Chas

I know what you mean - and if you want it fast, the shipping can cost a fortune as well.

The purpose of that tube and it's associated fittings is to allow the jet pump to self-bleed, or "prime" when filling an empty tub. You could get any fitting which will go through the shell and which will hold that size of tubing. It doesn't have to move a lot of water, in fact the less water this system moves, the more pressure you will have for your jet system. Some tubs run this to a fitting which can be opened by hand to bleed the pump manually, and then closed once the pump is up and running. Your pictures are excellent, but I still can't quite make out which one you have. Is it like this: If so then you can get it from Leisure Bay or from Waterway Plastics. I found one on ebay - Item number 370621415142 HTH

I can see your point, but only assuming the spa in question HAS a purge cycle - many older units do not. But either way, as I said, when I cap 'em I put a hose bib so it can be drained at water change, or tie it into a jet line with a small line to keep a small water flow through the air channel. Many spas have bleed lines or primer lines running all over, and it can be real easy to T into one of those. HTH

On a 2002 Vanguard the 30A breaker runs the heater only, and the 20A breaker runs everything else. If your heater doesn't have a reset button (check carefully, they can hide) then it just needs a few minutes of power off to reset itself. HTH

I am not a Caldera dealer, however I am a HotSpring dealer. I have ever only had them replace with the exact same model, as rare as that is. And they do not pro-rate anything. Having said that, I will admit to having not read the Caldera Warranty lately. HTH

I have several customers who have used it, and two technicians who have used it for years. They all say the same thing: it works, but is not a permanent fix. At least not in their experience. Could you get to the spa under the deck? Cutting into the siding with a circular saw sounds barbaric, but you can do it. Pull out a section on the sides you suspect, follow the wet foam, and you may be able to fix it. Again, that is: IF you can get to the sides below your deck. Otherwise, could you get some strong backs and lift it straight up with straps? If so, slide a couple of four by sixes under the tub as it gets high enough, and you can then work on it in place - None of this may work for you, but I have done it all for others with tubs in decks, and for a lot less than 4 large. Picture maybe?

You don't have (or need) a neutral wire for the 30A breaker. It is just the two hot wire. The little pigtail white wire from the breaker goes to the neutral bus in your subpanel. The other two hots from the 20A breaker AND the neutral wire ALL go to the 2P 20A breaker. That's two hots, and one neutral wire, all three of which go from spa to 20A breaker. And as on the 30A breaker, the built-in pigtail white wire goes from the breaker to the neutral bus in your sub panel. If all of that is correct, and your 30A breaker is tripping, you may have a bad heater. Unplug it and try resetting both breakers. Hope you noticed that there are two pairs of different-sized wires: you will need one red and one blue to each of the breakers. The larger ones to the 30A and the smaller ones to the 20A. HTH

I applaud the dealer who is offering you a spa at half price. Chances are, he is going to be out-of-pocket to do so. It is certainly not HIS fault Infinity went out of business, yet he is stepping up to the plate. Things like this happen in a down economy, so having somebody who is willing to offer help is certainly a blessing. I hope you thank the dealer for being a stand-up guy, and I hope you enjoy your new tub for years to come

Have you tried ice, heat, ice? I have friends who run and they swear by it.

Yes - you should take all that the PO will let you take. I draw the line at nice-looking patio furniture, but boy you can save a fortune if you don't have to go buy GFCI breakers and copper wire. Any little bit = a savings here, but it's all up to the PO. If you notice they have painted and you will be leaving a 'scar' by pulling the boxes and conduit off the walls of their house, then leave them and grab the breakers and wire. The whip is usually just in the way and I snag it on most moves, pulling all the wire, uncut, from the sub panel or shut-off box.

Let me go look that up - After I get out of my pajamas and finish my oatmeal - Found it! The part I use is a Caldera part: number 73995. I have a couple on the shelf down at the store and I will gladly sell you the part and ship it out today if you want. My price would be $39.95 plus flat-rate shipping, but it is available online as well, and they claim a "sale price" for about what I pay for it here: http://www.hottubspasupplies.com/Spa-Supplies/Caldera-Spa-Parts/C-Sensors My guess is they are cleaning out the old warehouse or something, that's a GREAT price!! It comes with a cord, which you can discard, and looks like this:

I do like the fact that Sundance has gotten rid of the neutral wire, but I usually pull one anyway to allow for a GFCI-protected outlet near the tub. This is code, and of course you may have one on the house which will meet the requirement, but I like to have the ability to put additional breakers in the sub panel for lighting, bug zappers, outlets for the BBQ or boom box - whatever. The Neutral wire can be down-sized.

6 gauge wire is HUGE when it comes to connecting to a power block. How does Sundance allow for that, or do you just use pigtails of smaller wire for the last few inches?

