Recommended hot tub technician?

[Blazin]

I live in Leonardtown. Have an older hot tub, and when we get the few straight days of rain the hot tub breaker trips and I am unable to turn it back on until everything has a week+ to dry out.

Called Village Pools and they said to get an electrician out to look at it. I waited 3+ weeks for electrician to come out and he said it was the circuit breaker, so I paid him $100+ to replace the breaker. And I still have the issue.

Looking for recommendation on someone who will come look at it and fix it.

 

[jr88]

Is this breaker a "GFCI" breaker ? If so, and being that the old one was probably OK, there is probably enough moisture getting to the electrical wiring to cause sufficient leakage current to trip the GFCI. This is where the "electrician" should check. Need more info, Hot tub/wiring location ? How it is connected and so forth.

 

[Blazin]

Is this breaker a "GFCI" breaker ? If so, and being that the old one was probably OK, there is probably enough moisture getting to the electrical wiring to cause sufficient leakage current to trip the GFCI. This is where the "electrician" should check. Need more info, Hot tub/wiring location ? How it is connected and so forth.

I am really new to hot tubs, and am not sure how I passed electrical class in college, so not looking to fix this myself, looking for recommendation on someone to come out and look at it. Preferably someone good.

 

[BigRick]

Heating element. if i had to guess but I'm no expert.

 

[t84a]

If you feel comfortable, remove the access skirt on your hot tub. Locate the equipment pack. Don't touch anything but look for and note that there will be electrical leads with plugs that plug into the side of the equipment pack. See if you can trace them to what they power (pump, heater, etc). Turn off the power to the tub. Unplug one of the plugs I just mentioned. Turn the breaker to the tub back on. If the problem goes away, you've found your issue. If not, repeat the above process plugging the disconnected plug back in and trying another. If you go through all the options and still have a problem, the equipment pack is bad.

 

[K.C.Dean]

PM sent.

 

[jr88]

I am really new to hot tubs, and am not sure how I passed electrical class in college, so not looking to fix this myself, looking for recommendation on someone to come out and look at it. Preferably someone good.

No, I understand. If you saw which breaker he replaced look at it and see if it is marked "GFCI" that's all I was asking. The "water" from the rain you mentioned is the clue. The fact that the unit functions properly until it rains lends itself to excess moisture in an electrical junction/connection which would cause a GFCI to trip. Once the moisture dries up, it can then be reset.
Is the Hot Tub outside ??

 

[t84a]

The GFI breaker should actually be near the tub. Maybe he looked at the wrong one. I have 2: one in my panel box and one on a disconnect box about 6 feet from my tub. That's code here in Frederick County.

 

[Blazin]

Hot tub is outside. Breaker mentioned above is GFCI and it is approx. 12 feet from hot tub under my deck, so it's mostly protected from rain.

 

[t84a]

Is that the one he replaced? Give my recommendation a try.

 

[Blazin]

Is that the one he replaced? Give my recommendation a try.

Yes. Will do.

 

[t84a]

Remember to trip the breaker to cut the power when you're disconnecting and connecting the different plugs at the equipment pack.

 

[Blazin]

I called KC and he recommended I isolate the issue by spraying first the circuit breaker box with a hose, then the hot tub itself. So today I sprayed the circuit breaker box, and will give it a day or so to see if the CB trips. But in the meantime I feel pics are important, so here's what we're talking about.

 

[jr88]

First I need to state I am not a "Hot Tub Technician", I am however a licensed Master Electrician. Looking at the Enclosure in the bottom photo, the Incoming Power (Top Left) is missing a proper connector. That is flexible liquidtight which should have a fitting on the end but you can see the individual conductors, so I suspect the box isn't close to watertight. Second, the wiring laying under (outside) of the enclosure..where water could pool during rain, wonder why this is ?? Last, the bonding jumpers attached to the metal piping, but then what appears to be plastic junctions in between, can't see how it maintains a proper ground ??
It only takes about 6/1000's of an amp to trip a GFCI device. Doesn't take much water between connectors to achieve this. Since you have gone this far, I would open the junction box and look for signs of water. AFTER TURNING OFF ALL POWER and verifying such !

