Hot Tub Forum

Original => Hot Tub Forum => Topic started by: Balihai on October 22, 2012, 09:18:04 pm

Title: Breaker keeps popping
Post by: Balihai on October 22, 2012, 09:18:04 pm
Hi I just a had a 1998 BaliHai hot tub hooked up worked great for 20 minutes then lost power to hot tub (neither breaker was tripped). Dual breaker has full power 125 volts no problems there. When I unplugged the heater from the hot tub turned breaker back on and it did not trip the breaker, at this point hot tub has power but does not work very confused PLEASE HELP!
Thank you. P.s you can hear the relay or breaker click upon turning the breaker on inside the hot tub. All fuses on the circuit breaker are ok and not blown
Title: Re: Breaker keeps popping
Post by: Dr. Spa™ Ret. on October 22, 2012, 09:25:15 pm
Sounds good! No one wants their hot tub working very confused.

If English in not your second language, you might want to read what you wrote, and give it another go.

Possibly, you're saying when you unplug the heater the spa functions without tripping the breaker? If this is the case, most likely you have a bad heating element.

Title: Re: Breaker keeps popping
Post by: Balihai on October 22, 2012, 09:57:16 pm
Easy killer this is my first post and I don't do this for a living! Im saying the hot tub technically has power when the heater is unplugged but DOES NOT FUNCTION.
If I have the heater plugged in it trips the breaker immediately..
So yes im confused as to what EXACTLY is wrong.
Open to suggestions 
Title: Re: Breaker keeps popping
Post by: Dr. Spa™ Ret. on October 23, 2012, 09:37:22 am
most likely you have a bad heating element.
Title: Re: Breaker keeps popping
Post by: Balihai on October 23, 2012, 10:23:01 am
My friend is a electrician, he's coming over later on today so hopefully I will have an update for you guys in a little bit.
Thank you.
Title: Re: Breaker keeps popping
Post by: Balihai on October 23, 2012, 11:54:52 pm
Update as of 10/23...

Heater element is not the problem. What I was unplugging was the connector for the motor. When the pump motor is disconnected, breaker holds. Pump motor plugged in and breaker trips immediately. When the neutral wire coming from the pump connector is removed from the board the breaker doesn't trip, which indicates the motor is faulting to ground and tripping the breaker. Upon further inspection, found water on the motor shaft coming from the pump, which has apparently developed a drip...drip...drip problem from the pump which is attached to the motor. Tough to tell in the dark but seems water has made its way from the pump to the inside of the motor. On the motor connector, across the terminals, Ground,Neutral,Hot,Hot, I have 10 Ohms resistance across the hots to the neutral wires, however, I do see that there is a kick start cap on the motor, so I don't know if there is an easy way to verify the motor is ok aside from pulling the ground and engaging the breaker to verify there is a ground-neutral short.
Title: Re: Breaker keeps popping
Post by: Balihai on October 24, 2012, 06:35:58 pm
Anyone?
Title: Re: Breaker keeps popping
Post by: Dr. Spa™ Ret. on October 25, 2012, 12:39:57 am
With the neutral disconnected, power would still travel completely through the motor...and cause the GFCI to trip, if that were the problem. Since ALL the neutral wires are connected together, if there was a short (bare wire) in a neutral wire it would cause a trip whether connected to anything or not. (this assumes everything is wired up correctly and a hot and neutral aren't reversed).
Title: Re: Breaker keeps popping
Post by: Jacuzzi Jim on October 25, 2012, 01:42:57 pm
Get a new pump, with motor of course..
Title: Re: Breaker keeps popping
Post by: Balihai on October 25, 2012, 11:56:29 pm
Pump seal is no good which caused some water to go into the motor and screwed that up . Something was wrong with the shaft also, new motor and pump going in tomorrow. Il post results tomorrow.