goupdog Posted April 11, 2014 Report Share Posted April 11, 2014 I just purchased one of these and got it all hooked up and going a month ago. Now it has stopped heating. The breakers are not tripped. I took off the wood cover and what I assume is the circ pump is not running nor is the heater warm to the touch. If I wiggle or tap on the circ pump it seems to want to take off but it makes a god awful sound(like a whine or screeching sound). But it doesn't stay on for very long. It had water in it when I bought it but might have sat empty for some time before then as I am not real sure bout that. When I bought it, the guy said that if it started loosing temp that it was usually the sensor. I am leaning towards it being the pump tho with all the noise. Does anyone think buying that new pump and the 2 sensors would be the right thing to fix this? Plus how hard is it to do the swap if so? I don't see any shut off valves on this thing like on my tubs I have had in the past. Also, I filled this thing with water from inside my house(as my outside line broke over the winter as has yet to be fixed) and I have a softened water. Could that have broken loose some grime? Plus there is a small leak somewhere on the side around the right side from the access panel if you are facing it. It appears to be small as there is just a small puddle and water loss is minimal. What are the thoughts on the stop leak stuff that can be bought off ebay? I bought 2 bottles and was gonna try it out. Am I wasting my time? Or should I just drain it and find like 8 big guys to lift this thing up and see if I can see anything obvious? I hope the stop leak is a viable fix as this thing weighs a lot! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hot Spring Official Posted April 11, 2014 Report Share Posted April 11, 2014 Goupdog - A Landmark model is an older Hot Spring Spa but we would need the spa serial number to confirm the year. Prior to 2001, Hot Spring Spas had a No Fault heater with a reset switch on the top. If there was insufficient flow as a result of dirty filters or a failed circulation pump, the switch may trip prior to the heater going into a high-limit protection mode (red power light would be blinking). A noisy or grinding circulation pump is never good and may be the cause of your heating problem. The circulation pump plumbing line does not have shut off valves as they just present another opportunity for leaks/future problems. For a consumer we would recommend draining the spa to perform this repair whereas technicians have clamps they can use to preform a quick pump change-out. We would not recommend using a stop leak product as the water pressure would just flush it out. Please contact Watkins Customer Service at 800-999-4688 x8432 with your spa serial number and we can help identify the vintage of your spa and refer you to your local dealer to address the leak issue. Regards, Keith, Watkins Customer Service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goupdog Posted April 11, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 11, 2014 The serial is S2B1102 Built in the second quarter of 2000. The Watkins No Fault Heater is IHH 6000 NHCW(model 0927501). The reset does not seem to be tripped as I can feel the button but its not sticking out and I tried with all my might and couldn't get it to go in any. The lights on the board that are listed Lim OK and Heater on, are both illuminated. The power light on the control is lit up in red and NOT flashing. The Circ pump is Silentflow 5000 model 34378 and seems to be running now with no noise but the case on it is very warm. I fell pretty confident doing repairs myself to avoid the costs of a repair tech(I fear with fixing everything would be more than I got in the unit). EDIT: If I run the jets its starts warming back up. I don't know why this helps or if it is of any help, but it works this way. Does this narrow it down any? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goupdog Posted April 13, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 13, 2014 anyone else have any ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goupdog Posted April 15, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 15, 2014 pulled filter holder and felt circ hole in bottom and its sucking very well. Leaning towards the heater. I need to ohm the heater and check the relay/reset switch on it. Plus check the thermistors. Anything else? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PreservedSwine Posted April 15, 2014 Report Share Posted April 15, 2014 Yes, check voltage from the 30 amp breaker- make sure you meter across both wires to get 240v. Check to see if heat on LED is lit on the IQ2000. If not, check thermistors. If it is, OHM out the heater. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goupdog Posted April 15, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 15, 2014 Thanks for the comment. The light is on for heat on, on the IQ2000. I just need to wait for the mud to dry from the rain before I want to go out and ohm it out. I was told 10ohms = good, 20ohms = bad. Is this correct? Also, what about the reset button on the heater? I was told it can go bad. I read it is very hard to push too. It didn't seem to be popped out any but I am not sure exactly what it is supposed to feel like as opposed to being popped. I will post back more as I get it. Thanks again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PreservedSwine Posted April 15, 2014 Report Share Posted April 15, 2014 They typically OHM out around 9-11, or not at all (OL or "Open Line"). If the heat lite is on, the thermistors are probably fine. If the heater OHM's out with no continuity...The heater (if it's the original) will have a small rectangular box on one end. On the top of that box, will be a tiny button (just smaller than a pencil