Balboa Circuit Board Problems

[kengorman]

I have a 6-month old tub with a Balboa SUV spa pack. While in the tub the other night, the tub shut-down. The control panel became inoperative and the LED display went blank.

Prior to the spa shutting down this is what happened.

1. turned light on.

2. tub was in economy mode and temp was 1 degree below set-temp. Changed mode to standard mode and raised temp a few degrees.

3. heater kicked on.

4. low speed pump kicked on automatically.

5. switched pump 1 from low speed to high speed

6. almost instantly, turned on pump 2 (onto high speed).

7. within 1 second of turning on pump 2, the tub went dead.

The tub was drawing max current at that time - the heater, light, circ pump, and 2 jet pumps were all on. I figured it may have been a transient current spike tripping the GFCI or blowing a load fuse.

I checked the GFCI and the breaker in the circuit panel. Both were fine.

I took off the side panel to the tub and checked voltages. I was seeing 240v between both hots and 120v between each hot and neutral. The 120v circulation pump continued to operate. Apparently, it is wired directly on one leg of the incoming power.

I checked the fuses. Both 25a input load fuses checked ok. The 10a blower fuse checked fine. The 3a light fuse checked fine.

The faulty fuse was the 3/10a (300 miliamp) circuit protection fuse. At one time Balboa used to solder this onto the board, however, on my board. it is in a fuse holder. I purchased a replacement and replaced the fuse. I applied power and the fuse blew again almonst instantly (within 1 second).

I called Balboa tech support and they won't talk to me because I'm an end user and not a qualified service tech.

I'm going to place a call to Infinity, but want to gather as much information ahead of time so I can be prepared.

The balboa Technical Service manual says this about a blown circuit protection fuse:

"If either side has 0 volts, then the fuse is blown. If so, turn off the power and replace the circuit board. "

Has anyone had experience with this fuse blowing? If so, was replacing the board the answer? Could anyone comment on what the root cause may be and is there anything I can do to prevent this from happening in the future.

Is it likely this is just a faulty board that took 6-months to fail?

Thanks,

Ken

[thestallion]

Why not just call your dealer, It would be under warranty and should be at no cost to you. They would probably be there within 24-48 hours. Why are you going though this yourself ?

[Roger]

I have a 6-month old tub with a Balboa SUV spa pack. While in the tub the other night, the tub shut-down. The control panel became inoperative and the LED display went blank.

Prior to the spa shutting down this is what happened.

1. turned light on.

2. tub was in economy mode and temp was 1 degree below set-temp. Changed mode to standard mode and raised temp a few degrees.

3. heater kicked on.

4. low speed pump kicked on automatically.

5. switched pump 1 from low speed to high speed

6. almost instantly, turned on pump 2 (onto high speed).

7. within 1 second of turning on pump 2, the tub went dead.

The tub was drawing max current at that time - the heater, light, circ pump, and 2 jet pumps were all on. I figured it may have been a transient current spike tripping the GFCI or blowing a load fuse.

I checked the GFCI and the breaker in the circuit panel. Both were fine.

I took off the side panel to the tub and checked voltages. I was seeing 240v between both hots and 120v between each hot and neutral. The 120v circulation pump continued to operate. Apparently, it is wired directly on one leg of the incoming power.

I checked the fuses. Both 25a input load fuses checked ok. The 10a blower fuse checked fine. The 3a light fuse checked fine.

The faulty fuse was the 3/10a (300 miliamp) circuit protection fuse. At one time Balboa used to solder this onto the board, however, on my board. it is in a fuse holder. I purchased a replacement and replaced the fuse. I applied power and the fuse blew again almonst instantly (within 1 second).

I called Balboa tech support and they won't talk to me because I'm an end user and not a qualified service tech.

I'm going to place a call to Infinity, but want to gather as much information ahead of time so I can be prepared.

The balboa Technical Service manual says this about a blown circuit protection fuse:

"If either side has 0 volts, then the fuse is blown. If so, turn off the power and replace the circuit board. "

Has anyone had experience with this fuse blowing? If so, was replacing the board the answer? Could anyone comment on what the root cause may be and is there anything I can do to prevent this from happening in the future.

