GFCI Tripping, help troubleshooting please

[Mark888]

I'm helping a friend with a Canadian Spa Company tub. Breaker started tripping randomly a few months ago, sometimes it would reset and work for days or more. Now it trips constantly.

My first thought was the heater - I have the same tub and had a bad heater once. We disconnected both terminals to the heater, still tripping. 

I disconnected most of the large connectors one at a time off the spa pack board (pump, ozonator, lights) and still trips the breaker.

I even removed his GFCI and tried connecting it to my panel today, and no trip, my hot tub came on normally.

Edit: Balboa 501 spa pack; with most components disconnected I had him try the breaker and it sounded/felt like relay K4 was chattering when the power came on. Haven't had any luck finding a good circuit diagram to identify what it does.

Any thoughts? Could there be a short in his spa pack? 

Thanks.

[cranbiz]

You took his GFCI and put it in your panel and it works? I would say that rules out the GFCI.

I know what the next post is going to say, I'll beat them to this.

Post up pictures of the spa pack with the covers off, any wiring diagrams and shots of the inside of the equipment bay. Look at the PC Board for burns and melted or bulging components. Were their any error codes before this went constant?

[Mark888]

No obvious burns on the front of the board, but I'm going to remove it tomorrow and check it front and back more thoroughly.

[CanadianSpaTech]

1 hour ago, Mark888 said:

No obvious burns on the front of the board, but I'm going to remove it tomorrow and check it front and back more thoroughly.

Yeah check the back for darkened or burnt areas

Is it wired up 120V and the GFCI is part of the plug or hard wired 240V?

[Mark888]

Hard wired 240V.

[CanadianSpaTech]

Where are you located?

 

[Mark888]

Hamilton.

[RDspaguy]

4 hours ago, cranbiz said:

You took his GFCI and put it in your panel and it works? I would say that rules out the GFCI.

Not necessarily. 

How long did you test it? 

The behavior you describe is usually a bad breaker. If you disconnected the equipment there is not much else it could be.

Check the equipment area for any water on or around any electrical component. Check the board for damage. Then buy a breaker.

4 hours ago, cranbiz said:

Post up pictures of the spa pack with the covers off, any wiring diagrams and shots of the inside of the equipment bay.

Yeah, what he said.

[CanadianSpaTech]

12 hours ago, Mark888 said:

Hamilton.

Not far I'm near Milton. If you need the board repaired contact Jason https://www.ccrtechnologies.ca/  He is Located in Guelph.

[ciderjack]

It could also be something in the wiring between the spa and GFCI.  It is why I have stopped telling electricians that the breaker is bad, and just say that the problem is somewhere between the spa and the GFCI.