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Maax Spa 460 series. Balboa 54301-04 SNB error


bryanhill7

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Balboa 54301-04  460  

240v
Stopped working a few days ago.  Only error I can get is "snb".  

Things I have checked.

  • No blockage and filter has been removed.
  • Hi/Lo sensor unplugged and rebooted to check if it was problem.
  • Checked all connections are secure.
  • No water damage.
  • Checked heater resistance and falls within range.  
  • Unplugged pumps and reset to check if they were a problem.
  • Checked fuses.

Food for thought.  This happened when the hurricane remnants came through mid-north-carolina last week (10/29).  I wonder if the board got fried from a surge or brown out with the electricity.  

Any help would be great.  If you have any replacement options for a new board that would be great too.

IMG_20201101_164714242_HDR.jpg

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Well, since snb means "sensor b" and is telling you that one of your sensors (the one plugged in to the connection marked "sensor b") is bad, I would say test the sensors. They are the 2 black nuts on each end of the heater, with the gray wires. Turn off power and switch them at the circuit board. If it then says sna, you have a bad sensor.

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Let us know if you figure this out. I have a guy (doing his own work) with the same type issue. He tried new sensors and same error came back. He is taking his board to my electronics guy later this week so if he finds the problem I will let you know. I suspect it is a lower voltage power supply issue but that is just a guess at this point.

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Yep, probably a circuit board then. You can test those sensors with an ohm meter, which I recommend doing before going further just to be sure.

I would take the board out and clean it off with a soft brush. I still am amazed at how often that solves a problem. Also, the black clips on the board that the sensors plug into come off of the pins as well, and could have moisture or debris (a spiderweb in the right spot will do) behind them causing a short on the sensor b circuit.

I have no clue what component on the board it might be, I don't do electronics repair. But it sounds like @CanadianSpaTechhas some idea. 

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Glad to find this thread. Having exactly the same issue with my 460 Mach3 controller. Also tried switching the sensors at the plugs. But got the same error Snb. So that tells me the sensor is likely not the issue. If anyone winds out possible remedy. Please post it here. Thanks. 

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I checked the resistance in my 2 sensors. they both seem to be fine. With very cold water in my tub, they measured 58K Ohms which i think is normal when water is that cold. So it seems like something must be wrong with the circuit board. 

Has anyone had this issue and managed to resolve it. Hoping to avoid buying a whole new circuit board when it is likely just a part that is faulty. Would a bad or stuck relay cause this error.

On switching the breaker on, I do here a click and then very shortly after, 2 other clicks. I am assuming those are relays clicking, I'm just not sure if it is supposed to click like that or is that a sign of a bad relay?

my circuit board is a Board Maax 460 EL2000 M3  54302  which i believe is same or compatible with 53834-04

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Ok, good to know. I thought that if the ohms was 0 then it is bad. I will check it again. The fact that the error message is the same Snb when i switch the 2 plugs on the circuit board, is that an indication that it is not the sensors? since the error code doesn't change to Sna? I am going to get a new reading on them right now.

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7 minutes ago, bryanhill7 said:

Ordered and installed new board (Balboa 53834-04 = $340) and its all working again.  Make sure you configure the wires for 120 or 240 components when installing.  I'm pretty sure an electrical surge or brown out toasted it.  I also changed the heating element while I was there.

BTW the SNB error was not due to sensor A or B.  It was a board issue.

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Could be a board. But let's eliminate the cheap and easy stuff first.

3 hours ago, Emeed said:

The fact that the error message is the same Snb when i switch the 2 plugs on the circuit board, is that an indication that it is not the sensors?

It's the quick check, and will catch most sn errors but not all. The circuit it board is only so smart and has poor communication skills. 😉 If the sensor is extremely out of range it knows which is bad. If less out of sync but within normal temperature range, it might not know which is off, and may say one or the other, just sns, or even OH or dry. I prefer to trust my multimeter as to the specific cause.

