Hot Tub Forum
Original => Hot Tub Forum => Topic started by: hottub63 on March 22, 2013, 10:22:54 am
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I think I need to replace my 30 amp gfci that goes in my hot springs hot tub.
I have a envoy tub. The dealer sells them for almost 200 dollars but said I could buy a replacement online for much much less.
Any thoughts on this? Also would a local hard ware store sell a replacement I can use?
Thanks
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home depot/RONA/etc. pull it out and go to a supplier.
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Does Home Depot sell one rang will work?
I was under impression it had to be the exact one that was in the sub panel.
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Does Home Depot sell one rang will work?
I was under impression it had to be the exact one that was in the sub panel.
if you just need the single breaker itself you can get them almost anywhere, Home Depot, Lowes, Grainger, etc
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I think I have a bad gfci. Is that what I need, the single breaker?
Does it need to be the same brand? I believe it's GE.
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i am def no expert..but if the gf is tripping off 99.9% of the time its because you have some sort of short or perhaps un even electric flow..i dont see how changing a breaker is going to solve that..jmo
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Actually that's not correct. The gfci's go bad and need to changes out.
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i find it highly unlikely that the tub was working fine at the previous owners house and a day or 2 later he hooks it up at his house the gf is tripping because it went bad..but again im no expert..jmo
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Actually that's not correct. The gfci's go bad and need to changes out.
GE is the most common in the Hot Spring panels from what I have noticed, just checked all mine in store here and they are all GE
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What's weird is it works fine all day until I get ok and then the jets on and let it run for a little while. It looks like it isn' able to handle the load.
No?
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What's weird is it works fine all day until I get ok and then the jets on and let it run for a little while. It looks like it isn' able to handle the load.
No?
kind of seems that way, circ. pump alone draws next to nothing, of course the amperage increase from using the jet pumps could push it over the top...did the electrician mention anything about your panel being undersized or anything like that when he was running the 50amp service?
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twin cities..if hes using the same breaker as the previous owner and it was wired correctly ,why would he be tripping off but not the previous owner?..thats what leads me to believe he has maybe a short perhaps when another pump come on?
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Nope. Not at all.
Do you think there could be a leak that happens when I turn on a jet that's doing it somehow?
If so it's strange because the first few days we got the tub we were in there for multiple hours at a time. Running all jets. The gfci didn't flip. Now it is starting to. Sometimes after 10 minutes of being in with the jets on, sometimes after 30 minutes.
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Nope. Not at all.
Do you think there could be a leak that happens when I turn on a jet that's doing it somehow?
If so it's strange because the first few days we got the tub we were in there for multiple hours at a time. Running all jets. The gfci didn't flip. Now it is starting to. Sometimes after 10 minutes of being in with the jets on, sometimes after 30 minutes.
couple things,,,,its an Envoy right? try and use process of elimination by unplugging 1 jet pump at a time and then verify operation/does the breaker hold with 1 pump running, otherwise could be a faulty breaker but "typically" a faulty breaker will instantly trip once its turned on
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Thanks. Could I also just turn one pulp on at a time as well?
It powered off when I hit the clean button this morning after it ran for 10 or so minutes. What pump does the clean button control?
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Thanks. Could I also just turn one pulp on at a time as well?
It powered off when I hit the clean button this morning after it ran for 10 or so minutes. What pump does the clean button control?
clean will activate Jet Pump 1 on high speed, and yes your looking to verify when exactly the spa is tripping, ie is it only tripping on pump 1 or pump 2, or is it only when both pumps are running which could then be an electrical issue...although I believe if your panel was that close to "full" your electrician "should" have attempted to sell you an upgraded panel imo
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Boy. I'm really thrown for a loop now. I've been running both pumps for a little while now and the gfci is staying on.
This morning it flipped after me being in the hot tub for 5 minutes or so. Then I turned them back on and ran the clean cycle and it flipped again after about 5 minutes or so.
Now both jets are running (and it's been longer than 5 minutes) and nothing is flipping.
Any thoughts?
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Boy. I'm really thrown for a loop now. I've been running both pumps for a little while now and the gfci is staying on.
This morning it flipped after me being in the hot tub for 5 minutes or so. Then I turned them back on and ran the clean cycle and it flipped again after about 5 minutes or so.
Now both jets are running (and it's been longer than 5 minutes) and nothing is flipping.
