Spa Error Codes - The Big List
The best thing about digital spas and hot tubs (those with a digital control panel) is that you get error codes for most equipment problems. Decoding these cryptic error codes can be challenging, but not when you have our BIG LIST of codes. With this list of hot tub error codes, you can immediately learn what’s behind the two- or three-digit error message, so that you can get the hot tub parts and repairs needed to fix the problem.
It's tricky because there's not much consistency among the error codes used by different spa and hot tub manufacturers. Each company uses its own conventions for naming the various system faults.
Hence the need for a BIG LIST of CODES. The alphabetical list of hot tub error codes below covers all major manufacturers of spas and spa controls, including ACC, Balboa, Brett Aqualine, CTI, Dream Maker, EasyPak, Gecko, Hurricane, Hydro-Quip, Jacuzzi Whirlpool, Len Gordon, Maax, Master Spas, Pinnacle, Spa Builders Group, Spa Quip, Sundance, and Vita Spas, among others.
Is it an Error Code or a System Status Code?
Not all spa codes are error alerts to inform you of trouble. In fact, many codes are used to provide information about system mode, status, or equipment operation. Some system status codes are identified as well, with the phrase "system message, not an error."
So here it is...
The Big List of Spa and Hot Tub Error Codes
CODE |
ERROR CODE DESCRIPTION |
| * * * | Flow/pressure switch either open or closed |
| * * * | High limit switch is faulty |
| - - - , - - - - | Water dangerously hot, electronic fault, system shut down |
| -1, -01 | High limit fault |
| -2, -02 | Temperature sensor fault |
| -3, -03 | Flow/pressure switch open |
| -4, -04 | Flow/pressure switch closed |
| -7, -07 | High limit fault |
| --F, --C | Temperature unknown |
| --- | "Watchdog;" high limit or temperature sensor fault, water may be dangerously hot. System disabled. |
| --- | On startup, temperature sensor calibration after system restart; system message, not an error |
| 1, 01 | Stuck button on keypad |
| 2, 02 | No controller data being received |
| 3, 03 | Temperature sensor fault |
| 4, 04 | Water sensor/pressure switch fault |
| 5, 05 | Temperature sensor error, or water is dangerously hot |
| 6, 06 | High limit manual reset on heater is tripped |
| 7, 07 | Stuck heater relay |
| 9, 09 | Water pressure fault; pump may be air locked, or water level low |
| 131 | High limit fault, water may be dangerously hot |
| A1/A2-ER | Auxiliary system error; blower, lights, music |
| AOH | Auxiliary system overheating; equipment is running hot or needs air |
| BJ2P, bJ2P | High limit fault, water may be dangerously hot; pump/blower purge (normal condition) |
| BLB | Replace UV bulb |
| BL-ER | Blower error, faulty motor or closed valve |
| BLO | Blower error |
| C4.4 | High limit fault |
| C | Celsius, to indicate panel is in Celsius mode; system message, not an error |
| Cd, CLd | Cold — freezing conditions detected |
| CE 01 | Stuck touchpad button |
| CE 02 | No controller data communication |
| CE 03 | Temperature sensor fault |
| CE 04 | Water sensor/pressure switch fault |
| CE 05 | Temperature sensor, or water is dangerously hot |
| CE 06 | High limit manual reset on heater is tripped |
| CE 07 | Stuck heater relay |
| CE 08 | Temperature sensor fault |
| CE 09 | Water pressure fault; pump may be air locked, or water level low |
| CL | Current time of day; system message, not an error |
| COL | Cool — water is 20°F below set point; system message, not an error |
| CoLd | Cold — water is 40°F or less; system should self-start the circulation pump and heater |
| Cool, COOL | Water is 20°F below set point; system message, not an error |
| CP-ER | Circulation pump error |
| CP | HEET pump error; faulty pump or loose connection |
| CS | Current sensor error |
| DR, dr, dy, dry | Dry — low water volume detected in heater |
| E### | pH probe not calibrated |
| E0 | Short circuit temperature sensor |
| E1 | Open circuit temperature sensor |