Is it likely this is just a faulty board that took 6-months to fail?

Thanks,

Ken

I would start by isolating (dissconnecting) one componant at a time with a hand full of fuses. Ozone first, air blower if equipped second and then pumps and heater. Once you have isolated all the components and if you still have a problem then steer towords the board. There are several levels of boards purchased by Balboa from the board manufacturer used in several different levels of controlers by Balboa. It is very very likely that Infinity uses a lower end board to reach a price point. But hey I have to be carefull as I will be accused of flaming or dissing a particular brand sold at a particular box store. So take this however you like but it is the truth. There are always comprimises made to reach price points.

[thestallion]

I have a 6-month old tub with a Balboa SUV spa pack. While in the tub the other night, the tub shut-down. The control panel became inoperative and the LED display went blank.

Prior to the spa shutting down this is what happened.

1. turned light on.

2. tub was in economy mode and temp was 1 degree below set-temp. Changed mode to standard mode and raised temp a few degrees.

3. heater kicked on.

4. low speed pump kicked on automatically.

5. switched pump 1 from low speed to high speed

6. almost instantly, turned on pump 2 (onto high speed).

7. within 1 second of turning on pump 2, the tub went dead.

The tub was drawing max current at that time - the heater, light, circ pump, and 2 jet pumps were all on. I figured it may have been a transient current spike tripping the GFCI or blowing a load fuse.

I checked the GFCI and the breaker in the circuit panel. Both were fine.

I took off the side panel to the tub and checked voltages. I was seeing 240v between both hots and 120v between each hot and neutral. The 120v circulation pump continued to operate. Apparently, it is wired directly on one leg of the incoming power.

I checked the fuses. Both 25a input load fuses checked ok. The 10a blower fuse checked fine. The 3a light fuse checked fine.

The faulty fuse was the 3/10a (300 miliamp) circuit protection fuse. At one time Balboa used to solder this onto the board, however, on my board. it is in a fuse holder. I purchased a replacement and replaced the fuse. I applied power and the fuse blew again almonst instantly (within 1 second).

I called Balboa tech support and they won't talk to me because I'm an end user and not a qualified service tech.

I'm going to place a call to Infinity, but want to gather as much information ahead of time so I can be prepared.

The balboa Technical Service manual says this about a blown circuit protection fuse:

"If either side has 0 volts, then the fuse is blown. If so, turn off the power and replace the circuit board. "

Has anyone had experience with this fuse blowing? If so, was replacing the board the answer? Could anyone comment on what the root cause may be and is there anything I can do to prevent this from happening in the future.

Is it likely this is just a faulty board that took 6-months to fail?

Thanks,

Ken

I would start by isolating (dissconnecting) one componant at a time with a hand full of fuses. Ozone first, air blower if equipped second and then pumps and heater. Once you have isolated all the components and if you still have a problem then steer towords the board. There are several levels of boards purchased by Balboa from the board manufacturer used in several different levels of controlers by Balboa. It is very very likely that Infinity uses a lower end board to reach a price point. But hey I have to be carefull as I will be accused of flaming or dissing a particular brand sold at a particular box store. So take this however you like but it is the truth. There are always comprimises made to reach price points.

WHOOOOA ....Rodger did you say Infinity is that why this is a "do it yourself" project on a new 5000.00 purchase. I am sorry Ken I did not know you did not have a dealer. Perhaps Soakerman can be of help here he seems to know all of the bandaids to use on these tubs.

[itsallgood]

I have a 6-month old tub with a Balboa SUV spa pack. While in the tub the other night, the tub shut-down. The control panel became inoperative and the LED display went blank.

Prior to the spa shutting down this is what happened.

1. turned light on.

2. tub was in economy mode and temp was 1 degree below set-temp. Changed mode to standard mode and raised temp a few degrees.

3. heater kicked on.

4. low speed pump kicked on automatically.

5. switched pump 1 from low speed to high speed

6. almost instantly, turned on pump 2 (onto high speed).

7. within 1 second of turning on pump 2, the tub went dead.

