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Balboa Hot Tub Not Heating


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I have an older Balboa SPA Pack:

PC Board, Balboa Duplex Series - 51230

Heater Assembly, Balboa 5.5KW, 2 Inch x15 Inch Flo Thru - 48-3300-10-035H

I recently replaced the Heater Assembly using the same Pressure Switch from the old HA (old HA had a hole in the outer shell which was allowing the water out and it was tripping the GFCI breaker).

So I installed the new Heater Assembly and not the TUB/Jets turn on without tripping the breaker. I turned up the heat and waited and waited 8 hours. No heat and the Heater Assembling isnt warm at all.

I'm not sure if the Heater Assembly I just bought is bad? or maybe the circuit board is toast.

I need help troubleshooting before I go and buy a new board. I have pictures.

Please help

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/0lpxfntemdx9izb/3gZFgUvxZ9

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Hello Spa Guru,

No, I haven't check the leads on the new Heater Assembly...you are suppose to get 9-12 ohms correct? It's a 240V heater. Yes, the heat indicator lights up.

Could it be the pressure switch?

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Is the Status/Heat indicator light on the spaside panel lit solid or flashing? If indicator is flashing the board is picking up a flow or high limit error. If it is solid then test across heater terminals - there should be 240V across the terminals. If there is not 240V then there is likely a problem with one or more relays on the board. This is a repairable failure.

brandon@spokanespas.com

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So this is the latest. I took my multimetero this is the latest. I took my multimeter this past tuesday and tested the new heater assembly. I was getting 12 ohms. When I reconnected/screwd on the heater coil ends to the board and turned the breaker on. I was not getting any voltage on the leads where it connects onto the board. I assumed it should read 240 volts. So yes, the "heat" is solid red when you turn the knob to heat and you can hear a click ( so i know the heater switch was clicking on).

Also on Tuesday, I jumped the wires that go into the pressure switch. Did not make a difference. Anyone know where the dial on the pressure is suppose to be set at?

So at this point I assume there's some relay on the circuit board thats messed up.

Today, Friday. I received a new circuit board. Paid $150 for it. Pulled the old board out. Did not see any burnt marks on it.

Looked fine to me.

So I installed the new board in, turned the breaker on and something on the board popped and you could smell something. The breakers jumped too.

I reset the breakers and turned the tub on, "heat light" comes on. I turned it on at 5pm this after and just turned it off at 10:15pm. Temperature in the water has not changed. Still at 70 degrees.

At this point, I don't know what to do.

Can the relays be checked on this type of board? I don't know how to do it, is there somewhere online I can send them to be checked. I have now 3 boards and the one that's screwed into he SPA pack currently.

Need some advice.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Here's the latest.

So the board that "popped" has been pulled out. Checked it out and saw that the hi-limit relay/switch on the board had totally cracked.

So I have put the former board back in and the same conditions exist. Everything comes on, heat light "lights red solid" but you wait a few hours, no heat.

I have replaced the pressure switch this past Saturday, no change.

We took some readings off the transformer, one black/one white/ two yellow in a 9pin connector. I'm assuming this a Balboa 30274-2. I read on the Internet where you disconnect the transformer from the board, and with a meter check the black with one probe and the white with another and you should see 240volts?

We are not seeing anything.

When we measure with the meter on the blk and red wires coming into the board (screws at bottom) we get 240V. The two heater leads that screw in the board, we get nothing.

I have a new transformer on shipment, but could this be the thermostat? of maybe the old board is bad?

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New transformer installed. No sparks or pops. Heat light comes on. Left it on full heat for 3 hours last night, no heat. Even though I didnt think it was the transformer, it did look pretty charred up on both sides after taking it out.

Guess whats left now is the thermostat/and probe or back to another PCB?

anyway to test the thermostat, Ive priced them to about $160, the same at a PCB.

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Hey PreservedSwine Thanks for responding,

So what I've done last night is the board that I recently bought (the one that the hi-limit relay/switch popped), I desolder the relay off and replaced it with one from an older board that I had.

Hooked it up tonight. And sparks!

Here's some pictures that I took where the sparks came from.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/pqdtxacg4jwqa23/20140528_195610.jpg

https://www.dropbox.com/s/l048s793xyzduxx/20140528_200326.jpg

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The transformer isn't broken, or nothing would work.

You smoked the old board because one of the heater poles was in contact with the Control box, (which is of course grounded) a direct short that pulled too many amps along one of the heat circuit traces in the PCB, or just smoked the relay. (Thanks for the pic).

Make sure the heater poles are wired properly and not touching anything.

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