bullfrog 331 issue

[boatbuilder]

ok my year 2000 bullfrog 331 was working great. I decided to drain the tub and then move the tub a few inches. After doing so I filled her back up and switched on my gfci breaker and bam nothing. It keeps tripping the main breaker. I had an electrician test everything and I am getting 240v at the spa pack. I don't know what to try next! What else would cause the breaker to trip immediately?? Could it be the pump?

[Chas]

Most common things to trip a GFI -

Wiring put back wrong - neutral wire in the wrong place.
Water in the ozone system (try unplugging the ozonator)
Water in the blower motor (unplug)
Bad heating element - you generally have to disconnect this to test.
GFI chose this time to die - disconnect all the wires from the breaker and see if it still trips. Try the 'test' button.

HTH

 8-)

[ndabunka]

ok my year 2000 bullfrog 331 was working great. I decided to drain the tub and then move the tub a few inches. After doing so I filled her back up and switched on my gfci breaker and bam nothing. It keeps tripping the main breaker. I had an electrician test everything and I am getting 240v at the spa pack. I don't know what to try next! What else would cause the breaker to trip immediately?? Could it be the pump?

Sounds like you shorted something out by moving it.  When you are pushing around a 600lbs empty tub, you can't really feel the tension in the wires that may be trying to prevent the tub from moving.

Make certain the power is OFF (even to the GFCI by turning the circuit off at the circuit panel).  Then open up the cabinet.  and look for tension in the wires into the control panel.  If your original installer wired everything up with no room to move it, it's likely that there was no room to move it (even a few inches).

The worst case scenario is that you "broke" something on the control panel when you FORCED the "few inches move". In that case, you may well have broken and shorted out something by doing the move.  In that case, I'd recommend you have your dealer look at the problem and then let you know how much those few inches really cost you.

Now, don't go getting mad at the installer for making the connections tight.  He probably did what he was told to do when he installed it and how would he know that you would ever be moving it around in the future unless you specifically told him and had it in writing on a service order or something (If so, then the dealer may be eating any cost).

[boatbuilder]

this was a used tub that I installed. I unplugged the pump, ozonator and light from the control panel box and still when I flip the breaker it goes 'tick-tick' somewhere on the control panel and then flips the breaker.

when I say flips the breaker I mean all the way back at the elctrical box for my house. The GFCI that I have is the plug kind in which it has 4 prongs that you flip over to the on or off position. I am getting 240v at the control panel. I had an electrician troubleshoot his brain out for me on Saturday for 2 hours. Its getting all the right power. I just can't imagine how the tub rode on a 30 mile trip on a highway to my house. Hooked it up and it worked frickin' perfect!!! Then I go to put on a hot tub cover lift and I shimmy it out from the wall a few inches and now nothing. There is PLENTY of slack in my electrical line to have moved it the few inches I did.

The eletrical line up into the cabinet had plenty of slack too and I've doble tightened down every connection to the control panel. Is this 'tick-tick' sound indicative of a bad control board?? Are balboa boards this tempramental?
Please advise on anything I can do now at this point to make sure that it IS in face the control board before I go off and order a new control board.
 :-/

[loosenupspas]

Disconnect all the incoming wires at the control box and try to reset the breaker.  If the breaker trips with the all wires undone, then you have an electrical issue.  Generally speaking, if the breaker trips immediately the problem is outside the tub.  Also, if the white wire entering the spa comes off the load bar that could cause tripping.  The white wire entering the spa should be connected to the gfci breaker itself and not the load bar.....this is my experience anyway.  Good luck.....Tom

[boatbuilder]

Ok so you are saying disconnect the control pack completely? Take out the red,black, white  and ground and then just make sure they aren't touching anything or each other and flip the breaker and see if it doesn't trip?

The white neutral wire is not in the bus bar. I read those specifications on bullfrogs website. I really hate to take out those electrical connections because the were a B*TCH to get seated in those tiny connection slots/holes. Fun times...

[loosenupspas]

Boat....that is correct.  If it trips when it is disconnected, then you have eliminated the tub as your problem.    You mentioned that you had an excess of wire.  You might consider recutting the wires so you have more to work with when you go to reconnect the wires.  Sometimes with a pair of needle nose to bend the wire it is easier to do with slightly longer wire.  

[boatbuilder]

Ok so the other night I tried to turn the tub on again and it came on!!! but only for about 30 seconds.

I then unconnected the wires from the terminal and flipped the breaker and it would not trip.

I then took out the terminal block and there are some 'prongs' that got pushed down on top of the wire when you screw in the screw. A few of these prongs have bent back up inside the terminal block. I readjusted the two white wires on the other side of the terminal that connect to the board. That connection in the terminal block seems loose and i've tightened down completely. At that point I had the terminal block completely disconnected from the spa control unit and I reconnected the power back into the terminal block. I must say it was way easier to reconnect in the 8 AWG multi stranded power wire with this not screwed into the control unit.

Ran up stairs ... flipped the breaker and it worked!! But only for about 90 seconds and then bam she shut off again.
Can a terminal block go bad and can those 'prongs' that I speak of have any issue with it getting a good connection? Also it has been suggested to get new electrical wire that goes from my GFCI to the spa pack. Can Electrical wire be bad? Couldn't it have been disconnected from the tub and not flip the breaker just fine, but once it has a load put on that wire it trips for some reason?

Please advise. I need to know what you all would do next. Get a new terminal block or new electrical wire from the GFCI to the tub?

[Hillbilly Hot Tub]

On your previous post you said you unhooked the pump, light ozone, but did not mention the heater. The tick tic you hear may be the heater relays kicking, then when the heater tries to come on it trips the breaker. Have you tested the heater yet? That would be our first place to start.

[BauerN]

Yes, you can have problems in your terminal block - not very likely (IMO), as you didn't mention seeing any signs of scorching or melted plastic.

I agree with HBHT, it sounds like a heater - disconnect it and see if the spa will run.  If the spa will run without tripping the breaker, this is likely your problem.

It could be a problem in the board itself, but I don't think its likely based on what you've described so far.

[boatbuilder]

I'll disconnect the heater tonight and try again!!

[boatbuilder]

UPDATE: I noticed on the wiring diagram that one of the neutral white wires coming off of the control panel was misplaced on the terminal block connection.

I put that wire in the correct position and she came on!!! Wired it all back up and walked away after setting the temp.
Then about 15 minutes later I heard no hum of the hot tub from outside and sure as heck...breaker flipped again.

So then I went ahead and disconnected the heater and took it out of the mix... it took it a second but then the pump and control panel all came on and it worked.

So then I put the heater back in the mix and turned it on again and it works. It stayed on all night and I woke up to 100 degree water. What does this sound like to anyone else?? Heater starting its downward spiral? Please advise.

[loosenupspas]

HEALED BROTHER.....if the white is not in the right place....from the gfci to the tub it will trip.  May be the heater had a loose connection.