Dan Mo Posted November 7, 2021 Report Share Posted November 7, 2021 Hello everyone, I am having an issue where my Caldera Martinique spa is not heating and the temp light is flashing. There are no other diagnostic lights on the screen or in the circuit board. The temp is fluctuating between 68*F to 81*F depending on the weather. I can see good circulation and can hear the circ pump moving water (replaced it last May thanks to this forum). The ozone generator light is illuminated as normal. The metal plumbing coming out of the heater that is usually hot is cold. I checked the filter and it is clean. All pumps seem to be operating normally. Did my heater go bad? It was replaced about 18 months ago by the previous home owner (don't know more on what the issue was). Any thoughts on how diagnose the issue and how to fix it? Thanks again for advice you provide DYI owners like me! Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cranbiz Posted November 8, 2021 Report Share Posted November 8, 2021 Well, it's either the heater or the relays if nothing else changed. Start with checking the heater. Disconnect the heater from the board and use a multimeter set for ohms. A good heater should read between 9-14 ohms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDspaguy Posted November 8, 2021 Report Share Posted November 8, 2021 If the "heater on" led is not lit, it's not trying to heat. It's likely a flow or pressure switch issue. Remove filters and verify flow from heat return, then test or temporarily bypass the pressure switch to see if it turns on the heater. Some of those heaters also have a manual high limit reset, check for that before testing the heater as it will cause it to read as a bad heater when tripped. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Mo Posted November 8, 2021 Author Report Share Posted November 8, 2021 7 hours ago, cranbiz said: Well, it's either the heater or the relays if nothing else changed. Start with checking the heater. Disconnect the heater from the board and use a multimeter set for ohms. A good heater should read between 9-14 ohms. It was bouncing between 0-18 ohms. To make sure I did it correctly, I used the multimeter on the H1 and H2 wires attaching to the board on the right... Do I do that correctly? Aside from the ground, those were the only wires going to the heater. Thanks! Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cranbiz Posted November 8, 2021 Report Share Posted November 8, 2021 Personally, I would go directly to the hearer contacts and if necessary, use clip leads to make secure connections. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Mo Posted November 8, 2021 Author Report Share Posted November 8, 2021 4 hours ago, RDspaguy said: If the "heater on" led is not lit, it's not trying to heat. It's likely a flow or pressure switch issue. Remove filters and verify flow from heat return, then test or temporarily bypass the pressure switch to see if it turns on the heater. Some of those heaters also have a manual high limit reset, check for that before testing the heater as it will cause it to read as a bad heater when tripped. The heater on LED is not lit. I removed the filters and no change. Sorry to be a dummy, but how do I bypass the pressure switch? It does not appear to be the high limit... That is four flashing lines on this model which I am not seeing. Thanks again! Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDspaguy Posted November 9, 2021 Report Share Posted November 9, 2021 The "lim ok" led on the board is lit, so the sensors are probably fine and it's not an overheat issue, so the pressure switch is probably it, from low flow or a bad switch. The pressure switch plugs in on the top of the board by the LEDs and "lim therm" (high limit thermistor). Gray cable with red and black wires, labeled "pressure switch" on the board. Unplug and test the pressure switch for continuity or ohms while the circ pump is running. It should have continuity (0 ohms). There are pins on the board it plugs on to, you can unplug it and bridge the pins with a piece of foil. Turn the power off to do this. This is just for testing and cannot be left this way. Post results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Mo Posted November 11, 2021 Author Report Share Posted November 11, 2021 On 11/8/2021 at 9:18 PM, RDspaguy said: The "lim ok" led on the board is lit, so the sensors are probably fine and it's not an overheat issue, so the pressure switch is probably it, from low flow or a bad switch. The pressure switch plugs in on the top of the board by the LEDs and "lim therm" (high limit thermistor). Gray cable with red and black wires, labeled "pressure switch" on the board. Unplug and test the pressure switch for continuity or ohms while the circ pump is running. It should have continuity (0 ohms). There are pins on the board it plugs on to, you can unplug it and bridge the pins with a piece of foil. Turn the power off to do this. This is just for testing and cannot be left this way. Post results. It was showing 2 ohms when I unplugged with the circ pump running. What is interesting is that when I plugged the lim therm back in, the temp light stopped flashing and the heat light turned on (red). Sadly, it is still not heating. Appreciate your feedback! Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDspaguy Posted November 14, 2021 Report Share Posted November 14, 2021 Hmm. The pressure switch should read 0 ohms. Try bridging the pins and see if it starts heating. You can test the sensors (thermistors) with an ohm meter. Just turn off power and unplug them from the board. It can be tricky, but with a vice, 2 c-clamps, and a third hand growing from your chin you can get the test leads on the wires in the plug.😉 They will be in the 10k ohm range. A difference of even a few hundred ohms is bad, so get precise readings. Post results. A reading of 0 ohms is unlikely. Test the heater again, H1 to H2, with power off, and verify that it's not an open circuit instead of 0 ohms that you are reading. Those caldera heaters sometimes have a manual high limit in the heater "box" that can be reset by pushing a very hard to find reset button. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Mo Posted November 17, 2021 Author Report Share Posted November 17, 2021 On 11/13/2021 at 11:41 PM, RDspaguy said: Hmm. The pressure switch should read 0 ohms. Try bridging the pins and see if it starts heating. You can test the sensors (thermistors) with an ohm meter. Just turn off power and unplug them from the board. It can be tricky, but with a vice, 2 c-clamps, and a third hand growing from your chin you can get the test leads on the wires in the plug.😉 They will be in the 10k ohm range. A difference of even a few hundred ohms is bad, so get precise readings. Post results. A reading of 0 ohms is unlikely. Test the heater again, H1 to H2, with power off, and verify that it's not an open circuit instead of 0 ohms that you are reading. Those caldera heaters sometimes have a manual high limit in the heater "box" that can be reset by pushing a very hard to find reset button. The pressure switch was reading 25 ohms... It started to heat when bypassed. The thermistor showed 14 ohms. I am guessing that is confirmatory that the pressure switch is bad? Thanks again for all the help! Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDspaguy Posted November 18, 2021 Report Share Posted November 18, 2021 On 11/17/2021 at 10:54 AM, Dan Mo said: am guessing that is confirmatory that the pressure switch is bad? Looks that way, unless it is a flow problem in which case it will happen again when you replace it. On 11/17/2021 at 10:54 AM, Dan Mo said: thermistor showed 14 ohms. Again, thermistors are in the 10k ohm range, and there are 2 of them. 14 ohms is impossible, and it is a difference between the two sensors that will trigger errors so you must test both. https://images.app.goo.gl/BLuKfaJse7cZP9qW9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Mo Posted November 20, 2021 Author Report Share Posted November 20, 2021 On 11/18/2021 at 4:11 PM, RDspaguy said: Looks that way, unless it is a flow problem in which case it will happen again when you replace it. Again, thermistors are in the 10k ohm range, and there are 2 of them. 14 ohms is impossible, and it is a difference between the two sensors that will trigger errors so you must test both. https://images.app.goo.gl/BLuKfaJse7cZP9qW9 I was researching pressure switches to replace the one that is likely bad... The web is showing I need a 72717 pressure switch (https://www.hottubspasupplies.com/72717-pressure-switch.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIsLHq0-6l9AIVkovICh2edwjZEAQYASABEgIGfPD_BwE), however, the switch in my spa looks very different (see attached). Will the one in the link work? Am I looking at the wrong thing? Thanks again! Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDspaguy Posted November 21, 2021 Report Share Posted November 21, 2021 Probably wont fit. https://spapartsdepot.com/caldera-spas-pressure-switch-2006-to-current-73995/ Try this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cindy sw Posted April 10, 2023 Report Share Posted April 10, 2023 Hello my heater is not working on my caldera Martinique spa! Heater light is blinking 70278405223__4C82DDB5-9CF8-41E4-800D-520D6FB69222.MOV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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