Hot Springs Grandee Still Not Heating Properly

[thomas07]

We had a tech come out on Tuesday..I was so disppointed to see that no green light has come on....it is soooo cold here in the northeast.....I have cleaned the filters. We have had the tub for a little over a year...woking fine up until about a month ago.  Tech came out and said he had to reset breaker and that problem could be caused from faulty gutter/ downspout. I was not here at time the tech had come out but the box is for the most part protected by overhanging roof. Is it possible that I have a bad Watkins electrical breaker? I reset my 20 amp breaker last night and it has tripped already. It sounds like a bad breaker but is that something that my dealer should have replaced when he was out instead of blaming the outside elements for the problem and merely resetting the breaker? I had to pay $30 for a trip charge for warranty service and most likely will have to again.

[Spiderman]

Sounds like the tech needs to come out and do some more troubleshooting.  It's not fun in the cold  

[hottubdan]

It is possible that it is a bad breaker.  Cannot diagnose on line, but it is a possibility.

[Water Boy]

Thomas,

Sorry to hear of your troubles. Chances are the dealer won't charge you the trip charge fee again since they didnt get it fixed the first time. Have you called your dealer back to let them know. I would call them ASAP.

[Jacuzzi Jim]

 Sounds more like the tech was cold and lazy!   On a HS breaker what does the 20 amp fuse run the heater??  If so sounds like it might be the no fault heater at fault??

 Or pump 1 coming on for filter cycle tripping breaker??

 Or just a general nuisance tripping incident?   I hate those, such a nuisance!!  

Or just a bad breaker, Dan how often do you see those go?

[soak-king]

[glow] Or pump 1 coming on for filter cycle tripping breaker??[/glow]

  

I think we can rule this one out as HotSprings spas don't have timed filter cycles. They filter 24/7 thru the circ pump

[Spatech_tuo]

Is it possible that I have a bad Watkins electrical breaker? I reset my 20 amp breaker last night and it has tripped already.

You need to get the dealer back out there but I'd do some very simple owner troubleshooting first to see if its the heater tripping it.

I would lower the set temp down to minimum and turn the breaker on. this way teh spa isn't calling for heat and you can see if it trips without teh heater on (leave it on half an hour maybe). If it doesn't trip in that time I would then raise the set point above water temp so it calls for the heater to turn on so I could see if the heater is causing it to trip.

[Jacuzzi Jim]

I think we can rule this one out as HotSprings spas don't have timed filter cycles. They filter 24/7 thru the circ pump

   They do a purge cycle don't they??  Yes?    Well their you go, possible pump problem.

[soak-king]

   They do a purge cycle don't they??  Yes?    Well their you go, possible pump problem.

Ummm. strike 2! They do not have a purge cycle.   8-)

[hottubdan]

Or just a bad breaker, Dan how often do you see those go?

Not common, but not unheard of.  Obviously, not a Hot Spring part.  Usually either GE or Cutler Hammer.

[thomas07]

   I reset breaker and within 10-15 minutes tripped so I was able to diagnose the problem myself. The breaker was clearly bad. I called up my dealer explaining that the box is very much protected by the elements and that it is clearly a breaker problem and would their techs replace breakers on a Watkins box? She said as long as it was a Watkins box so they had a tech out today, no additional trip charge, and when I arrived home this evening the green light was on! I was very impressed with how my dealer handled everything as this was my first warranty call but reminded me that who you buy from can make a world of difference.  All I know is that I am happy to have my hot tub back as it is going to be one of the coldest nights we have had in a few years! Now if I can get up the guts to scurry from the back door into the tub...... well... that is what makes it pure bliss... sitting in 103 degree water while it is 0 degrees outside!

[hottubdan]

 8-) 8-) 8-)

[thomas07]

     Hot tub breaker was tripped again today.....It would not even stick when resetting. Why is this happening? Is the whole box bad? Could the tech who keeps coming out not knowlegeable enough? I want my hot tub back.....any comments would be greatly appreciated.....obviously I need to place yet another call to the dealer.

[Water Boy]

Well that stinks Thomas, but hang in there. Call your dealer tomorrow if they are open and if not Monday morning. You could also leave them a message to they get it first thing Monday. They may even be closed Monday though as it is a holiday, but I doubt it.

It is obviously not the breaker. I don’t work on Hot Spring Spas, so I am not for sure, but it could be the heater, or the pump. Did you ever try the heater trick that someone above suggested to see if that was it. Could also be something bad with the wiring, but highly unlikely. You could even try to unplug your heater and then turn it on and see if it doesn’t trip, and if it doesn’t, that is what it is. If I had to guess though I would say it is the heater.

[Summitman]

Maybe Steve Hammock knows?