imnay Posted July 23, 2009 Report Share Posted July 23, 2009 I took the wrong track posting to a recent thread about a suspected leak in a Hot Springs spa. I would VERY MUCH appreciate any and all advice re how to track down a leak in a foam packed H.Springs spa. I have spent hours on the phone with Keith at Watkins Tech Support (Great tech person, BTW) and I have poured over jet, suction and air diagrams he sent to me. I have used red dye and spent hours trying to isolate for sure where I am losing water. Dealer tech and dealer recommended spa expert have examined the spa for hair line cracks in the shell without success. I am confident that none of the motor compartment plumbing is leaking (plus all components re-plumbed by dealer tech recently. I do believe that the leak is located within the front of the unit from the bottom drain to the motor compartment. Tomorrow I am planning to flip the unit onto its' side and do careful surgery cutting through the hard shell foam bottom and then carefully digging out tons of foam. Then I plan to put the spa right-side-up about two feet off the pad with support for all weight bearing areas, put water in and lie on my back watching for leaks - YIKES that sounds like a lot of work. ANY suggestions very much appreciated. There should be no reason why this leak can't be tracked down and Cathy and I would very much like to keep this spa plus we have replaced the ozonator, circulation pump and heater so we have a grand invested in saving this spa. Lady down the road has a pristine Grandee - NO LEAKS! - that I can buy for $600.00 - but it's way too big a spa for the two of us and trying to bring that monster to our house would be difficult and Tech Support says the Grandee would cost like three to four times the electricity to maintain - geez - I want to keep our Prodigy. Can someone tell me where I am going wrong finding this leak or is my plan the best plan. Roger - this is your cue to explain how you would find a Hot Springs leak in an hour and a half. Thank You and Thanks again. Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ttrublue Posted July 23, 2009 Report Share Posted July 23, 2009 I took the wrong track posting to a recent thread about a suspected leak in a Hot Springs spa. I would VERY MUCH appreciate any and all advice re how to track down a leak in a foam packed H.Springs spa. I have spent hours on the phone with Keith at Watkins Tech Support (Great tech person, BTW) and I have poured over jet, suction and air diagrams he sent to me. I have used red dye and spent hours trying to isolate for sure where I am losing water. Dealer tech and dealer recommended spa expert have examined the spa for hair line cracks in the shell without success. I am confident that none of the motor compartment plumbing is leaking (plus all components re-plumbed by dealer tech recently. I do believe that the leak is located within the front of the unit from the bottom drain to the motor compartment. Tomorrow I am planning to flip the unit onto its' side and do careful surgery cutting through the hard shell foam bottom and then carefully digging out tons of foam. Then I plan to put the spa right-side-up about two feet off the pad with support for all weight bearing areas, put water in and lie on my back watching for leaks - YIKES that sounds like a lot of work. ANY suggestions very much appreciated. There should be no reason why this leak can't be tracked down and Cathy and I would very much like to keep this spa plus we have replaced the ozonator, circulation pump and heater so we have a grand invested in saving this spa. Lady down the road has a pristine Grandee - NO LEAKS! - that I can buy for $600.00 - but it's way too big a spa for the two of us and trying to bring that monster to our house would be difficult and Tech Support says the Grandee would cost like three to four times the electricity to maintain - geez - I want to keep our Prodigy. Can someone tell me where I am going wrong finding this leak or is my plan the best plan. Roger - this is your cue to explain how you would find a Hot Springs leak in an hour and a half. Thank You and Thanks again. Jim Perhaps start by filling spa,leave power off and wait till level stops dropping.Suspect fittings will be those at waterline. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Posted July 23, 2009 Report Share Posted July 23, 2009 Roger - this is your cue to explain how you would find a Hot Springs leak in an hour and a half. Thank You and Thanks again. Jim Is the spa full and running. Cause it should be in order for the tech to tell you what to do to locate the leak. As stated in the above post allow the tub to leak down untill it stops. If your suspicion is right it should almost completely drain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ps558 Posted July 23, 2009 Report Share Posted July 23, 2009 Roger - this is your cue to explain how you would find a Hot Springs leak in an hour and a half. Thank You and Thanks again. Jim Is the spa full and running. Cause it should be in order for the tech to tell you what to do to locate the leak. As stated in the above post allow the tub to leak down untill it stops. If your suspicion is right it should almost completely drain. I know alot tech support says about flipping spa on its side. I never do it I just block it up with 4x4's and work from the bottom. It is harder yes, but one less move of the spa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
make_shift Posted July 24, 2009 Report Share Posted July 24, 2009 don't bother jacking it up, if you suspect a faulty piece of plumbing, let the tub leak out - you will have to remove power so you don't suction air when the level drops too much and wherever the water line stops, that' s where you need to look at the jets at that level, or possibly the skimmer, then if you can narrow down what side the leak is coming from by watching where the water makes a puddle, start removing foam from there. and work towards that jet. it is messy, I have done it 1000x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peteyboy Posted July 24, 2009 Report Share Posted July 24, 2009 I didn't see this asked in the posts. It may sound dumb, but did you happen to check the light lens? It will leak behind the equipment area plastic shroud so you won't see water in the equipment area. I hope Watkins asked that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Posted July 24, 2009 Report Share Posted July 24, 2009 I didn't see this asked in the posts. It may sound dumb, but did you happen to check the light lens? It will leak behind the equipment area plastic shroud so you won't see water in the equipment area. I hope Watkins asked that. I like to first reccommend that the customer leave the tub up and running so that a thorough inspection can be made of all the plumbing systems in the equipment area, including the light lens and drain lines. Then after that a power down to locate the leak level if not located during operation of all systems. After that a refill and die drain if it's not clear the first leak down. Most of this is done without tech time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan.The.Spa.Man Posted July 25, 2009 Report Share Posted July 25, 2009 What model and year is the tub? Also, FYI the Grandee will cost virtually nothing more to run and maintain. Couple bucks a month maybe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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