I was given a 1998 Hotsprings Sovereign by my wifes coworker. I've never had a hot tub before. As far as they know, the only things wrong with it is a small leak, they think in the PVC. They said the secondary board is out ( I think that means the secondary controls). I want to plug this thing in and check it out before I waste a bunch of time and money. It looks like its in good shape. I live in Ohio and want to be able to drain before it freezes in case something is wrong. What is the minimum amount of water I can put in just to check things out? Is there a dye that you can use to find a leak? What should I look for before filling it up and calling it good ( filters, pumps..things like that)? What is the value of this hot tub so that I don't spend more than its worth?
Thanks in advance!

you'll need to fill it all the way. There is a dye you can use, generally it's 6oz. per fill. Yes, it is probably the second interior control that is not working, I wouldn't worry about that now. There are several posts here about looking for a leak in a HotSpring. My suspsicions would be a 1/4" bleedline attaching the the interiror of the motomassage compartment, then again it could be a component leak in the equipment compartment that was overlooked. I would sell that that as pre-owned with a new cover for about $3500. delivered, etc. It's worth fixing. You'll get a lot of help here or email our store and we can help as well.