Most hot tub faults are not faults. They are flow problems, and three quarters of what gets reported as a broken pump turns out to be a filter, a water level or an air lock. Here is how to tell the difference before you pay anyone to tell you.
The rule that saves the most money: if something is not working, check flow first, every time.
Weak Jets or Jets Not Working
Work through these in order. Stop when it fixes itself, which it usually will.
- Filter. Pull it and look. A loaded filter chokes flow and it happens faster than people expect, especially after heavy use or a fresh fill. Rinse it, and if it has been a while soak it overnight in filter cleaner.
- Water level. Below the skimmer, the pump draws air instead of water. Top it up and see if the jets recover.
- Air lock. Common after a refill. With the power off, loosen the union on the pump slightly until you hear air escape, then retighten. Air in the plumbing is the single most common post-refill complaint.
- Diverters and air controls. Sounds obvious, gets missed. Check nothing is closed or diverted away from the seats you are using.
- Individual jet. Most jets unscrew. A single dead one is usually scale or debris, not a system problem.
The Breaker Keeps Tripping
Take this one seriously. A GFCI breaker is not tripping because it is tired, it is tripping because it detects current leaking to ground, which means moisture has reached something electrical.
The most common cause is a failing heater element, which cracks and lets water contact the live element. After that: a failed pump seal wetting the motor, damaged wiring in the equipment bay, or a GFCI that has genuinely degraded with age. Do not keep resetting it and do not bypass it. A GFCI trip on a device sitting in water is the protection working. Kill the power and get someone qualified to look at it.
It Will Not Heat
Heating problems are usually flow problems wearing a different hat. The heater will not fire without adequate flow past its sensor, which is a safety interlock rather than a fault. So run the jet checklist above first.
If flow is genuinely fine and it still will not heat, the candidates are the heater element, the high-limit sensor, or the control pack. Also check the obvious: the set temperature, and whether the tub is in an economy or sleep mode that only heats during set hours. And if the water is warm but never reaches temperature in winter, look at the cover before the heater. A waterlogged foam cover can shed heat faster than the element can add it. See hard cover vs foam cover.
Cloudy Water, Foam, and Smell
- Cloudy: sanitiser not keeping up, or a loaded filter. Clean the filter, check balance, shock it. If it clouds again within days, the water is at the end of its life.
- Foam: organic. Body oils, lotion, deodorant and detergent left in swimsuits. Rinsing before getting in cuts it dramatically. Antifoam is a cosmetic fix, not a solution.
- A flat chemical smell: counterintuitively this usually means too little sanitiser rather than too much, as combined chloramines build up.
- Sanitiser that will not hold: dissolved solids have built past the point chemistry can fix. Drain it. See how often to change hot tub water.
Leaks
Water on the ground is not automatically a leak. Splash-out and condensation account for a lot of it, so mark the water line and check it over a full day with the tub not in use before assuming the worst. A genuine leak is a question of access: reachable plumbing in an open equipment bay is a straightforward fix, while a leak inside sprayed foam insulation means cutting foam out to find it, which is where costs escalate on a conventional spa.
When to Call Us
Call before you start replacing parts. We service Eco Spas and supply parts across BC, and a large share of what gets reported is solved on the phone in ten minutes without anyone driving anywhere. If it is genuinely a component, we will tell you what it is and what it costs. Get in touch, or read the operating guide first.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are my hot tub jets not working or weak?
In order of likelihood: a clogged filter, a low water level, or air trapped in the plumbing. All three starve the pump of flow. Clean the filter, top the water above the skimmer, and bleed air by loosening the pump union briefly with the power off. A genuine pump fault is much further down the list than people assume.
Why does my hot tub breaker keep tripping?
A GFCI breaker trips because it detects current leaking to ground, which usually means moisture has reached something electrical, most often a failing heater element. It can also be a failed pump seal or, on older installs, a degraded GFCI. Do not keep resetting it. Repeated tripping is the spa telling you something is wet.
Why is my hot tub not heating?
Almost always flow rather than heat. The heater will not fire without adequate flow across the sensor, so a clogged filter, low water or trapped air stops heating long before an element fails. Check flow first. If flow is fine and it still will not heat, then look at the element and the high-limit sensor.
Why is my hot tub water cloudy or foaming?
Cloudy usually means the sanitiser is not keeping up or the filter is loaded. Foam is almost always organic: body oils, lotion and detergent residue from swimsuits. Both are symptoms of dissolved solids building up, so if either keeps returning after treatment the water is finished and needs changing.