ciderjack

Relays are not engaging, and the heater is attempting to power on when the flow/pressure switch is not satisfied. You most likely have at the very least a bad board, and possibly a bad flow/pressure switch. You can test to make sure the transformer is working. If it is working correctly, then you have a bad board. If the transformer is not supplying the 12v to the board, then you would start by replacing the transformer.

Can you post a picture of the sensor harness?

If you put the leads across both terminals and are getting 240v, the next step would be to figure out if the heater is drawing any amperage. If it is not, then you have a bad heater.

The sensor in the heater can throw the ICE code. If your circulation pump is not set to run 24 hours, sometimes the water in the heater can get down below 55 degrees and throw the ICE code. This is all normal.

When you unplugged all the loads, did you make sure to take the white circulation pump wire off the terminal block? The board and/or control panel is very unlikely to be the problem.

It could also be the actual fuse holder. When you take the fuse out, check to make sure none of the plastic is melted. The fuse holder is leading cause of blown fuses in a Sundance

Was the water actually 116?

I believe JP9-5 is the memory reset on that. Turn the power off, put a jumper on JP9-5, turn power on and let it boot up, then shut the power off and take the jumper back off. Restart and see if that does it.

From the service manual: P19-1 Jumper JP19-1 Installed: Switches temperature display from Fahrenheit (°F) to Centigrade (°C) I would check your jumper settings on the board first.

In my experience with those spas, you have to hold that menu button down for longer than 10 seconds. And sometimes it takes 2 or 3 times to unlock it. Try holding the menu button down for 15-20 seconds and see if that fixes it.

When you replaced the flow switch, did you make sure the wires went back in the top and bottom middle holes in the sensor loom? Did you verify that the tabs kept them in place? Can you put an ohm meter on the flow switch to see what the continuity is when it is closed? Could be a second faulty flow switch. Could also be a bad board, but that is super rare

You could have a few different problems being masked by the watchdog error. The circulation pump not running would not cause the watchdog error by itself. If the circulation pump is not running, and the flow switch is bad, the heater may turn on without any water going through it. This would cause the hi limit to activate the watchdog error. To test if the circulation pump is working, you would have to test when the watchdog error is not present. If it is not running, the flow switch is open, and the heater comes on, you would have the scenario I posted above.

They are very easy to replace. Take the panel off where that light is. Dig in to where that light is. The LED light should still be in the back of it. From there, just pull the light out, install the new light lens, gasket, and nut, and put the LED light into the back of it.

On your spa, the only pump that pushes through the flow switch is the circulation pump. Running pump 1, pump 2, and/or the air blower shouldn't make a difference. You can put a meter on the flow switch to see what is going on. Shut the power off to the tub. Take the sensor harness off of the board. Remove the 2 pins for the flow switch. Test for continuity when it is open and closed. You will want a meter that actually measures ohms, not just continuity, as a defective flow switch can read somewhere in the middle of open and closed. Open should be infinite ohms Closed should be very close to 0 ohms

When you get the low flow error, is any water coming out of the heat return? Is the water level at least halfway up the skimmer? Does the weir gate float with the water level, or does it get stuck up? When you get the low flow error, can you look at the flow switch and see if the two pieces in the middle are touching? George

Every single one I've seen that says "problem communicating with pack" was a bad pack.

When you are checking, are you checking for 240v across the terminals? Or 120v each leg to ground?

I do not have any insight on that. The overheat GFCI trip is new. It kicks in when the circuit board detects an abnormal rise in temperature over the course of several hours that cannot be explained by another logic condition, and will cause the spa’s GFCI to trip and display a “GFCI Trip” error on screen at the spa’s next start up. If you message me, I may be able to help you clear it

Sent to your email.

Here is the manual for a 2003 Portofino series from Sundance. Basically the same controls as the Hermosa. For gallons, I would guess around 300. 03porto.pdf

This is an easy fix. The board needs to be cleared of the error, and the only way to do that is by accessing the circuit board and resetting it. A new hi-limit will not fix this problem. Have your Sundance dealer call tech support to walk them through it if need be.

I'm not sure if he did or not, but blown fuse/fuse holders in Sundances are typically not accompanied by any other issues. If the wires/fuse/fuse holder are not making great contact, they overheat, and do what was in the picture. Replace the fuse and fuse holder and you will be fine.

This doesn't sound correct. Heaters are very simple things. Is it getting 240v across the posts (not 120v and 120v)? If no, and the heater is supposed to be on, then the relay or board is bad. If yes, check for amperage. Is it drawing the correct amperage? If yes, heater is working If not, element is bad. It would also be good to get an Ohm reading on the element while the power is off.

When you test for 240, are you testing across the posts on the heater? Or just 120v to each post? Heater getting 240v, but drawing 0 amps = bad element