rmcderm313 Posted January 9, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2021 I was able to get a razor thin space between the element and the manifold using 4 screwdrivers and an assistant to slowly bend down on the element with the clips still on. The clips are spot welded on this element. I'm going to install it like this and see what happens. The closest copper strap that I could find is a bit bigger than the one that burned up (see picture). Can I heat this up and modify it, drill a new hole it the right place etc.? Are these sensitive to the length or shape in any way, or is it just important that they are copper and provide a good connection. I can't find a copper strap anywhere with the exact dimensions of what was originally on the board and this longer one won't work so I can't just buy another one. It's just too long for the application. Thanks, Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDspaguy Posted January 10, 2021 Report Share Posted January 10, 2021 Heat does not make copper more malleable like iron. It will bend as is with a pair of pliers. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmcderm313 Posted January 10, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2021 I think I found the correct straps and ordered a pair. Good point about heat and copper. I learn more every day. I'll update when the repair is complete. Rob 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmcderm313 Posted January 12, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2021 The copper straps I ordered were back ordered. So back to my question earlier. Is it OK to bend the strap that is too long so that it lines up with the heater/board? I'll need to put a more pronounced bend in it so it lines up with the hole since it's too long. I'm just not sure how sensitive the length of these straps are. Will that effect the heater or the board at all or is it just important that they are connected? I'd really like to get this heater installed. Thanks, Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmcderm313 Posted January 12, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2021 Close enough? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDspaguy Posted January 12, 2021 Report Share Posted January 12, 2021 Bend it however you like as long as it doesn't break. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmcderm313 Posted January 16, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2021 Well, mostly success. I replaced the board, and decided to order an entire new heater manifold because I just wasn't comfortable with how close the element was to the inside top of the manifold. I swapped everything out today and fired it up. As soon as I flipped the GFCI switch, the blower came on. So I unplugged the blower from the board and moved forward. Everything fired up as expected. All pumps are working and the heater is heating the water up. 45 to 51 degrees in about an hour. I'm not sure what the blower is all about. Could this be a DIP switch setting? I did make sure everything is set up the same on the new board, as it was on the old board. Any hints on troubleshooting this? Stuck relay maybe? I'll probably just leave things as they are until the warmer weather. I like the blower but can certainly do without it if necessary. I'm including a picture of the new installation as well as the wiring diagrams. Any Help is appreciated. Thanks, Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanadianSpaTech Posted January 16, 2021 Report Share Posted January 16, 2021 Where is the blower plugged into? Looks like it should be going into J6 but nothing plugged into J6 in the posted photo. No jumper pin or dip switch for blower behavior that I know off. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmcderm313 Posted January 16, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2021 30 minutes ago, CanadianSpaTech said: Where is the blower plugged into? Looks like it should be going into J6 but nothing plugged into J6 in the posted photo. No jumper pin or dip switch for blower behavior that I know off. That picture is after I unplugged it. It was plugged into J6 when it started up automatically when I turned the GFCI on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDspaguy Posted January 17, 2021 Report Share Posted January 17, 2021 10 hours ago, rmcderm313 said: Stuck relay maybe? It looks like the blower circuit uses a triac. That's the little square with 3 prongs and a ground screw next to the plug. Should be an easy fix for an electronics guy. That system probably engages the blower for a short period (maybe 5 minutes) at the beginning of a filter cycle. If you do not have programmable filter cycles then it will start a filter cycle at or shortly after power-up. It may also run the blower in the event of high temperatures, but should show an error code on the display. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmcderm313 Posted January 17, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2021 A triac huh? That's a new one for me. Thanks for that. I'll need to do some research and learn more about those. I checked the filter cycles and they were set for 8-10 AM and 8-10 PM, so I guess that is the default. I haven't tried plugging it back in again. The spa heated up to 100 degrees overnight so that was a welcomed sight. I'm balancing the chemicals so we can get back in and start using it. I'll turn the GFCI off and back on later this week and see what happens. If it starts to run automatically again, I'll just let it run and see if it goes off after 5 minutes. @RDspaguy@CanadianSpaTech, Thanks once again! Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmcderm313 Posted January 17, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2021 @RDspaguyI'm curious how you knew that the blower connection used a triac instead of a relay. Is there a reason they would choose a different mechanism for a blower vs. pump? On my damaged board, I was testing the continuity between the connection and the triac. The 'middle finger' on the triac has connectivity to the first (top most in the picture) pin of the connector. Is there something I can check on the installed board to see if the triac is indeed 'bad'. Does a triac work like a relay? I'm just trying to learn as much as possible so I appreciate the coaching. Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDspaguy Posted January 18, 2021 Report Share Posted January 18, 2021 I knew because I saw it. Balboa has used those for dedicated blower circuit switching for decades. Don't ask me why, or how they work. I am not an electronics guy. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDspaguy Posted January 18, 2021 Report Share Posted January 18, 2021 I do know that it won't work right if that metal tab with the screw is not grounded. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmcderm313 Posted March 5, 2021 Author Report Share Posted March 5, 2021 Hi All, Quick update. I got the old board that burned up repaired. I sent it to a place I found online. www.spacare.com. I would have liked to find someone local but I really couldn't find anyway interested in the repair. It cost me $205 including shipping and took about 2 weeks to turn around. They repaired the damage, replaced the heater and hi-limit relay, replaced the battery (it was leaking slightly, separate issue) and included a set of heater connection wires (which I didn't ask for but might be glad to have). Here are some pictures of the repair. Pictures of the damage can be found at the beginning of this thread. I'm not sure what I was expecting but the repair looks solid even if it's a bit messy. I've only tested general continuity of the repair. I know I should probably swap out the new board and test the repair but it's too damn cold right now. I really just wanted to have this as a backup as a new board, if one can be found is over $400. Anyway I figured it might be helpful for others to get a sense of repair costs and see the results. If I ever need to swap this back in I'll let you know how it goes but I'm guessing the repair is solid. -Rob Findings: Replace heater relay and hi-limit relay. Repair burn damage. Add a set of heater wires. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d.sebens Posted March 5, 2021 Report Share Posted March 5, 2021 My experience with spacare was not so well. Shoddy repair that was unsuccessful then proceeded to blame my install or other components despite my findings. He did refund my money and I ended up replacing the pack and now it works. The guy refused to eat crow on mine. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDspaguy Posted March 5, 2021 Report Share Posted March 5, 2021 5 minutes ago, d.sebens said: My experience with spacare was not so well. Shoddy repair that was unsuccessful then proceeded to blame my install or other components despite my findings. He did refund my money and I ended up replacing the pack and now it works. The guy refused to eat crow on mine. Sounds like a test of that board is in order asap. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d.sebens Posted March 5, 2021 Report Share Posted March 5, 2021 52 minutes ago, RDspaguy said: Sounds like a test of that board is in order asap. I am the one that had the gecko board I posted on a while back, it had arced. I just wanted the guy to pay return shipping to fix it again and he got all upset. This is from the post where I also attempted to fix it. I just gave up on that board and put a new one in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDspaguy Posted March 5, 2021 Report Share Posted March 5, 2021 1 hour ago, d.sebens said: I am the one that had the gecko board I posted on a while back, it had arced. I just wanted the guy to pay return shipping to fix it again and he got all upset. This is from the post where I also attempted to fix it. I just gave up on that board and put a new one in. I meant that for @rmcderm313. He should test that board based on your experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d.sebens Posted March 5, 2021 Report Share Posted March 5, 2021 I gotcha. I need to make a review on that guy. He stated he could show me 10+ emails of other people claiming he didn’t fix their issue and it was “All about the money”. I feel like those other people got hosed also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanadianSpaTech Posted March 6, 2021 Report Share Posted March 6, 2021 My guy in Canada... has never let me down on a circuit board repair. Never had a call back on one of his repairs and he has done quite a few for me over the years. Tell him Kurt sent you. https://www.ccrtechnologies.ca/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spa Board Doctor Posted March 11, 2021 Report Share Posted March 11, 2021 On 1/5/2021 at 8:50 AM, rmcderm313 said: Heater element is on it's way. It's supposed to be here on Friday. When I install the new heating element in the manifold, should I use any type of sealant on the o-rings on the part of the element that passes through the manifold? Given that this was probably caused by this heater connection becoming loose and building resistance and therefore heat (I can't think of any other reason it would have happened), should I use some kind of threadlock on the nuts to prevent it from occurring again? This question applies to both the connection to the element and to the circuit board. I do see torque specs for the nuts on the heater (I'll be careful to hold the small nut underneath to avoid twisting), but no mention of the specs for the board nuts or any thread locking compound. Finally, any opinions on the repair-ability of the damage to the board? I did contact an electronic repair company but I haven't heard back. I think this job might be too small for the company I reached out to and I might need to find an independent/smaller business. Any leads on someone local to MA would be great, or a reliable mail in place. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks, Rob Spokane Spas Inc. for hot tub board repair. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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