AZJack Posted January 29, 2014 Report Share Posted January 29, 2014 Hello. My Mom has one of those inflatable TheraSpa hot tubs, which is perfect for her, due to it's size and low cost. Sadly, we have had to replace the heater unit twice already, and the 3rd one went bad as well. We will NOT be doing business with these people again (Esse Trading Company), since they WILL NOT warranty their heaters, and they refuse to fix the problem with their poor reliability. I want to replace the heater with something that will last longer than a couple months. I was thinking of an electric tankless water heater, but I don't know if that is a good idea. Also was thinking of getting something like a Coates 1.5ILS hot tub heater, and doing some custom plumbing, but was advised against that option. I don't know what to do. Any ideas anyone? It would be greatly appreciated. My Mom loves her little hot tub, and wants to use it again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Spa Posted January 29, 2014 Report Share Posted January 29, 2014 Three elements in WHAT time period? WHY have they been failing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PreservedSwine Posted January 30, 2014 Report Share Posted January 30, 2014 I'd guess your water chemistry is either awful (over-sanitation), or the heater has been dry firing for some reason. As the good Dr. has asked- what type of failure? Are we talking overheated wiring on the heater terminals, no heat, or current leakage-which makes the GFCI trip? , or something else?? Do you check your PH, and sanitizer levels regularly? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZJack Posted January 30, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2014 Thanks for the replies. The heater just quits heating, apparently the element burns out or something. I'm going to take the latest bad heater apart tomorrow, see if I can see anything broken or burnt. And our water chemistry has been fine, checked and maintained properly twice a week. And the heater has never 'dry fired', which I assume would mean being on with no water going through it. I believe it is just a poor design. And one more thing, the lady at Esse Trading Company was very rude today when I called, started giving me a hard time. If they would make a decent product that would last more than a month maybe I wouldn't have been quite so upset. The first heater failed in 2 months, which they did replace under warranty, so at least that was something. The second lasted a month, no warranty. And the third didn't even last that long. Seems a waste of time to try another one of their bad heaters, so will need to go with something else. And I follow the directions as printed in their owner's manual to the letter, so it's nothing I am doing wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PreservedSwine Posted January 30, 2014 Report Share Posted January 30, 2014 When I say dry firing- I mean the heater may be energizing with no water flow, perhaps a heater relay or pump may be failing? I don't mean to insinuate you're turning it on with no water. Try to be polite, and inform them it keeps breaking. If the dealer refuses to fix it, call the manufacturer. Typically, the manufacturer re-imburses the dealer for warranty repairs, so it's no problem for a dealer to keep coming back. Did the tech mention anything while he was there as to why it failed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZJack Posted January 31, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2014 I have no technician trying to fix this thing. The main reason we bought this hot tub is because we are both on very limited fixed incomes, and this is all we can afford. No way we could manage to pay someone to come over and look at it. I took the heater apart, and the element looks absolutely brand new. I will be testing resistance tomorrow, and may be doing some experimenting to see if it will heat up. Since I know nothing about this stuff, but am quite familiar with electricity and electronics, I will be EXTREMELY careful. One question: Does the element itself use AC or DC current? I see a transformer in there, but didn't spot a rectifier, so I am assuming AC. I am assuming the AC is variable, to adjust the temperature, or is it something else? The dealer we bought this thing from IS the manufacturer, and they were quite rude this last time. No way am I spending a bunch of money on this - not worth it to spend more than it cost in the first place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Spa Posted January 31, 2014 Report Share Posted January 31, 2014 The element takes FULL voltage. The thermostat switches the voltage on and off (the transformer is for something else). If you poser the element up without water flowing past it, it can burn out instantly. The element can look perfectly fine, and be non-functional. It is HIGHLY unlikely, actually almost virtually impossible, that you have had elements that are bad and failed prematurely. Almost certainly, there is some other aspect of the system that has failed, or is failing, causing the elements to fail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZJack Posted January 31, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2014 I took the heater assembly apart, drew up a schematic, and see that the heater takes the full 110 V AC, and is switched on and off with a relay controlled by the PC Board. The heater