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I am very impressed with the Endless Pools products with the large stainless enclosure. I've worked on a few of them over the years and I am impressed with the hydraulic system they use. Very robust. Most of the repairs I've done were related to poor water chemistry. John

I just had a customer in my area with the exact situation that you face. The selling dealer is gone and the current Master Spas dealer only services what he sells, not the installed base. Master Spas told me on the phone that they would cover everything for "their" customer, then reneged. You may get jammed with some or all of the repair bill. It seems hit or miss with them. John

I have a Midwest GFCI box, which I think has a Seimens GFCI breaker switch. The breaker switch has 3 terminals. I get 230V (actually 245V) across 2 of the terminals, and that's where I hooked up my hot leads. I have nothing else connected to the breaker switch itself, aside from the pigtail that goes to the box's neutral bar. Is this 3rd terminal, which I have nothing connected to, the load neutral you're talking about? Here's a crude MS Paint sketch of what I've got in the GFCI box. Are you saying the white neutral line from the spa actually needs to go to the open terminal on the GFCI breaker switch, and not to the neutral bar in the GFCI box? You've miswired the load neutral. Load neutral goes to the neutral terminal of the GFCI. John

My suggestion is to REPLACE the cracked volute, any other cracked components, the shaft seal and the large o-ring. Then, plumb it back up exactly as you found it. If this could possibly be freeze damage, I strongly suggest replacing the entire wet end. But that's me. John

The XP2 pumps come in a 48 frame or a 56 frame configuration. The proper HP can be determined from the amperage listed on the motor tag. John

The electronics in the Sundance 880 series and the electronics in the HS tub are much higher quality than the electronics in the Chelsee. John

Sounds like your electrician either needs a serious update on Code, or something more. GFCI breakers are required. Plus, GFCI breakers really only trip for a couple reasons: 1) Improper wiring or electrical short (causing power to ground) or 2) Bad GFCI breaker. 3) Pulling to much amperage through the breaker. So if this electrician is getting call backs for "nuisance" trips, there's probably something wrong with the wiring. Make sure the wire size is correct for 60amp service. Not only from the disconnect to the spa, but also from the main power source to the disconnect. If the wire for instance is too small, pushing 60 amps through it could cause a electrical/fire hazard. ++++++1 Everyone else has touched on the necessity of the GFCI, but pay attention to this post. Double check all the wiring to ensure it is the proper size and type for your installation. If the electrician screwed up the breaker sizing, he could just as easily screwed up the ampacity of ALL the wiring. John

Watch the minimum flow rate when using an 11 kW heater and watch for excessive heat rise at the tub returns. Also, it is usually not a good idea to try to repair the original bronze and copper manifold. The copper especially wears thin over time and leaks (probably the issue you currently have). Any repair will probably not last very long at all. A replacement tank is generally far better. John

Article 680.8 of the NEC is probably the controlling code, although you should check with your local AHJ. 680.8 states that any overhead wiring between 0 and 750 volts must be at least 22.5 feet away from any point of the water surface. John

After $450 plus shipping, you then have to install the liner. Installing these liners takes great care and precision. One false move and your $450 liner is junk. On the other hand, I have not seen any product yet that will seal a wrinkled up and cracked liner. One or two small leaks can frequently be patched, but not a lot of wrinkle cracks. John

Does the pump ever shut off? I have seen were the filter cycles are set to long and it drives the heat up and gives a HL error. What model tub do you have? Yes, this is VERY common on some of the Maax tubs, especially with extended filtration times. John

HL sounds like a high limit error - where your spa thinks it's 118 or so degrees. If the water is moving like it should, isn't too hot, and you get the error, then replace the high limit sensor. On many of the Maax tubs, especially most of the Savannah series tubs that came out of Home Depot a few years ago, the high limit is NOT a replaceable part. The entire board may have to be changed if the HL is bad. Replacing the HL on these units would require a solder re-work station and the high limit. I've never found a source for these HL's. John