Any thoughts?
well keep an eye on it obviously over the next day...you could (if your comfortable doing it) shut down power and check all connections (inside the gfi disconnect as well as at the spa) to make sure everything is tight and solid, nothing against your electrician but something simple as a wire that slipped from a terminal or something else minor could be causing intermittent operation
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Yah, I can do that. I know he double checked everything but I can look as well.
I did rise off the main filter (the one on the circ pump) this morning and it hasn't shut off since I did that. I had just rinsed them off this last weekend so they were pretty clean. Do you think that had anything to do with it staying on now?
I read somewhere that dirty filters can cause the gfci to flip, but not sure if that is the case in this model (envoy) also would they have to be clogged up enough to actually see the water level in the filter compartment be low in order to flip the gfci? If so the water wasn't low at all...and the flow also felt fine.
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Yah, I can do that. I know he double checked everything but I can look as well.
I did rise off the main filter (the one on the circ pump) this morning and it hasn't shut off since I did that. I had just rinsed them off this last weekend so they were pretty clean. Do you think that had anything to do with it staying on now?
I read somewhere that dirty filters can cause the gfci to flip, but not sure if that is the case in this model (envoy) also would they have to be clogged up enough to actually see the water level in the filter compartment be low in order to flip the gfci? If so the water wasn't low at all...and the flow also felt fine.
dirty filter will reduce flow and therefore shutdown your heater...however it is easy to determine this issue because your light on the control panel will consistently blink showing that the spa is not heating, and of course you would have experienced temp. loss because the heater would have been shutdown
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And that would have happened before it shut down?
I wasn't looking at the front of my panel so I'm not sure if that was the issue or not.
All I know is after cleaning off my filters my hot tub has been running for over 2 hours with no issues...thankfully.
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And that would have happened before it shut down?
I wasn't looking at the front of my panel so I'm not sure if that was the issue or not.
All I know is after cleaning off my filters my hot tub has been running for over 2 hours with no issues...thankfully.
yes, as soon as reduced flow is detected the light will start to blink and shutdown the heater so unless your looking at the control panel you wouldn't notice it until you went for a soak and realized the water is only 70 degrees..lol
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oh and just cause I feel like bustin chops today ;-)
from one of your threads I responded to on March 15
the price is very fair, I would easily sell that tub for 4-5k out of the showroom....as far as setup goes this is what I would do, don't take it as gospel just as my opinion....
1. obviously have it delivered and wired using a certified electrician (complete wiring diagram available on hotspring.com)
2. give it a light wipe down (don't go nuts on cleaning just yet, you'll see why below) fill it, and verify everything was wired correctly and working
3. take 6-8oz of your tap-water in a clean container to your local dealer
4. purchase 'Clean Start' its a "flush/purging" product made by the same company who makes Silk Balance...at the same time have them test your water and give start-up recommendations, I also recommend stocking up on chemicals at this point, let them know you'd appreciate a discount if you buy a half-year/years worth of chemicals....stick with the basics (chlorine granules, pH up/pH down, non-chlorine shock, test strips, filter cleaner, a bag of clean start as mentioned above, and maybe some foam down to have on hand
5. get home and use the clean start as per the instructions on back (you will need a 5 gal. bucket for dilution purposes) and yes you will have to drain the water out but this way you will start 100% "fresh and clean" so to speak, once you've done the clean start and drained the spa you can now give it 1 more thorough cleaning/wipe-down (also a good time to clean the filters if they need it)...hit all the nooks and crannies, behind the pillows, inside the filter compartment, etc.
6. refill the spa and add chemicals per your instructions you were given from the dealer (or post results on here and we can help you)
7. BOOM...your set, everything is 100% clean fresh and ready to roll inside and out so to speak
8. use the hell out of it ;-)
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Did you read where I said I DID clean the filters when I got it. :-)
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I see one question left unanswered: the "Clean" button runs on jet pump (doesn't really matter which one) for ten minutes and then shuts off. That's what it is designed to do.
Also: The heater is protected by a 'hi limit' switch which detects if the water leaving the heater is too hot. It shuts off everything but the circ pump, and flashes the red light on the panel. It should not trip any of your breakers. However, in order to get things running again, you have to turn off the breakers, take a couple of breaths, and then restart the spa. So some folk think the breakers where tripped. Most common cause of this is a dirty filter on the circ pump. And yes, I know you rinsed it. That filter can get plugged in a short time: a week, or a day if somebody climbs in with sunscreen or other oil on. It doesn't have to look dirty to be plugged. It will sink and not float when dirty. And 'rinsing' a filter is NOT "washing" a filter. You need to use some form of filter cleaning agent.
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GREAT advice. Thanks for all of your help.