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Pool: ~13,000 gallons, currently have 3/4 HP single speed pump that provides excellent filtration/cleaning, probably leave it on 5 hours a day. I have been researching variable speed pumps, which seem to most "win" because on low speed they consume very little HP and therefore very little energy. I had a hot springs spa which was similar - it had a very, very low speed pump that ran 24 hours a day. Now - my question is - rather than shell out the $1200+ for a variable speed pump... Couldn't I just get an efficient 1/10 hp "circulation pump" to run 24 hours a day, or along those same lines - couldn't I find a suitable DC solar pump to provide basic circulation and filtration, then kick on my standard 3/4 pump for an hour or two for cleaning? What am I missing here? Is it just the complexity of two pumps etc? All the discussions I've seen of solar water pumping tend to dismiss the idea since "you'd never get 1 hp out of a solar system" but with variable speed setups, it seems to be proven that that's really not important...?

Well I know it's an unusual question - but I'm buying a house with a pool, and I have a golden retriever who likes to swim.... The pool needs some work done and I will likely be relocating and replacing the equipment as part of my renovation. Is there any filter / equipment setup in particular that would be easiest to deal with, given that the dog is bound to jump in the pool from time to time, and that golden retrivers shed like no tomorrow? Pool is ~15x30 kidney shaped but only has one skimmer if I recall correctly. Not sure if changing the jet/skimmer layout is in the budget (probably not)

Due to a family emergency I had to leave my spa unattended for about 3 weeks. Prior to that I was using Nature2 with MPS and the occasional dichlor shock, spa gets infrequent (once a week or so) use and had been maintaining VG water quality with minimal maintenance, would check on things every 4-6 days and adjust as needed. Spa also has an ozonator in it. Anyway, get back after 3 weeks away and the water still looked clean and clear - however, lifting the cover I got a hint of a "sour" smell, almost a spoiled milk type of odor. Obviously I will be draining and refilling, it's been about 3 months anyway. In the meantime, I dumped in 2x the normal chlorine amount and will circulate that for a while. Is there anything else I should do? Am I better off overchlorinating it for a couple of days to ensure nothing funky is left in the filters/lines, and then doing the drain/fill?

Have you opened up the side panel to look around yet? I have a newer model HS but to my surprise the tube I was supposed to install it on actually had a sticker from the factory on it that said "cut here." However, even if you have that - cut a little bit inside the lines marked to make your life easier. Also, you should be able to do it with the tub still full if you're fast/lazy. (obviously disconnect power at source before doing any of this)

SPA GUY, I have a hot springs dealer, who also sells hot spot, solana, and tiger river, The Jacuzzi guy just sells Jacuzzi, the Sundance dealer sells sundance and Garden Leisure, only 3 dealers in a 140 mile area. also will have to check on that tax deduction issue, might be.... The cheapest hot tub is a used hot tub. My local hot spring dealer said he occasionally takes in trade-ins or refurbishes used spas. If you go with a high end brand, and can find one a few years old used, you can probably pay 50% or less of original price. I cruised the classifieds, ebay, and craigslist for a month or so looking at tubs in the $500-1000 range, most were absolute garbage but I ran into a few in the $700-2000 range that were excellent condition higher end models. Be sure to have a plan for transport and setup and add that into your cost. (after doing it myself... I'd seriously consider paying someone else next time LOL)

As above, I'd also suspect the breaker. I don't know how much your particular breaker would run you, but the one on my spa was only about $40 and a 5 minute job to swap out. That'd be my first troubleshooting step, worst case I'd know I had a new breaker in place. GFI breakers DO go bad. It it also possible to have a sympathetic GFCI trip - that is to say, the breaker could trip if there is another ground fault on a related circuit. You could try to remove the hot tub load altogether - either leave it disconnected or connect something else, and see if the GFI continues to trip with no load. (I am not 100% sure if it will trip in that case, but I think it will... we've all gone to plug in a hairdryer or blender and found our bathroom/kitchen GFIs tripped, right? Just my non-professional thoughts.

I realized to my surprise that I've never seen a "full" spa cover anywhere. You know, like a BBQ grille cover... something canvas that I could use to protect the tub from the elements when I know I'm not going to be using it for a week or more - or even if I were to decide to drain it for a couple of months over the summer? The water in my tub is currently 100 deg and the heater hasn't turned on in a month. I'm thinking it's getting a bit too much sun.

I recently bought a used Hot Springs spa and although I usually disagree with the "you get what you pay for" crowd, I have to say, I'm really impressed with the way this unit is put together. I've had to do some minor maintenance and upgrades (it was used, after all) and it has all been well documented and very well laid out. I swung by one of the big spa stores here to get some chemicals etc, and after working on this one, I was very surprised at the difference in overall build style, quality, and materials used on some of the other brands I had been considering before. Two thumbs up from me. Very happy with this purchase vs some of the others. I am sure they all get the job done, but I can see where quality was a top priority for the company.

