Chas

Inside of the cover of the electrical box (the "IQ-202" box) there is a label with everything you need. You will change jumpers on the power block, a micro jumper on the mother board, purchase and install a power cord, find an outlet and cover which will fit the GFCI unit on the power cord. If your dealer doesn't have a power cord, let me know. I have tons and I would be glad to send you a cord (with GFCI on the end) AND an outlet with cover for $25 plus shipping from SoCal. I am sure I could even scare up some jumpers for you.

Well you may get some good results then, if the plumbing can be insulated along with the part of the tub NOT in the ground. Keep an eye on air movement: if you have an open deck or vents, you don't want air to be able to blow around the tub under the deck. A sheet of plastic can cut down air infiltration. And easy way to see if you are getting any help is to run the tub up to 102 F and then shut it off with the cover in place. Check the temp in 24 hours (or 12 if that makes more sense for you). Then as you add insulation, see if the temp drops more slowly.

Let the professionals move the spa. It is worth every penny.

The white wire from the spa should go to the breaker, NOT the neutral lug.

How do you lift it? I agree with Doc: you will need to do something to keep the foam from absorbing water and gaining weight.

tell us more about your DIY cover! Thanks

I have worked with many DIY folks who have tried. Never got one to really do what they wanted. The cost of electricity to move the water usually cancels any gain, and the panels MUST be glazed to run hot enough to even bother. Further, the control systems will not always keep your tub at a steady temperature, because when the tub reaches temp it should shut off the pump to the roof. During warm weather the panels can get so hot that if the pump cycles back on even for a few minutes, the ultra-hot water coming down off the roof will push the spa temp far too high.

Yes - you can cap the line, and yes, it may mold up. I have put a cap on dozens over the years, and I usually put a small bleed line of some sort. Either I add a simple hose bib so water may be drained out of the air system when doing a water change, or I glue in a small adapter and tap a vinyl tube over to a jet line. That will push a small amount of water through the air system whenever the jets run, and keeps the water fresh.

You will have to post a link to a picture which is posted somewhere else - Here is a picture I just snagged off the HotSpring Portable Spa website as an example:

HotSpring tubs can be ordered with "Custom Cabinet" which is a specially designed plywood cabinet that is set back farther from the edge of the spa, allowing you to add your own siding to match the surroundings. Here is one, pictured above, with the optional faux stone siding, available in two colors. But, you could order the tub in CC and add your own materials, including stone, tile, wood, composites, decking material, or just about anything.

Yes, that breaker, as expensive as it is, is less than a new heater. You own an early 2002 Grandee, with a Quarite finish (blue or green) which left the factory with a 6KW heater.

You are heating with the pump. Cut WAY down on how much it runs, and your problem should go away. At least, the problem with the spa. Your other problems may not be as easy. HTH

One last thing you can check: take the two hot wires off at the 30A breaker in the sub panel. If the breaker still trips, the breaker is it. If the breaker no longer trips, then you may have a problem with the wire from the sub panel to the spa. Take the wires off at the spa and reattach at the breaker - if the breaker still trips, its the wire. I would love to have you post your serial number. It is formatted like this: G-XGXXXX The first G tells us the model, and it can be ONE G, or TWO GG. If it is One G, you should have this heater: 73790 Heater, Titanium PDR 6 KW and the heater should be wired to the 30A breaker. If you have a spa with Two G (GG-) then you should have this heater: 76228 Heater, Titanium 4KW DOM, and the heater should be wired to the 20A breaker. If the heater was originally a 6KW but was replaced with a 4KW, it will work just fine - but you will have slightly less heating power. In the serial number, the second G tells us it is a 2005. If you have another letter, then you have another year. Let us know.

No Dan, 13 years is a GREAT run.

Insulating the top part of the shell will get you very little in terms of energy savings. May I assume the plumbing is buried? If so, when the pump comes on (timer or other) it will move the water through the cold ground and you will have huge heat drain. A good cover will make a big difference, but in-ground spas are just giant heat sinks. Unless you have a huge gas heater to pull that whole system up to temp, you are going to keep on paying a lot to run this thing. I have set many many portable spas into vaults - keeping a large air-space all around the fully-insulated tub and it's cabinet. That costs pennies per day to keep hot.

