Hot Springs Tiver River Leaking

[Rover1]

My 1999 Hot Springs Tiger River Spa has developed a leak. We found one located in the corner where the connections for the jets were spurting water when the jets were running. Now there is another leak somewhere. Water is appearing in the front of the spa, under the access panel for the pumps--not leaking, already looked there--and also along the side where the previous leak and the lounge is located. We tipped the spa up and checked for leaks underneath--nothing. Short of taking all the side panels off and digging out more insulation, is there anyway to check for leaking.

Also what is the best material and way to rebuild the panels?

[widespreadhawk]

My 1999 Hot Springs Tiger River Spa has developed a leak. We found one located in the corner where the connections for the jets were spurting water when the jets were running. Now there is another leak somewhere. Water is appearing in the front of the spa, under the access panel for the pumps--not leaking, already looked there--and also along the side where the previous leak and the lounge is located. We tipped the spa up and checked for leaks underneath--nothing. Short of taking all the side panels off and digging out more insulation, is there anyway to check for leaking.

Also what is the best material and way to rebuild the panels?

Man - that stinks. I just had problems like this with my 1999 Tiger River Bengal. My dealer wanted $2k+ to pull it out, determine where the leaks were at, then deliver it back to us. No guarantee they could fix all the potential leaks!

We ended up buying a new spa.

Good luck - the foam in there makes it very difficult to find leaks but it can be fixed.

[Roger]

My 1999 Hot Springs Tiger River Spa has developed a leak. We found one located in the corner where the connections for the jets were spurting water when the jets were running. Now there is another leak somewhere. Water is appearing in the front of the spa, under the access panel for the pumps--not leaking, already looked there--and also along the side where the previous leak and the lounge is located. We tipped the spa up and checked for leaks underneath--nothing. Short of taking all the side panels off and digging out more insulation, is there anyway to check for leaking.

Also what is the best material and way to rebuild the panels?

Its a slow process and I prefer tipping and following wet foam to the source and repairing. But if you make sure it's full, shut it off or monitor it closely so it does not go below the pump pickup. And follow the water level to where it stops leaking you will have the height of the leak and any fittings or jets or pickups at that level will be suspect.

[Dan.The.Spa.Man]

Make sure it is not the light lens. It it is leaking, the water will not be visible on the motor compartment floor. It would seep down behing the compartment, into the foam, and could leak out anywhere. You may have to take out the metal shield over the light in that year, can't remember. Look for calcium deposits or rust around the lens from inside the compartment.

[ps558]

My 1999 Hot Springs Tiger River Spa has developed a leak. We found one located in the corner where the connections for the jets were spurting water when the jets were running. Now there is another leak somewhere. Water is appearing in the front of the spa, under the access panel for the pumps--not leaking, already looked there--and also along the side where the previous leak and the lounge is located. We tipped the spa up and checked for leaks underneath--nothing. Short of taking all the side panels off and digging out more insulation, is there anyway to check for leaking.

Also what is the best material and way to rebuild the panels?

Didn't at one time Dimension One spas have a blue die to add to the water to discolor the foam to aid locating the leak?

[Rover1]

Thanks for all the info. Our dealer went out of business a couple of months ago. Prior to that they wanted $95 an hour just to drive to our place (1 hour away), then additional $95/hr plus parts while they would debate where the leaks were. We're going to put it up on supports to raise it a couple of inches from the concrete pad and see if we can determine where it leaks. Haven't checked the lens, that's going to be the next spot for sure.

Any suggestions for replacing the cabinet? It's splintering more than coming off a "picket" at a time.

[ScubaMike]

My 1999 Hot Springs Tiger River Spa has developed a leak. We found one located in the corner where the connections for the jets were spurting water when the jets were running. Now there is another leak somewhere. Water is appearing in the front of the spa, under the access panel for the pumps--not leaking, already looked there--and also along the side where the previous leak and the lounge is located. We tipped the spa up and checked for leaks underneath--nothing. Short of taking all the side panels off and digging out more insulation, is there anyway to check for leaking.

Also what is the best material and way to rebuild the panels?

Do you have an ozone system in it? If so and it's leaking from the equipment bay, have you checked to see if your ozone check valve is clogged with undisolved solids? easy to do, turn the power off to the tub and see if it starts spraying/dripping water from the check valve. Follow the line from ozone black box and it should lead to the check valve. This is common and is why you should clean your ozone once a year with a cup full of white vinegar. Just a thought, since that usually explains quite a few leaks from the equipment bays in Hot Spring Spas with ozone.

