Dnepr Dave

I am not familiar with Balboa spas, I have a Caldera. But if you have unplugged everything from the control board and it still blows the fuse, I'd say it was a problem with the control board.

What brand, model and year hot tub do you have?

I bought my Caldera disconnect box and GFCI breakers from a local spa electrician for about $250. I wired it in myself.

I took my jets out by gripping them with a rubber glove on my hand. Sorry, I can't help with the random jet pump.

I made cedar duckboards for along the ground around my spa. They have been there for eleven years with no mold, mildew, or bug problems.

My hot tub is at the top of a hill, I use a garden hose and syphon the water out. I submerge the entire hose in the spa and let all the air out and then just toss the end down the hill, it drains in about 20 minutes. Harbor Freight Tools has some nice sump pumps for reasonable prices.

You should use a wet/dry vacuum to suck any remaining water out of the spa's plumbing, if you are going to leave it empty.

You are right, he is wrong, the Ampacity charts tell it all. I've run 10 gauge copper wire to temporarily run a 50 amp 240v motor, the wire didn't feel warm to the touch.

Jack, The pump doesn't pump. There has to be water in the pump for it to work, if it is full of air, the impeller just spins without doing any work.

Yes, each position sits a little deeper, so you can pick what's best for you.

We have a 2005 Caldera Kauai, 7x5.5, we like a lot. They say it is a three person hot tub, but that is a crowd.

I turn the heat down on my hot tub in the summer to make it a cool tub, but the night time temperatures are in the seventies, not in the one hundreds like in your situation. All you have to do is get the spa temperature lower than body temperature for it to feel cool. With your low temperatures being so high, I don't think running the bubbles and jets all night would do it for you. I would try putting block ice in the spa and keep it shaded and covered. Once the spa temperature gets to the low nineties, The spa's insulation should help keep it there and you'll only need to put block ice in it occasionally..

I use the dichlor then bleach method. https://www.poolspaforum.com/forum/index.php?/topic/23090-dichlorbleach-method-in-a-nutshell/ I test the water about once a month and change the water annually.

If you use Chrome for your browser there is a fix for the Photobucket problem. It is a third party extension I found on a Lotus 7 site :Some MIT guys came up with it and it's free.https://chrome.googl...mfegnfnflicjjgjYou have to install the extension in the Chrome browser and you will be able to see everyone's Photobucket pictures. The link I posted is to the extension, just click on "Added to Chrome" and it will be installed on your Chrome browser Then clear your browser cache and you'll be able to view Photobucket pictures again, at least until Photobucket figures a way to stop it.This only works with the Chrome browser, if you have another browser, you're out of luck.

The white mark is probably calcium deposits, try removing it with a scrubby sponge soaked in white vinegar. A Mr. Clean magic eraser would work too. If you want to get the tub really shiny, an automotive polish/wax will clean it up nicely.

I bought a used Caldera Kauai that came without the sub panel. I was able to buy the correct sub panel and breakers from a local electrician who specializes in hot tubs for $200. I didn't want to wire it differently than designed. Will your wife's co-worker let you have the Watkins dual breaker box?

I reduce the temperature of my hot tub when the weather is going to be hot. Anything below body temperature will feel cool when you are in the spa.

I use the dichlor then bleach method of sanitizing my spa, It is a lot cheaper than just dichlor and I only have to change my water once a year as the cyanuric acid doesn't build up.

I bought a dual GFI box for my used Caldera spa from a local spa electrician for $250.

I already had a concrete patio to put my spa on, but I poured an octogonal slab for a gazebo a few years ago. The concrete company I used had a fee for short loads, so I poured a really thick slab. I used 2x12s for the form and my slab is 7 1/2 inches thick. My neighbor had a bunch of re-bar he didn't want, so my slab has 200 ft of rebar in it. The preparation for a slab is the same as the preparation for a poured concrete slab, I think a poured slab is less work than placing pavers.

You won't hurt anything if the hot tub isn't level. I set my spa on a pre-existing slab under a covered porch, one side of the five foot wide tub is an inch lower than the other. The pumps and motors don't care if they are level or not.

I'm interested in this as well.

How are you measuring the temperature? Are you looking at the display panel or are you using a thermometer placed in the spa water. My hot tub's display read a few degrees off from the actual temperature as measured with a pool thermometer.

You could try patching it with JB Weld epoxy, if that doesn't work, get a new pump.

I use a photo hosting site, Photobucket. I upload the photo to Photobucket and then copy the picture location in Photobucket and copy it in my forum post. Photo is of a homemade cover lifter, cost, about $20.