2001Sahara509 Posted August 29, 2022 Report Share Posted August 29, 2022 Hello I just powered up a spa that came with a house we bought. Its a 2001 Coleman Sahara with 2 two speed pumps 220v. The primary pump I guess you would call it comes on at high speed as soon as you turn the breaker on. When I press the low button for low speed it does nothing. I did notice the pump moves slightly like powers hitting it but nothing happens. I have been searching and I saw you can switch the low and high speed wires on the back of the pump. I did that and no change only the high speed ran. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In Hot Water Posted August 30, 2022 Report Share Posted August 30, 2022 Well.... the relay for the pump may be "Pinned". Not Good, not Good at all. Also could be a dead shorted winding on the pump.Either way, the computer has to run a series of checks before energizing the pump. If High and Low come on at the same time, the pump should sound like Ass, and thermally trip off. (Shudder) Gonna need a multi meter to probe the pump receptacle, which I have to strongly NOT recommend. Looking like a service call for this one. Pumps are close to 500, Boards are 300 to 400 depending on your location of course. It will be worth the trouble to have someone nail this down for you as opposed to tossing parts in it. Maybe someone else on here can assist further, but I will be yelled at on this one, and I am fragile Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2001Sahara509 Posted August 30, 2022 Author Report Share Posted August 30, 2022 Whats the difference in symptoms when a capacitor goes bad versus a winding? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanadianSpaTech Posted August 30, 2022 Report Share Posted August 30, 2022 Post photos of the circuit board and the schematic on the inside cover so we can see what you have. If they are both 2 speed pumps plug the #1 pump into the #2 location on the board and see if it runs normal... and vice versa with #2 pump in #1 location. If the #1 pump in #2 location runs normal then you likely have a blown low speed relay issue on the board. If the #2 pump runs normal in the #1 spot then you have a pump issue and likely a bad capacitor. Let us know results Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2001Sahara509 Posted September 4, 2022 Author Report Share Posted September 4, 2022 I swapped the pumps and now low speed works. Thanks all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanadianSpaTech Posted September 4, 2022 Report Share Posted September 4, 2022 11 hours ago, 2001Sahara509 said: I swapped the pumps and now low speed works. Thanks all. Swapping pumps was only for diagnostics to see if it was a pump issue or a circuit board issue. Pump #1 needs to be connected to the pump #1 connection on the board. Is the pump (pump 1) that connects and pushes water through the heater connected to the board in the pump #1 location? When you turn on the main breaker without touching the topside does the heater related pump start in low speed and the spa heat indicator light come on solid? I see you started a new post and makes it a little confusing Post photos of the circuit board and the schematic on the inside cover. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2001Sahara509 Posted September 5, 2022 Author Report Share Posted September 5, 2022 Thanks for the response CanadianSpaTech, I will try and clarify. I took pump 2 which was also a 2 speed pump and swapped places/connections with the pump 1 and now when I reset the breaker the pump kicks on low speed with the heater light on the control pad. So I guessing the issue is with pump 1s winding or capacitor. I started a new topic as I ran across a new issue I wanted to address. The spa touch panel shows the heater light when I turn up the temp however the temp doesnt change this is over a period of several hours. However if I turn the high jets on just the primary pump. It will go up 1 degree in about 30 minutes. Thanks again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanadianSpaTech Posted September 5, 2022 Report Share Posted September 5, 2022 Ok to be clear plugging pump 2 into pump 1 connection won't solve the heating problem. Pump 2 is not connected in any way to the heater. Also I can see some flash burns at the lower right side of the circuit board where the transformer connects to the board that may or may not cause you issue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2001Sahara509 Posted September 5, 2022 Author Report Share Posted September 5, 2022 Correct it didn't solve the heating problem it solved the issue of if the pump or the board was the issue. What does that transformer power? I don't have an ozonator or a blower. the heater and both pumps are wired as 220. Would my next step be to check voltage to the heater when its on at the terminals and then power off the breaker and disconnect the heater and check for resistance? I think I read you want to see somewhere in between 9 and 12 ohms? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanadianSpaTech Posted September 5, 2022 Report Share Posted September 5, 2022 Lets get back to pump #1 and have it connected to the pump #1 connection at the side of the pack. Will it run on low speed for heating and filtering? When you power up the spa it should come on in low speed and the heat indicator light on the topside should be solid and not flickering. If yes to all of the above then (carefully) test for 240V at the heater element. Do you get 240V? If no then likely a bad heater relay. Most of the time I will disconnect the heater and lift the 2 copper tabs up so they don't touch anything and test for 240V at the copper tabs. If I get 240V at the copper tabs then I will replace the element. Re Transformer and basic Testing tips: https://lesliespool.com/blog/spa-electrical-component-testing-ohms.html See #5 below Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2001Sahara509 Posted September 5, 2022 Author Report Share Posted September 5, 2022 Lets get back to pump #1 and have it connected to the pump #1 connection at the side of the pack. Will it run on low speed for heating and filtering? Yes after resetting the breaker pump 1 runs on low and the heat indicator is solid. I will test the heater tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2001Sahara509 Posted September 8, 2022 Author Report Share Posted September 8, 2022 So it looks like a bad heater relay as I'm not getting 240 to the heater , checked directly at the copper tabs with the heater light on at control panel. Thinking I might just order a new spa pack at this point, the tub and the cabinet are in great shape. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanadianSpaTech Posted September 9, 2022 Report Share Posted September 9, 2022 Relays are $15 and can be replaced fairly cheap if you have a local electronics repair shop. I normally have them do all the relays on the board to freshen it up. Where are you located? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2001Sahara509 Posted September 9, 2022 Author Report Share Posted September 9, 2022 I'm in mid michigan. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2001Sahara509 Posted October 3, 2022 Author Report Share Posted October 3, 2022 Just wanted to say thanks to CanadianSpaTech for answering all my questions. I ended up putting a new control pack in and shes up and running again. It wasnt much more then getting my board repaired. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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