Spa Tripping Power Information
Spas can cause power to trip due to several causes. This page will guide a qualified person in diagnosing the cause. Please ensure components are tested by a qualified electrician with experience in spas. This is not DIY information.
Top Reasons Spas Trip Power Quickly:
- Faulty or Corroded Heater - test insulation resistance. 1Mohm or less can trip a safety switch.
- Faulty pump - test insulation resistance and capacitance of motor capacitors.
- Faulty air blower - test insulation resistance. Remove from plumbing and check for water entry. Blowers commonly trip power after overfilling the spa. Faulty Ozone - test insulation resistance. Check for water entry.
- Incorrect settings for power supply - dip switches or low level programming must be set to ensure the total current draw does not exceed pack manufacturers maximum rating and the rating of the electrical circuit supplying the spa.
- Faulty circuit board - transformers can short out. PCB’s rarely cause power failure unless a rodent is shorting it out or moisture has entered the pack.
If the spa runs for a number of minutes before tripping:
- Check all of the things above
- Test amperage draw of each component and compare to the equipment's labelling.
- If you cannot isolate the individual component causing the fault, the following can be done:
- Connect just the controller and circulation pump. If power trips, it is one of those parts.
- Test insulation resistance again to isolate it issue.
- If it doesn’t trip you may either have an issue with another component such as blower, pump, etc. Or you have multiple earth leakages.