The tub was drawing max current at that time - the heater, light, circ pump, and 2 jet pumps were all on. I figured it may have been a transient current spike tripping the GFCI or blowing a load fuse.

I checked the GFCI and the breaker in the circuit panel. Both were fine.

I took off the side panel to the tub and checked voltages. I was seeing 240v between both hots and 120v between each hot and neutral. The 120v circulation pump continued to operate. Apparently, it is wired directly on one leg of the incoming power.

I checked the fuses. Both 25a input load fuses checked ok. The 10a blower fuse checked fine. The 3a light fuse checked fine.

The faulty fuse was the 3/10a (300 miliamp) circuit protection fuse. At one time Balboa used to solder this onto the board, however, on my board. it is in a fuse holder. I purchased a replacement and replaced the fuse. I applied power and the fuse blew again almonst instantly (within 1 second).

I called Balboa tech support and they won't talk to me because I'm an end user and not a qualified service tech.

I'm going to place a call to Infinity, but want to gather as much information ahead of time so I can be prepared.

The balboa Technical Service manual says this about a blown circuit protection fuse:

"If either side has 0 volts, then the fuse is blown. If so, turn off the power and replace the circuit board. "

Has anyone had experience with this fuse blowing? If so, was replacing the board the answer? Could anyone comment on what the root cause may be and is there anything I can do to prevent this from happening in the future.

Is it likely this is just a faulty board that took 6-months to fail?

Thanks,

Ken

I would start by isolating (dissconnecting) one componant at a time with a hand full of fuses. Ozone first, air blower if equipped second and then pumps and heater. Once you have isolated all the components and if you still have a problem then steer towords the board. There are several levels of boards purchased by Balboa from the board manufacturer used in several different levels of controlers by Balboa. It is very very likely that Infinity uses a lower end board to reach a price point. But hey I have to be carefull as I will be accused of flaming or dissing a particular brand sold at a particular box store. So take this however you like but it is the truth. There are always comprimises made to reach price points.

WHOOOOA ....Rodger did you say Infinity is that why this is a "do it yourself" project on a new 5000.00 purchase. I am sorry Ken I did not know you did not have a dealer. Perhaps Soakerman can be of help here he seems to know all of the bandaids to use on these tubs.

[itsallgood]

HUH

WHOOOOA ....Rodger did you say Infinity is that why this is a "do it yourself" project on a new 5000.00 purchase. I am sorry Ken I did not know you did not have a dealer. Perhaps Soakerman can be of help here he seems to know all of the bandaids to use on these tubs.

[Roger]

I would start by isolating (dissconnecting) one componant at a time with a hand full of fuses. Ozone first, air blower if equipped second and then pumps and heater. Once you have isolated all the components and if you still have a problem then steer towords the board. There are several levels of boards purchased by Balboa from the board manufacturer used in several different levels of controlers by Balboa. It is very very likely that Infinity uses a lower end board to reach a price point. But hey I have to be carefull as I will be accused of flaming or dissing a particular brand sold at a particular box store. So take this however you like but it is the truth. There are always comprimises made to reach price points.

Any luck Ken. That sucker would have been frozen solid here by now unless a repair was facilitated. It will be 20-30 below here this weekend and the wind will be dead calm.

[kengorman]

Any luck Ken. That sucker would have been frozen solid here by now unless a repair was facilitated. It will be 20-30 below here this weekend and the wind will be dead calm.

Hi Roger,

Making a little progress. I got in touch with Infinity who indicated they'd assign a local tech to come out and take a look. They were going to call back today with information about which tech they had assigned to the case. I haven't heard back.

We are experiencing sub-freezing temps at night here in suburban Philadelphia and day-time highs around 40. I would be somewhat concerned about freezing, however, even with the board non-functional, the 24-hour circ pump is still getting juice. It is still running. I'm hoping the heat from the motor is enough to keep the water from freezing up.

I'll post back with any updates.

Ken

[Joeybobby]

Any luck Ken. That sucker would have been frozen solid here by now unless a repair was facilitated. It will be 20-30 below here this weekend and the wind will be dead calm.

