Replaced heater elements. What else could be wrong?

[JulieMor]

I have a 1993 Hot Springs Grandee.  The heater went out on it.  I replaced the heater elements but the water coming out isn't hot like it used to be.  When I turn the setting dial I can hear the relay kick in.  I checked the voltage and I have 230v between the hot wires and 119v from each to ground.  I'm thinking the hi-limit thermostat (heater reset).  In the past 18 years I have had to reset it maybe five times. 

Any ideas?

Thank you.

[Dr. Spa™ Ret.]

Did you check for 230v DIRECTLY at the element?

[JulieMor]

I checked it at the incoming connection of the control board (junction box) and at the receptacles that connect to the element plugs.  Voltage is good there.  The elements are corded and sealed at the element end with custom cord ends.  There's no way I can check directly at the element without breaking the seal, but since both elements are new, as are the cords that came with them, I assumed I wouldn't have gotten two bad elements.

I don't know if it makes any difference but I bought the elements at Backyardplus.com.  I don't know much of their reputation but they are pretty much the only game in town for parts this old.

[d00nut]

Do you know how many degrees it would heat up in an hour beforehand?  Did you replace both heater elements?  and finally, did you replace them with 1.5KW or 2.5KW elements?  They look the same 

Oh, and also check to make sure you get good flow.

[JulieMor]

I amp-probed the hot legs at the junction box and I'm getting 20+ amps on each leg.  Backyards plus says these are 2.5kW elements and by the amperage draw it seems they are but the water is maybe 80⁰ at the output.  It's been running for almost two hours.  I don't have a thermometer to test the actual temperature but I remember the water at the output getting so hot it would almost burn you.

I shook the heater housing and got some air bubbles out of it but it wasn't much.  You could see the bubbles pump out through the clear tubing so I know water is flowing through the heater.  Maybe getting that air out will help some.

We talked to backyards plus and they said from the electrical draw everything seems okay.  They suggested water flow being a problem but it seems that's fine.  I could see warm water coming from the drain (back-feeding through the drain tubing in the heater housing) so the water coming out is warmer than what's in there.  It's been really hot here so it's hard to say how much heating of the hose water can be attributed to that as opposed to the heater.

This is baffling.  Flow seems good.  Electrical draw is in line with the element ratings.  But the output water is barely warm.  I'm letting it run a few more hours then I'll check it out again before I call the vendor back.

Just thinking out loud here: what if the flow from the pump is too high for the water to get noticeably hot?  It's hard to tell because of the back flow through the drain system.

[JulieMor]

Time to eat crow.

I let the heater run for about 6 hours.  I guess I overreacted.  While I don't have a thermometer yet, the water is definitely warm and shut off where I had the thermostat set.  Sorry to all who replied for wasting your time but you helped me deal with my imaginary crisis. Thank you for doing so.

Voice in head: But I swear it was really hot before!

And thanks too to Stephen from backyardsplus for his patience.  He's getting a call Monday.  Groveling will occur.

[Dr. Spa™ Ret.]

It was hot before! Lets say the water coming out is 15 degrees hotter than it enters. If the water is 50, it exits at 65...not very hot. But if the water is 104, it's exiting at 119...........HOT

[JulieMor]

That's what Stephen said but it just didn't make sense.  I figured the water coming out of the heater had to be at least as hot as the hottest you would ever want the tub to be and he agreed.  Poor guy.  I made him go round & round but he kept his cool.

Last night we enjoyed the first dip in five years.  I had given up on it.  Glad I let go of that!