Artesian spa states "heating" but no heat

[jeremycrook]

Artesian island spa 2014
This is a first for me to have the tub not throwing a code when it's not working properly.
I drained the spa, pulled the heater core and tested it, the core had continuity throughout and didn't seem to have any problems.
I was going to swap heating elements with an old one I had on hand but the old one didn't seem to have continuity, so I just swapped the high and low temp sensors with no luck.
I filled it back up, tested the heater overnight and it says it's heating but no heat.
I jiggled all fuses, looked for anything out of place and couldn't see anything.
The circulation pump is working fine, plenty good water movement throughout the heater and pump so we can mark that off.

 

[Galaxie 500]

Can you verify with a meter that 240v is actually going to the heater? Could be a bad relay on control board among other things.

 

[jeremycrook]

I plugged everything back in and did three more tests on the heater when running, system states "heating".
I grounded the black on the multimeter and tested both legs with the positive on the multimeter and the needle barely moved, then I tested both heater posts with the multimeter and got nothing on the meter.
I have a couple relays and a fuse that sits in a block on top of the heater, are these the relays that might be questionable?

 

[Galaxie 500]

Pic might help. You can usually follow backwards from the heater and determine which relay is switching it. Just doesn't sound like any power is actually getting to the heater.

 

[jeremycrook]

Not great photos, but I can take some better tomorrow. Tub is off and full of water no chlorine as of now.

 

[Galaxie 500]

Yeah tough to see but you need to follow the two wires feeding the heater back to their exact location on the board and look for any markers to help ID.
You have pumps running so power at the unit but not getting switched on for the heater it appears. To me that possibly means an open fuse, open pcb trace, or heater relay stuck open.
Hey I'm no expert but do own a spa with a balboa pack something like that, and work in hvac controls, just trying to help if possible.

 

[RDspaguy]

If it's not throwing an error code and it's not getting power to the heater it's likely a bad relay. Remove the board and check the back for burns/discoloration.

 

[jeremycrook]

I'll drain and pull tomorrow after work, report back, thanks!

 

[jeremycrook]

I haven't had time to drain and pull anything yet, but, isn't the heater relays the relays on top of the heater? I thought I read that on here, and really don't want to pull the entire board again unless I have to...

 

[RDspaguy]

You don't have to drain it. And yes, the heater relays are near the heater connections on the main board. The small board is pump 2. Most of the time you will see a burned out solder joint on the back, or at least a dark spot behind the relay. New relays can be soldered in, but if you aren't a pro I'd bring it to an electronics/computer repair shop, as you only get one chance to screw it up and then you're buying a new board. I bring them to someone else myself.

 

[jeremycrook]

@RDspaguy If you recall last year, I had a relay go out and we together replaced it. At this point I think I may just pull the board and replace all, or as many as I can. It seems as though this spa's relays have a 6-7 year life span.

 

[jeremycrook]

@RDspaguy If you recall last year, I had a relay go out and we together replaced it. At this point I think I may just pull the board and replace all, or as many as I can. It seems as though this spa's relays have a 6-7 year life span.

I pulled the board check everything and couldn’t find anything out of the ordinary. Reinstalled and still no power at the heater.

 

[RDspaguy]

I help alot of people, sorry I forgot you. It's nothing personal...
The high limit relays close at startup, before the heater relay, and remain closed unless there is an overheat. The only relay that switches and draws an arc is the heater relay. So this is usually the one that fails. Low speed pump 1 is the second most common relay failure. High limit relays failing are pretty uncommon, and usually result from heat at the heater terminals or board connection. If it's a relay, I suspect it's the same one.

 

[jeremycrook]

@RDspaguy Just to make sure I am understanding what I think you are saying, your thinking it's the same relay that I replaced already? I am questioning this as when I pulled the board last weekend, it seemed to not be seated properly on the board. The relay in question is marked, and the heater connector is seen right above that relay. Hoping this is the case.

 

[RDspaguy]

thinking it's the same relay that I replaced

It's the most likely. "New" does not always mean "good", and relays can be damaged by overheating while soldering or can have a bad solder joint burn out.

it seemed to not be seated properly on the board.

That sounds like a problem to me.