Leaderboard

Disconnect it (power off) from the circuit board using the instructions below. Lift the copper tabs up so they can't touch anything and try the breaker. If the breaker hold when disconnected replace the heater element ($50) If it still trips disconnect each component one at a time until you find the component that is tripping the breaker.

I also agree that the area is a red flag !!! Power disconnected, soaking a rag in vinegar and letting it sit overnight should dissolve the corrosion. The copper strips themselves can be cleaned with steel wool.

There shouldn't be any screws. Just a 1/8" foam tape that comes on the topside. If it has been removed or came loose it will be caulk. But if you are replacing it anyway you can peel the overlay and look. It's just a sticker. Chech the transformer plug for corrosion and a good connection. Feel the transformer after running for a bit. It should be warm but not hot.

I ended up buying this pump instead: https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B077SGZ23W/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Works perfectly and it solved all of my problems! The FLO error went away, circulation pump started normally, I can see the flap moving to "closed" position in the flow switch, AND best of all my heater is working again ! I wasted $800 replacing this heater and I didn't understand that the circulation pump was the cause of all issues. I even bought a $300 external heater in a desperate attempt to fix my spa. Thanks a lot for your help, it was a great opportunity to learn more about repairing spas. With this knowledge I feel confident I will do better next time I run into some issues.

Finally updating with results. I limped the tub along for a bit bc I didn’t have time to do the water change. 10/10 would not recommend. When the water was changed again here’s what I did: - made sure to get FC high before adding Ahhsome. - took out filters and washed them separately. - dosed the tub with ahhsome, turned jets and blowers to high. - Circulated water five times or more by restarting the jets cycle. - left ahhsome mixture sitting in tub 24 hours. - circulated jets several times the next morning before the drain. - while draining hosed down sides and wiped gunk off where I could. - cleaned tub walls with a diluted ahhsome mixture in a spray bottle. Made sure to wipe around jets, head rests, filter housing area. Basically all nooks and crannies and was a little obsessive. - once it was drained I kept spraying down the sides and refilling the footwell area with clean water. to leave as little of the old water as possible I used a shop vac for the water the drain/ sump pump wouldn’t get. - refilled using a hose filter. - balanced water, gave it an initial shock and let the tub do its thing overnight. the next day I noticed a tiny bit of the white gunk in the filter housing area. I was thinking I would have to do another round of ahhsome. However after that, it stopped showing up so I am thinking it was the last bit of residual biofilm being purged. Since then, I’ve been able to keep FC in the tub without adding to it everyday. So using ahhsome overnight cleared it all completely. I think this got bad bc in the first round of water, the cya got too high due to using dichlor too long so the chlorine couldn’t sanitize effectively allowing biofilm to buildup. thank you everyone for the suggestions and advice. I am feeling much better about maintaining the spa and learned a lot in my first 6 months.