Marquis 545 top controller overheating problem

[jphelps1511]

Hello,  has anyone had problems with the top controller window getting darker over time and overheating, causing the underside of the cover to turn brown?  I have a 545 for two years and I'm on my third top controller.  It's getting 30 volts of power when Marquis states that it should be getting no more than 6v.

They replaced a smaller circuit board inside the Spa Control unit, but it's happening again for the 3rd time in 2 years of ownership.  I've had to pay the only service dealer in the area over $100 to come out and fix it, but the parts are covered...for now.

I asked Marquis to maybe just replace the entire Spa Control black box since that appears to carry all of the electronics and maybe that will solve the problem.  They seem to come back with excuses that it may be something else like mold/algae (when it's clearly darkening by heating), one of the two lights is dim or out (when I send them a picture clearly showing both one and the window is clear around the edges), or some other thing.

Marquis and the dealer say that they've never heard of this issue.

[av8r]

If you can prove that it's getting 30 V when the manufacturer says it should only have 6 I'd say you tell them to correct the underlying issue (over voltage) or be on notice that you'll have an attorney contact them.

Does Balboa or another company supply the control systems for Marquis? If so, I'd go directly to them to discuss what the underlying issue is.

If this is what you're saying, it's inexcusable for Marquis to react the way they have.

oh, and...I'd love for them to explain how mold can create 5X the expected voltage in electronics.  Ridiculous.

[MarKee]

We have sold 100s of 545s in the last few years at the Marquis stores I work at, never heard of that issue. They are Balboa electronics, which are the best on the market in my opinion.

It is possible to get some slight discoloration on the underside of the cover because some parts of the cover are exposed to water, and some parts of the cover rest on the lip of the shell, where the control panel is.

Have you tried a diluted bleach and water solution to see if the marks on the cover come off?

[castletonia]

In the two years I  have sold Marquis I have never heard of that and in 14 years in the industry I have never heard of that either having sold spas with both Balboa and Gecko controls.  I'm not a tech, so I can't comment on what the voltage is/should be, but I can understand Marquis not wanting to automatically replace the circuit board because neither they or a service technician has verified if there is an issue with the circuit board.

I would request that Marquis send out the nearest authorized service tech to verify the voltage going to the control panel.  If it is 30 volts, then they can replace the topside and circuit board.  If it is not 30 volts then you pay for the service call.  That way if you are correct, then nothing out of your pocket and if you are wrong then the service tech gets compensated.

[Hottubguy]

Hello,  has anyone had problems with the top controller window getting darker over time and overheating, causing the underside of the cover to turn brown?  I have a 545 for two years and I'm on my third top controller.  It's getting 30 volts of power when Marquis states that it should be getting no more than 6v.

They replaced a smaller circuit board inside the Spa Control unit, but it's happening again for the 3rd time in 2 years of ownership.  I've had to pay the only service dealer in the area over $100 to come out and fix it, but the parts are covered...for now.

I asked Marquis to maybe just replace the entire Spa Control black box since that appears to carry all of the electronics and maybe that will solve the problem.  They seem to come back with excuses that it may be something else like mold/algae (when it's clearly darkening by heating), one of the two lights is dim or out (when I send them a picture clearly showing both one and the window is clear around the edges), or some other thing.

Marquis and the dealer say that they've never heard of this issue.

How did you test it to determine that it was getting 30 volts?  I've never heard it before myself and the 545 is my best selling tub

[jphelps1511]

Thanks for the replies.  I incorrectly measured in AC instead of DC and the DC voltages are reading 12-13v and Marquis is checking to see if 12v is normal or 6v is.  An earlier response in March from them stated 6v and now they are seeing if it should be 6 or 12v.

Either way, the brown marks on the underside of the tub cover were definitely from an overheating controller before this latest one was installed because I felt how warm the controller was and the marks are definitely overheating marks and not from anything biological. 

Marquis asked me to clean the controller window with ISP and I did knowing it will not remove the anything.  I told them you can clearly see that the browning layer is underneath the top surface of the window and above the LED display because I can look in from the side and see the edge of one segment of the display and it's brighter than looking straight down.  The very edge of the display is still clear.  I told them we'll just wait and I'll send them another picture as it gets darker and hard to read, even at night.

I always seem to have a problem that no one ever heard of before, and not just with this tub.

[jphelps1511]

I got a new controller for free from Marquis and the problem has not returned.  The display has been bright for 6 months now, so was it in my head and the three failures were something I did, or was there a problem that whomever makes the controller would not admit to?  I choose the latter because that's what the world is today.  Still, I thanked the Marquis person I was dealing with and I'm glad the overheating is gone.

[MarKee]

Still never heard of that problem before but glad it seems to be resolved. Marquis uses Balboa PC boards, heaters, and topside controllers that are used on a lot of the top selling brands, they are the best components out there and they should last a really long time.