[Rover1]

My 1999 Hot Springs Tiger River Spa has developed a leak. We found one located in the corner where the connections for the jets were spurting water when the jets were running. Now there is another leak somewhere. Water is appearing in the front of the spa, under the access panel for the pumps--not leaking, already looked there--and also along the side where the previous leak and the lounge is located. We tipped the spa up and checked for leaks underneath--nothing. Short of taking all the side panels off and digging out more insulation, is there anyway to check for leaking.

Also what is the best material and way to rebuild the panels?

Do you have an ozone system in it? If so and it's leaking from the equipment bay, have you checked to see if your ozone check valve is clogged with undisolved solids? easy to do, turn the power off to the tub and see if it starts spraying/dripping water from the check valve. Follow the line from ozone black box and it should lead to the check valve. This is common and is why you should clean your ozone once a year with a cup full of white vinegar. Just a thought, since that usually explains quite a few leaks from the equipment bays in Hot Spring Spas with ozone.

We do have an ozone system in it and it appears to be okay. Thanks for the tip on cleaning it, we were concerned about this also. We have it supported on 2x4's right now and have located a leak under the lounge area, about 30 inches in from the side. We're going to let it leak down until it stops and then try to pin point what is around in that area. Looks like it might be the two foot massage jets located on the side of the lounge or even the bottom drain. It's definitely going to be a challenge to get all the foam dug out around it! If we find the leaks and can repair then--I think it's going to be worth a beer celebration.

[make_shift]

Thanks for all the info. Our dealer went out of business a couple of months ago. Prior to that they wanted $95 an hour just to drive to our place (1 hour away), then additional $95/hr plus parts while they would debate where the leaks were. We're going to put it up on supports to raise it a couple of inches from the concrete pad and see if we can determine where it leaks. Haven't checked the lens, that's going to be the next spot for sure.

Any suggestions for replacing the cabinet? It's splintering more than coming off a "picket" at a time.

I am in the same boat, I am constantly fixing the air jets on myn, the blower jets are all cracking to age-also at different times, right now, I just fixed 2 and there is something else leaking slowly, myn is a 99, not the same type as yours, but I have become quite the surgeon on our tub, don't be afraid to save yourself a couple grand to be spent on toys for your tub later, like myn

our dealer went under also, and all the other guys are up in the same $ range for 'visiting', screw that, I will go it myself, with these people in here, I can do some pretty good damage on my own. have faith, you may surprise yourself.

the funniest thing I heard was the lifespan of a spa was 8-10 yrs, then throw it out and get a new one? what is that about? k, I have 8grand lying around, let me just do that...whatever

[Rover1]

Thanks for all the info. Our dealer went out of business a couple of months ago. Prior to that they wanted $95 an hour just to drive to our place (1 hour away), then additional $95/hr plus parts while they would debate where the leaks were. We're going to put it up on supports to raise it a couple of inches from the concrete pad and see if we can determine where it leaks. Haven't checked the lens, that's going to be the next spot for sure.

Any suggestions for replacing the cabinet? It's splintering more than coming off a "picket" at a time.

I am in the same boat, I am constantly fixing the air jets on myn, the blower jets are all cracking to age-also at different times, right now, I just fixed 2 and there is something else leaking slowly, myn is a 99, not the same type as yours, but I have become quite the surgeon on our tub, don't be afraid to save yourself a couple grand to be spent on toys for your tub later, like myn

our dealer went under also, and all the other guys are up in the same $ range for 'visiting', screw that, I will go it myself, with these people in here, I can do some pretty good damage on my own. have faith, you may surprise yourself.

the funniest thing I heard was the lifespan of a spa was 8-10 yrs, then throw it out and get a new one? what is that about? k, I have 8grand lying around, let me just do that...whatever

Well, surgery has begun. We put the tub up on 2X4's, filled it with water and watched to see where the drips started. Looks like it's around the foot well jets located on the bottom of the lounge area. Dug some of the foam out, enough to uncover plumbing for the center drain and some of the T lines. Put the tub back on 2x4'x and filled it up to just above the lounge. Leaked like crazy. Tipped it back over and dug out more of the foam. Found it soaking wet around the area of the foot jet of lounge. Still digging out foam. I'll definitely let you guys know what we encounter! I'm an engineer and I don't plan on giving up the fight until I find the leak.

[JohnnyJ]

(THREAD RESURRECTION ALERT)

Wow... my heart goes out to ya....

Not sure if this helps anyone... but let me add to your situation. It might help others with "leaks";

I've got a couple leaks myself.

And, I own a Tiger River Bengal as well (M model).

I found my check-valve in the equipment compartment (up high and to the left) had been leaking.

... Not sure if it's just old (I hear they only have a 5-7yr lifespan), but at the cost of a new one ($14) I'm not complaining.

