Jacuzzi Hot tub issues

[walleyehunter]

Hello,

 

I am new to this forum. Here is a short run down of my issue.

We purchased a different home 3 years ago. In the finished basement sits a nice 5-6 man Jacuzzi brand hot tub. I asked the previous owner if the hot tub worked and he claimed that the last time he used it that it worked. So my wife and I, so excited to finally have our own hot tub filled it with water, added chemical per recommendations, and flipped the breaker....Nothing. I figured, maybe it needs to be on until it gets up to temp, then the pump will activate.....nope. Needless to say, I knew nothing about it. 

I got my multimeter out and found that a fuse on the front panel was blown. Went to the hardware store and got a matching 20 amp fuse. Installed it and it fired right up! Well, it worked well for about a month, then one day the water was cold. Checked again and the fuse was blown. Replaced it and we were good to go, for another month or so. It blew again. I want to say we did this 3 times. The next time it blew and I replaced it, the fuse blew again right away. 2 times of that at 6 bucks a pop and i decided to stop. 

We called around and were told it was going to be well over $1000 to get it fixed, so we decided to save up and get it fixed as it doesn't do much good to let it sit there. 

Fast forward to about a month ago....It dawned on me that the tub had been sitting for about 2.5 years with water in it......Honestly forgot as it sat there with the cover on it, usually covered with boxes from moving, etc. So I put on a mask and carefully opened the cover. To my surprise there was no visible mold to speak of. There was thin layer of scuzz on the surface of the water but that was it. Put in a trash pump and drained it outside. 

Present day: Looking to get it going as a surprise Xmas gift for the wife. My questions are as follows:

Any ideas as to what might cause the fuse on the panel to keep blowing? I flipped the breaker again tonight and I have 120V out in front of it, but on the left side of the blown fuse is where the power stops. Notables: The tub never made any bad noises when it was running or before it blew the fuse (that we noticed). There was never any kind of a burning smell (electrical, pump bearing, etc). I can reach in with one finger and with some effort i can turn the shaft on the pump with one finger. Not sure how easy it should turn, but I feel that being able to turn it with one finger isn't a terrible thing. I am relatively handy. I see no reason i couldn't switch out the pump, board or heating element as it all appears to be plug and play. Looking mainly for help diagnosing the issue as i am by no means an electrical guru. Also, any leads on good deals for replacement parts.

Should we get this thing running, what would be the smartest way to clean it to ensure that we don't get sick from using it. There is bound to still be water lurking low in the plumbing. First thing is to obviously replace the filter and probably go through a few filters after a few cycles to make sure everything has gotten through the system. But what else? Chemicals, etc? Very green to the whole hot tub thing, obviously...

Jacuzzi Model H230,000

MFG 9712-02 

Serial H90101

Thanks in advance and I am glad i was able to find this site! Having trouble attaching photos as it says they are all too large. 

[walleyehunter]

anyone?

[walleyehunter]

2 months and no responses? is this another dead forum? i follow many hunting and fishing forums and that seems to be the trend lately...