Milkman Posted May 27, 2009 Report Share Posted May 27, 2009 1st off, hello to everyone on the Forum! Just want to let everyone know that I am new to the forum as well as new to owning a hot tub. So please cut me a little slack if I am a little off on my terminology & descriptions. A few weeks ago we picked up a used 2003 Arctic Spa Summit. Price was right & we were told by the previous owner that it had some leaks & they were just going to get a new one as this one was off of warranty. Brought it to our house, leveled it, set it up & got it all wired in. Inspect everything & found 1 diverter valve was cross threaded & had cracked. I replaced the valve, hand cleaned the tub & filled it up. Turned it on & everything worked normaly. Found 2 more leaks, 1 from a crack on the light lens & the other around the control above the diverter valve that was cracked. Ran a bottle of spa cleaner through the tub, drained it & hand cleaned it again. Spoke to the local hot tub store about what to seal the leaks with & was told to just use waterpoof silicone from the hardware store. Picked up a tube, sealed the light & around the control valve. Allowed 48 hours for it to dry. We filled the tub again, let it heat up & adjusted the chemicals. Everything seemed good for about 2 days & then the silicone started to bubble & come off around the light & the control, now my leaks are back!! I'm thinking obviously the silicone that was recomened can not take the heat & bromine as it is just getting eaten away. So what should I use?? I'm just going to order a new light assembly & start from scratch there. As for the control, should there be a seal ring under there? When I took the control out it appeared to have the remains of a sealing ring in there. Should I still use a little silicone as extra security with a new light & possibly a new control seal? Thanks in advance for your help! Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Posted May 27, 2009 Report Share Posted May 27, 2009 1st off, hello to everyone on the Forum! Just want to let everyone know that I am new to the forum as well as new to owning a hot tub. So please cut me a little slack if I am a little off on my terminology & descriptions. A few weeks ago we picked up a used 2003 Arctic Spa Summit. Price was right & we were told by the previous owner that it had some leaks & they were just going to get a new one as this one was off of warranty. Brought it to our house, leveled it, set it up & got it all wired in. Inspect everything & found 1 diverter valve was cross threaded & had cracked. I replaced the valve, hand cleaned the tub & filled it up. Turned it on & everything worked normaly. Found 2 more leaks, 1 from a crack on the light lens & the other around the control above the diverter valve that was cracked. Ran a bottle of spa cleaner through the tub, drained it & hand cleaned it again. Spoke to the local hot tub store about what to seal the leaks with & was told to just use waterpoof silicone from the hardware store. Picked up a tube, sealed the light & around the control valve. Allowed 48 hours for it to dry. We filled the tub again, let it heat up & adjusted the chemicals. Everything seemed good for about 2 days & then the silicone started to bubble & come off around the light & the control, now my leaks are back!! I'm thinking obviously the silicone that was recomened can not take the heat & bromine as it is just getting eaten away. So what should I use?? I'm just going to order a new light assembly & start from scratch there. As for the control, should there be a seal ring under there? When I took the control out it appeared to have the remains of a sealing ring in there. Should I still use a little silicone as extra security with a new light & possibly a new control seal? Thanks in advance for your help! Greg Get the new parts for sure and use a small amount of non petroleum lubricant on the rubber seals that come with the new parts. Magilube. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milkman Posted May 27, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 27, 2009 Get the new parts for sure So there is a seal that goes under the diverter control then? use a small amount of non petroleum lubricant on the rubber seals that come with the new parts. Magilube. Can I pick Magilube up any Arctic Spa dealer? Would you still recomend silicone in addition to the new parts & Magilube, like around the perimeter of the new light lens? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Posted May 28, 2009 Report Share Posted May 28, 2009 Get the new parts for sure So there is a seal that goes under the diverter control then? use a small amount of non petroleum lubricant on the rubber seals that come with the new parts. Magilube. Can I pick Magilube up any Arctic Spa dealer? Would you still recomend silicone in addition to the new parts & Magilube, like around the perimeter of the new light lens? Not sure what type of diverter Arctic uses but most have seals. With new seals for the light and diverter you should not need silicon. Most dealers around here have magilube, or type it into a search engine and order it online. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Beluga Posted May 28, 2009 Report Share Posted May 28, 2009 1st off, hello to everyone on the Forum! Just want to let everyone know that I am new to the forum as well as new to owning a hot tub. So please cut me a little slack if I am a little off on my terminology & descriptions. A few weeks ago we picked up a used 2003 Arctic Spa Summit. Price was right & we were told by the previous owner that it had some leaks & they were just going to get a new one as this one was off of warranty. Brought it to our house, leveled it, set it up & got it all wired in. Inspect everything & found 1 diverter valve was cross threaded & had cracked. I replaced the valve, hand cleaned the tub & filled it up. Turned it on & everything worked normaly. Found 2 more leaks, 1 from a crack on the light lens & the other around the control above the diverter valve that was cracked. Ran a bottle of spa cleaner through the tub, drained it & hand cleaned it again. Spoke to the local hot tub store about what to seal the leaks with & was told to just use waterpoof silicone from the hardware store. Picked up a tube, sealed the light & around the control valve. Allowed 48 hours for it to dry. We filled the tub again, let it heat up & adjusted the chemicals. Everything seemed good for about 2 days & then the silicone started to bubble & come off around the light & the control, now my leaks are back!! I'm thinking obviously the silicone that was recomened can not take the heat & bromine as it is just getting eaten away. So what should I use?? I'm just going to order a new light assembly & start from scratch there. As for the control, should there be a seal ring under there? When I took the control out it appeared to have the remains of a sealing ring in there. Should I still use a little silicone as extra security with a new light & possibly a new control seal? Thanks in advance for your help! Greg If all else fails, try a epoxy glue. They make one for underwater applications. You an buy it at any pool supply or hardware store (Lowes, etc). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milkman Posted May 28, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 28, 2009 Thanks for the tips everyone! I am going to head over to the Arctic Spa dealer this weekend to order a new light & the gasket for under the diverter valve, as well as some Magilube. At this point the leaks are just a few drips now & then, I have ice cream pails under them just in case for now. When I drain the tub next, probably in June, I will post how I made out. Wish me luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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