Heating questions for a used hot tub

[beachyoest]

I was given a used Acura 5 person hot tub. Not sure how old it is, but it hasn't been used in several years. I wired it for 110v. Everything seems to work except for the heater. The manual shows it can be run on 110v or 220v. Could the voltage be the issue? I have the heater coil out of the unit right now. Is there a way to test it using a multimeter or something else? I don't want to replace it if it's in working condition. Thanks!

 

[poolgirl22]

I am absolutely not an expert, but I bought a used hot tub several years ago. I'm going to use some pretty technical terms here to explain what happened.

It got wired for 220 but it wouldn't heat very well. We later found out that one of the thingamabobs wasn't properly tied to the doohicky in the breaker so the tub wasn't getting a full 220v. Once the thingamabob was attached correctly we got full heat.

So, in my non expert opinion I would say the answer to the question may be yes, the voltage matters. Hopefully someone more knowledgeable than me will be along and answer your questions. In the meantime I hope I provided you with some comic relief to get you through.

 

[beachyoest]

Thanks for the "technical" help! I did get some comic relief from it!

 

[meatloaf]

It should be able to run on 120V if the manual says that it can be. Test the heating coil with an ohm meter or continuity meter / light. How was the tub wired originally 120V or 220V? Also, check the thermostat to see if it is actually calling for heat. It could be a bad thermostat.

 

[beachyoest]

Thanks for the info. When testing with an ohm meter, should I be looking for high resistance or no resistance across the heating coil?

 

[JohnT]

Thanks for the info. When testing with an ohm meter, should I be looking for high resistance or no resistance across the heating coil?

Fairly low. 99.9% of the time you'll see an open if there is a problem.