Good points! Also - if you can find a local dealer who wants to pick up the new customer for supplies and so forth, they might move it for less. Not really a lot of room in $400, but it can't hurt to try. If it doesn't have a good cover, you will not sell it, or if you do, it'll be to some bottom-feeder who wants it for free.

Wow - I'm not familiar with that - a quick Google search didn't really clear it up, either. Is this an electronic component you are trying to find, or a mag switch for flow, or even for the door? A picture would help a bit, too...

I also must ask: even though your son said he drain/refilled, why not drain ALL the water? Water is so cheap (ok, may not be where you are...) and once you have the thing draining... I had a similar problem: the week-long party in our absence, not the yellow water - and I drained my tub twice before I would get back in the thing!!

Sure sounds like a programming issue to me. Owner's manual any help?

Most of my customers with blower problems tell me to simply cap the plumbing and be sure the electrical is safely capped off/unplugged, because they don't use the thing. Blowers cool the tub, bring the chems right up to nose level in a big cloud, are noisy (some newer ones are much better in this regard) and do nothing for massage action that one good jet aimed in your general direction won't do. I would get the tub up to temp, balance the chems and start enjoying it. I If you need the blower - for example if this tub HAS no jets, or if the jets are force-fed air from the blower and are weak otherwise, or if you just really like the massive air bubbles hitting the surface.... If you decide that you want to replace it anyway, I would replace it with the exact same voltage (of course) but most importantly, the same amperage or less. You don't know how strong the control system is: putting more amps through the system might burn a relay or other part out. There are some blowers which are quieter than others - try to find info about how loud the blower you are buying is. I think the "inline" type are among the quietest ones, and you can add a pipe to the inlet side to allow the blower to draw air from the top of the compartment (warmer) and that usually quiets the thing even more. I did a quick Google search and could not come up with any inline blowers other than commercial, and you don't want to spend that kind of money. But try to get one which claims to be quiet, or you will be amazed at how loud they can be. You should replace the check valve - your blower may have gotten wet simply because the tub was tipped up to move, but one way or another the check valve should have kept the water out. You can find blower check valves the same places you find blowers. Just note that most blowers are plumbed in 2" PVC, but of course you will want to check your tub to be sure it isn't a smaller size. Finally - you will want to order a blower with a power cord which matches what you have. There are "Amp" style, "J&J" style, "Mini J&J" and Edison. You can usually see example of them where you order, or just splice the cord. If you do splice the cord, be sure to seal it up well, and hang it up in the cabinet so it can't lay in water if anything lets go. HTH

Yes - baking soda (or "Spa up") works well, and will not need to be as well rinsed: no foam later. Thanks for the reminder

I don't recommend using such a harsh cleaner on the shell. I have had tubs for many years and only empty, wipe off any greasy spots with a gentle soap, and then refill.

I would consider something else - there are small tubs available from most of the major brands. You will pay more, even used, but you will GET much more as well. For example, as was mentioned by SpaTech(TUO) above, you may not want to listen to the pump all the time. Most of the name-brand tubs have actual heaters, so they run far less. Some of the top-of-the-line units will have a tiny circ pump which runs silently, or so close to silent as to not make a difference. Those tubs will also be convertible to 220 if you should ever wish.

I would STILL check the voltage - if you have low voltage it could very well have damaged the board thanks to the pump trying to start all night. If you put in a new board, the low voltage could eat it up as well. You may ask why it worked as long as it did and suddenly has low voltage? There are many reasons from corrosion to a bad original job of wiring. I have seen it a lot. HTH

'Hot Spots' can be a fault in the construction of the heater itself. Since it is new, it should have some form of warranty. If your repair guy isn't savvy to this, try a Jacuz dealer. You can check by restarting the tub, and then running your hand along the length of the heater. Trust me, you will KNOW if you come across a hot spot. HTH