Hot Tub Tripping Electrics

Symptoms - No Power to Spa or Tripping Fuse Board

If your spa starts to trip the electrics, then book a hot tub repair visit with a hot tub service technician. You can never be too careful with water and electrics. The more common parts to cause tripping can be found below...

Heater - If the spa powers on fine and remains on whilst you press JET (pump) and AIR (blower) buttons, but trips without pressing any of the buttons on the keypad, then it could very well be your in-line heater that is causing the trip. On some models, during the start-up process, the heater will come on last, so the trip tends to be delayed until the stage it calls for heat.

Pump - Should the spa power on fine, but trips as soon as you press JETS 1 or 2 button/s, then it would indicate more than likely a pump is causing the issue. Usually, this will result in replacing the pump, but if its not a primary pump (for heating), then you could disconnect it for the short term if you need the spa running.

Air Blower - This can be a high failure item, and not a common feature on most new hot tubs. If the spa fires on, then trips when you hit the AIR button, then your blower needs disconnecting or replacing.

Ozone or UV - The ozone or uv unit can also cause tripping on a hot tub. Nothing short of disconnecting the power from the spa PCB to the suspect unit, to identify for sure. Most ozones/uv systems run on 240v, so have the capability of tripping the spa. In most circumstances, the tripping can be sporadic.

PCB - Other than the above parts, there could be an issue with the main control board (PCB) on the hot tub. Most spa companies wont go to component level on the spa PCBs, so unless there is an obvious wiring issue that can be easily resolved, this could result in the spa PCB being replaced, or in some cases a complete pack upgrade depdning on operating system, availability and pricing.

Due to the nature of the works involved and even testing tripping issues, we recommend you contact us for a hot tub repair visit. Hot tubs and swim spas are notoriously heavy on power supply and safety is paramount. It is also common, that it could be your home electric supply. Outdoor rotary isolator switches can become wet internally or RCBO (circuit breakers) can become sensitive or faulty. In either event, you would require a call out from an electrician for these type of works, but to diagnose and know for sure, you could bypass the spa electric feed and connect the spa to a 13 amp fly-lead for testing purposes. The spa should never be left to run like this permanently.