thatcat

Skip to end for current issue. Thanks Everything 'DID' work after I realized the interlock was a magnet!!... The dimmer didn't dim the light, but it did turn it on and off... The jets and heater worked and then the heater reset tripped after it got pretty hot. So, now i've narrowed my problems to the dimmer, which i just replaced, and the heater (and/or heater pump). I had taken the heater apart completely and inspected it when i first got the tub and it didn't look bad (what would bad be?) Should I have the jets on while the heater is on? Also, the pump was making a peculiar sound, where would i check for warm water to be coming in the tub? So, I hit the heater reset and I assume it was still too hot and the gfci at the wall tripped. Got up in the morning and I took the control box out to inspect, and everything looked fine no problem I can see in the surge protector. Re-install, plug in and again I hear (what I assume to be) the #1 relay magnetize, and i make sure that the door interlock is against the magnet, but nothing trips and nothing works... Back where I started. To reiterate. 1. Got tub - surge blown dimmer busted 2. New surge protector and dimmer - Tub works after realizing magnet on door is vital, except dimmer doesn't function, just on or off 3. Heater gets too hot and trips the heater reset 4. Hit the heater reset (assume when it is still too hot) and the wall gfci trips 5. Take out control box, inspect and see things are fine 6. Reinstall, plug in and hear #1 relay magnetize, but no power and nothing trips When i first plugged the tub in and the surge protector was blown, it would trip my fuse at the main box and now nothing is tripping Also, when I had the box in my house and was testing it the first time after reinstalling the surge protector, I didn't know about the magnet on the door and the same thing would happen - The #1 relay would magnetize and the light wouldn't work, so It seems like a similar issue. If the surge protector was bust, it just wouldn't work right? One more really CRAZY item that I just noticed. Okay, so when I first plugged my tub in and posted my first question, the door was open and I didn't realize the "door" needed to be closed due to the magnet. Upon realizing that it was the magnet I THOUGHT that the piece on the door was the magnet....but NO, it was already broken off and the entire time the other half of the magnet was electrical tapped to the wire coming from the box, so it is EXTREMELY nuts that my tub was initially just giving me the sound of #1 relay magnetizing and after I duct taped it to what I THOUGHT was the magnet on the door, it worked!!! But, it WASN'T the magnet, it was a glued on piece of plastic that the opposite side of the magnet attached to!! WTF???!!! LOL, I'm not a dipshit, well sometimes, I rehab houses and have a pretty sound knowledge of mech. and elec. things, so I'm sufficiently confused at this point. To be clear. I am at the same point as I was before I 'closed' the door. I have the tub plugged in and I pulled the magnet off and on and listen to the relay catch power and release. Neither of the resets are tripped. Update: I unplugged the heater and I was able to start the tub up. The jets came on and I could hear the pump working, but didn't see any water flow... there is a bit of an air bubble in the line I can see. Update 2: Fixed the air lock. Plugged the heater back in. When i turn the heat to the point i can hear it 'click', it trips my house gfci. The pump works fine and the noise is gone and the jets work fine too. So I'm left with either a problem with the Heater Hi-limit or the Heater itself, or the relay. After doing a bit of searching... what i was probably hearing was the heater element boiling the water and it burned up my coil... That would cause the gfci to trip, huh? So off to buy a new coil and I think I should be enjoying it by Saturday. As usual, I ended up answering my own questions as I went along. LOL... but if it's a better possibility it is the relay, let me know! Any other ideas? ... Thanks much Namaste AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

Thanks for the responses, the manual too!

Ok to start, I picked this up used with the intention of having a bit of a project. I have pulled basically the entire guts of the tub out after plugging it in and seeing it blew my fuse. Upon inspection of the control panel, the one time use surge protector was torched. I replaced this part as well as the dimmer for the light, which had a broken dial, and looked over the rest of the box for burnt or broken connections. Everything seemed to be in good condition, so i plugged in the box and the #1 interlock relay came to life (I didn't have anything else plugged in) I proceeded to reassemble the tub, filled it up and pugged it in. I heard the #1 relay magnetize, but there is zero power to anything... light, pump, jets. The gfci didn't trip, nor did the breaker. Any suggestions on where to start? I'm not too concerned about the process, but it is getting close to the winter in the NE and maybe it'd be half dozen in one hand scenario, and just hiring a hot tub mech. to fix it would be the easy way out. Thanks in advance.