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Jacuzzi hot tub broken circuit board


Jarredb9

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Hey all. Had a problem where my hot tub was losing temperature. It is a 2005 J-325 240V Jacuzzi.  First we thought it was the heating element, but after looking at the circuit board looks like the hot connector for the heating element broke off somehow. I attached some photos below. 
 

Two questions. 
1. Is it ok to move the power connectors from the J9 and J10 spot to J33 and J34? The circuit diagram in the manual doesn’t even seem to register the existence of J33 and J34. 
2. If we can’t just move the power is it worth trying to solder the old connector back on or should I just buy a whole new circuit board?

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To test you can use a multi meter and check for 240V coming off the circuit board when the spa is calling for heat at the 2 screws below the blk and white wires. Disconnect the white wire from the board before testing. If you get 240 v you can use the 2 screws for your heater blk and white wire connection. If you don't see below.

Looking at the last photo I can see a burn flash on the main housing behind the circuit board. The square black heater relay has likely blown and the tab breaking off is a by-product of that failure. The relay can be replaced much cheaper than replacing the circuit board. It can be done DIY but you need a bit of skill at soldering and can find the relay along with the correct tools for the job. Remove the circuit board and look on the back for the burnt area to confirm and the flash mark is not from a previous failure. Yes you could move that connector down to the screw below. I take my boards to a local electronics repair guy. Where are you located? 

 

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The heater is likely fine and just the relay is blown. You can test the heater white a black wires for continuity to confirm the heater is good. 

2 minutes ago, Jarredb9 said:

but I feel comfortable enough with soldering to make an attempt myself. 

Well you can try de-soldering the old one off first before ordering (if you can find) a new relay. If you can get the old one off you are well on your way. I'm 25 years in and I still send mine out to a professional.

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I did have a spa repair professional come out earlier who emptied the tub and put antifreeze in the lines since it has gotten to freezing in my area, but they did not notice the wire and just told me to order a new heater. I noticed the line after they left. 
Tomorrow I am going to use your advice to check if using the 2 screws is possible.
To confirm the relay you are talking about is k8 on the attached wiring diagram correct?9827846E-4E4C-4343-9D4A-D8FCA7B152A1.thumb.jpeg.46acbd8cd8c96e794082cbeda2877f35.jpeg

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11 hours ago, Jarredb9 said:

To confirm the relay you are talking about is k8 on the attached wiring diagram correct?

Yes but look on the back of the board to confirm the relay is burnt and the flash mark is not from a previous repair. There is a flash mark so it should be noticeable. 

11 hours ago, Jarredb9 said:

just told me to order a new heater.

Test heater for continuity using multi meter. Test the 2 screws for 240V coming off the board when the spa is calling for heat. I suspect heater is still good.

11 hours ago, Jarredb9 said:

but they did not notice the wire

Then how did they test the heater? They would have to remove and reattach the wires to test the heater. It looks like the spade connector on the black wire is metal and different than the other spade connectors and possibly replaced at some point. ???

11 hours ago, Jarredb9 said:

who emptied the tub and put antifreeze in

I would 100% get a small space heater inside the cabinet ASAP!

There could be one way check valves in the plumbing system and you might get anti freeze to one side of it but not the other if it is closed. Waterfalls are hard to get the water out of as well. If they did not blow out the lines and suck out each jet there will still be water that could freeze and then you are in for huge repairs.

 

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Thanks for all the help! I looked at the back of the circuit board and it doesn’t seem like there isn’t anything wrong with the relay. Looks like the issue was right at the black connection. I am kind of curious what could have caused that. 
 

I plan on moving the connections on J33 and J34. Hoping that will fix the issue. 

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So I tried using the screws. Before turning on the hot tub I tested the resistance at the board and got about 11ohms which seemed good. I turned on the empty hot tub briefly and didn’t see any voltage going across. I don’t know if that is because the hot tub doesn’t give power to the heater when it is empty or not. It is way to cold for me to try filling it up and see if the heater works. Think it might be time for a new board?

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Final update: I ended up just moving the black wire connection to the screw and left the neutral wire where it was because I didn’t want to mess with something that seemed fine. Filled up the tub and it has been successfully keeping temperature for the past 24 hours! Thank you both for all the help, very happy to get this fixed at no cost

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