How Do I Reset My Hot Tub Control Panel?

If your hot tub control panel isn’t working then when it can be really frustrating.  Having said that, sometimes all you need to do is a simple reset on your hot tub control panel to clear the problem and to get it back into action.  However, you might find that you need to reset it several times, in which case this could indicate a more serious problem. You might also find that your hot tub control panel is flashing at you, beeping at you or showing you all sorts of worrying symbols. You if your control panel is is not doing what you expect and you need some help with it then this is the post for you.

So, how do I reset my hot tub control panel?  You can reset a hot tub control panel by switching it off, waiting for between 10 and 20 seconds and then switching it back on again. If the error signal continues on the control panel then you will need to consult your hot tub manual to see what the problem is. If the control panel simply seems not to be working you can check the connections to it and also see if any water has got in it which could be the problem. If all seems well then you may need to replace your control panel or consult your hot tub dealer. 

Resetting a hot tub control panel

There are two different scenarios where you might need to reset your hot tub control panel. 

Hot tub control panel error messages –  If your hot tub control panel has been showing an error message you will want to know how to clear it.  Even if you have sorted out the problem that the error message is indicating it might still be continuing to show as a problem on the control panel. 

If this is the case, then there may well be a method of clearing or resetting the hot tub control panel without switching it off. Often, you need to hold two different buttons down or a brief sequence of buttons to achieve this.  As all control panels are different you will need to either consult your hot tub manual or have a quick look on the internet or maybe ring your hot tub dealer to find out exactly what to do. If you can’t do a soft reset reset then just follow the instructions below.

The control panel has crashed –  Bear in mind that hot tub control panels are basically small computers and from time to time they may well suffer from software errors and crash. If you know that there is a way to soft boot or soft reset your control panel then try this first if it has crashed but the most likely thing that will work is if you switch it off and then on again. 

If you do go for the switch it off and on again option then make sure that the power is completely off for a good 10 or 15 seconds to allow all the data to clear and for the the software to reset itself. Once you’ve done this turn the power back on again and allow the hot tub control panel to settle down and hopefully, it will have solved the problem. 

If your hot tub control panel still isn’t working properly or displaying properly then there are a number of things that you can try to see if you can get it working again. However, if your hot tub is still under warranty then you should consult your dealer rather than trying to fix the problem yourself.

Any work you try to do on the hot tub yourself could invalidate your warranty. If you have an older hot tub then, before calling out a technician, why not try the following to see if you can get the control panel to work again?

Check for water – Obviously, water and electricity are not a great mix and one of the most common causes of problems in control panels and electrical components in hot tubs is that they have become damp.  As soon as moisture enters anything electrical the water starts to conduct electricity and cause problems. Obviously, if the components remain damp, they can also corrode which again will lead to big problems.

So,  has your control panel recently got very wet?  If you have a control panel on a cable so that you can use it actually in the hot tub, has it been dropped completely in the water by any chance?  Now, of course, you would expect that the control panels would be manufactured to be able to withstand submersion in water.

They are being used in a hot tub after all!  However, it is possible that the waterproof sealing around the control panel has become damaged and some water has actually got inside. If this is the case then you can try a trick that works really well for mobile phones that have been dropped in water. 

Find a rectangular container and fill it with ordinary cooking rice. Put the control panel inside the container and bury it in the rice. Leave it overnight. The idea is that the rice will soak the moisture out of the control panel and with a little bit of luck it might start working properly again. 

If the rice method doesn’t work, and you are convinced that your control panel is still wet, then leaving it in a warm dry spot inside for a few days may well do the trick as well.  In theory at least, if moisture can get into a control panel it can also, in the right conditions evaporate out as well. 

Check for corrosion on connections – The next thing to do do is to have a look at where the control panel connects to the rest of the hot tub.  If we are talking about a handheld control panel then it will probably be connected to the hot tub with a cable.

Check both ends of the cable particularly where it goes into the hot tub as it will probably plug into a socket.  Does the socket look corroded by any chance? For a control panel that is built into the hot tub if you have a look inside the service bay of the hot tub you will probably see that it is also connected to the hot tub via a cable which will no doubt be plugged in somewhere.  Again check for corrosion. 

If you do see corrosion on the connection of the cables to your control panel what should you do?  The first thing to do is to switch the hot tub off at the mains as you do not want to risk any electrical shock. 

Next, try to undo the connection or to unplug the connection so that you can get a clear view of where the corrosion is.  If the connection won’t unplug or won’t undo then you might need to buy and fit a new socket and cable which might do the trick.  The chances are, if it is this badly corroded, that electricity is struggling to pass through the connection which might be causing your problem. 