 

[byf43]

Been there. Done that.

We had an OLD hottub that we "inherited".

It worked perfectly when we looked at it.

All we had to do, is move it out of a Florida Room, in Crofton....... and set it in place, in Waldorf.

Done.

About 2 weeks later, "parts" started going bad.

Tripping GFCI breaker. High Temp Limiter Switch. Heater. The list went on and on.

OLD insulation was found to be ONE cause of the GFCI tripping.

I put over $1,000 in parts on that ___________ing hottub.

It is now IN PIECES, with parts recycled, and the wood enclosure burned in the fire pit.

Good luck finding your Gremlins.

 

[StillServing]

Try http://uniquepoolsandspas.biz/contact

 

[TexasBob]

Been there. Done that.

We had an OLD hottub that we "inherited".

It worked perfectly when we looked at it.

All we had to do, is move it out of a Florida Room, in Crofton....... and set it in place, in Waldorf.

Done.

About 2 weeks later, "parts" started going bad.

Tripping GFCI breaker. High Temp Limiter Switch. Heater. The list went on and on.

OLD insulation was found to be ONE cause of the GFCI tripping.

I put over $1,000 in parts on that ___________ing hottub.

It is now IN PIECES, with parts recycled, and the wood enclosure burned in the fire pit.

I feel your pain, I was given an older HotTub cost me $350 to move it from LaPlata to Waldorf. Used it for 3 years have to do a little work on the temp sensor and water heater was slowly dying. It was great while it lasted. Last Winter a family of field mouse made home in pump housing and royally screwed the electronics so I'm waiting for cooler weather cut it up and hauled it to the dump (land fill).

That's unless someone wants it, Free to the first one who comes and gets it.

 

[Melnic]

Sorry, I can't resist.
Here's the last guy to work on my hot tub.

 

[byf43]

I feel your pain, I was given an older HotTub cost me $350 to move it from LaPlata to Waldorf. Used it for 3 years have to do a little work on the temp sensor and water heater was slowly dying. It was great while it lasted. Last Winter a family of field mouse made home in pump housing and royally screwed the electronics so I'm waiting for cooler weather cut it up and hauled it to the dump (land fill).

That's unless someone wants it, Free to the first one who comes and gets it.

Bob, when my youngest son and I cut up that old hot-tub, it was one P.I.T.A!!

The fiberglass wreaked havoc on sawzall blades, and the styrofoam insulation was EVERYWHERE!!!!!!

I rented an 'open' U-Haul trailer (with sides) and made two trips to the landfill/dump.

Towards the end, I got so fed up, I "sacrificed" an old chain and bar on my chainsaw, and let Mr. Poulan Pro do a job on the hot-tub.
(That was fun!)


Save some time and some head and back aches.

Get several guys over, and turn the hot-tub onto it's side, and either (use dollies) or roll it to a trailer and make ONE trip to the landfill.

 

[TexasBob]

Bob, when my youngest son and I cut up that old hot-tub, it was one P.I.T.A!!

The fiberglass wreaked havoc on sawzall blades, and the styrofoam insulation was EVERYWHERE!!!!!!

I rented an 'open' U-Haul trailer (with sides) and made two trips to the landfill/dump.

Towards the end, I got so fed up, I "sacrificed" an old chain and bar on my chainsaw, and let Mr. Poulan Pro do a job on the hot-tub.
(That was fun!)


Save some time and some head and back aches.

Get several guys over, and turn the hot-tub onto it's side, and either (use dollies) or roll it to a trailer and make ONE trip to the landfill.

I was thinking it was going be as fun a giving a cat a bath. I was going to pull the pump and other BS and cut the pool into 1/4's to make it easier to load on a flat bed rent-truck from HomDepo. Don't have my cheap labor force (son) to help he busy working and I'm getting to old to pick up those heavy loads like I did 25 years ago. I can afford a dozen blades for a saws-all.