kellyc

Hi, My first post on this forum. I have gained a great deal of knowledge just reading discussions, but now have a specific problem that I didn't find a direct answer for: My spa has been working fine. Figured it was due for change of water. So, turned off breaker, drained the tub, refilled it and turned breaker on - no power. After investigating, I found the GFCI breaker is tripped. It trips immediately each time I try to turn it on. I found some discussion about troubleshooting GFCI problems. I unplugged various components 1 by 1 but it still trips. Finally, I unplugged both of the leads to the heater element. Now, the tub powers up and I can cycle through all the functions. If I connect one lead (the right-hand side, it will again power up. But if I connect only the left side, the GFCI will trip. Does this indicate the heater element is bad and must be replaced? Any idea why this would happen when all I did was a routine water change? It is a "Strong Spa" with Balboa electronics and heater element. My control module and heater look very similar to the picture in this post: http://www.poolspaforum.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=45372#entry174767 Thanks, -Kelly