I love this one: it has multiple levels, could be incorporated into an existing deck, has a nice finish on the edges, and I would build it so the deck around the back of the spa could be removed and the tub slid out in case of some problem...

I have moved thousands of spas over the years. I have never ONCE had the customer tell me they were sorry they paid professionals to do what can be a difficult and dangerous job! We charge $450 - more if there are stairs, fences or gates to take down and put back up, etc. HTH

I'm married (today is our 32 year anniversary! May I just say that my wife is just as blessed today as she was the day she married me... . But I end up in the tub solo most of the time. It used to be my daughter and I, star-gazing and enjoying those moments of communication for which a tub is really able to provide better than anything I know - but alas she has graduated college and is now too busy with life. (Sigh...). So here's to Solo Soakers of all types!!

The E5 is the newest pump, and Watkins recommends it as replacement for all the older units. Be aware that it is slightly different in size than your old pump. Don't panic, it moves the same amount of water for less energy - I believe they do that by running a higher RPM, and a small amount of magic. You may have to modify the plumbing - again, don't panic. It's all done in vinyl tubing and very easy to adjust. In some models, I just unscrew the heater from the floor, shift it's location enough to get that 1 inch of slack I need, install the pump and screw the heater down in it's new home. In other models I use the little piece of tubing they include with the new pump - you can glue it to the old tubing with PVC cement and a regular 3/4" coupler to extend one of the tubes as needed - each model is just a bit different. In some, you can actually cut an inch or so off the one of the tubes (at the end farthest away from the heater) to make it all work. There is no reason the heater or circ pump have to sit in the exact same place they were in when the tub left the factory, and you really don't have to screw them back to the floor of the compartment unless you are detail-challenged, or think you might be moving the spa in the future... HTH

You said, "It will circulate water." Do you mean the jet pump(s) work or the small circ pump is working. Two lights blinking mean the circ pump is bad, or the pressure switch has failed. First, be sure you even have a pressure switch. You can post your serial number and we will ID the exact year of your Vanguard, which is helpful. If you have a small grey wire coming out of the end of your heater, that's the same size wire as goes to the two temperature sensors, then you do have a pressure switch. If you jump that switch (carefully unplug it from the mother board and gently short the two pins together ( I use a small screwdriver) and the blinking stops, you have found the problem. But before you go that far: Be SURE you have flow from the small pump. There should be a small bleed hole on the wall of the filter compartment, and water should come out there with good force. Enough force that if you take the retainer off of the closest filter (assuming it's clean enough to float) it should start that filter spinning 'round. If you have an ozone system, it should be bubbling as usual, and if you have the smaller "WellStream" water feature, it needs to move water as it did when new - this feature is in the wall of the tub, takes water from the small circ pump, and has a valve to turn it on and off. Not the three-holed "BellaFountanna" unit which runs off a jet pump. If the pump is good, it points towards the pressure switch. Watkins does sell the pressure switch (actually it is a kit for a Caldera) but most dealers will tell you that you have to install a complete new heater, at around $350 give or take. I don't subscribe to that: I have replaced several pressure switches in recent months with good results. HTH

I want to reiterate what Spa Tech (TUO) has posted above, as I see it as vitally important information: They pay HUGE money to be at that fair. In fact,The Pomona fair got so costly that manufacturers had to subsidize the costs, and then spread the sales out among several dealers. Then they decided to limit the vendors, so they instituted a lottery. Bottom line: you can get a better price at the showroom, and you will have a connection with the dealer who will ultimately be your gateway to ongoing success in the ownership experience. Plus, you may be able to see more tubs gathered together in one place, but at a huge price: all the salespeople will be the 'shark' type who will NOT be around later. Most of them will be brought in for the show or fair, and do not work at the local dealer. Our county fair up here in Ventura is not much, but they wanted to charge us as if it was the LA or San Diego Fair - so after several years of that, the only local dealer who was still going was the Sundance dealer. He went belly up a couple of years ago...

That makes sense. How has it come out?

I have - and so did Cal Spa - a simple in-line filter which will fit under the cabinet. I have never tried a DE on a spa, because one torn grid or one bad reassembly after cleaning could put enough DE into the water to clog and ruin the heater in minutes. Should be about $75 or less.

I wonder if you could coat the magnet with something to seal it. Nail polish comes to mind, or a blob of silicone - having never seen one in person I couldn't guess, but of course at that price buying a few extra for the shelf could also work!

Wow - sounds as if you really don't trust this dealer - OK, no problem: Go in a pay all but the last $400 (or $500 or whatever makes you feel better) and let him know that you will have the remainder in the form of a check at the finish of delivery. Hows that?

That's the key: you build for the material and it works fine. Put supports closer together, and it will be fine. The support is from the structure, not so much the decking surface.