I have an intermittent problem on my hot tub where one of the relays in the main control box sticks in the closed position and overheats the water. I was wondering if anyone had an idea of a lubricant or something that may loosen it up so it will open and close properly.

It only does it once every few months but when it does I have to take the side off the hot tub and pop it back off and then it will work fine for a while. Whenever it sticks it heats the tub up to 108 degrees at which point the safety kicks in and shuts the whole thing down. Turning the power off and on will not make the relay open, I have to physically take all of the sides off, open the box, and poke it with a screwdriver at which point it flips back to open and the heat will turn on and off like normal.

any ideas?

9/28/2009 10:48:27 PM

Can you not just replace the relay?

9/28/2009 11:14:16 PM

replace it

9/28/2009 11:14:20 PM

Since you can actually get to the movement, have you tried spraying it down good with contact cleaner? It may just be gummed up a bit inside. However, I do agree with the others that if you have had it for a while it may be time to replace it, the contact pads will get pitted by the arcs drawn during opening and closing.

10/4/2009 9:02:37 AM

you're much better off just replacing it. they're not expensive and will save you the hassle of trying to clean/fix it, and it will only be a matter of time before it fails again

10/4/2009 9:16:56 AM