Tubber49 Posted July 25, 2022 Report Share Posted July 25, 2022 So frustrated because I can't come up with an answer. Only happens when I turn the heater on. But I just discovered today that my pressure switch is leaking and my control box is pretty wet. Ordered a new pressure switch. I'm hoping once it dries out and I put in the new switch, the problem will solve itself. What I can't get past is why the pack runs just fine and only blows the breaker when calling for heat. Wondering if the heater contactor getting so wet is the issue. So while I wait for the switch to arrive, looking for thoughts to calm my racing mind! TIA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanadianSpaTech Posted July 25, 2022 Report Share Posted July 25, 2022 7 hours ago, Tubber49 said: heater contactor getting so wet yes... water + electricity = trip Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tubber49 Posted July 28, 2022 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2022 Well, the pressure switch is in and the heater comes on but blows the GFCI after running for about 10 minutes. Can't help but think my next move is to pull the contactor(s) out and see what that water did to the wires I can't see. Any other thoughts would be appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanadianSpaTech Posted July 28, 2022 Report Share Posted July 28, 2022 Do you have an ozone generator as part of the system.. if so disconnect it and give it a try. If it still trips disconnect the heater from the circuit board and test for power coming off the board where the heater connects. If you get proper power and it doesn't trip replace the heater. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tubber49 Posted July 29, 2022 Author Report Share Posted July 29, 2022 Brand new heater. No Ozone. Will see what happens when I have some time this weekend. Sigh.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spa Shop Rotorua Posted July 31, 2022 Report Share Posted July 31, 2022 What type of heater do you have ? Is the pressure switch running high voltage or low? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tubber49 Posted August 2, 2022 Author Report Share Posted August 2, 2022 I'm not sure how to test it BUT if I jumper the pressure switch, the same thing happens. Lots of other things going on lately, I hope to get to this later in the week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike223 Posted August 2, 2022 Report Share Posted August 2, 2022 Spa model? Picture of the control box and PS leak situation? Is this 110 or 220? Of note: breakers can get weak as they age and the amp spike of the heater turning on could be making a nuisance breaker...well, be a nuisance. I would make sure your 'brand new heater' isn't faulty. Take your multimeter set to OHMs and verify you have NO resistance from green (ground) to black and then also from green to white. You DO want resistance from white to black as it is a resistive component hence heat generation. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tubber49 Posted August 3, 2022 Author Report Share Posted August 3, 2022 It's a Spabuilders AP-4. Running on 110 v. I'm off from work Thursday and will check the heater. First chance I've had since life happens lol. But I did take a pic of the control box. Don't know if that will help. I really appreciate the help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike223 Posted August 3, 2022 Report Share Posted August 3, 2022 That looks like an old school metal housing control box. That could make finding a short more time consuming if it’s inside the box itself as a loose wire. Make sure it’s dry for any troubleshooting, #1 Heaters are simple resistive components that generate heat when the flow of electrons is slowed down as they travel through the element. There is no logic inside a basic heating element. If you do have the appropriate level of ohmic resistance between hot and neural and also NO resistance from ground to either hot or neutral, the heater should be okay and your issue likely lies elsewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tubber49 Posted September 7, 2022 Author Report Share Posted September 7, 2022 CanadianSpaTech, Mike223, Spa Shop, Thanks for all your help. I got nowhere and couldn't get to much because the rust was too heavy and couldn't get the parts out. So my AP4 is now retired. There is more to this story but it will be on another thread. Thanks again I love this forum! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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