Hi Roger,

Making a little progress. I got in touch with Infinity who indicated they'd assign a local tech to come out and take a look. They were going to call back today with information about which tech they had assigned to the case. I haven't heard back.

We are experiencing sub-freezing temps at night here in suburban Philadelphia and day-time highs around 40. I would be somewhat concerned about freezing, however, even with the board non-functional, the 24-hour circ pump is still getting juice. It is still running. I'm hoping the heat from the motor is enough to keep the water from freezing up.

I'll post back with any updates.

Ken

If you are worried about freezing why dont you cover it with a tarp and run a portable heater under it. Thats what I had to do to thaw out the lines when I got mine..... They shipped it with water still in the pipes. Im thinking if you put it right under the tub the heat will keep the water going through the lines from the circ pump above freezing...... If not it will give you extra time anyway. Hope that helps........

[Joeybobby]

Any luck Ken. That sucker would have been frozen solid here by now unless a repair was facilitated. It will be 20-30 below here this weekend and the wind will be dead calm.

Hi Roger,

Making a little progress. I got in touch with Infinity who indicated they'd assign a local tech to come out and take a look. They were going to call back today with information about which tech they had assigned to the case. I haven't heard back.

We are experiencing sub-freezing temps at night here in suburban Philadelphia and day-time highs around 40. I would be somewhat concerned about freezing, however, even with the board non-functional, the 24-hour circ pump is still getting juice. It is still running. I'm hoping the heat from the motor is enough to keep the water from freezing up.

I'll post back with any updates.

Ken

If you are worried about freezing why dont you cover it with a tarp and run a portable heater under it. Thats what I had to do to thaw out the lines when I got mine..... They shipped it with water still in the pipes. Im thinking if you put it right under the tub the heat will keep the water going through the lines from the circ pump above freezing...... If not it will give you extra time anyway. Hope that helps........

oh ya, make sure you don't point it directly at something that could melt!!

[Roger]

Any luck Ken. That sucker would have been frozen solid here by now unless a repair was facilitated. It will be 20-30 below here this weekend and the wind will be dead calm.

Hi Roger,

Making a little progress. I got in touch with Infinity who indicated they'd assign a local tech to come out and take a look. They were going to call back today with information about which tech they had assigned to the case. I haven't heard back.

We are experiencing sub-freezing temps at night here in suburban Philadelphia and day-time highs around 40. I would be somewhat concerned about freezing, however, even with the board non-functional, the 24-hour circ pump is still getting juice. It is still running. I'm hoping the heat from the motor is enough to keep the water from freezing up.

I'll post back with any updates.

Ken

The circ pump should keep it from freezing no problem in those temps. But a small electric heater placed just right will be a big help if the temp drops into the below 0 temps.

Keep us posted. It's very difficult to diognose not having your hands and volt meter on it.

[kengorman]

I previously wrote:

Making a little progress. I got in touch with Infinity who indicated they'd assign a local tech to come out and take a look. They were going to call back today with information about which tech they had assigned to the case. I haven't heard back.

I heard back a few hours after I posted on Thursday. The service tech had a full schedule on Thursday and his first available time is today. He'll (hopefully) be out sometime this afternoon to service the tub. I spoke with him and he indicated that if it is a board problem he may have to wait for a replacement which may take another day or two.

The circ pump should keep it from freezing no problem in those temps. But a small electric heater placed just right will be a big help if the temp drops into the below 0 temps.

Keep us posted. It's very difficult to diognose not having your hands and volt meter on it.

I took Roger's advice and purchased a small electric heater and placed it inside the interior cavity of the spa. Although the temperatures aren't extreme, it is colder now in Philadelphia than it's been all year. Temperatures yesterday were in the 20s during the day and dropped to the low teens over-night.

Ken

[Roger]

I previously wrote:

Making a little progress. I got in touch with Infinity who indicated they'd assign a local tech to come out and take a look. They were going to call back today with information about which tech they had assigned to the case. I haven't heard back.

I heard back a few hours after I posted on Thursday. The service tech had a full schedule on Thursday and his first available time is today. He'll (hopefully) be out sometime this afternoon to service the tub. I spoke with him and he indicated that if it is a board problem he may have to wait for a replacement which may take another day or two.

