1996 Hotsprings Jetsetter: Tripping

[doctauri]

I inherited a 1996 Hot Springs Jetsetter from my in-laws about 3 years ago. When I got it, the circulation pump was dead, so I replaced it and it seemed to work fine. About 2 years ago it started tripping (blinking read light, heater stopped heating but circulation pump continued to work), but not too often. Turn it off for a while and it'd be good for another few weeks. Now it's gotten to the point it won't run for more than about an hour before tripping, sometimes it trips within minutes of resetting it.

Working my way through the system trying to figure out what's going on, I pulled out the heating element, it looks brand new. So next I pulled out the circulation pump. No problem there, impeller is working fine. What I do notice though is that, in the past, I had a constant stream of bubbles coming up from the floor drain where the heater/circulation returned, but now, no bubbles. I have flow, if I put my hand over it, I feel water coming up, and if I pull the filter and standpipe for the inlet, there's a lot of suction, but no bubbles (not sure if that really matters). Also, while trying to figure out what it is, I unplugged the heater. The unit ran over night without tripping (first time in a while it did that), which has me leaning towards heater, but I don't want to spend the $250 unless I'm sure that's it.

So does anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks,

Doc

P.S. It just tripped again, so I decided to feel the circulation pump. It's pretty hot to the touch. Not scalding, but you certainly wouldn't want to put it in your lap. Not sure if this info's any help.

[n1oty]

Check for obstructions in the heater and on the return from the heater, such as at an ozone injector, if present. It does not sound like you have any obstructions, but it may be a partial obstruction and just enough to slow the overall flow through the heater, resulting in an overheat condition at the heater. Also, this could simply be a defective sensor, but evaluate for proper flow first.

John

I inherited a 1996 Hot Springs Jetsetter from my in-laws about 3 years ago. When I got it, the circulation pump was dead, so I replaced it and it seemed to work fine. About 2 years ago it started tripping (blinking read light, heater stopped heating but circulation pump continued to work), but not too often. Turn it off for a while and it'd be good for another few weeks. Now it's gotten to the point it won't run for more than about an hour before tripping, sometimes it trips within minutes of resetting it.

Working my way through the system trying to figure out what's going on, I pulled out the heating element, it looks brand new. So next I pulled out the circulation pump. No problem there, impeller is working fine. What I do notice though is that, in the past, I had a constant stream of bubbles coming up from the floor drain where the heater/circulation returned, but now, no bubbles. I have flow, if I put my hand over it, I feel water coming up, and if I pull the filter and standpipe for the inlet, there's a lot of suction, but no bubbles (not sure if that really matters). Also, while trying to figure out what it is, I unplugged the heater. The unit ran over night without tripping (first time in a while it did that), which has me leaning towards heater, but I don't want to spend the $250 unless I'm sure that's it.

So does anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks,

Doc

P.S. It just tripped again, so I decided to feel the circulation pump. It's pretty hot to the touch. Not scalding, but you certainly wouldn't want to put it in your lap. Not sure if this info's any help.

[doctauri]

Check for obstructions in the heater and on the return from the heater, such as at an ozone injector, if present. It does not sound like you have any obstructions, but it may be a partial obstruction and just enough to slow the overall flow through the heater, resulting in an overheat condition at the heater. Also, this could simply be a defective sensor, but evaluate for proper flow first.

John

I'll drain and check it tomorrow. I was able to run it long enough last night to get the temp up to 106 so was able to use it, but I probably had to reset it 3 or 4 times. I felt the return and it sure felt like it had quite a bit of pressure, still no bubbles though.

Thanks for the help, I'll report back.

Doc

[doctauri]

So I drained it and found no obstructions. I refilled it per instructions I've found elsewhere (but never knew), backfilling to eliminate airlocks. I now have bubbles, but in the process broke the high-limit thermistor when I pulled it to check it out. Considering how easy it broke, I'm wondering if it wasn't cracked around the top. So, I ordered a new one and installed it a few hours ago. So far no tripping.

One question though: Is there any adjustment process required when installing a new thermistor, or is it just a plug and play component?

Thanks,

Doc

[Peteyboy]

Answered on other forum. No adjustments for new thermister except resetting the power.

[doctauri]

Great, thanks. I'll keep you posted.

[grandee1]

I have a 2000 Grandee and it was doing the same thing. I ended up changing out the GE GFI in the Sub panel and it never tripped again. Those GFI's do fatigue over time.