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Motor winding problem or a bad start cap. John

That's great, but you are still in violation of 110.3 John

Go back and re-read your Watkins owners manual. They specifically state that the cord end GFCI's are not waterproof to begin with and must be protected, hence the rain tight boxes you can buy for your receptacle. John

In the case I mention, the electrician removed the cord end GFCI and replaced it with a standard cord cap (male plug) and a GFCI circuit breaker to protect the intended receptacle. When the GFCI started tripping in the panel, the homeowner decided to play detective and ran an extension from an interior receptacle that was not GFCI protected. The extension was heavy duty enough to support the load, so it did not catch fire. However, the heater turned out to be badly corroded and ground faulted. The high impedance fault was not sufficient to trip the regular circuit breaker, but the equipment compartment caught fire. The hot tub was indoors and the resultant fire destroyed the entire house. Ground faults can start fires. Watkins manuals specifically state NOT to remove the GFCI from the end of the cord of their 115 volt tubs or a dangerous condition can result. The intent of having the GFCI on the end of the cord is to prevent someone from doing something very stupid. Removing this protection from the point of design is a violation of NEC 110.3(. I understand that plugging the tub into a functional GFCI receptacle does provide protection WHEN IT IS PLUGGED INTO THAT RECEPTACLE ONLY. The intent of the code requirement and Watkins warning is to guard against some of the stupidity that can, and does, occur on occasion. I know for a fact that Watkins was one of the parties in the lawsuit that occurred in the late 80's and suspect that their warning in the manual about the cord end GFCI is probably related to this event and undoubtedly others. John

This arrangement is a major NEC code violation and I am personally aware of one lawsuit from a house fire that was indirectly caused by having this arrangement. It is imperative that the GFCI be a part of the cord. Having the GFCI at the receptacle, not on the tub, would enable anyone to unplug the tub from the protected receptacle and plug it into an unprotected receptacle. Your electrician friend has given you poor advice. John

What voltage does the pack put out to the motor on each speed?? John

My customer is already on top of that. I just cannot fathom why Thermo would send out an obviously problematic board to a customer paying by credit card. I mean, if they were intent on scamming a customer, it is rather foolish to do that to a customer with an easy recourse. I'd be speculating, but maybe it is incompetence. Maybe their better employees have seen the writing on the wall and have already jumped ship. John

Those motors do not handle air, only water. The small one is the circ pump that pushes water through the heater. The large motor is your jet pump. John

That's what the customer claims Thermospas told her and the reason she contracted with me. I'm not surprised because I know all of the competent, independent servicers in eastern Mass and in RI, and none of them are working for Thermospas. The last I heard, Thermospas was sending someone out occasionally from Connecticut to service this area. I'm more surprised that Thermospas took my out-of-warranty customers credit card info and shipped an obviously burnt up board!! John

Dr. Spa, I just wanted to update you on a couple of service calls over the past couple of work days since the Thermospas BK filing. I serviced two Thermospas hot tubs with the customer paying me. One tub was under warranty and the other was not. The customer with the warranty tub was told by Thermospas that they "might" be able to get a servicer out by June or July. Both tubs had board problems. Thermospas sent in a board for the warranty call. It looked like a rebuilt board and did not work. The non-warranty customer ordered and paid for a board, but received a badly burnt board in the package. The heater relays were already burnt up. She is not happy. This BK may get interesting. John

How about this: http://business-bankruptcies.com/cases/thermospas-inc The list of creditors appears to be very long. I'm glad I never signed up with them to perform service. John

One thing to watch out for with regard to the existing wiring that is retained. HS requires that all conductors must be rated at least 75 C. A lot of older 60 amp tubs were wired with NM-B, a 60 C rated conductor. If so, you may want to change it so you do not potentially jeopardize your warranty. On the other hand, if it is THHN or any of the other 75 C or 90 C conductors, you should be all set. John

Once you set for continuous circ pump operation, the time must go past midnight before that logic takes over. Check it the following day. If it still is not working correctly, you probably have a board issue or a time chip issue. John

As a tub servicer in SE Mass and someone that does a fair amount of subcontract work for NE Spas, I suspect you will find very major freeze damage unless you get very, very lucky. I don't have to remind you that the winter of 2010-2011 was brutally cold around here. We had a six week period from January to February of 2011 that was unforgiving temperature-wise. I saw freeze damage the likes of which I've rarely seen in my 28 years in the business. Feel free to open your panels, fill the tub and check for leaks, but don't be surprised if you have a LOT of leak points. John

Generally there's a small (3/4) line that ties into the filter pumps downstream flow and pushes circulation through the secondary pump to prevent this. Or I have seen the same 3/4 line upstream draw through the secondary pump warm water from the vessle. This. Or as Sundance and some others do, they will have an even smaller vinyl hose (3/8 inch) circulating heated tub water through the jet pump or pumps. It doesn't take much heated water to keep the ice at bay in harsh climates, but a lot of the junkier tubs do not even implement this kind of protection. John

Check the large capacitors in the middle of the circuit board and see if one or both capacitors have bulged tops. The watchdog error on this model is usually either caused by a bad temp sensor or a board problem. Applying heat to the circuit board to resolve your issue indicates to me that you most likely have a board problem and those caps are usually the source of board problems. I congratulate you on at least getting it going, but I suspect you'll have this problem again until it is properly repaired. John

I would exercise caution around those relays. Each relay in the heat circuit is controlled by a sensor such as a high limit sensor. John

Agreed. Drain immediately if these were pool trichlor pucks. Otherwise, you can do an awful lot of chemical damage. John

If you can feel a hot spot on that heater that is that hot to the touch, you have problems beginning in that heater. John

I may be wrong, but I don't believe Chad is affiliated with Strong anymore. I admit that I have been exceptionally busy and have not been on the forum much lately, so I may have missed something. Has he rejoined Strong?? John

Are the power and ready LED's on the front of the tub flashing, steady or off?? John

You are only supplying 120 volts to a 240 volt motor. They will frequently run on low speed at the lower voltage. You need to determine which leg to move the motor common to in order for the motor to receive the proper 240 volts. John

Get the date off the Balboa controller. That will get you in the ballpark. John

The only wiring diagram is on the backside of the control panel. I wouldn't be surprised if the tub is either wired wrong or perhaps the heater relay board blew soon after it was newly hooked up. Is the "heater on" light on in the control box? I've never seen a defective heater relay board cause flashing LED's on the front control. It sounds like a clueless electrician. John

Does your tub have an air blower?? John