Hi All, Here's my spa information:

Hot Spot SLX
Model: YQ
S/N: YQ1A1314
It's a 120volt model

Sympton:

Using topside control, set temp to (95 deg as an example) After normal delay, low volume pump kicks on. Wait several hours and water ice cold in spa. While low volume pump is running and temp as mentioned above, checked voltage across heating element contacts as depicted in picture and there is 115v across element contacts. I'm thinking it's a bad element since there is voltage present across contacts. However, what gets me is I removed the element, and it's not ohming to ground (depicting a short) and ohms across element contacts is about 12 ohms.

Do you think it's the element since there is voltage present?

Any troubleshooting tips would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.... Tim

I'm guessing this spa is new to you?
If the problem is not heating- just give it more time. It only gains 1-3 degrees per hour. Sounds like it's working fine (voltage present and ohms normal) You can confirm it's heating by checking AMP draw (assuming you have an amp clamp) But if it's OHMing out ok, and getting voltage, well, it's heating.

Be sure to keep it covered. It will not heat without a cover. The display only reads the "set" temp, not the actual temp- use a thermometer to observe any temp changes. Might take a day or two to intially heat up.

Thanks for the reply. It's not new to us. We've owned it since 1999 and purchased it new then. I've very very familiar with the interworkings of the spa and know it's not heating properly as we have left the heater on all night (recently) and the water is not heating. So, something is for sure wrong with it.

If it's getting voltage, and Ohming out OK- just give it a little more time. If it's getting voltage and ohming out ok- it is heating. Do you have a thermometer? What was the temp delta after a couple of hours? Do you have an AMP clamp?

A few more operational questions:

Is it in "summer mode"

Did you disconnect the heater terminals from the control box before Ohming it out? Do you get any error codes on the topside control? Have you checked for voltage a couple of hours into the heating cycle? Does the pump run on low speed while it's in it's heating cycle?