eraser) under some tape. Peel back the tape, and mash that button for all you're worth. If it tripped, it tough to reset. It may have tripped due to a clogged or dirty filter, or maybe just bad luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goupdog Posted April 16, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 16, 2014 OK I found a wire going up to heater plugs that was burnt pretty bad to the point that the plastic on the blade connector was melted on the male part of the blade. I cleaned it off and ran a new wire. To test the heater (I am not good with a meter) I tried the diff settings and it showed 9-11 on 200(no k or anything). Also, I pushed the reset button in and it seemed to go in some(did feel popped out). Then I turned it back on via the breakers and it clicked a couple small clicks as it does when turning it on. I waited a minute and felt the heater and it felt like it was warming up. So at this point I had tried some stop leak in it last weekend(that didn't work) and I turned the tub back off and started draining it. I will refill tomorrow and see if its fixed. I assume the reset switch might have popped as a result of the burnt wire? Its dark and late here so I will post back more results tomorrow. Thanks for the help, I really appreciate it. Its nice to have someone smarter than myself to bounce ideas off of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goupdog Posted April 17, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 17, 2014 ok I got it running but same thing is happening. If I run the jets it warms up until the jets stop(never got to the 104 I have it set on in running the jets 1 cycle). At this point I am calling it quits and am forced to get a tech out. I am sure this wont be cheap but I need to get this thing running again. I will NEVER buy this kind of junk again where you cant work on it yourself! Thanks for the help thus far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goupdog Posted April 17, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 17, 2014 OK I did some more troubleshooting and found that the heater is only getting 1 side of 120v. The lil black block on the upper left hand side of the IQ2000 must be bad, there are 2 and they look like they can be replaced. So I will see if I can find one of these online. Wish me luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goupdog Posted April 17, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 17, 2014 Got the relays and now the heater has 120 to both sides and the water temp is starting to climb by itself with no jets running! The wire I made for it came loose as I was taking it apart(it was a temp fix since the hardware store was closed when I found it was bad) so I went to the hardware store and got a perm jumper wire made. Crossing my fingers!!! Thanks for the help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goupdog Posted April 18, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 18, 2014 Back at normal operating temp. It appears fixed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PreservedSwine Posted April 18, 2014 Report Share Posted April 18, 2014 Well done Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goupdog Posted May 4, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 4, 2014 Now I am dealing with a leak. Did they really need to put so much expanding filler? I know most tubs just use a thin layer of spray foam that coats but doesn't expand like they do on this Hot Springs. I finally dug back to where the water is coming from but I have to wait for a thinner more flexible pal to come and do the final cleaning and see what we can do to patch it up. I searched for solvents to remove the filler but there simply wasn't anything that anyone online could recommend. Plus, it is soaked under there so I doubt anything would have cut the foam before it was diluted. Some of it I could simply gab and rip out by hand. Best thing I found to get the harder stuff was a wire wheel on a cordless drill. It tore thru that stuff like a buzz saw. I just cant get my fat head in there to see exactly where its dripping from but it feels like its coming from the area of a jet right below the step where the 2 seats feet would meet. If we cant get to it tomorrow or Monday then we will be forced to lift the tub up and do some more digging from the bottom up to the area of the leak, in hope of being able to reach it and put something over it to patch the leak. I work in an auto body shop and on my last tub that had a leak I used windshield urethane and globbed it over the connection and let it dry overnight and that fixed it. Might try that unless someone knows anything easier? I've been out there for a few hours "digging" and am very tired now. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PreservedSwine Posted May 5, 2014 Report Share Posted May 5, 2014 DEVCON DA 291 is what you're looking for if you want a "smear it over" easy fix. The stuff is magical. Be sure to properly clean and apply the work area, and you're golden. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizyrd Posted January 7, 2016 Report Share Posted January 7, 2016 On the off chance someone sees this post, especially the OP, I had a question regarding the fix mentioned above. My no fault heater also fried the relay box on a 1999 grandee. The op mentioned running a new wire. I could not determine what type of wire was needed. The faulty wire was the hot (black) wire coming from the heater into control box. If anyone could point out the correct wire to run here I would appreciate it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PreservedSwine Posted January 8, 2016 Report Share Posted January 8, 2016 10 gauge braided on the heater circuit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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