The circ pump should keep it from freezing no problem in those temps. But a small electric heater placed just right will be a big help if the temp drops into the below 0 temps.

Keep us posted. It's very difficult to diognose not having your hands and volt meter on it.

I took Roger's advice and purchased a small electric heater and placed it inside the interior cavity of the spa. Although the temperatures aren't extreme, it is colder now in Philadelphia than it's been all year. Temperatures yesterday were in the 20s during the day and dropped to the low teens over-night.

Ken

I have used small electric heaters to keep spas from freezing for weeks. No worrys just make sure you place it right and you check it often and don't burn the city down.

[soakerman]

I previously wrote:

Making a little progress. I got in touch with Infinity who indicated they'd assign a local tech to come out and take a look. They were going to call back today with information about which tech they had assigned to the case. I haven't heard back.

I heard back a few hours after I posted on Thursday. The service tech had a full schedule on Thursday and his first available time is today. He'll (hopefully) be out sometime this afternoon to service the tub. I spoke with him and he indicated that if it is a board problem he may have to wait for a replacement which may take another day or two.

The circ pump should keep it from freezing no problem in those temps. But a small electric heater placed just right will be a big help if the temp drops into the below 0 temps.

Keep us posted. It's very difficult to diognose not having your hands and volt meter on it.

I took Roger's advice and purchased a small electric heater and placed it inside the interior cavity of the spa. Although the temperatures aren't extreme, it is colder now in Philadelphia than it's been all year. Temperatures yesterday were in the 20s during the day and dropped to the low teens over-night.

Ken

I have used small electric heaters to keep spas from freezing for weeks. No worrys just make sure you place it right and you check it often and don't burn the city down.

Why would you need to keep a spa from freezing for weeks? Thats what ths poster is being bashed for is a purported lack of service yet you do the same if not worse by draging out a repair over weeks while at the same time,Why hold anyone else to a higher standard then what you can provide apparently.

I am not bashing you at all Roger just highlighting the fact that sometimes it just takes time to get parts, diagnose and repair spas just like anything else. I assume you had to order parts so that's where the delay in the repair which is reasonable. So I guess I question if that's acceptable for you to not be johny on the spot spa repair guy then why would anyone here think that Infinity spa should be held to a higher standard then what you or any other qualified spa tech can offer?

[spatech (the unreal one)]

Why would you need to keep a spa from freezing for weeks? Thats what ths poster is being bashed for is a purported lack of service yet you do the same if not worse by draging out a repair over weeks while at the same time, hold anyone else to a higher standard then what you can provide apparently. I am not bashing you at all Roger just highlighting the fact that sometimes it just takes time to get parts, diagnose and repair spas just like anything else. I assume you had to order parts so that's where the delay in the repair which is reasonable. So I guess I question if that's acceptable for you to not be johny on the spot spa repair guy then why would anone here think that Infinity spa should be any more then what you or any other qualified spa tech can offer?

Sure, Roger is an independent service guy working on all makes when there is no warranty or when the manufacturer has no dealer nearby and contacts him so he may run into this since he doesn't stock parts for every make out there. I'm under the impression Ken does not have a local dealer either so he may have to do this a short time.

Local dealers will stock parts specific to what they sell/service and rarely have to do this (sometimes they do for short time if it is an odd part or something they are out of for whatever reason).

Do you have a point or are you just "Roger bashing" (which should be left to his ex)?

[Roger]

Why would you need to keep a spa from freezing for weeks? Thats what ths poster is being bashed for is a purported lack of service yet you do the same if not worse by draging out a repair over weeks while at the same time,Why hold anyone else to a higher standard then what you can provide apparently.

I am not bashing you at all Roger just highlighting the fact that sometimes it just takes time to get parts, diagnose and repair spas just like anything else. I assume you had to order parts so that's where the delay in the repair which is reasonable. So I guess I question if that's acceptable for you to not be johny on the spot spa repair guy then why would anyone here think that Infinity spa should be held to a higher standard then what you or any other qualified spa tech can offer?

