RDspaguy

How are you testing? Dichlor is almost half cya (cyanuric acid aka stabilizer) so if you are using dichlor you are adding stabilizer every time and it is accumulating in the water. How big is your "cap"? How big is your spa? It sounds like a recipe for extremely high chlorine and cya. High chlorine will bleach out the readings on all parameters, even chlorine, if not neutralized, so if you are using test strips you are not getting accurate readings, and even a test kit could be inaccurate. Get a test kit if you don't have one, and read the sticky thread on dichlor/bleach method. @waterbear, can alkalinity be 0? Would that crash the ph?

Mainly because I got my threads mixed up and thought we were talking about a balboa system, which would have errors for a faulty sensor. Not sure on an old gecko how "smart" it really is. As I recall, it should throw an error if shutting off for hi-limit overheat but will not for a sensor discrepancy. @CanadianSpaTech, you know these gecko controls better than I. What do you think? The temp sensor is what sends the reading to the controller and determines when to turn the heater on and off. There is nothing that I can think of that would turn the heater off early and not show an error. Except economy mode.

My money is on the circuit board.

Have no idea what you are talking about.

Not sure how you came to that conclusion, but I disagree. In fact, if it messes up again it is almost certainly a flow issue. ??? The fact that you had a panel off should not effect the temp that it heats the water up to, just the speed that it gets there and how long it holds. Is your probe in the water or on the outside of the heater?

@Ahhsomeguy, you are being paged. Usually, foam is the result of detergent residue, fabric softener, hair conditioner, etc.

@jimmythegreek, any ideas?

The lim ok light is the high limit indicator, and it should be on. It appears that the pressure switch harness is off center on the plug. I don't know what the light below the small "daughter" board is. Maybe @castletonia knows? The control unplugged light should not be on, and often indicates a bad control. That said, I notice on the left side of the yellow cylinder on the daughter board a fuzzy brown spot that I don't think should be there. This leads me to believe that you may need a board. @CanadianSpaTech, your thoughts?

My condolences.

The point is to test them where they are. Turn temp down and run pump for a minute to clear any residual heat and test. This is assuming it is not a gecko pack. Ok. Not a gecko.

I assumed the flapper was stuck or found when the pump was replaced. Not sure on the temp correlation though. Why 100*? It should constant or random, not temperature related. Please describe these issues. Now you're just showing off... 🤣

When testing sensors you must test both and compare the two readings. The pump running non-stop will produce some heat. A typical spa heater wired at 240v will increase the temp by 6-8 degrees per hour. The pump by itself will take much longer. Do you have a separate thermometer to verify the actual temp in the tub? The mystery is that it heats to 100, then stops with no errors. Not heating at all is common and pretty easy to figure out, but heating partway repeatedly is rather odd. But I haven't seen a spa I couldn't fix yet, so I am confident we'll get there. Maybe not as fast as if I were there... If it gets too hairy we can always call on @CanadianSpaTech to solve the mystery. He will tell you to "remove your filter until the issue is resolved, just take it out of the equation". Which is excellent advice, especially if the bypass valve is broken. Try that. Thanks, @CanadianSpaTech. You're my hero! I'm going to be just like you if I ever grow up! 😂

I got it right? 😉 I know you couldn't tell from my posts here, but I actually have quite an extensive vocabulary and have always excelled at spelling. I can also spell antidisestablishmentarianism and deoxyribonucleic acid, as well as potassium peroxymonopersulfate and xylophone. I know... shocking, right? I have learned not to utilize the full breadth of my linguistic capabilities, as some people are disconcerted or even perturbed by their own perceived condescension in my blithe and occasionally flippant use of vocabulary. But I digress...🤣

What dreaded screen is that? The heater should not make noise. Describe the noise. It's not the heater. Post a pic of the circuit board, wiring diagram, and equipment area.

How close? What readings? Yes, but it wouldn't work at lower temps and stop magically at 100*. Post a pic of the circuit board, wiring diagram, and equipment area.

We have debated if cya will interfere with the chlorine oxidizing the bromide, but I don't think any conclusions were drawn. Bromine itself is unaffected by cya. I'd say if you can't return it, use it until cya reaches 30 then switch to liquid. No point in throwing it out.

Quebec, according to his profile on another forum he posted on.

You know, @CanadianSpaTechlives up there in the frozen wastes like you. Perhaps he knows where you might acquire a used tub in need of repair.

That is an o-ring at that point, which will come in a seal kit, but may not fix your issue. If the pump head has warped from ice or heat even a new o-ring won't help. Impellers can be damaged by removal if you aren't careful, but you only need to remove it to replace the shaft seal. I use a hooked wire through the output to hold the impeller while I break it loose. Removing the pump front and grabbing it with channel locks will break it most of the time. Pumps are rated in two ways, true HP, and brake HP. True HP is the power while running. Brake HP is the power at start-up, which is using a capacitor and different coil in the motor. So it wasn't a lie, but it was and is misleading. I worked in the industry when they first started that in the 90s, and we got a stack of 3.5HP stickers and instructions to place them over the 2HP stickers on all of our pumps in stock. Like magic! 🤪

There is the key. Try that thing in a Tahoe winter and it will be a block of ice by Christmas. Even in a Missouri winter they can't keep up with loss. In my experience, both the cavitation heater and the heat reclamation system are laughable in the places I have worked (St.Louis, Boulder, Tahoe). I have installed real heaters on many over the years. I do not recommend them.

Did you read the thread or just reply to the topic? If the answer isn't in here, start your own thread with details of your spa including a pic of the circuit board and wiring diagram on the box cover.

Then they are nesting in it. I'd put some of that poison gel around the bottom of the spa and throw some bait in the equipment area at least. Maybe call an exterminator. I worked on a tub that had been sprayed inside the foam with some insecticide by an exterminator a week before I got there. They didn't bother to tell me I was digging into poison foam looking for the leaks. I had to ask why my arms were burning and turning red. The joys of spa repair...

I see all kinds of critters living in and around spas. They make a great habitat being warm year round and near a water source. But roaches under the cover is a new one on me. Ants, termites, frogs, lizards, spiders the size of your hand... all normal for under the cover. Add squirrels, chipmunks, mice, rats, snakes, centipedes, beetles, and many others I can't name that live in the spa cabinet/insulation. Where do you live? Do you have a roach problem in your home?

PVC glue. I prefer Christy's red hot blue glue.

How many wires come into the spa from the breaker? If 3, you have the wrong wiring on your transformer. Period. It's printed on the transformer if you know what you're looking at. My second job in this industry was for a Sundance dealer, so I have been fixing Sundance spas since 1997. Argue with me if you want...