I'd bet a motor bearing or a loose mounting. John

The minimum flow rate for Balboa flow through heaters is 25 gpm. The small circ pumps will NOT deliver adequate flow. John I know Tiny Might circ pump have a higher gallon per min than most and are still small. Aqua Flo also makes a Circ master pump these are bit larger and move a little more water yet. The reason you can't find pictures is because no two manufactures do it the same way. The easy way is to add 2 new suctions or open holed jets that a 1 inch dia tubing can be glued to. Of course you will need to drill a hole in the shell, Its not hard a hole saw works great. you would connect one jet to the front of the circ pump then from out of the pump it will need to go to the heater. From the heater return to the spa water through the other jet. Use reinforced tubing Lowes sells it so it won't kink or collaspe with the warm water. I would not try to tie the circ pump in with a trunk line for the jet pump. You are right fixing a tub is always cheaper even better if you do the work on your own. Just take your time and don't over do it. That means don't go a high horse power pump. If you spa only has between 5-10 jet 1 to 1.5 Hp is enough and also if it is 1.5 inch pipe no bigger than a 2 hp pump. The Balboa packs can run either 110 or 220 volt equipment too

The Sundance controller you mentioned is possibly the BEST controller on the market today and you are comparing it to some of the junkier controllers on the market. You WILL get what you pay for. Get the good controller and keep the mice out. John

It is my understanding that Ohio is currently using the 2008 NEC as the basis for its electric code. I do not know what, if any, local modifications may be involved. However, unless you live in a major city, it is more likely that the state code will be controlling. John Sscott, I mentioned local codes as did John.... it probably goes by city or county rather than state. Your state will have codes that might differ from NEC but then again the locality has the final say on code issues. Where I live the state is not using the curent NEC, and the local codes are different still. Glad to hear you're going to use an electrician. I suggest that you hire him and then the two of you work out the details of what to install, how deep to trench, type of wire, etc. He should know your local codes and that way he's on the hook -- if he has problems he can't point at your work. And, you need to make sure your disconnect is in a good spot... NEC specs the min distance but some localities have differing max distances. Plus, you should work out the conduit run with the electrician to make sure that it'll pull easy... probably not an issue with your short run but too many bends can make the pull hard. You can still do the grunt work and save the money but now you will have a partner (with a license) for when the inspector comes. Don't forget that some localities have code requirements about spa placement as wwell... how close it can be to fences, property lines and such. I didn't know this when I installed my first spa and ended up moving it - fortunately it was only 6 inches... but I did have to drain it most of the way. I have debated with John before about grounding and equipotential grids under spas, because in my area and some others they don't enfore those rules for spas. But in your area they might. So in your case, it's a new electrical installation so you must be code compliant.... I think you really need to get a pro's advice up front. Good luck - be safe.

You need to give your location and whether the tub will be installed inside or outside before anyone can give accurate answers. John

One very solid reason for staying WITH the J-Pump is that the matching curved surfaces inside the union body allow a fair amount of flexibility on motor/pump positioning. Most other pumps do NOT have curved surfaces. As such, the plumbing must be precisely aligned for a leak-free fit. If the original factory plumbing does not mate perfectly, you may have to redo some of the plumbing in order to utilize a pump from the Aqua-flo, Waterway or Vico lines. Personally, I'd suggest spending a bit extra and staying with the J-Pump. Also, be aware that some of the Santina Plus models utilized a low flow circ pump, specifically the old Tiny Might circ pump. Jacuzzi had a lot of problems with proper flow rates and switched to a more robust circ pump. John

I called them too yesterday and they did say they blow out the lines but I always worry that they are just saying things to make me feel better. At least if it does have a problem I can point back to them and say you guys said it would be fine! Thanks for the advice everybody. It should arrive in the next hour or two. Temperatures in the upper 20's will not provide a hard freeze that is required for breaking pipes. You'd need sustained temps below 20 degrees or an overnight temp below 10 to 12 degrees to be dangerous. If you are nervous, go to Home Depot and buy an inexpensive 1500 watt fan heater. John

If the kink is severe, fix that first, even if you need to split the hose and install a 45 or 90 degree barbed coupling. John

Most tub mounted sensors on most brands do insulate around the rear of the sensor. John

Critical things to be checked include checking the amp draw of the tub, checking the loads for a ground fault with a megohmmeter and feeling the breaker to see if it is getting overly hot. Simply slapping a larger breaker in may not be safe. Much depends on the wire size and type. John

I'll second the "don't buy a Thermospas" remark. John

Someone needs to ohm out the sensors to check for obvious problems there. If not there, probably a bad board. John

Check for obstructions in the heater and on the return from the heater, such as at an ozone injector, if present. It does not sound like you have any obstructions, but it may be a partial obstruction and just enough to slow the overall flow through the heater, resulting in an overheat condition at the heater. Also, this could simply be a defective sensor, but evaluate for proper flow first. John