A customer calls on a Friday and says "my Infinity spa isn't running!!" I say well I'll be right there and see if I can help. I diognose the problem as a control board and say, I can order up a board but it will be 250 bucks plus my labor, the customer says "but I have a warranty" I say I understand that but that has nothing to do with me. I will throw a heater in your cabinet to prevent freezing until you decide, talk to your hubby and or your warranty people and let me know what you decide. Monday, customer calls and says they got ahold of Infinity spas and they are going to send the new part, we'll call you when it arrives. My response is I will need a check when I am done for the first hour and the hour it takes to install and test operation of new board. Customer says well shouldn't Infinity pay you, I say Ummmmm like I said before that is between Infinity and you, my deal is with you, payment upon completion. They say they will call Infinity and let me know. Thursday, customer calls and says OK the board arrived can you install it. I say, no problem but I am booked this week I will get to it Monday, and say deal you pay me and argue with Infinity. Monday install board and hold out hand for 150 bucks. 10 days later. I hope that clarifys it for you Soaker.

[spatech (the unreal one)]

I hope that clarifys it for you Soaker.

It should but I doubt it will.

[Joeybobby]

Any luck Ken. That sucker would have been frozen solid here by now unless a repair was facilitated. It will be 20-30 below here this weekend and the wind will be dead calm.

Hi Roger,

Making a little progress. I got in touch with Infinity who indicated they'd assign a local tech to come out and take a look. They were going to call back today with information about which tech they had assigned to the case. I haven't heard back.

We are experiencing sub-freezing temps at night here in suburban Philadelphia and day-time highs around 40. I would be somewhat concerned about freezing, however, even with the board non-functional, the 24-hour circ pump is still getting juice. It is still running. I'm hoping the heat from the motor is enough to keep the water from freezing up.

I'll post back with any updates.

Ken

I'm dealing with Infinity and if you know of any tech nearby all you have to do is get hold of them to see if the will do the work then call Infinity and give them their number.... They are good like that because it saves them from finding someone and it save you if the person they find is some redneck that knows next to nothing about hot tubs then shows up and jimmi rigs it. Maybe you can find an electrician if its a board problem..... They tried to send some guy to my place that was very unprofessional on the phone with me and I could tell would have no pride in his work... I refused to have him come to my house.... Do yourself a favor and find someone yourself and then forward the number to Infinity........ Trust me....

[Hillbilly Hot Tub]

I have a 6-month old tub with a Balboa SUV spa pack. While in the tub the other night, the tub shut-down. The control panel became inoperative and the LED display went blank.

Prior to the spa shutting down this is what happened.

1. turned light on.

2. tub was in economy mode and temp was 1 degree below set-temp. Changed mode to standard mode and raised temp a few degrees.

3. heater kicked on.

4. low speed pump kicked on automatically.

5. switched pump 1 from low speed to high speed

6. almost instantly, turned on pump 2 (onto high speed).

7. within 1 second of turning on pump 2, the tub went dead.

The tub was drawing max current at that time - the heater, light, circ pump, and 2 jet pumps were all on. I figured it may have been a transient current spike tripping the GFCI or blowing a load fuse.

I checked the GFCI and the breaker in the circuit panel. Both were fine.

I took off the side panel to the tub and checked voltages. I was seeing 240v between both hots and 120v between each hot and neutral. The 120v circulation pump continued to operate. Apparently, it is wired directly on one leg of the incoming power.

I checked the fuses. Both 25a input load fuses checked ok. The 10a blower fuse checked fine. The 3a light fuse checked fine.

The faulty fuse was the 3/10a (300 miliamp) circuit protection fuse. At one time Balboa used to solder this onto the board, however, on my board. it is in a fuse holder. I purchased a replacement and replaced the fuse. I applied power and the fuse blew again almonst instantly (within 1 second).

I called Balboa tech support and they won't talk to me because I'm an end user and not a qualified service tech.

I'm going to place a call to Infinity, but want to gather as much information ahead of time so I can be prepared.

The balboa Technical Service manual says this about a blown circuit protection fuse:

"If either side has 0 volts, then the fuse is blown. If so, turn off the power and replace the circuit board. "

Has anyone had experience with this fuse blowing? If so, was replacing the board the answer? Could anyone comment on what the root cause may be and is there anything I can do to prevent this from happening in the future.

