Spa Helpdesk

M016

Balboa M016: water flow is low

M016 means the water flow is low. The guide says there may not be enough water flow through the heater to carry the heat away from the heating element. This wording is from Balboa guide 40985-G, 26 March 2014, for BP2500 and BP2600 with a TP800 or TP900 panel. This guide does not print the letters dr.

There may not be enough water flow through the heater to carry the heat away from the heating element.

Models this page covers: BP2500, BP2600, TP900, TP800

Do this first

  1. Water level

    Check the water level

    The flow checks say to look for a low water level. The filling section says to fill the spa to its correct operating level. Do not open the heater.

  1. Inlets and outlets

    Open the valves and the jets

    The same line says to check suction-flow restrictions, closed valves, and too many closed jets. Open what this guide names. Do not open the pack.

  2. Settings

    Confirm the pump is primed

    The flow checks include trapped air and pump prime. If water is not flowing from the jets after 2 minutes, turn the pumps off. Do not run an unprimed pump more than 2 minutes, and do not switch it off and on more than 5 times.

When to call a technician

Call a technician now if

  • The breaker or the RCD trips when the pump is plugged in.
  • You smell burning, see melted plastic, or the water is too hot to touch.
  • The code comes back after one reset.

Also call for these, from the manual

  • Shut off power and call for service if the pump will not prime, or if M016 keeps returning. Do not open the heater or the wiring.

Questions

Does any button clear M016?

This guide does not say that. It says heater start-up begins again after about 1 minute. M017 is the later message that says to press any button after the flow problem is fixed.

Manuals we checked