On Sun, 24 Aug 2003 04:13:48 GMT, "John"
wrote:

I do not know if this is the right newsgroup or not, but I couldn't find any
others that might be close. I am considering buying a spa from a warehouse
type location and not a retail dealer as the price seems to be better. The
brand is lifesprings spa and the type of material that they use is called
duraflex. The model I am considering is the 8000 model. It has a 4 hp motor
and 2 speeds. Is anyone familiar with this spa or company. Also, I live in
CA and wondering if anyone know if having the GFCI located in the structure
of the spa is legal?

The key to the spa differences are warranties, both on shell and
mechanicals, plus the construction. The longer the warrantry, the
better the quality, and in many areas, wood constrcution is less
preferable than all plastic/ABS. That includes both cabinet materials
and frame. Beyond that, two pumps (actually three for most two-pump
spas since the filtration pump is separate) will seem more powerful,
and the rest is jets and adjustability. The best way to check is a
wet test, and the discount stores often don't have them available.

Check your code, but most will require a GFCI protected circuit with a
cutoff switch in sight of the spa and at least five feet from the
water. Your electrician will often install a "spa panel" which is a
50 amp GFCI breaker in a box, mounted on a wall that meets the above
conditions. Then it's three wires (Red, Black and Green, no neutral
past the GFCI) to the spa controller on the spa itself. Note that
there are 110 V "plug in" spas available that just use a GFCI outlet.
Locally, code allows you to install your own wiring (with a permit)
but the spa dealers won't make the actual electrical hookup since code
requires a homeowner or licensed electrician to do this.

Do some Googling, there are plenty of spa and pool sites with advice
forums. Also, the manufacturer sites provide decent comparison info.

Gotta go, I'm actually off to order a Jacuzzi(tm) spa this morning,
the one I chose after all the research. It'll be about $1,500 more
than the discount store model of the same size, but has a much longer
warranty, second pump, and no wood to rot/attract insects. Plus I get
a reputable dealer with local service. Been through too many discount
store horror stories in the past...

Jeff