# Hot Tub/Spa unit



## papaotis (Jun 8, 2013)

it seems like you have done the right testing, but are you sure you isolated everything except the mother board? never heard of this particular problem.


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## Dennis Alwon (May 9, 2009)

I believe you are reading some feedback thru some resistors or something. If the tub had gfci protection and the the breaker is not tripping then the tub, IMO, is functioning properly


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## RIVETER (Sep 26, 2009)

If they are in the hot tub and it begins to rain they should get out because they may get wet.:jester:


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## woodchuck2 (Sep 18, 2009)

When i tested the old mother board it was totally unplugged from the unit and the resistance was gone. Before its removal it had resistance when all plugged in. The tub was tripping the original breaker but has not tripped the new one yet. But the owner hasnt been using the hot tub since either so it hasnt been going through its normal daily functions. I also feel maybe the the Cutler Hammer GFCI breaker is more sensitive than the Square-D Homeline GFCI breaker. I still dont believe there should be any resistance to ground. IMO any resistance to ground is a circuit to ground and when i turned it on, disconnected the ground and tested from the mother board to the ground i did have voltage so there is a definite circuit to ground carrying voltage. I tried testing amperage on the ground but my meter will not read it.


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## A Little Short (Nov 11, 2010)

You fixed the issue when you changed the GFCI breaker.

You were reading through a load, most likely the heater.

If you want to confirm the breaker issue, get a new Cutler-Hammer GFCI and try it. There should be little to no difference in the mA trip range between GFCIs. Even if there is, none would be over the 6mA limit.


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## telsa (May 22, 2015)

Let me take a wild guess: ALL of your readings were taken with a DMM?

I'm seriously confused when you have 

LOW resistance L1 - G
Ultra high resistance (OL) L2-G
Ultra high resistance (OL) N-G

Those ARE the readings that you're posting of?

Is there ANY chance that L1 is the leg that supplies the power supply to the motherboard; L2 does not?

Is there ANY chance that your DMM is bleeding juice into the solid state components (caps) on that motherboard? (Which the DMM could easily register as current flow against time and voltage?

Ohms = Volts / Amps

Did you, by chance, ever take a reading between the hot tub water, itself, and the ground plane? ( taken off the rail/ terminal bonded all the way back to the Service?)

&&&&

Many amazing glitches are mere consequences to using high impedance DMM readings.

*Whenever you start getting curious readings -- set down the DMM -- and test again with a Simpson analog meter -- or other low Z device. *

I'd be more concerned about VOLTAGES than resistance.

I'd take such an extremely low resistance between L1 and either N or G as practically a bolted short. 

GFCIs should fly open with such an alternate path to ground.

Yet, you post that it's actually holding -- untripped.

Your OP is such that I'm not quite sure exactly what and how you've tested these elements. 

Did you ever flip the polarity of your test leads when taking the resistance readings?

Is there any chance that you're in a 'hard water' area? Mineralization can really get to the cheesy connections used at the electric water heaters.

It's COMMON for weird things to happen to hot tubs... that never quite get solved. Hence, all over my town, defective hot tubs are up for grabs on CraigsList. Their owners were unable to get a service electrician to stop the "stray voltages" from biting them in the tush. 

A new offering is never more than five days away. (!) When you call and inquire, they admit that they stopped using the tub because of the shocks -- and that they're at their wit's end.


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## macmikeman (Jan 23, 2007)

The problem as I see it is the landowner has watched too many stupid Cuban drug dealer movies and thinks having a hot tub with a view is going to bring in a trio of bikini shedding platinum blonde waitresses from the Indian* casino to splash around with him. Moron. 



*feather .


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## oliquir (Jan 13, 2011)

disconnect ground wire, put your meter in ma and measure current into ground wire when spa is running, if it is below 3-4 ma spa is ok. what is your meter model?


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## woodchuck2 (Sep 18, 2009)

oliquir said:


> disconnect ground wire, put your meter in ma and measure current into ground wire when spa is running, if it is below 3-4 ma spa is ok. what is your meter model?


 The 2 meters i had with me do not have the option to read amp draw that way. I normally carry my Ideal split jaw meter #61-096 and an off brand clamp meter that reads 0-200amp ac/dc as well as hz. The one meter i do have that is capable of reading amp draw that way is actually in my automotive tool chest. That is a blue point model very similar to a fluke but i rarely carry it with me.

I did call the fella back in California and he tested a new floor model and found no resistance from line-1 or line-2 to ground. He has decided enough money and time has been spent on this tub and they are replacing it at no cost and reimbursing the owner for any additional expenditures.

As far as why it never tripped the new breaker it is my guess that it never had a chance too as the hot tub only ran during our testing and never sat for any length of time operating. Hard water? May be possible but the heater was replaced and to do so the hot tub was drained and refilled with new water. What is really wrong with it i dont know. IMO any voltage to ground is bad, way i see it this hot tub is sending voltage back through ground into the main panel and into the whole house. My luck i just purchased a defective GFCI breaker and it wont trip under load.


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