I also found my ozone hose crumbling apart, and had to remove it completely as the ozonater wasn't producing (dead). So I capped off that T intersection as well.

I even thought my heater was leaking, but I'm 99% sure it was the check-valve continuing to leak down onto other components. I'm buying a check valve today, and will find out if it helped my overall water problem on the equipment door side.

TO add to this, I do have a leak that drips down on the opposite side of the Spa. It's dripping behind the paneling, and onto the concrete. So, after reading your leaky story... I'm not so inclined to go digging around just yet. And I'm not sure if it's from the spa cover (and when I run the jets with the cover on), or if it's a leak from a crack, jet, or other issue that I can't see.

To add to all this;

I had a $85/hr guy come out and diagnose my leak (I was being lazy, and wasn't sure where to start).... he said, "oh... here..." and took out my ozone hose, ozonater... and left with my $85 in 15minutes. 3hrs later... it was still leaking. So I took on the troubleshooting myself. Once I called the spa store back to alert them to the repair guy and how he really didn't want to be at my house (he had other things on his mind for sure!)... they offered up a re-visit waiving the initial "house call" fee. It took me half a day of drying, watching, drying, watching... to figure out part of the issues.

This site is great, as I listen and read people sharing knowledge and experiences.

[mader]

Sorry man. Going through a leak issue myself on mine. Really makes you wonder why you bought one in the first place!

[JohnnyJ]

I hear ya!!

In fact, my Spa sits mostly... unused.

I'd say that I use it maaaaybe 4 times a month throughout the year.

... however it sits at 100+ every day, "just in case" I want to jump in and relax.

My Gas and Electric Company loves me.

Now that it's got a couple small "issues" I'm repairing, or working on... I thought it might be time to advertise (disclosing everything of course), and gain the patio space. BEFORE it gets worse... or used even less.

Decisions, decisions.

[mader]

I hear ya!!

In fact, my Spa sits mostly... unused.

I'd say that I use it maaaaybe 4 times a month throughout the year.

... however it sits at 100+ every day, "just in case" I want to jump in and relax.

My Gas and Electric Company loves me.

Now that it's got a couple small "issues" I'm repairing, or working on... I thought it might be time to advertise (disclosing everything of course), and gain the patio space. BEFORE it gets worse... or used even less.

Decisions, decisions.

Yep. Same here. I keep it at 102 degrees 24x7. You have to if you have a tub, in my opinion. It's a nice after-party late night thing, and I like having it, but the electric bill isn't good. I've been able to overlooked the electric bill but if i can't fix this leak, i'm returning it and will not replace.

[ttrublue]

Sorry to hear of all your troubles, spa should be a source of relaxation not frustration. Why cant they make a spa built like a house, insulation on ext. walls and doors all around for access? Perhaps manufactors count

on the frustrated spa owner to give up on trying to fix their spa and buying a new one. Good luck

[hot_water]

Sorry to hear of all your troubles, spa should be a source of relaxation not frustration. Why cant they make a spa built like a house, insulation on ext. walls and doors all around for access? Perhaps manufactors count

on the frustrated spa owner to give up on trying to fix their spa and buying a new one. Good luck

There are a number of spas that are built with removable panels and insulation on the outside, exactly as you suggest. Hotsprings products, Sundance, Dimension 1, CalSpa and several others use the "fully-foamed" construction method but its' by no means the only option. If done correctly, spas with "perimeter insulation" can insulate very well and they are easier to work on. At the high end, look at Arctic spas. For much less $$, Costco offers the Evolution spa, manufactured by Strong Pool and Spa. I don't believe that the Costco spa is the same quality as Arctic... but on the other hand Costco offers a full unlimited satisfaction warranty. In other words, if you get unhappy because it springs a leak or has some other problem.... you can take it back and they will give you a refund. With dealer spas, they will fix it during the warranty period (well, they're supposed to anyway) but no dealer will take it back and give you a refund.

As in all major purchases, do your homework first. That should include more than just reading the forum here. There's folks that'll try to steer you to what they sell.

I fully agree with you.... after paying a king's ransom, the last thing you need is to be frustrated and faced with huge repair bills. Who wants that?

[Rover1]

Thanks for all the information. We have finally gotten all the leaks fixed! It looked like the glue job at a couple of fittings was not completely performed. Of course one of these fittings was in the middle on the bottom. We dug out 6 garbage bags of foam before the fitting was completely uncovered and enough area was cleaned out to work around. We ended up using a two part mixture that you can form around the fitting in order to stop the leak. Also had to replace a check valve--the plastic just fell apart. We used the spray foam insulation to reseal everything, although we did put plastic wrap around the fittings, in case we need to dig in there again. The insulation value on full foam may be great, but there should be some way to get to the all the fittings better for repairs.

