Hello - Im brand new and so happy to have found this forum.

Bought a secondhand spa from a friend, got it home, filled it up and heated it - everything worked fine, but I noticed a leak on the filter return.

Drained it, tried to fix once, still leaked, drained it again, fixed the leak this time, but now, whenever the heater is engaged, the GFCI trips.

There are 2 ways to run this from the box, timed or thermostat. If I turn on the timer mode and crank the heater all the way down, it runs fine - but obviously no heat. If (from timer mode) I turn on the jets (rather than just the filtering cycle) and then switch it to thermostat mode, it runs, can crank the heat all the way up, still runs. BUT - if I then turn the jets off, the gfci will trip once more.

From my reading, it would seem that the time spent dry may have damaged the element, but the addition of it NOT tripping when jets are on makes me think it may be relay-related. I did slop some water into the control box when switching things around and though it appears dry, maybe some remains and is causing issues?

Im in dire straits, as the wife and kids have been clamoring for a dip in our new toy and I cant deliver.

Help please?

edit to add: this does not have a pcb. Pneumatic switching.

Is there a separate circ pump for the heater or just a two speed pump that runs the heater and jets? Use a hair dryer to dry out the box if you notice any remaining moisture.

Yes, there is a pump seperate from the control box/heater.

I had thought about the hairdryer but have not gotten a chance yet. I just got home from work and tried it, same thing going on. I'll give the dryer a go tomorrow morning and report back.

Thanks.

Alright, and take a look at how the circ pump is plumbed in. Is it being fed from the pressure side of the pump (or the impeller housing)? I wonder if your tub is heating from the jet circulation but tripping when the circ pump comes on. Probably less likely than moisture, but worth checking out. Try disconnecting the circ pump and see what happens.

Well, as far as I can tell, theres only one pump. The circulation (through the jets themselves) is on in heating mode or in timed mode, and then you can make it pump harder by pressing the pneumatic switch.

I turned it on tonight, heat cranked all the way up with the jets on, left it on for a good half hour and then felt the heater element housing for warmth - still ice cold.

Im sorry if Im not giving you all the info you may need, but am very new to this.

Thanks again,

Marc

Ok, hit it with the dryer, nothing has changed.

But, I randomly started unhooking things one by one, and when I took one of the leads off of the pressure switch, it stayed on, even in thermostat mode. Its the diaphragm that sits in line with the heater element posts inside the control box coming off of the heater tube.

Could this be it?

Try it with the switch connected but the heater disconnected. Removing the wires for the switch prevents power from going to the heater, so you're kind of disconnecting two things at once. The switch could be the culprit, but 99% of the time it will be the heater vs. the pressure switch.

Well, it was the heater element.

I guess I cooked it one of the times I drained the tub and didnt turn the heater off.

Oops.

Live and learn.

Thanks for the help. Im sure it wont be the last time Im poking around in here.

Thanks!