Diagnosing a bad spa topside, and finding a bad heater while we're there.

Diagnosing a bad topside on a Strong Spa equipped with a Balboa VS501 pack.
We also found the heater was leaking and heavily corroded.
We disabled the temperature buttons on the topside, so it would stop malfunctioning (until a replacement arrives).
We changed out the heater while we were there. That's why we do a full inspection on every single call. There was no need to take the door off, to diagnose or even disable the topside (We popped the temp buttons out of it). A lot of guys would have just looked at the topside, turned the power off and bounced, returning later with the topside. Had we not caught that heater. In a month or so it would have started tripping the GFI. The customer of course having just paid 300 dollars (parts and labor) to replace the topside. Would honestly assume it is somehow related to the last repair. People don't mind paying for good service. You just have to provide good service and take the time to check everything.

[@tune_smith]

Super informative, as always!

[@scottbarron1427]

Thanks again!