I'm waiting to see how some friends of ours are going to get along with their new South Pacific Spa. It has removable panels and blocks of foam for insulation. One item I particularly like about it, is the cover that flips back and becomes the head rests and only one person is needed to uncover it. I'm anxious to see how it is going to handle our winters here in WV.

[Rover1]

Well the latest on our Tiger River Bengal is not good. We got to enjoy it for four months after repairing the leaks we found. As the hot tub gremlins smiled upon us--we now have another leak. Looks like a big one, wet concrete on the right side of the tub. Water level sank about two inches in three days. We're holding out for the heat wave to end so we can start looking for this leak. Does it ever end?

[Dan.The.Spa.Man]

Well the latest on our Tiger River Bengal is not good. We got to enjoy it for four months after repairing the leaks we found. As the hot tub gremlins smiled upon us--we now have another leak. Looks like a big one, wet concrete on the right side of the tub. Water level sank about two inches in three days. We're holding out for the heat wave to end so we can start looking for this leak. Does it ever end?

Is it wet near the seat with the bank of 10 small "Precision" jets? If so you may have some glue joint leaks there.

[Rover1]

Well the latest on our Tiger River Bengal is not good. We got to enjoy it for four months after repairing the leaks we found. As the hot tub gremlins smiled upon us--we now have another leak. Looks like a big one, wet concrete on the right side of the tub. Water level sank about two inches in three days. We're holding out for the heat wave to end so we can start looking for this leak. Does it ever end?

Is it wet near the seat with the bank of 10 small "Precision" jets? If so you may have some glue joint leaks there.

We had a spa tech replace those jets on a previous repair. We found a glue joint leak in the middle of the tub where all the lines connect. Repaired that also. The majority of the water seems to be leaking along the right hand side of the tub from the lounge area back, also in the back of the tub. I've also noticed a small seepage along the front and front left corner under the filter location. We've decided to let it go until the weather cools down enough to work on it. 98 in the sun on concrete is a bit much to work in, especially when you have to dig out all that foam (again).

[m4mica]

Well the latest on our Tiger River Bengal is not good. We got to enjoy it for four months after repairing the leaks we found. As the hot tub gremlins smiled upon us--we now have another leak. Looks like a big one, wet concrete on the right side of the tub. Water level sank about two inches in three days. We're holding out for the heat wave to end so we can start looking for this leak. Does it ever end?

Is it wet near the seat with the bank of 10 small "Precision" jets? If so you may have some glue joint leaks there.

We had a spa tech replace those jets on a previous repair. We found a glue joint leak in the middle of the tub where all the lines connect. Repaired that also. The majority of the water seems to be leaking along the right hand side of the tub from the lounge area back, also in the back of the tub. I've also noticed a small seepage along the front and front left corner under the filter location. We've decided to let it go until the weather cools down enough to work on it. 98 in the sun on concrete is a bit much to work in, especially when you have to dig out all that foam (again).

FWIW - we had a leak in the same area on our Bengal. In our case it was a reducer fitting that led to the upper jet in the seat diagonal from the lounge. The fitting was located in the middle of the spa, under the raised seat directly opposite the control panel. Had to put the tub on it's side and dig from the bottom. There was a channel in the foam which made it hard to find. Not sure if it's the same thing with yours or not. The way to check is partially drain the tub and run your hose through the upper jet. Good luck, we're still in the process of fixing ours.

[Firsttimeowner]

okay, I'm going to check the coupler... but I have water slowly dripping out of the "exhaust" on the very lower right side of the hottub. This is a 2002 Bengal M and I haven't had any problems up to this point. Am I going to chase this for months or is there something specific I should be looking for?

[Peteyboy]

I'm not sure if that year has it, but it could be a bad air check valve. It would leak out of the round hole with a screen under the corner. They replaced the air check valve with a Hartford Loop with a check valve. Might be worth a look.

[Firsttimeowner]

I'm not sure if that year has it, but it could be a bad air check valve. It would leak out of the round hole with a screen under the corner. They replaced the air check valve with a Hartford Loop with a check valve. Might be worth a look.

Could anyone tell me where the air check valve is?

[Peteyboy]

I'm not sure if that year has it, but it could be a bad air check valve. It would leak out of the round hole with a screen under the corner. They replaced the air check valve with a Hartford Loop with a check valve. Might be worth a look.

Could anyone tell me where the air check valve is?

If it has one it will be in the equipment area. Look for a hose 3/4" that looks like a couple loops with a check valve inline. If it has this then it already has the hartford loop. The one that fails has 3/4" hoses coming out of the top and side while the other side has a 1/4" hose. If you have this one replace it with the hartford loop and your leak from the screen hole should stop.