| E2 | Short circuit high limit sensor |
| E3 | Open circuit high limit sensor |
| E4 | Short circuit/closed pressure/flow switch |
| E7 | Improper electrical connection |
| Ecdu, Ecn, Econ | Spa is in economy mode; system message, not an error |
| EO | Short circuit temperature sensor |
| Er0, Er1 | Temperature sensor fault |
| Er2, Er3 | High limit fault |
| Er4 | Short circuit/closed pressure/flow switch |
| err 1 | Water pressure fault; pump may be air locked, or water level low |
| err 3 | Stuck button on keypad |
| err 4 | Water sensor/pressure switch fault |
| err 5 | Temperature sensor error, or water is dangerously hot |
| err 6 | High limit manual reset on heater is tripped |
| err 7 | Stuck heater relay |
| err 8 | Temperature sensor fault |
| Err | Software program fault |
| Error 3 | Stuck button on keypad |
| Error 4 | Water sensor/pressure switch fault |
| Error 5 | Temperature sensor error, or water is dangerously hot |
| Error 6 | High limit manual reset on heater is tripped |
| Error 7 | Stuck heater relay |
| Error 8 | Temperature sensor fault |
| F1, F2 | (Vita Spa) Blown fuse; replace fuse 1 or fuse 2 |
| F2 | 4 hours daily filtration; system message, not an error |
| F4 | 8 hours daily filtration; system message, not an error |
| F6 | 12 hours daily filtration; system message, not an error |
| F | Fahrenheit, used to indicate panel is in Fahrenheit mode; system message, not an error |
| FB-ER | Fiber optic error; accent lighting |
| FC | Filter continuous mode; system message, not an error |
| FL1 | Water pressure fault; dirty filter, air locked pump, low water level |
| FL2 | Pressure switch fault; switch closed while pump is off |
| FL | Water sensor/pressure switch not working or stuck in closed position; water flow problem |
| FLC | Pressure switch fault; switch closed while pump is off |
| Fldu | Filter cycle duration. Spa is in filter mode; system message, not an error |
| FLO, FLO*, Flo, FL1 | Flow — inadequate water volume sensed by flow/pressure switch; possible switch malfunction |
| FLO2 | Flow — short circuit/closed circuit; pressure/flow switch |
| FLO (flashing) | Flow — short circuit/open circuit; pressure/flow switch |
| Flon | Spa is in filter mode; system message, not an error |
| FN-ER | Fan error; cooling fan fault |
| FP, Fr, FrE, FrEE | Freeze — water is 40° or less; system should self-start pump/heater |
| GCF | Grounding issue; electrical connection not grounded correctly |
| H2O | Water pressure fault; pump may be air locked, or water level low |
| HC | Heater error; replace heater |
| HFL | Temperature sensors out of balance, reporting different results; can indicate a flow problem |
| HiLi, HLEr | Water temperature above acceptable range. High limit sensor reading 118°F or above, or the sensor has tripped — check flow |
| HL, HH, OHH | Water temperature above acceptable range. High limit sensor reading 118°F or above, or the sensor has tripped — check flow |
| HLoH | High limit overheat; spa temp reading 112ºF or greater. High limit sensor may be shorted or disconnected |
| Hold | Panel buttons pressed to many times or too quickly |
| HOT | Overheating, water over 112°F; cool down procedure begins. Do not use spa. |
| HP | High voltage; check power connections |
| Hr | Internal hardware error detected |
| IC, ICE, ICE2, I CE2 | Freezing conditions detected; warm up procedure begins |
| ILOC | Interlock failure; check magnetic contacts on spa equipment door. Possible pump or ozone spike. |
| L1, L2 | Panel lock; enter code to unlock control panel |
| LB | Light error; replace bulb |
| LF | Persistent low flow problems. Heater is off, but other spa functions run normally. |
| LO | Freezing conditions detected; warm up procedure begins |
| LOC | Panel lock; enter code to unlock control panel |
| LP | Low voltage; check connections |
| LS | Water sensor fault |
| LS=O, LS=S | Many causes; improper voltage, open circuit sensor, faulty panel connection, etc. |
| O3-Er, O3U | Ozone error; check for operation and output |
