kellyc Posted April 15, 2014 Report Share Posted April 15, 2014 Hi, My first post on this forum. I have gained a great deal of knowledge just reading discussions, but now have a specific problem that I didn't find a direct answer for: My spa has been working fine. Figured it was due for change of water. So, turned off breaker, drained the tub, refilled it and turned breaker on - no power. After investigating, I found the GFCI breaker is tripped. It trips immediately each time I try to turn it on. I found some discussion about troubleshooting GFCI problems. I unplugged various components 1 by 1 but it still trips. Finally, I unplugged both of the leads to the heater element. Now, the tub powers up and I can cycle through all the functions. If I connect one lead (the right-hand side, it will again power up. But if I connect only the left side, the GFCI will trip. Does this indicate the heater element is bad and must be replaced? Any idea why this would happen when all I did was a routine water change? It is a "Strong Spa" with Balboa electronics and heater element. My control module and heater look very similar to the picture in this post: http://www.poolspaforum.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=45372#entry174767 Thanks, -Kelly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Spa Posted April 15, 2014 Report Share Posted April 15, 2014 Bad heater element. The jarring caused by starting it back up probably caused it to finally jiggle lose a short (not uncommon). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billy sharpstick Posted April 17, 2014 Report Share Posted April 17, 2014 I had this issue recently. The GFCI breaker tripped instantly when I tried to power up. It wasn't the heater. I assume it was the (old NuWave) board. I put in a new Balboa spa pack and the GFCI still tripped! I put in a new GFCI breaker and that tripped too. I put in a non GFCI(for testing only!) and it worked. I contacted Balboa support and the tech told me that the most common cause is incorrect GFCI breaker installation. Make sure the white common/neutral power wire going to the spa pack is in the breaker, not the bus bar that the white and ground from the main panel are in. I checked and sure enough, that was the problem. Works now. What I don't understand is why it worked before. I must assume that some idiot(me) hooked it up wrong somewhere along the way during the swapout. (and hopefully the old panel really was bad) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spa Board Doctor Posted April 26, 2014 Report Share Posted April 26, 2014 When a GFCI trips it's always a good idea to check your GFCI wiring - even if it has never tripped before. Here's a GFCI wiring diagram. http://www.spokanespas.com/gfci.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siliconrockstar Posted January 9, 2021 Report Share Posted January 9, 2021 I had the same problem. Disconnected the spa wiring from the breaker to test the breaker - breaker stayed on fine. Reconnected then spa. Disconnected the heater (both the power contacts and sensor wires) - breaker tripped. Disconnected the blower motor - behold, the breaker stopped tripping and the spa showed a sensor error. Left the blower disconnected, reconnected the heater contacts and sensors, and the spa has been heating for the past three hours just fine. The jets work but I have no bubbles until I replace the blower motor - no big loss there. I'm very happy I can get the water heated before the incoming freeze this weekend :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanadianSpaTech Posted January 9, 2021 Report Share Posted January 9, 2021 2 hours ago, siliconrockstar said: I have no bubbles until I replace the blower motor Always best to start your own thread. Your blower has likely failed due to a broken one way check valve that has let water get past and into the blower causing the short/GFCI trip. The blower might still work if the check valve is replaced and the blower dried out @siliconrockstar 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
renaee Posted March 11, 2021 Report Share Posted March 11, 2021 inflatable hot tub works perfect after several hours trips off wont come on for few hours. Checked outlets no issues ..changed plug in ..still having same issue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDspaguy Posted March 11, 2021 Report Share Posted March 11, 2021 26 minutes ago, renaee said: inflatable hot tub works perfect after several hours trips off wont come on for few hours. Checked outlets no issues ..changed plug in ..still having same issue We have a section for inflatable spas. You should start your own thread there. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TTdriver Posted May 24, 2022 Report Share Posted May 24, 2022 I thanked the wrong comment Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.