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Hot Tub Keeps Powering Down Please Help


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Hows it going guys? Im a first time hot tub owner and have lerked this board a few times looking for answers and decided I would become an official member and ask for help. Heres my story and problem :

I purchased my home back in January. There was a hot tube on the back patio that needed a new cover so I was excited to throw a new cover on it, clean it up and have me a nice fully functional hot tub. Well its two weeks later after my clean up and cover project and here is the problem at hand. My hot tub is an Essential Spa tub it has a Balboa ( Part number 52531-01 Model SUV ) circuit board. At first you could push the buttons on the controller very hard and it would come on but then power completely down after a short time. Suddenly it wouldnt work at all so I pulled the side cover off. While unscrewing the box cover I tapped the box and I heard the relay click on inside and it powered right up. It would display the following: 100,60, 05, 24 then go into Pr mode as usual. Suddenly the relay would click off and power completely power back down. Once again give the box a gentle tap and it would power right up again. You can go into standard mode and it will run sometimes for a bit but never get up to a warm temp. before clicking totally back off again. I browsed around and someone believe it was the control pad so I purchased a new one. Hooked it up and everything was still the same. You always hear the relay click on and then hear it when it clicks off

I called the local Pool and Spa Depot with my delema and they assured me it would be some loose connection. I looked and everything seems to be secure. I also got in contact with the person who I purchased my home from and they told me the board was just replaced last year. I have no idea what to do now. Ive looked at everything I know to do. ANY help pointing me in the right direction with this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

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I had something similar on my tub, it ended up being the control board. I replaced it myself. After taking out the old control board, I saw that there was a cold solder joint on it. I had already purchased a new one though.

Maybe the pump or heater is trying to draw too much power or has a short or something. Not sure if there is anyway to test the control board without anything hooked up. If there is, then you could try it and hook up components separately to see if one of the devices attached to it is causing it to stop.

I'm a consumer, so maybe one of the people who do this more regularly would have a better idea.

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Im leaning towards a loose connection. I just got off the phone with another local spa/pool place and they seem to think its a loose wire somewhere. UNFORTUNATELY they do not have a tech that can look at it so I am basically going to be left on my own at this point.

Im not sure exactly where to start with my connections. I went through the process of turning it on and getting it running and I held the box so that no vibrations could jar the box to loosen the conncection and it got it up to about 80 degrees. I let go of the box and it ran for about 5 more minutes before clicking off.

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power it up, with cover off and board exsposed. push on the large transformer middle right on the board, its the largest thing on the board, easy to locate. these boards are bad about the transformerlosing connection. I have soldered many many many of these transformers back on successfully.

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Well when I got home I pushed on the transformer while it was off and it would light up the top side panel. While it was running you could push on it in certain places and it would click it off. It wouldnt be in the same spot everytime though so I figure that would be the problem. I noticed that it has two small nuts and bolts like thing would checking to make sure these are loose be a bad idea or what do you think my next step would be?

Oh yeah I also want to mention that it sounds as if now that the transformer is rattling a bit Can touch it and the rattle goes away. I tried my best to recall if it had done this before and I believe it had so I would assume that this is the devil thats been keeping me from enjoying me a good soak lol.

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Soldering things onto and off of a circuit board is pretty elementary, given you have the exact replacement part to solder back on, and a sound surface onto which to do it. The transformer nuts and bolts will do nothing for you if you tighten them. The transformer has tiny copper leads on both sides, that connect to the board, ease away the tape and investigate if you can spot an obvious compromise. I have even just heated the connections on the back of the board enough to melt the existing solder a little and it fixes alot of them, most of the time though, when you push on it and it does the on off thing, then a wire has become disconnected from the board.

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  • 11 years later...
On 10/29/2023 at 12:31 AM, lovbyts said:

Why does no one every post the resolution?

Why did you resurrect a 11 year old thread?

If you are having a problem, please start your own thread. In it, Please fully describe your problem and include pictures of your spa's control board with the dip switches (if present) the wiring diagram which is usually found on the inside of the cover of the control box and of your equipment area.

Doing all this will ensure the people here will see it and assist.

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