Oops. I may have posted this in the wrong forum before...

Hi. New to the site trying to get the tub up & running. I need to know how to troubleshoot my no heat problem.

The tub in question is a 10 year old used Sunsetter with a Brett/Aqualine EM-104 (flo-thru) heater in it. It can be used with 110 or 220, but has only ever been 220. It has been moved twice in the last year, but hasn't been hooked up for 2 years.

I got it running right away, pumps, air, heat. In fact it got up to 108 degrees (dangerous, I know), but I suspect I just had the thermostat set too high. High limit switch never tripped.

I set the therm. down and the heater & low speed pump turned off for a few days while it cooled down. Then once the temp got low enough I went to ease the thermometer back up to restart the heat. No power. The GFCI had tripped sometime earlier. I reset it and turned up the thermometer again & the low speed pump and the "heater on" indicator light came on. After 2 days it still hadn't gotten any warmer.

I dont have a voltmeter, but I used a 110 circuit tester and got a positive reading across the terminals of the element.

Can I check the element with an automotive-style continuity tester? Power off of course. Can I diagnose without ohm readings?

If I have continuity in the element what else could it be?

If it is the pressure switch wouldn't the "heater on" indicator not light?

What else could it be? What else should I be checking?

Thanks!

Do you have a spa cover?

If so, sure sounds like the element to me, but I'd get an OHM meter to be sure.

I do have a nice, newer cover for this spa.

I tried a simple continuity tester (wire, battery, light) across the heater element terminals. There was NO continuity even with the leads still hooked up. I may be wrong, but that seems pretty conclusive that the element is out, right?

Am I going to need to drain the spa to replace the element?

Thanks

Mike

Unless you want all the water to pour out, yes