Heater died, should I replace the whole thing or just the heating element?

[joecooler]

Per post, went out one morning last week and the circuit breaker on my spa had tripped. A quick experiment of unplugging the major components revealed the heating element as the culprit. I haven't tried pulling it yet but it looks like an easy job. I was just going to replace the whole thing, a Balboa M7 5.5kW unit, but when I called the spa shop they tech said he would just replace the heating element (for around $300 parts and labor from the sound of it). So now I'm wondering if I should just do that, as the heating element is a lot cheaper then the entire unit. Note that the contacts for the heating element are pretty seriously corroded, I'm wondering it that is reason enough to replace the whole thing ... getting the wires off those will be a major hassle.

 

[CuckooChris]

If you think you can do it yourself, I would. It's less than $50 in parts if you don't need the tube. I would order the element, a new set of wires and maybe two new seals. Spa Heater Elements