I have a client with a 5 year old Hot Springs tub (Watkins Grande, Model G). The homeowner tells me the heater has been replaced 3 times in the past year, and it is bad now (open circuit). The wires on the heater are also burned. Looks like it is drawing too much current. The controller seems to be behaving properly. Power to the heater cuts off when the sensors are disconnected from the controller. Flow switch (or thermal overload) is built into the heater, I assume, because there is no sign of an external flow switch. Circ pump is running. Have not measured flow, but woud 'expect' the heater to cut out before it self destructed if there was a flow problem.

The heater is a no-fault 6000. What might cause this thing to keep burning up? Another symptom - the controller/display does not show current temperature, but does allow for setting the temp. Any ideas?

In all my time I've never seen a flow or pressure switch on any of these - (no such thing I've ever heard of that one would be somewhere - internally). The high limit is the only protection offered for the heater. After this many heater swap outs, plus the fact that the working temperature isn't showing up (being displayed), I would suspect the circuit board and the temp sensors should be replaced prior to another heater exchange.

That's a pricey solution but...

Your only other alternative to doing that is to get a separate junction box, mount a standard capillary style high limit switch and a 30 amp contactor in it. Find a way to get the capillary sensor from the new high limit mounted to the heater; it'll need to be as good a mount (physical contact with the heater) as the existing electronic sensor.

Cut the cord to the heater, run the power for it through this contactor, and set the high limit switch in-line with the coil power to the contactor so that if it does overheat again, the mechanical high limit will trip independently of the controller - cutting power to the contactor coil and turning off the heater element. The cost of such a modification is less than 60.00. (If you're a dealer or tech even less than this)

Once that is done, then I would also replace the temperature and high limit sensors on the tub.

If the mechanical high limit trips later on, then you've narrowed it down to the circuit board, and the cost of troubleshooting is minimized.

Sounds a bit off the wall, but it'll definitely work.

Is this the TriBend No Fault Heater with the Loop? This as an opinion... That the Heater Plug Terminals are crimped too tight. Put new connectors on the end of the heater and you might be sucessfull.

Could there be a problem with the hi limit switch. Mabye its heating the high in the barrel causeing the heater to burn out.

The new "titanium" heaters have a flow switch built in, but these are pretty new items, and it's not likely you would have been called to repair, as the tub would still be under warranty.

The tri-loop is the replacement for the No-Fault 6000, which have a higher failure rate than the No-fault 6000.

Do you know the serial number of the spa?

Hot Springs has re-designed the heater PCB, but this is limited to certain time-frame.

If you're getting open-line, mash that heater-reset button for all your worth, it's on the heater. On the no-fault 6000, you have to peel back a little bit of tape over a button that the size of a pin head. Mash it. The overheating wires may just be a poor crimp, or perhaps the heater relay's are causing a little resistance (18v d.c. coil T-92)

3 NF 6000 is single year is very unusual, but I never say never.... Check their filters and circ pump also...

hotspring no fault heaters have been recalled - approx 140,000 of them - contact hotsprings re- replacement

I have a 2001 Prodigy and I need to find the reset on the watkins no fault 6000 heater...I saw in a previous post that it is located under a piece of tape and is the size of a pin head...I found some tape which said reset on it but it is under the two hose lines connected to the heater and quite a chore to access..any suggestions? I cannot really see any pin head size button. Thanks for any help.

No they haven't been "recalled"... However, they did have a run of heaters that required the addition of some fiberglass on the end caps, but Hot Springs will not normally replace a No-Fault 6000 unles it's broken.... Frankly, the original No-Fault 6000 has outpreformed it's replacement, the "Tri-Loop" heater, in our area (Replacement for older HSS)....

The New Titanium heater, however, has perfomed flawlessly....

It's tiny, wish I had a pic.... but I'll try and descibe it.

Once you locate the No-Fault 6000, observe that one end has a small, rectangular box mounted on top. On top of this box, directly in the center, is the high-limit reset switch. You may need to peel some tape off the box in order to feel this switch, once you do, push it for all your'e worth. BE SURE you have adequate circulation pump flow (The little 24 hr pump, runs silently 24 hrs a day) or else it will simply over-heat and trip again...