out of range. For testing purposes, you'll want to pull the thermistor off the manifold and place it in a cup of spa water or tepid water if the spa water is very cold. You should be able to tell within 10 minutes or less if that Hi-Limit / protection made has gone away. If it goes away your heater likely has a misaligned element causing a hot spot on the manifold near where the temperature is read by the thermistor. A new heater p/n 73994 should cure that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamrich33 Posted March 15, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2017 Thanks. The sensor trips regardless of temp it's reading. I have replaced the sensor and have the same issue. I have already inspected the heating element and it is good and not contacting the hester housing. The controller trips out and I have to reset power 3 to 4 times to get it to reset Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jersey Hot Tub Repair Posted March 15, 2017 Report Share Posted March 15, 2017 adamrich - let me ask a stupid question. How do you know the hi limit sensor trips out? By flashing LED's, error message? What are you seeing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamrich33 Posted March 15, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2017 According to the owners manual a dashed line on the display indicates a hi limit trip Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jersey Hot Tub Repair Posted March 15, 2017 Report Share Posted March 15, 2017 OK. You were saying "tripped " and sometimes people use that phrase when the circuit breaker closes. Just wanted to make sure I understood what you were saying. Interesting that cycling the power off a couple of times brings it back, but only cycling it once doesn't. When you reset power, how long does it take until the hi limit error message comes on? Is the rest of the spa inoperative? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamrich33 Posted March 15, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2017 I have waited anywhere from a minute to10 seconds between power cycles the book says 30 seconds. Either it takes 3 cycles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamrich33 Posted March 15, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2017 And it will give the hi limit error within20 seconds of the first power cycle and is a complete shutdown of the spa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamrich33 Posted March 17, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2017 Bump Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jersey Hot Tub Repair Posted March 17, 2017 Report Share Posted March 17, 2017 I don't understand why it takes 3 tries to reset the spa. Something sounds strange about that. If a circuit board had a damaged relay, it would normally stay damaged. If there were a logic problem with a chip, once again, if it's bad, it stays bad. In your first post, you said the filter was clean, but you didn't say if you tried running the spa without the filter, so try that. Filters can LOOK clean but be clogged with mineral scale, shampoo, skin lotion and probably a dozen other clear contaminants that restrict water but aren't noticeable at a quick glance. The fact that you could get the hi limit to hold after three reset attempts might be due to the first two few second bursts of low flow water being sucked into the filters, just enough to get water into the heater tub, to give a little flow so the tub starts up. I realize I'm grasping at straws here, but to have it consistently start up on the third attempt, even temporarily, is telling us something. If that doesn't work, however, I'm out of ideas. You're getting a hi limit sensor trip and you say the hi limit is good. The Hot Springs folks suggest it could be a heater element and you said that's also good. That pretty much leaves the circuit board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamrich33 Posted March 20, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 20, 2017 Thanks for the reply. I've tried without the filter as well. I think the board is crapping out. It trips the limit b4 the heater ever comes on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jersey Hot Tub Repair Posted March 21, 2017 Report Share Posted March 21, 2017 Unless there's something that a repair tech would see that we're missing here, you've pretty much eliminated everything except the board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamrich33 Posted March 30, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 30, 2017 Update after finally catching the issue while it was happening I have found that the pump is kicking on and off after some run time the motor has failed and that is what has caused the high temp limit issues now that the problem has been found I need to replace the spa motor and pump any suggestions on where to find a new pump motor as I was separating the pump housing the impeller broke due to corrosion. So far the cheapest I have been able to find is $450 being in the HVAC industry I seem to think that's a little high you guys have any leads on where to Source One at a more affordable price Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jersey Hot Tub Repair Posted March 30, 2017 Report Share Posted March 30, 2017 Assuming you have a wavemaster pump, it's basically a relabeled Waterway. Match the frame size, amperage and voltage and you don't need the Watkins label. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamrich33 Posted March 30, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 30, 2017 Thanks for the the help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
honnziva Posted June 11, 2017 Report Share Posted June 11, 2017 On 3/30/2017 at 9:39 AM, adamrich33 said: Update after finally catching the issue while it was happening I have found that the pump is kicking on and off after some run time the motor has failed and that is what has caused the high temp limit issues now that the problem has been found I need to replace the spa motor and pump any suggestions on where to find a new pump motor as I was separating the pump housing the impeller broke due to corrosion. So far the cheapest I have been able to find is $450 being in the HVAC industry I seem to think that's a little high you guys have any leads on where to Source One at a more affordable price Did this fix your issue? I'm having an identical problem where my pump has gone bad so the high limit seems to be kicking after seconds of operation. if it was the board, it wouldnt work at all right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamrich33 Posted June 11, 2017 Author Report Share Posted June 11, 2017 It will definitely trip if your pumps shuts off while it's trying to heat. However since I put on a new pump it trips less often. I believe it has something to do with the outsoor temps when it get below 60 outside it will trip. Problay the board failing. I found to order a new spa controller this fall Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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