Is it likely this is just a faulty board that took 6-months to fail?

Thanks,

Ken

To test the fuses the right way you will need to remove them from the board and test continuity, is the power going through it. Leaving it on the board could give you a false reading as the power maybe going through the circiut.

Unplug all components : pumps, blower, ozone. Does it still blow fuse? If so you may have a bad topside.

[Joeybobby]

I have a 6-month old tub with a Balboa SUV spa pack. While in the tub the other night, the tub shut-down. The control panel became inoperative and the LED display went blank.

Prior to the spa shutting down this is what happened.

1. turned light on.

2. tub was in economy mode and temp was 1 degree below set-temp. Changed mode to standard mode and raised temp a few degrees.

3. heater kicked on.

4. low speed pump kicked on automatically.

5. switched pump 1 from low speed to high speed

6. almost instantly, turned on pump 2 (onto high speed).

7. within 1 second of turning on pump 2, the tub went dead.

The tub was drawing max current at that time - the heater, light, circ pump, and 2 jet pumps were all on. I figured it may have been a transient current spike tripping the GFCI or blowing a load fuse.

I checked the GFCI and the breaker in the circuit panel. Both were fine.

I took off the side panel to the tub and checked voltages. I was seeing 240v between both hots and 120v between each hot and neutral. The 120v circulation pump continued to operate. Apparently, it is wired directly on one leg of the incoming power.

I checked the fuses. Both 25a input load fuses checked ok. The 10a blower fuse checked fine. The 3a light fuse checked fine.

The faulty fuse was the 3/10a (300 miliamp) circuit protection fuse. At one time Balboa used to solder this onto the board, however, on my board. it is in a fuse holder. I purchased a replacement and replaced the fuse. I applied power and the fuse blew again almonst instantly (within 1 second).

I called Balboa tech support and they won't talk to me because I'm an end user and not a qualified service tech.

I'm going to place a call to Infinity, but want to gather as much information ahead of time so I can be prepared.

The balboa Technical Service manual says this about a blown circuit protection fuse:

"If either side has 0 volts, then the fuse is blown. If so, turn off the power and replace the circuit board. "

Has anyone had experience with this fuse blowing? If so, was replacing the board the answer? Could anyone comment on what the root cause may be and is there anything I can do to prevent this from happening in the future.

Is it likely this is just a faulty board that took 6-months to fail?

Thanks,

Ken

You say your circulating pump is wired directly to one side of the input power..... Can you see how they hooked it up or take a picture and show me? I'm wondering if it is even fused correctly..... I'm an electrician btw and am wondering how its done..... You might want to mention that to your tech guy when he comes... He might have to fuse the motor correctly.......

[Roger]

I hope that clarifys it for you Soaker.

It should but I doubt it will.

But this is the kind of warranty he has. It should be self explanitory soon as he needs to find a service guy. All the independents I know do work for there customers and get payed by there customers. Our invoices are designed for manufacturers to understand when customers turn them in for warranty reimbursment. All of our credentials are clearly listed. But we get payed our rate by our customers, we would never allow a manufacturer to determine our rates or our reimbursment. Now this is not to say that I have not been called by a manufacturer (snorkel called me a few months ago) But we set our rates and they sign our agreement before we work. They can find anyone they want, they don't have to use me, but they agreed to my rates. Desperation does that, it's 25 below.

[kengorman]

You say your circulating pump is wired directly to one side of the input power..... Can you see how they hooked it up or take a picture and show me? I'm wondering if it is even fused correctly..... I'm an electrician btw and am wondering how its done..... You might want to mention that to your tech guy when he comes... He might have to fuse the motor correctly.......

In the photo below, my circ pump is wired to the tabs that are circled in red. Those tabs are marked "RED AC" and "WHT AC" silk-screen on the board. I believe these tabs are always powered.

My circ pump is NOT connected to the white 4-wire connector marked "CIRC PUMP" located at the top right corner of the transformer.

