Heater Not Working

[Ranger25]

I am still trying to find a leak in my tub but I have had it turned on three days now and it hasn't heated the water any.  It's a 2001 Hotsprings Prodigy with a silentflow heater.  Can you tell me how to check the heater the proper way.  I do have a meter and I am fairly familiar with electrical.  Thanks

[stuart]

Connect the amp meter to either one of the hot leads going in or to a wire going to the heater itself and check amperage. Let us know if it is drawing any and how much that is. Depending on the meter the Circ pump could show up to 2 amps.

[stuart]

I know these are kind of redundant questions but, do you have bubbles comming out of the return on the floor of the spa?

Have you tried the reset on the heater?

[Ranger25]

Yes, I have bubbles and I have pushed the reset on the heater.  At one time my wife said the water didn't feel as hot as it once was and I was told the heater may have some restrictions.  I drained the tub, installed new filters and it worked ok until I started having this leaking problem and I have drained the tub several times trying to find a leak and have not had it plugged up enough to know if it worked until now and I left it plugged in even with the leak for almost a week now and the water is still cold.

[stuart]

Yes, I have bubbles and I have pushed the reset on the heater.  At one time my wife said the water didn't feel as hot as it once was and I was told the heater may have some restrictions.  I drained the tub, installed new filters and it worked ok until I started having this leaking problem and I have drained the tub several times trying to find a leak and have not had it plugged up enough to know if it worked until now and I left it plugged in even with the leak for almost a week now and the water is still cold.

On that model you might open the control panel and look at the common wire coming off the heater. Often they are burned and if so there's a good chance that the relay or intermediate board is also burned.

[Ranger25]

I checked it a lunch and I don't have any amperage on the heater wire.  When I wiggle the wire to put the amp meter around the wire next to the connector at the control panel the heater light would go off and I could hear a relay cutting off.  I reset the power and it came back on but still no amperage.

[Ranger25]

I checked for burn marks on the circuit board and did't find any.  I removed the wires from the circuit board an checked the continuity.  I am reading through the heater of around 10.1 ohms and when I push the reset button it goes off then back on when I release it.  I assume the heater would be alright by this?  Thanks  (I have the heater out of the hot tub with hoses off)

[stuart]

Did you have good voltage between the two wires going to the heater?

[Ranger25]

Stuart, I still have the tub in pieces but I can plug it up and I don't have any voltage to the heater.  I have the heater wire disconnected because it's empty but I don't have any voltage.  The red light will come on saying the heater is working but no voltage.  Do I have to have water flowing through it for it to turn on?  Thanks, Larry

[stuart]

If there is no voltage to the heater it's more than likely the relay that leads from the board. At that point I would pay my dealer to come out and replace it and look for the leak where you've opened it up for them.

[Vanguard]

Just curious, why don't you have a spa technician come help you?

[Ranger25]

We had problems with the ozonator from the first week we had it.  They changed out five ozonators along with a new circuit board in the first year of use.  When the year warranty was up the ozonator still didn't work and I was having other problems and they said there year was up they were through.  There technician only knows how to replace parts not fix a problem.  I don't see getting them out to change out parts without knowing whats wrong.  They have very few parts even when I go to the store to get them and the last time I went they told me I didn't need a o-ring on that part they put them in all the time without one until I showed them the part number for the o-ring  then said they don't carry that part.  I know some of you are good technicians but Pinch A Penny in Dothan, Alabama isn't one and they are my dealer.

[Chas]

If the 'heater' light is on - on the main board - and yet you have no power going to the heater, the problem is the relay board.

The heater should be around 10 ohms, so yours seems fine. That also ruled out the reset, btw, good job troubleshooting.

 8-)