Cusser

Hmmm - all I can comment is how my own spa sits (and has sat, since 1988). The 7' square CalSpa sits on my 8-foot patio, there's less than 8" space between on of its sides and the block wall of the house. The other three sides are accessible. For maybe the first 15 years I didn't have a cover lifter or support at all. Then I got (from online spa pars dealer) a set of two brackets which mounted to the side of the spa, so I fold up the cover and let the cover rest against the brackets. Something like in the picture below except that my brackets angle up and have zero moving parts or wheels, see photo. I think the dealer is thinking that the cover "must" fold towards the house itself, instead of a different side. Some cover lifters will mount to the opposite sides (where mine mounts at one end like in the photo) so access to mount those could be an issue after initial installation if something goes wrong with the cover lifter or its mounting.

My spa has sat on my concrete patio since 1988.

That link is pretty good. And what I do, and if I need to shock I also use monopersulfate. Right now I can buy monopersulfate in stock at Lowes, and presumably at more-expensive pool stores.

You need to detail specifically and exactly what you did. For example, you did NOT add "4-6 tablespoons of bromine" because bromine is a dangerous liquid. So did you actually add sodium bromide powder like I suspect? Did you add any bromine tablets? What was your pH before you added any chemicals? I would say you'd be better-served to get a test kit that uses phenol red indicator for pH than the test strips. And a capful of pH reducer (likely sodium bisulfate powder) is not very much. And when pH is too low, common pH increasing chemicals are sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) and sodium carbonate.

How about a boom box with remote control, or one powered by batteries??? We use our indoor stereo but have two speakers mounted on the patio, activated by a switch. True: we cannot change stations or adjust volume while in the spa. We also have a remote-controlled TV hanging from the patio ceiling.

Can you check the resistance (ohms) across the heating element?

Could your pump be sucking in some air, and you're seeing tiny entrapped bubbles as the cloudiness? It seems that I observed a swimming pool that did this decades ago, had no external leak.

Air in system will cause low pressure, so pressure witch to heater will not activate.

My 1988 CalSpa is on my patio, covered by patio roof. I've had outdoor speakers hooked up to my indoor stereo setup for almost a dozen years. Plus I have a 37" HDTV which hangs from the patio ceiling, rotates, and obviously has a remote control.

Use an ant nest killer containing hydramethylnon or fipronil - will be shared and kill the entire nest.

I have not been able to find the leak in my '88 CalSpa for at least 6 years. It has one side near the house and cannot access. No leak in the equipment area either. My water loss is way less than yours though. I remove the filter, add Leak Seak like twice a year, works for me.

I think you're on the right track. If breaker dries out and still doesn't work, replace it. A multimeter can help confirm this. No, a GFCI does not transform the power up or down. I added my own 40-amp 240 VAC GFCI to my 1988 CalSpa, weren't required back in 1988 (installed inside the wood cabinet, so stays dry). I also wired and installed a 120 VAC GFCI outside for my above-ground pool; that has a cover, came from Home Depot and the pool pump simply plugs into that.

I saw the fork too ! And that spa is a lot simpler inside (and cleaner inside) than my 1988 CalSpa is.

I can attest to that !!!

That's a substantial leak.