I haven't seen the back of the circuit board, but I'm assuming that those circled tabs get their power after the current passes through the 25a power fuses at the top left of the board.

Ken

[Joeybobby]

You say your circulating pump is wired directly to one side of the input power..... Can you see how they hooked it up or take a picture and show me? I'm wondering if it is even fused correctly..... I'm an electrician btw and am wondering how its done..... You might want to mention that to your tech guy when he comes... He might have to fuse the motor correctly.......

In the photo below, my circ pump is wired to the tabs that are circled in red. Those tabs are marked "RED AC" and "WHT AC" silk-screen on the board. I believe these tabs are always powered.

My circ pump is NOT connected to the white 4-wire connector marked "CIRC PUMP" located at the top right corner of the transformer.

I haven't seen the back of the circuit board, but I'm assuming that those circled tabs get their power after the current passes through the 25a power fuses at the top left of the board.

Ken

Interesting.. Ill check my board out tomorrow and see if it compares with yours...... I would still mention it to the tech though.......

[Joeybobby]

You say your circulating pump is wired directly to one side of the input power..... Can you see how they hooked it up or take a picture and show me? I'm wondering if it is even fused correctly..... I'm an electrician btw and am wondering how its done..... You might want to mention that to your tech guy when he comes... He might have to fuse the motor correctly.......

In the photo below, my circ pump is wired to the tabs that are circled in red. Those tabs are marked "RED AC" and "WHT AC" silk-screen on the board. I believe these tabs are always powered.

My circ pump is NOT connected to the white 4-wire connector marked "CIRC PUMP" located at the top right corner of the transformer.

I haven't seen the back of the circuit board, but I'm assuming that those circled tabs get their power after the current passes through the 25a power fuses at the top left of the board.

Ken

Interesting.. Ill check my board out tomorrow and see if it compares with yours...... I would still mention it to the tech though....... Ooops, didnt mean to post that twice... sorry

[kengorman]

Quick Status update - Tub is working now. The tub was out of commission for almost a week with daytime temps in the 20s and 30s and evening temps in the low teens. After a week, the water temperature dropped from 101 to a cool 64 degrees. I had a 600 watt portable heater inside the cabinet for the last 2 nights. In retrospect, this probably was unnecessary.

If you're interested - the long story is below.

The repair tech was out late yesterday afternoon. I arrived home just as he was finishing up - he indicated there was a loose connection to one of the motors. I don't quite understand how that would cause the onboard circuit protection fuse to fail. He had already popped in a new fuse. I was there when he flipped the breaker and the tub instantly went into priming mode.

He tested out all the functions (low speed, high speed, economy, standard, lights, etc.) and everything was working fine. Since things were working fine, he started to reattach the side panel. As he was doing this the tub started acted strangely. The spa light started cycling on and off rapidly - about twice a second. The topside panel became somewhat inoperative. It accepted commands to raise and lower temperature and allowed the temperature to be set, however, it wouldn't allow the jets to turn on or off. The tech theorized that perhaps he inadvertently hit a sequence of buttons that put the unit into a "test mode".

He removed power from the tub (from the disconnect panel) and reapplied power. The spa light started cycling again. He indicated he had never seen this before. He thought there may be a button sequence to get out of this mode. I told him I'd call Infinity and if I couldn't resolve it over the phone with them, I'd call him back for another service call. He left with the initial problem solved.

I got a hold of an Infinity tech support person on the phone who indicated that the persistent memory needed to be reset by jumpering J43 on the board during power-up. When I went outside to do this, the light wasn't cycling anymore and the topside panel was operating again?

I can only guess that the spa was in some "test mode" and it exited the mode after some time. It was about 15-20 minutes after the light started cycling that the tub started working normally again.

I'm hoping this was a one-time thing. If the "blinking light" phenomenon occurs again, I'll call Infinity back, but for now, I'll just enjoy my tub.

I checked the tub one last time before I went to bed last night at 11:00pm. It was working fine and the temp was already up to 96 degrees - a 32 degree increase in a little less than 5 hours.

This morning, the tub was at its set point of 101 and working fine.

I'm now looking forward to a nice soak.

Ken