CanadianSpaTech Posted January 6, 2022 Report Share Posted January 6, 2022 2 hours ago, RDspaguy said: Unplug the main pump and see if it stops tripping and starts heating. Chinese made LX pump and they have been VERY reliable from my experience however they are prone to breaker trips when they do fail. Use advice posted by @RDspaguy Let us know results Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDspaguy Posted January 7, 2022 Report Share Posted January 7, 2022 1 hour ago, HTinIndiana said: isolated all items and tested one by one it only trips when the heater is wired up. It trips even when the pump is unplugged? Post pics of the circuit board, wiring diagram, and equipment area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HTinIndiana Posted January 8, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2022 So I rechecked amperage today when it tripped. It hit .6. Only the circ pump running The heater ohms at 12 when checked. for fun I took the old heater element and tested it for short. It read 0 when checked but there was a spot on the element that was abraided and when I put probes there the meter read 5 and change. im beginning to think it’s the heater. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HTinIndiana Posted January 8, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2022 Just a thought but if the heat element is touching the stainless tube would that create a short? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanadianSpaTech Posted January 8, 2022 Report Share Posted January 8, 2022 11 minutes ago, HTinIndiana said: Just a thought but if the heat element is touching the stainless tube would that create a short? Yes it will hotspot and short out 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HTinIndiana Posted January 8, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2022 It trips even when the pump is unplugged? - yes, I can run it all day long with circ pump, pump 1(cheap Chinese pump) and light plugged in as long at the heater is not connected. Once you connect the heater it trips in plus /minus 24 seconds and only shows .6 amp draw (with pump 1 unplugged). if it warms up tomorrow, I may swap out heating elements with one of my old ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanadianSpaTech Posted January 9, 2022 Report Share Posted January 9, 2022 With the heater disconnected do you get 240 off the circuit board at the heater plug? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HTinIndiana Posted January 9, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2022 With the heater disconnected do you get 240 off the circuit board at the heater plug? - yes, 240v. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanadianSpaTech Posted January 9, 2022 Report Share Posted January 9, 2022 Sounds like to board is good and the issue is either in the heater element or the GFCI. When you installed the element did you ensure it was not touching the side walls of the heater tube? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HTinIndiana Posted January 9, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2022 Sounds like to board is good and the issue is either in the heater element or the GFCI. When you installed the element did you ensure it was not touching the side walls of the heater tube? - I actually replaced the unit as a whole (control pack/heater factory mounted) unit so I didn’t even think to check it before mounting. I have two older heat elements in my parts pile. One checks out when I put the ohm meter on it. I am going to try and swap the elements/heat tube out today if I can get a minute. Crossing fingers that this works. I really don’t think it’s the breaker now after seeing .60 amps on the clamp meter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDspaguy Posted January 10, 2022 Report Share Posted January 10, 2022 A faulty gfci can trip regardless of load. A gfci breaker is 2 things, a breaker, which regulates amp draw, and a gfci, which protects from ground faults (the loss of voltage to ground as occurs in most electrocution deaths). Either component of the gfci breaker can fail. If the heater has a fault, you can find it with an ohm meter. Disconnect heater and test for continuity (ohms) from either heater lead to the heater ground or metal housing. Continuity, or any ohm reading other than infinity, is a bad heater. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HTinIndiana Posted January 11, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2022 18 hours ago, RDspaguy said: A faulty gfci can trip regardless of load. A gfci breaker is 2 things, a breaker, which regulates amp draw, and a gfci, which protects from ground faults (the loss of voltage to ground as occurs in most electrocution deaths). Either component of the gfci breaker can fail. If the heater has a fault, you can find it with an ohm meter. Disconnect heater and test for continuity (ohms) from either heater lead to the heater ground or metal housing. Continuity, or any ohm reading other than infinity, is a bad heater. One of my old elements when tested with a probe on a terminal( element removed from tube housing) and the other probe to the element reads 0.00 when multi locations are checked. I did find one place where I touch the element and get an ohm reading of 5 and change. if put the element in the tube and check one terminal and the exterior of the tube it reads 0.00. Is this a good or bad element? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDspaguy Posted January 11, 2022 Report Share Posted January 11, 2022 0 is a dead short, like touching the leads together. Infinity is no reading, which is what it shows with leads not touching anything. You want infinity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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