element itself measures about 15 ohms, which seems reasonable. And the transformer steps down the 110 Volts AC to 12 Volts AC, which is then rectified to provide power to the PC Board. Pretty simple circuit. Don't know what 'Poser the element up' means, but assume you mean wire it straight up to 110 Volts AC. Nice to know that may burn out the element instantly. Thank you for that. I won't hook it up straight to 110. So now I'm thinking the heater element itself is ok, since it looks clean and the resistance is at a reasonable value. So that means the control circuit is bad - could be the PC Board, the temperature sensor, a bad relay, who knows? And I don't have the tools to troubleshoot and find out what is bad. And I'm not going to contact the manufacturer/dealer, since they are NO HELP, so may go to a pool place and see if they can build me a custom system or something. That will probably cost a lot, so I am probably stuck with a fancy inflatable little swimming pool, unless I can figure something else out. Any ideas are most welcome, and I appreciate the advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Spa Posted February 1, 2014 Report Share Posted February 1, 2014 typo...poser = power Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Posted February 1, 2014 Report Share Posted February 1, 2014 Hello. My Mom has one of those inflatable TheraSpa hot tubs, which is perfect for her, due to it's size and low cost. Sadly, we have had to replace the heater unit twice already, and the 3rd one went bad as well. We will NOT be doing business with these people again (Esse Trading Company), since they WILL NOT warranty their heaters, and they refuse to fix the problem with their poor reliability. I want to replace the heater with something that will last longer than a couple months. I was thinking of an electric tankless water heater, but I don't know if that is a good idea. Also was thinking of getting something like a Coates 1.5ILS hot tub heater, and doing some custom plumbing, but was advised against that option. I don't know what to do. Any ideas anyone? It would be greatly appreciated. My Mom loves her little hot tub, and wants to use it again. I'm not sure this is the right unit for your mom or if it is such a low cost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brettnolan Posted February 1, 2014 Report Share Posted February 1, 2014 I agree with Roger, but didn't want to say so. You seem like a fairly competent DIY'er, there are better options I think. Cheapest up front isn't always (rarely is) best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PreservedSwine Posted February 1, 2014 Report Share Posted February 1, 2014 If the heater is Ohming out at 15 Ohm's, it's fine. Are you certain it has failed? It will only gain 1-2 degrees/hour when covered, and will never get hot when not covered. Perhaps the circuit isn't energizing the heater? Dirty filter/bad pressure switch (if equipped?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZJack Posted February 1, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2014 That's for sure, cheaper up front isn't always best. I let the heater and filter run for 24 hours, per the instruction manual, and it was still putting out cold water, so I would have to agree, the heater isn't being energized. I hesitate to just hardwire the heater element to a switch bypassing the PC board since then there would be no thermostat action, and the temperature wouldn't be regulated, which kind of defeats the whole purpose of a hot tub, which is to have a nice hot bath type situation whenever you want without filling up a tub every time. We selected this hot tub because we didn't want a permanent in ground one, and other portable hot tubs were around 2 or 3 thousand dollars, way out of our range. This was about $500, inflatable, and easily transportable back and forth to Montana for the summer. That's why it was perfect for my Mom. Still debating what to do. will check out local pool dealers for some ideas. But keep up the good advice - it does help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PreservedSwine Posted February 3, 2014 Report Share Posted February 3, 2014 "I let the heater and filter run for 24 hours, per the instruction manual, and it was still putting out cold water" It will always be putting out cold water, even when it's working. Have you measured the temp of the water before and after 24 hours? What's the temp difference? You're telling the company they make lousy heaters, when your heater isn't broken. I know you're frustrated, but the first thing you need to do is be 100% sure a problem exists. The spa heats excruciatingly slowly, and I'm not sure the climate where you live. It may take more than 24 hours to get hot. Find an accurate thermometer, and chart the temp rise. If there is a problem, you've already ruled out the element as the problem. Call them back and ask for help... They probably discovered the earlier elements weren't broken that you told them were broken, and decided to stop sending you new ones. "I hesitate to just hardwire the heater element to a switch bypassing the PC board since then there would be no thermostat action, and the temperature wouldn't be regulated, which kind of defeats the whole purpose of a hot tub" Good, no one is suggesting you do that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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