If you can undo the connection then you need to remove the corrosion as much as possible. You can use warm water with baking soda dissolved into it along with an old toothbrush to dissolve the corrosion and scrub it off the connections.  Hopefully, once you have done this and connected everything up again the problem with your control panel will be solved. 

Power down overnight and restart – Often, as with many electrical appliances and particularly those that have some sort of computer inside them,  turning it off and switching it back on again will solve a number of problems. The general advice in this sort of situation is that you wait for 10 or 15 seconds before switching the appliance back on.  This makes sure that everything has completely drained from the appliance and gives it time to reset. This should work with your hot tub as well.

However, if a short switch-off period doesn’t work then it’s all always worth powering down and waiting for a few hours before powering back up again.  This will 100-percent guarantee that the hot tub has reset itself and will also give it chance to cool down. I’m not sure if there is any scientific fact in this but you might just find that doing this major reset will solve your control panel problem and set your hot tub back to normal.

Check the connecting cable for damage –  If your control panel is connected to your hot tub by a cable, have a good look at the cable to make sure that it isn’t damaged in any way.  The obvious things to look for are cuts and scrapes where are the cable’s inside could be touching and causing a short circuit.

Even somewhere where there is a bump or a place in the cable where it’s become trapped in something it’s possible that there could be internal damage that could be creating a short circuit.  Any damage to the cable like this will mean that the control panel itself will not operate properly.

Depending upon the model of your hot tub, and also the type of control panel, it should be relatively easy to change the cable and solve the problem.

Check that any touch buttons aren’t damaged or permanently depressed – It might not be obvious when you first look at your control panel but if it has touch buttons on it check to see if they have been damaged or if they  are not popping back into position after use.

Any fault with a button or touch sensor on the control panel could be causing a problem. Unfortunately, fixing one individual button isn’t going to be a particularly easy job. It might even mean that you need to replace the control panel entirely.  However, if you know that one of the buttons is slightly temperamental and is causing problems it might be that you can just touch it or tweak it to temporarily fix it.

Replace the control panel – If all else fails with your control panel then you might need to just bite the bullet and replace it.  The process of replacing a control panel is relatively easy as they are essentially plug and play, you just need to make sure that you get an exact replacement. 

If you are in any doubt as to whether it is the control panel or another part of the hot tub that is causing the issue it might be worth calling in a service engineer rather than just shelling out for a new control panel and hoping for the best.  You do not want to have purchased a new control panel only to find that it is showing the same error codes as the old one.

This would indicate a problem with the hot tub rather than the control panel itself. However, if you are sure that it is the control panel that is the issue then it is most likely a fairly easy DIY job to replace it.  At the very least make sure that you can return the control panel if you do actually find that once you have bought it it’s the hot tub rather than the control panel with the problem. 

How to Reset a Hot Tub Heater

Apart from resetting the electronic Components on a hot tub there are also a couple of other hard reset options as well.  The first one is on the heating element. If the heater becomes too hot for whatever reason then there is a high limit switch on it and it will  cut out for safety sake. If the rest of your hot tub seems to be working ok and you are sure that you have got electricity coming to it but the water is cold then the chances are that your heater has cut out.

To reset a hot tub heater you need to locate the red reset button which will probably be on the heater in the service bay of the hot tub.  All you need to do is to press it to reset it and everything should be good to go. However, if it immediately cuts out again, or as soon as you switch it on the circuit breaker kicks in, it means that there is probably a fault with your heating element. If this is the case you could try putting a new heating element in or calling out a service engineer.

How to fix a tripped GFCI circuit breaker on a hot tub  

The GFCI circuit breaker on a hot tub will trip if there is an electrical fault in the hot tub.  Once the circuit breaker has tripped no more electricity will reach the hot tub. If this has happened all you need to do is to switch the switch back on again.  If there is a problem with the hot tub then it will simply refuse to switch on or it will trip out again immediately. If this is the case then further investigation will be needed and the best advice would be to get out a qualified service engineer in this situation.

Related questions:

Why does my hot tub’s breaker keep tripping? The hot tubs breaker trips when there is an electrical fault or short circuit in the hot tub.  If the circuit breaker keeps tripping then there is a problem that’s needs sorting out. The chances are that there is some loose wiring somewhere, some moisture has got into an electrical component or something like the heating element needs replacing. If the breaker keeps tripping on a regular basis, or won’t switch back on again, then the best advice is to get a qualified hot tub engineer to come and test the hot tub to find out what the issue is. 

What Causes a Hot Tub to Overheat? A hot tub overheats when the heating element hasn’t got a strong enough flow of water going around it to dissipate the heat that it is generating.  When this happens, for safety sake, the hot tub high limit sensor will kick in and then the heating element will automatically cut out. Low water flow can be caused by a number of issues such as low water level in the hot tub,  blocked or dirty filters, a damaged pump, blocked water intakes, blocked jets or possibly an airlock.