| OH | Overheat; high temperature condition, over 110ºF. Spa may be partially deactivated or low speed pump (and air blower if equipped) may activate to lower temp. Do not use spa. |
| OHH | Overheat; one sensor has detected 118ºF, spa has shut down. Do not use spa. |
| OHS | Overheat; one sensor has detected 110ºF, spa has shut down. Do not use spa. |
| OP | Open circuit sensor |
| Pb | Power board; check topside and remote panel connections to power board |
| P1, P2 or P3-ER | Pump 1, 2 or 3 error or failure |
| pd | Power supply interrupted, unit running on battery backup |
| PLUG | Service technician's test plug connected; system message, not an error |
| PnL | Panel error; communication error between panel and circuit board |
| Pr | Priming — pump is starting; system message, not an error |
| Prh, PrH | High limit sensor failure; temperature sensor fault |
| Prr | Temperature sensor fault |
| PS | Water sensor/pressure switch fault |
| PSoC | Pressure switch open on circulation |
| PSoH | Pressure switch open on high speed |
| PSoL | Pressure switch open on low speed |
| RH-HR | Heater repair error |
| RH-NC | No communication error — panel to board |
| RH-NF | No flow in heater |
| RH-NH | No heat, heater fault or failure |
| Rly | Stuck relay |
| SA, SnA, SnH, Sb, Snb, Snt | Sensor open circuit or faulty |
| Sby | Standby mode; system message, not an error |
| SC-ER | System learning failure |
| ScLN | Self-cleaning filtration mode; system message, not a an error |
| SE | Spa in standard-in-economy mode; system message, not an error |
| SEoP | Sensor open or disconnected; heater disabled but spa operational |
| SESH | Sensor short, nonfunctional; heater disabled but spa operational |
| SH | Short circuit on temperature sensor |
| Slp | Sleep mode; system message, not an error |
| Sn1 | High limit fault, water may be dangerously hot |
| Sn2 | Temperature sensor fault, heater deactivated |
| Sn3 | Temperature sensor fault, heater deactivated |
| SN | Temperature sensor fault, heater deactivated |
| Sn | Sensors out of balance, reporting different results |
| SnA, Sna | Sensor plugged into jack A is not working, spa is shut down |
| SnB, Snb | Sensor plugged into jack B is not working, spa is shut down |
| SnH | High limit circuit open or faulty |
| SnS | Sensors out of balance, reporting different results. If blinking, spa is shut down. |
| SnT | Temperature sensor fault, circuit open or faulty |
| SP-F1, SP-F2 or SP-F3 | Fuse 1, 2 or blown |
| SP-BR | Breaker setting too low |
| SP-HR | Hardware error |
| SP-IN | Input voltage low |
| SP-OH | Overheat — water temp over 112°F |
| SP-OT | Overtemp — air temp around equipment is too hot, lack of air flow |
| SS | Heater sensor fault |
| SS=O, SS=S | Many causes; improper voltage, open circuit sensor, faulty panel connection, etc. |
| Std | Spa in standard mode; system message, not an error |
| th1/39 | Shown on startup, indicates temperature probe error |
| th2/(temp) | Shown on startup, indicates temperature probe error |
| th3/39 | Shown on startup, indicates temperature is less than 39ºF |
| thl/39 | Temperature probe fault |
| ToE | Time out error; contact manufacturer for support |
| Tu | Temperature set Celsius/Fahrenheit; system message, not an error |
Do you have a spa or hot tub error code that is not on the list? You may need to dig out the original owner's manual. If you no longer have it, search online by using your model, and the year of your hot tub, followed by the word "manual" or "troubleshooting." Very often, you can find a PDF version of the owner’s manual online.
In some cases, the errors that pop up require replacement parts in order to fix the root of the problem. If you're not comfortable working with the different plumbing and electrical components in your spa, there's no shame in calling a professional for help. In many cases, a licensed technician is required — DIY repairs can void the warranty.
Remember, always disconnect your spa or hot tub from power sources before starting any repairs!
JUMP IN WITH US ON SOCIAL!
