Chas

Can you schedule the cleaning cycle for daytimes only?

You may be able to suck the item outof the pump by back-flowing it. Turn off power to the spa. Then beg, borrow or buy a pool vac hose. Start a siphon, and be sure it is going real well. While it is pulling hard, stick the hose over the openning where you put the garden hose. Remove any standpipes, screens, or other things which would keep the suction from working directly on the inlet to the pump in question. Try this a few times, and be sure to put the filter back in before you run the pump to see if it still rattles. If this doesn't work you will have to open the pump and see if you can clear it. HTH

Looks correct. Test the power in - specifically at 1 and 3 on the juncion block. If you have 220 there, but still no power out to the heater - at the black and white wires which go to the power cord for the heater - then you have a bad heater relay board.

Try this before you call the tech: Turn the power to the spa off, Wait a minute. Turn the power on to the spa - be sure you have both breakers on. Start the CD player, and test it with headphones. Plug the cord for the Spaudio into the LINE out from the player if it has one. Bring the volume up using the Aux Panel inside the tub. The volume drops to zero each time the unit is powered up. If you have overdriven the thing, it may reset itself and be off and running. The Envoy has a special compartment for the amp - it's not in with the Motors and other gear. It is behind the Moto Massage, and you have to take off a section of the siding to get to it. But resetting the power should take care of things.

I changed the name of your topic because I think it will get more responses this way. As to trade in tubs, I think you'll find most brand-name dealers will give you some sort of discount for the old tub. I do, but I must admit that it would go to a landfill. Since Watkins is pushing us dealers to "Think Green" I would take out as many usable parts as I could to get them back into circulation somehow. Most of the major componants of that tub are non-recylable. Sell it to a do-it-yourslefer who wants something to tinker with.

They are nice in that you can put them in your dishwasher - but you have to remember to turn off the Anti-water-spot solution. Brand name = "Jet Dry" or similar. And they tend to last longer, if treated right. If you do upgrade, keep your five filters on the shelf, and rotate them in on the Circ pump standpipe. That's the hollow one. They should last just about forever that way. That way you only have to buy four Tri-X filters, and there is no real gain by having one on the circ pump.

I believe NSN is referring to Solar distress - something which happens when a tub is exposed to direct sun while empty. I think he's trying to make the point that you can't sunburn an empty tub with the cover on. Plus, if you think about it, a tub which has been sitting empty is not likely to raise blisters from the normal delamination caused by osmotic pressure. Your point is valid that some acrylic tubs will blister under normal use, even if not exposed to direct sun while empty.

Everything sounds right. The little bubbles are the output of the ozone system, and they would not be there if the circ pump were not running correctly. You should not be able to hear that pump, it is silent. You should not be able to see much water movement in the tub. Don't open the cover to check the temp, it adds an hour or more to the heat time each time you do so. Simply turn the temperature down until the green 'Ready' light comes on, or the word "Ready" appears on the remote. That is your approximate temperature. Enjoy your Envoy.

I like the Paradise unit - no pumping, one moving part, aluminum handle which telescopes. HotSpring dealers sell it with a HotSpring logo - which is Tres Cool of course - for about $39.95 Also - you can make a simple siphon tub which will attach to the garden hose for a couple of bucks. Go an adapter that goes from a female garden hose on one end to female PVC on the other. The ones I get have a swivel to make it ease to attacth to the end of your garden hose, but it is not a must. Stick in a length of PVC pipe about four fee long, and you are good to go. I sell them in our store for $5 and people love them. Use your garden hose or just a short section of old hose. Start a siphon, and you can vac out sand, grit, or anything with ease.

Egad! Uh, I mean, no.

Renew is a non-chlorine shock. Spa 56 is chlorine. You can shock bromine with chlorine, it will work fine. You should not have to drain. You can even use the chlorine until you get a chance to go back to your dealer, and then keep it on hand for those times you need a stronger shock, such as after a party or the kid's soccer team or whatever.

