Ours are only a couple feet from the edge of the pool. We must have a lot of pressure because we can shoot them up probably 15-20 ft high (actually clear over the pool). We can adjust how high we want them to be. The kids play in them, but I have to get after them when they do it too much because we lose too much water out of the pool. I think if they're angled the right way (pointing more upwards instead of more towards the pool), a couple feet from the edge would be fine.

DocZ, This area is often ignored, but it should also have an expansion joint. Joints are particularly helpful if the deck is poured all around the back of the spa. If the deck is only 3' or so, then the deck installer may be counting on the nearest expansions on either side of the spa to do the job. Concrete generally shrinks slightly after its poured.

Based on what I am paying for my pool, I'd say that is in the ballpark. I'd inquire about what kind of timer/control you are getting. I left that in limbo and it is a lesson learned for me as I am getting charged a couple hundred more dollars than what I think is fair (which would be to pay parts upgrade cost only) to upgrade to automation. You'll find that, since the salt is already imcluded, they can upgrade to a controller that includes the salt for just a couple hundred more dollars. Of course, after the fact they will want to charge you alot more. Poke around the web and find out what I am talking about when buying the salt cell (with the needed power box) and the salt cell that comes with the power box and automation - get part numbers for the equipment and be specific. You'd need some actuators too. Also, get more quotes and I bet you would find you can negoitate the price down some, should you choose to do so. Or atleast get them to include the automation, some fan jets etc.... Also, is there a seperate vacuum line or are they using the skimmer? I'd ask them for a seperate vac line if not. Lastly - if you think you want a waterfall someday, go ahead and ask them to plumb it now and cap the pipe. Then it is there when you want to add one later.

My bad - I guess I didn't describe the situation clearly. The air is not coming up the wall and the valve is rotated to spa return. When the blower is on and we aren't sitting in the spa the spa boils (for lack of a better word - spas always look like boiling water to me) like any other spa except that one jet bubbles so strongly that the water regularly splashes up high enough to splash some water onto the deck (not a lot of water but some). When the blower is not on, we get what I consider to be a very pleasant force of water (and presumably air) from the jets but not that "ooh, let me put my sore muscle in front of that" force like with the blower - as it should be. And its not that the force from when the blower is on is painfully hard which I would expect if, say, the water pressure was too high. Its actually a very nice level of pressure. Its just that when I sit in front of the jet, the water splashes up so high that it gets on all up the back of my neck. Going back to boiling water analogy - its like our spa is at a full boil whereas our friends spa was more of a gentle boil (not as low as a simmer but not the full rolling boil of ours). I've tried angling the jets down but it doesn't seem to help. The best explanation I could think of was that too much air isscoming out of jet. Kind of like if I was blowing bubbles really hard through a straw rather than gently through a straw. That's why I thought a lower HP blower might help. Until I sat in my friends spa I just thought I was being picky - I mean, what's a little wet hair when you're sitting in a spa. But it was SO much more pleasant to sit in their spa that I'm more motivated to do something about it now. -M