Greetings,

Well here goes; first the details:

2002 Coyote Spa. C-10 model
Gecko SSPA Metapack
Gecko topside control pad
RMF 5.5kw (according to decal) flo through heater (it also has a gecko logo decal on it)

OK so this tub has been wired up to 240v for over a year at our current home. a few days ago the GFCI breaker (30 amp) tripped in the basement. I reset it and the tub ran for about 30 minutes before it tripped again. I heard a sizzling type sound from the breaker during this time and I also noticed that it got very hot to the touch. I am aware this is not good.

I opened the tub enclosure and opened the pack to disconnect everything (heater, light, pump). I reset the breaker and it was fine... no noises, no heat, nothing. I reconnected each component one at a time to see which causes the breaker to trip. When the heater was connected the breaker started buzzing again and tripped after about 10 minutes (I am sure you already knew it would be the heater but I am trying to give plenty of detail of what is going on).

1) is it possible to test the heater somehow to confirm that it is faulty and causing my problem?

2) Does the entire heater need to be replaced or just the element?

3) Can I tell what the wattage of the element is by looking at it or will it have some markings on it to ID the wattage (ie 4kw, 4.5kw, 5.5kw)?

4) I am wondering how this spa doesn't trip the breaker all the time based on its amp draw. Does the heater not come on when the pump is on high speed (pump draws 16.? amps on high speed and 4.4 amps on lowspeed)? Should I install a larger breaker (40 or 50 amp)?

OK, I think that's it for now. THanks for taking the time to read this and I would appreciate any help you may have for me.

Cheers,

Dave.

Unless that pack is configured for 30 amp operation, your breaker is too small. It needs a minimum 40 amp circuit, 8 gauge wire.

And your 30 amp breaker fried itself to death from too much current being passed thru it.

At 230 volts, a 5.5kw heater draws 23.9 amps by itself. Add in anything else and you're marginal in the limit dept.

Be sure your wiring installation can handle 40 amps as well.

Ok, normally I would agree with you on the breaker issue, but wouldn't this breaker have fried long ago under this condition? I have been using it for the last 3 years on this tub and it never gave any grief before. It didn't even heat up.

I have a sneaking suspicion that my heater does not contain a 5.5kw element. That's why I asked question #3.

Could someone answer my othe questions as well please.

BTW, the wire is #8 guage.

Thanks,

Dave.

Nope not necessarily.

Does your heater indicator light turn off when you turn on your jets or blower?

Can you do a resistance check on the heater element (and a voltage measurement at the power input) - these two will provide actual power dissipation by the heater circuit. (wattage)

Most elements are rated at the 240 volt level. So, a real 5500 watt element will measure 10.45 ohms, which would give you 22.91 amps at 240 volts.

That same element, at 230v will draw slightly less current, 22 amps - which would give you a dissapation of 5062 watts.

So that's why you must do the resistance (ohms) check on the heater element.

Next, even a 16 amp pump motor will rarely draw the full 16 amps from the circuit. The label is the maximum load it can sustain continuously. The load is determined by fluid density and impeller sizing. I'd bet that if you put an ammeter on the high speed leg of the pump motor, you'll find your actual amperage draw is around 12 amps.

As far as I can remember, the heater light goes out once the pump is on high speed. I will have to reconnect it later to confirm. How do I perform a resistance and voltage check on the heater. I have a multimeter, but have never used it ops:" title="Embarassed" /> THanks, Dave.

Power off.

Meter on ohms - lowest scale.

Put meter leads on both therminals of the heater element. Should give you a reading between 9-15 or thereabouts.

As far as the breaker goes, unless you've got a catastrophic short at the business end of the line, the breaker has failed either to overheating (bad connections at breaker), or repeated over current condition... - or in some cases, inadequate seating in the breaker mounting.

A circuit breaker rated 30 amps does not trip 'exactly' at 30 amps, likewise it is doubtful that anything else besides the above caused the failure.

Alright... I tested the heater and I got a reading of about 12 with the MM set on the lowest scale.

I will be replacing the breaker with a 40 amp this afternoon. Hopefully this will address my problem.

THanks for the help and clarifications.

Cheers,

Dave.