Here is a FAQ about that topic from Unicel Filters - ANSWER: For years, service technicians and homeowners have acid washed D.E. grids. However, cartridge elements do not have the protective D.E. powder coating that grids have and can be permanently damaged by the acid. As a rule of thumb, acid wash only when required, if at all, and never without thoroughly cleaning the element with a cartridge degreaser first. After thoroughly cleaning the cartridge with a degreasing agent, flush the cartridge with a garden hose to remove all traces of soap, etc. Now apply several drops of acid directly to a small area of the filter media. If bubbling occurs, this indicates a build-up of calcium or minerals, and you should proceed with a mild acid soak (see Unicel Cleaning Instructions for more details). If no bubbling is observed, your cartridge most likely does not require acid washing. HTH

Not to mention the harsh chemicals. It's my planet too.... To me, the 'easy way' is to just drop the pH and keep it down. No reason you can't use the tub, though it may bother extra-sensitive skin. But - to each his own.

Baking soda is the secret ingredient in 'Spa up.' In the future, feel free to use it, just add two ounces at a time. Two cups would do this to just about any tub. To give you some parameters - I used to run a 500 gallon tub on well water with a pH of over 8.0. I had to add about 6 ounces of Spa Down, which is dry acid, to get it down to around 7.4. I had to add four ounces - which is about the most you want to add at a time - and then test in four hours. I would then add another two, or sometimes three ounces and all would be good. If I didn't do this AS I WAS FILLING, I would have a light haze on the surface within a few hours, and the scale would be thick the very next morning. Don't ask me how I know... If you are using test strips, the practical guide is like this: in 500 gallons, one color block on the test strip bottle takes about two ounces. If you retest too soon, you will panic because the pH tends to drop real low and then level out. Four or five hours.

This is urgent: DO NOT drain the tub. Simply add 'spa down' or dry acid. Start with a couple of dry ounces - four at the most at one time. If you don't have any of that on hand, use vinegar. The point here is that you precipitated calcium out of the water, and now you need to nudge it back where it came from. Lower your pH to around 6.8 or so, and plan on working to keep it there for the next few days. The scale will go away like magic. If you drain and scrub, you can scratch the surface badly, you will not be able to get it all out of the jets, plumbing, heaters pumps and filters. So - add acid. Test four to six hours later. Repeat as needed for about three days, or until it's all gone. THEN drain and refill the tub if you wish. This happens to the best of us, but if you delay you can cost yourself a heating element. In fact, it's not really a bad idea to turn off the heat for the first day or two. I can't tell you how many times I have walked customers through this - we have wide swings in our tap water pH in town, and it catches some of my most experienced customers off guard.

Pictures?

Great summation.

Not again. OK, here we go - heat does NOT rise. It will go in any direction from hot to cold. This is one of the most fundamental laws of physics, next to conservation of motion. Hot air is less dense than cold air, so hot air does rise. But that is not the same thing at all. A tub needs to have a good cover, no doubt about that, but to be energy efficient a tub needs good insulation all around, top to bottom. And please, let's not go directly to, "you wouldn't want your house to..." No comparison, for a dozen reasons. OK - I'm over it. Thanks for listening.

That is a very good reason to consider 220.

Life spas offers Spas made by Phoenix Spas of CA. They have several 'locations' listed - but they are all 'by appointment only.' Did you folks actually step foot into a showroom, or were you hearded into a 'presentation' type of thing?

That is true, with the exception of larger pumps on the heating system. If the spa in question has a large pump which does the circulating for heating, then the ability to heat faster can result in a lower electric bill. But if the tub runs a small circ pump 24-7 or if it has a timer system to do all the heating just before use each day, there will be no cost savings. But all the other things mentioned above can save you much more money than just going to 220.

You wouldn't. Good point! Friends don't let friends drain powered.

Can you verify the flow in any way: visually see water being disturbed in the tub? Is the tub heating?

Here is the Vista - The blue shows best on computer screens: Here is the Envoy - see above regarding color: HTH

It's all about timing. You ordered your spa two days before the factory shut down for a couple of weeks. They do this every year, and it can be a pain. But they need to do it once a year, we all know it's coming, they do it a quickly as possible, and they also try to let us know which spas will 'sell out' or which ones will have the next model year shipped early etc. However, if you happen to order a spa righ at that time, you will have about three weeks added to your dealer's normal time. And, that time can be very different from dealer to dealer. I go get spas every week. It costs a little more, but my customers can get a spa in less than seven days from the day they put their money down. But I have the luxury of living close to the factory and having a truck/trailer. Dealers farther away may have to wait for a few more orders to get a truckload shipped across country. Where do you live?