sundance heater testing

[cliffspa]

My 2004 Sundance Altimar was tripping the breaker. I disconnected (one at a time) the circulation pump, blower, pump 1 hi and low, pump 2, then the heater. It stays running with the heater disconnected. Does that sound like the problem or is there other testing that should be done before throwing $ at the tub? The heater was replaced 2 years ago. I have a multimeter. Can I test the temp sensor and high temp limiter? Will a different 240V 5.5w heater work in place of the $undance heater?

[Chas]

Test the leads to the heater - there should be infinite resistance between them and ground, and about 12 ohm resistance between the two leads.

I hate to say it, but you can usually find parts cheaper on line than we dealers can sell them. Lower overhead (or in some cases NO overhead) will do that, of course. But you don't get a face to yell at if anything goes wrong, nor a helping hand with checking things over as you go...

 

[clover]

The older we become, the wiser we are.  The only reason I have found to replace a Sundance "Smart Heater" was for water leakes after the spa had frozen, ice expands and plastic cracks. 

Disconnect the red and black wires going to the heater from the bottom left on the board .  The heater itself will measure 10 to 11 ohms, and infinity to ground.  this will tell you if it is the heater is the problem.  Why did your first heater fail?

Best advice here is to call your dealer to verify and confirm what you don't know.  IF YOU WISH, buy a new heater (same as the original),  if not from your dealer, for the cheapest price you can get it for, and put it in.  A different heater is NOT recommended, but your choice.

Why ask for advice if you are willing to venture on your own.  IF it is the problem it will be fixed, IF it is not, then you will have a back up heater.  The many times in my life that I have tried to save a buck under similar circumstances, about something I have limited understanding of, I end up paying more than IF I had it done by someone more knowledgeable, or capable than myself. 

The first repairs we do in life are learining experiences.  That's what you get from your dealer. 

Best of luck in your pursuit.

[cliffspa]

Thanks both for the advice, I'll test the resistance tomorrow morning before I order a new heater. I would have bought one locally today just to (try and) get it fixed but the two dealers in my area were out of stock. I found one online for 2/3 of the price. Too bad they're cheaper online. If things were the way they should be I'd have to pay more but I'd be able to afford it.  I talked to both dealers and called Sundance, all said heater should be the problem as the breaker doesn't trip with the heater disconnected.
The first heater failed because it froze and the housing cracked. Welded the plastic but the element had also shorted out. Longer story than that but lesson learned.  I'll post results of test tomorrow.
Cliff

[MattQ1129]

Sorry to revive this, but I am having similar problems. I have been throwing parts at an inoperative Sundance Marin (2003 I believe) and ended up measuring the heater resistance at 2.4 ohms yesterday. I assume this indicates a partial short in the heater, so I've ordered a replacement. However, if anyone has any experience with these units, please read below and comment.

My problems started with intermittent Sn1 and FLO errors, both of which would reset if I pulled the sensor harness off the circuit board and reseated it. After a couple months of this it went into Watchdog and then went berserk - power on would produce random gibberish on the display board and random flashing of the spa light, and nothing else. Before checking the heater (which I did not think could possibly cause this behavior), I did the following:

Replaced high limit sensor and flow switch
Replaced circuit board
Examined cabling to the control panel - no damage. Note I have not looked at the cable to the remote panel.
Pulled the wiring from each component off the circuit board one at a time, power cycling after each removal.
Pulled the control panel harness.

None of these actions produced anything different - powering up would result in nonsense on the display and flashing of the spa light. I disconnected the heater and now with everything else connected I just get a Watchdog error. Is this normal behavior for the spa if the heater is removed? The only other common component that hasn't been changed is the control transformer, and with it connected I measured secondary voltages slightly higher than marked on the nameplate, so I doubt that is the problem either.

Sorry for the long-winded post, but any input would be appreciated.

Thanks,

-- Matt