Heater element
An element that is breaking down lets current leak to earth, usually the moment the heater switches on.
Signs: it trips when the tub calls for heat.
Hot tub tripping the electrics?
When a hot tub trips the RCD, current is leaking somewhere it shouldn’t, often because water has got into a part. The RCD is doing its job. The fault needs finding, not resetting.
Tripped more than once?
- Switch it off at the isolator and leave it off.
- Don’t keep resetting the RCD.
- Don’t open the control box or take any electrical covers off.
- Smell burning or see scorch marks? Leave it off and ring us.
We’re based in Camborne, covering Mid and West Cornwall, from Bodmin and Newquay to Penzance and everywhere in between.
- Working on hot tubs since 2002
- Hot Spring factory-trained in California
- EAL and City & Guilds electrical qualifications
- Pool Plant Operator (PPO) qualified
- 12-month guarantee on our work
- £2 million public liability insurance
Before you call
What you can safely do
These checks don’t involve opening anything up. Anything beyond them is a job for us.
Safe to do
See 5 things that are safe to do
- Reset the RCD once. If it stays on, make a note of what was running when it tripped.
- Check whether it’s the RCD on the tub’s own supply that trips, or the main one in your consumer unit, and whether anything else goes off with it.
- Look from the outside for water pooling round the cabinet, the supply cable or the isolator, without touching anything.
- Write down any code on the panel exactly as it shows.
- In freezing weather, keep the cover on and ring us. A tub left off in a hard frost can split its pipes.
Don’t
See 5 things not to do
- Don’t keep resetting the RCD. Each trip is it protecting you, and the fault won’t clear itself.
- Don’t open the control box, the isolator or any electrical cover.
- Don’t bypass the RCD, or plug the tub into another socket or an extension lead.
- Don’t use the tub until the fault has been found.
- If water is near the isolator or the supply cable, don’t touch them. Switch off at the consumer unit instead.
Tripped once and it reset? Ask the troubleshooter what to check next. If it trips again, switch off and call us.
Ask the troubleshooterLikely causes
What makes a hot tub trip the RCD
Electricity and water don’t mix, and a hot tub has both side by side. These are the faults we find most often.
Pump motor
Water getting past a worn pump seal reaches the motor and corrodes it.
Signs: it trips when you switch the jets on.
Ozonator, blower or lights
Smaller parts can fail and trip the RCD too, and they’re easy to overlook.
Signs: it trips at the same point in every filter cycle, or when the lights go on.
See 2 more causes
Wet or corroded connections
Condensation or rain can get into the control box or a connection and corrode it.
Signs: it trips after rain or a damp night.
Supply cable or the RCD itself
A damaged supply cable, or an RCD that has developed a fault, can trip with nothing wrong in the tub.
Signs: it trips even with everything in the tub switched off.
No power at all
Blank panel, nothing tripped?
That’s a different problem from a trip, and it’s worth checking a few things first.
Check that the isolator next to the tub is switched on, and that the breaker or RCD for the tub in your consumer unit hasn’t tripped.
If everything is on and the panel is still blank, it could be a fuse inside the control box, a failed control board or a faulty topside panel. That’s one for us, as all of them are inside the electrics.
On the visit
How we find the fault
We hold EAL and City & Guilds electrical qualifications, so we can safely test each part of the tub in turn, rather than swapping parts on a hunch.
See the 5 steps of a visit
- Make it safe, and ask you when it trips.
- Test the heater, pumps, ozonator and lights one at a time to find the part that’s leaking current.
- Check the connections in the control box for water, corrosion and burnt cables.
- Test the RCD and the isolator.
- Tell you what has failed and what it will cost, then repair it if you’re happy to go ahead.
If the fault turns out to be in the supply to the tub rather than the tub itself, we’ll tell you what we’ve found.
Parts availability varies by make and model. If a part has to be ordered, we come back to fit it.
Google reviews
What past customers say
5.0
From 47 reviews on Google
“The service provided was excellent. Jon came round the following day after I called and was able to diagnose the fault very quickly, luckily for me it was a blown fuse in the circuit board so was a cheap repair. Can’t fault the fantastic customer service.”
“John is just about the nicest most knowledgeable man you could meet. He made it his mission to fix my hot tub and with little fuss. Really switched on chap, totally reliable, likeable and 100% honest. He will not screw your over and his prices are very good compared to others out there! Also helps he’s a bit of an electrical geek too! He knows his stuff!”
“Thank you for coming out in the rain to repair our hot tub. The new control panel is working fine it was nice to meet you and I will recommend you to my friend and family who have hot tubs it’s Sunday afternoon and we are looking forward to going in the tub with a glass of wine. Thank you once again Mike and Cathy at lanlivery”
Prices
What an electrical repair costs
You pay for our time and any parts, and we tell you what’s needed before we fit anything.
- Call-out, including the first hour
- £75
- Each hour after that
- £35
- Parts
- Extra
- Some faults are quick and cheap to fix, such as a blown fuse. Others, such as a heater element or a control board, cost more, and parts vary in price from one make to another.
- Larger jobs are quoted first.
- We’re not VAT registered, so there’s no VAT to add.
FAQs
Tripping: your questions
Why does my hot tub keep tripping the electrics?
Usually because current is leaking to earth somewhere, often because water has got into a part. The common causes are the heater element, a pump motor, the ozonator or a light, a wet or corroded connection, a damaged supply cable or, now and then, the RCD itself.
Is it dangerous to keep using it?
Yes. A tub that keeps tripping has an electrical fault. Switch it off at the isolator and don’t use it until it has been checked.
Should I call an electrician first?
If the fault is in the tub itself, such as the heater, a pump or the control box, it’s a job for us. We’re electrically qualified and know hot tubs, so we can test each part. If it turns out to be in the supply to the tub, we’ll tell you what we’ve found.
Why does it only trip when the heater comes on?
That very often points to the heater element breaking down. The heater may also have stopped working: see hot tub not heating.
Why does it trip after rain?
Water may be getting into a connection, a light, the control box or the supply cable. Leave it off and let us test it, and don’t try to dry out the electrics yourself.
Can a leak make my hot tub trip?
Yes. Water dripping onto a pump motor or into a connection is a common cause. If you can see water in the cabinet, see hot tub leaks.
Still tripping? Leave it off and give us a ring.
Tell us when it trips and whether anything shows on the panel, and we’ll get back to you with a date.
If your tub is sunk into decking or the ground, or set against a wall, it helps to mention it when you book. If you’re not sure, a photo is fine.
Areas
Electrical repairs across Cornwall
We’re based in Camborne, covering Mid and West Cornwall, from Bodmin and Newquay to Penzance and everywhere in between. Towns we cover include:
See the 18 towns we cover
Somewhere else in Cornwall? Just ask. Every area we cover