How Do I Know if My Heating Element is Bad in My Hot Tub?

    There are so many parts and pieces to a hot tub that it can be a serious pain to understand how it all works.  This is partially why you are going to need a special technician to come in and help you out.  However, you can also take some time to familiarize yourself with one of the crucial parts of your tub so that you know what you’re dealing with: the heating element for your hot tub.

• Your hot tub won’t heat up: As you likely already know, a heating element is responsible for heating up the water!  Just like the heating element in an oven, it will heat the water from the “outside”.  If you are struggling to heat up the hot tub, it’s possible it may not be acting properly.  For instance, it may partially heat up but it just doesn’t have the addictive warmth overall that is so loved about tubs.

• Your hot tub keeps tripping its breaker: When a breaker is tripped on both the tub tub and your electrical panel, it’s because there is something wrong with the source.  In most cases, it’s because there’s too much draw for electrical current (for instance trying to turn on the kettle and the toaster oven when they're on the same breaker), but with hot tubs it’s also doen as a safety feature when there is too much draw being requested from your heating element.  When it reaches that amount, it’s automatically turned off your safety.

• The hot tub is inconsistent in its temperature: Another pointer is when you notice that the hot water seems to be either losing its temperature after a few minutes , or its temperature is totally inconsistent.  This is often considered a warning sign before you have a full blown issue with your heating element.  If you do notice this, you should take note of how often it happens and then call someone in and explain the problem.  

    The good news about having a bad heating element is that it’s a pretty run of the mill repair.  Not only is a technician going to be able to understand what needs to be done and how to do it, access to heating elements is easy both in terms of the physical location on the hot tub, but also the heating element in a warehouse, etc.  

    If you want to have a DIY flair for your beloved hot tub, learning how to spot an issue with your heating element is going to be a fantastic detail, as it will help you understand what to expect when having a professional come in to repair it!  However, keep in mind that you should never try to repair a heating element yourself.  Water and electricity don’t mix and unless you are both a properly certified electrician and a hot tub repair specialist, you will not have the proper experience to keep you and your hot tub safe.  Since safety is the most important thing, you’ll definitely want to keep this in mind!