Good discussion everyone, please keep it coming...

Clown, I actually just got finished. I put a 30a DPDT switch (aka "disconnect") outside on the wall, and ran 1/2" conduit from there to the spa. I had the GFI outlet outside originally - the main problem with this is that the huge box + plug was an eyesore, and since it was relatively close to my outdoor hose connection, I really wasn't comfortable having a disconnectable plug there. On top of all that the cord was a real hazard for tripping etc. It was just a mess. The new location of the switch is out of the way of any potential water splashage (and of course is in a waterproof box) and as far as I can determine everything is 100% up to code, and I have nice plastic (painted) hard conduit keeping everything nice and tidy. Once the conduit is inside the spa enclosure I used waterproof flex to go to the control box. This also let me get away with using my existing circuit without having any splices in the wire, which I prefer. I do wish I could test the GFI from outside, but I feel like having a good GFI breaker in my inside box out of the elements etc is probably much more reliable anyway. I will have to get creative and figure out a way to "test" the GFI for real...

Thanks. I was under the impression that Nature2 etc worked just as well with Bromine as they would with Chlorine? I don't have an issue with draining the tub. Well I don't think I do. We'll see if it kills my lawn. The only thing that "scares" me about Chlorine is that people say a week is about the outside limit for maintenance. When I use the tub, I don't mind playing with the chemicals etc. But once a week is really what I would consider my tolerance for routine maintenance. Then again - my impression is that the ozonator and the something like the Nature2 carts (is it the same as Hot Spring's FreshWater AG+ ?) should help with that?

Guys, maybe I am missing something, but I finally read the 2005 code - and for a single family home it seemed to me the disconnect was not required? Regardless I am thinking now of hooking it up in the same fashion as a water heater, with a 20a / DPDT switch in a waterproof box. I'll mount that box on the wall 5-10' from the spa and then run conduit through the wall below. Does that seem to cover everything? GFI breaker back in the interior panel.

Ok, bought a lightly used spa, everything is squeeky clean. Been using the leftover Baqua the previous owners gave me.. not thrilled at the scum line of goop. Don't like the "fizzy bubbles" and not crazy about the smell. I'll use this stuff for a couple more weeks but then I'm ready to swtich. Equipment is a Hot springs spa, with 3 of their fancy "ceremic fiber" reusable filters, 24 hour ozonator. 1-2 people using the spa 3-4 hours a week. My priorities: Easy to maintain and of course safety. I don't mind a chlorine smell. I don't care what the stuff costs (within reason). I think test strips are the greatest thing since sliced bread. Every so often the spa will have to go a week or so unattended. Question 1 is: What's the best chemical for me? I think I'm leaning towards bromine Question 2 is: After choice of above chemical - what about all of these "add on" products - things that you stick in the filter tubes etc? Question 3 is: How to switch from Baqua... I know I'll have to drain the tub, no big deal. The lines are "clean" in that there is no gunk etc in them. I imagine I'll have to use baqua filter soak on my filters, and then potentially another cleaner on them affter that... sound about right? Comments on all the above appreciated. I've done lots of reading and it seems there's no shortage of opinions...

Understood. When I think "disconnect" I think breaker. I suppose that does not have to be the case? To be clear, what I have now is a 20A GFI in the interior panel, running to an exterior 20a plug. Really I just want to remove the plug and hardwire it. However, there is a bit of "peace of mind" in having the GFI on the plug so that I can easily test it while outside. So now I have 2 GFIs in series which is what the manual recommends for a plug-in unit. What are my options for an outside 110v "disconnect" if I choose to go the hardwire route? Sounds like that makes more sense, and just leave the interior circuit breaker GFI. Also: I live in south florida, so I am not too concerned about heating quickly. Plan A was to run the 50a 220v circuit, but once I realized the spa would run on 110 it seemed silly to go to all that extra work when I had an extra 20a 110v circuit lying around unused in approx the right location.

I bought a used tub and the prev owners gave me a big bucket of baqua spa chemicals with it. So far (4th day) I am less than thrilled. I appear to have everything right (could possibly use a little ph adjustement) but every time I run the jets I get nasty orangish gunk building up along the waterline that I have to scrub off. I definitely do not have a chlorine odor - but when in the tub there is a distinct smell to the bubbles. I am not sure I'll make it 2 weeks with baqua. What is the downside to chlorine other than the smell? To be honest I kind of like the chlorine smell, LOL.