And your readings are pretty normal. They NEVER match. Which does suggest a circuit board issue. I would remove the board and brush it off. I know it sounds ridiculous, but I am amazed how many times, in 25 years of doing this for a living, that cleaning the board and connections solves the problem. It takes maybe 30 minutes for a newbie (about 10 for me) and costs nothing, so it's always worth a shot. You can always buy a board if it doesn't work.

If you need a board, consider a new pack. Buying the whole pack gets you much more bang for your buck, as it includes new sensors, heater, and topside for much less than you could buy them individually.

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Thanks for all the advice. I’ll take the board out today and see what kind of condition it is in. The front, from what I can see looks really clean. But I will report back. 
Worst case I will likely replace the whole pack. As mine looks to be about 13 years old. 
If I do replace the whole heating  pack, any recommendations on which would be a good easy fit? Or maybe which brand/ model to avoid? 
 

thanks for all the help

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On 11/7/2020 at 8:38 AM, Emeed said:

Thanks for all the advice. I’ll take the board out today and see what kind of condition it is in. The front, from what I can see looks really clean. But I will report back. 
Worst case I will likely replace the whole pack. As mine looks to be about 13 years old. 
If I do replace the whole heating  pack, any recommendations on which would be a good easy fit? Or maybe which brand/ model to avoid? 
 

thanks for all the help

When I took out the original board I inspected it pretty thoroughly with a magnifier.  I did not find any components damaged.

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I ordered a new Balboa Spa Pack EL2000 exact same as what i had but slightly upgraded i think. They said it would be a perfect swap out. (circuit board looks identical to mine) Happy to find one in Canada to avoid long delivery delays. so for complete new pack was $674 ($520USD). after i have it installed i might have a better idea about condition of old circuit board.

I forgot to mention that when i was trying to uninstall the circuit board, i was having a bit of an issue undoing the 2 nuts at the heater element (see pic). the were seized pretty good with rust. The bolt was actually turning as well as the nut (didn't think that seemed right). At that point i figured ill just order a whole new pack since likely the heating element may be getting old as well.

hopefully that will getting me back up and running. arrives tomorrow.

ht5.jpg

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New Spa pack installed. Set the dip switched to match my tub. did the persistent memory wipe as per instructions. everything works great except my #2 pump behaves as if its a 1 speed pump. The topside controller shows icon for low speed (on 1st push) - then high speed (on the second push). But the pump only starts up at the second push and it goes right away to high speed.

Ill send a pic of my old system label (54301) and dip switches(all red) and then the new system label (55065) and dip switches(blue/red).  maybe someone will notice an error in my switch set up.

Thanks

newpack.jpg

newpacklabel.jpg

old pack switch.jpg

oldpacklabel.jpg

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Sorry for all the unnecessary posts. Moving that jumper wire solved the problem. also jiggled my LED spa light connection and it works again as well now. If i get a chance to take that circuit board apart i will report back if i noticed any problems with it. Like cold/cracked solder joints or stuff like that.

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  • 6 months later...

Hi all,

 I've just replaced my board as well with the 53834-04 as my 54301-04 completely popped. 

I've installed it but my jet 2 button on the topside panel is not activating at all (460 series)...everything else seems to be working fine. I suspect it's my DIP settings. Anyone else have this problem?

 

MAAX/Coleman Elite 8000

Also wasn't able to find a manual online for the 53834-04. Found one for the "-05" anyone know if these are the same it terms of DIP settings?

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It is helpful for you to start your own thread. In that, please post up pictures of your spa pack, wiring diagram and the equipment area.

It could be the dip switches or you might have the topside plugged into the wrong connector on the board. Either way, those pictures will help tell us the direction to go in helping you.

Chances are the -05 is just a different revision of the board (could be as simple as a different vendor for some components) and not significantly different than the -04.

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  • 1 year later...

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