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Hot Tub Shell Crack And Leak: How To Repair?


mader

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Hey all,

I have 2 cracks at the bottom of one seat in my hot tub. Each crack is about 3-4" long and it is causing a leak on the underside of the tub. I just looked underneath and it is dripping just below each crack.

My hot tub is a costco keys backyard. I believe it is acrylic on the surface. The underside of the tub is colored yellow/brown-ish. Not sure if this is fiberglass? Seems like a one piece tub to me.

Anyway....how should I repair this?

Thanks,.

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Hey all,

I have 2 cracks at the bottom of one seat in my hot tub. Each crack is about 3-4" long and it is causing a leak on the underside of the tub. I just looked underneath and it is dripping just below each crack.

My hot tub is a costco keys backyard. I believe it is acrylic on the surface. The underside of the tub is colored yellow/brown-ish. Not sure if this is fiberglass? Seems like a one piece tub to me.

Anyway....how should I repair this?

Thanks,.

Send it back to Costco for a full refund. Don't bother trying to fix it. There are plenty more problems coming. Start with a new one if it's more than a few years old.

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The Costco based spas aren't the absolute best way to go, as a lot of their manufacturers frankly go bankrupt. I believe Keys was one of them.

Ultimately though, if you have 3-4" cracks in the bottom of the spa, although they can be patched, there really is no guarantee they don't just split back open again. It can be a lot of work to properly repair those cracks, with absolutely no guarantee the patch holds. Could last 3 days, could last 3 years. There's really no guarantee.

If your spa is relatively new, Costco has a pretty good refund/return policy. If it's something you can't get replaced or refunded, I'd consider shopping one of your local hot tub dealers for a new spa. Unless of course you're really handy and just want to try patching it anyways.

EDIT: I would have sworn I read that Keys Backyard filed for bankruptcy at some point. But apparently they're the Home Depot hot tub now. :) Maybe they'll warranty the spa... :D

http://keys-spas.com/default.jsp

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Okay here's where I read about the bankruptcy. I knew I wasn't going nuts. :)

http://www.poolspanews.com/2007/112/112topnews.html

Wow, even found an "Involuntary" US Banktruptcy Court Order...

http://keys.pszjlaw.com/uploaded/Keys%20Ba...ion%20Order.pdf

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Ya, I hear you guys. But a built a deck around it and removing it would be a bear.

The cracks are in a specific spot. Its more or less a 1 ft sq section of the tub that houses the volcano jet. It juts out on 2 sides, and seems to be an obvious area to sag. I can tell from underneath it doesn't look to be supported directly to the frame of the hot tub. My thought is to add a 1' pressured treated 2x4 to support that area, and then patch the cracks.

I'm not sure what kind of acrylic patch I need, do I need to seal the underside as well, etc?

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I'm by no means the expert on this sort of thing. Our technician who does crack repairs (and does a fantastic job at that) generally shy's away from doing them in the first place. Generally, a properly patched crack should actually be patched from the backside, not the water side.

My guess is, your spa likely has a fiberglass backing under that acrylic shell. So you'll probably be using fiberglass for part of your patch work I'd be guessing.

Perhaps someone else with more expertise in this area can give you some advice.

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I'm by no means the expert on this sort of thing. Our technician who does crack repairs (and does a fantastic job at that) generally shy's away from doing them in the first place. Generally, a properly patched crack should actually be patched from the backside, not the water side.

My guess is, your spa likely has a fiberglass backing under that acrylic shell. So you'll probably be using fiberglass for part of your patch work I'd be guessing.

Perhaps someone else with more expertise in this area can give you some advice.

Yes, thanks. I've been scouring the web for "how to articles". Seems like I have to patch the underside with a fiberglass patch and the tub side with an acrylic patch. Maybe I can use one on both sides.....still not sure.

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Yes, thanks. I've been scouring the web for "how to articles". Seems like I have to patch the underside with a fiberglass patch and the tub side with an acrylic patch. Maybe I can use one on both sides.....still not sure.

Return it to Costco...trust me your problems have just begun.

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Hey all,

I have 2 cracks at the bottom of one seat in my hot tub. Each crack is about 3-4" long and it is causing a leak on the underside of the tub. I just looked underneath and it is dripping just below each crack.

My hot tub is a costco keys backyard. I believe it is acrylic on the surface. The underside of the tub is colored yellow/brown-ish. Not sure if this is fiberglass? Seems like a one piece tub to me.

Anyway....how should I repair this?

Thanks,.

Send it back to Costco for a full refund. Don't bother trying to fix it. There are plenty more problems coming. Start with a new one if it's more than a few years old.

I am with Roger on this one. The best thing about Costco tubs is the return policy. Give them it back and let them worry about it.

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I called Costco today. They said I can bring to my local store or they will pick it up. Not sure how I can get it out of my deck though.

I did get to examine the 2 cracks closely from above and blow. There look to be caused by the second step into the tub. That step has a small bit of inflection when you step in it. That stress appears to transfer to the 2 cracks just below the step. From underneath, I can see that the tub is not really supported at the spot, hence the inflection when you step on it. I cut a couple of short 2x4s and shimmed them in between the shell and the frame. That has helped some, but not sure if it will take all future stress off of it. My plan would be to seal the crack and if the stress is reduced or eliminated, it should last.

Wondering if re-sealing the crack impacts the return at costco?

If you saw how its built into my deck, you would try a couple of things to fix it too!

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So in my infinite wisdom (or stupidity) I am attempting the repair myself. If this does not work, I am returning the costco (and taking apart part of my deck).

I added two ~7" 2x4's between the PT wood frame at the bottom of the tub and the underside of the shell where the stress is present. I then sprayed a couple cans of wide gap foam spray into the area. I hit around where the added 2x4s touch the underside if the shell.

Then I drilled small holes at the end of each crack for relief. Then, I got an acrylic tub and shower crack repair kit....mixed that stuff up, and applied it the cracks. Waiting for that the dry, sand, finish.....then refill.

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So in my infinite wisdom (or stupidity) I am attempting the repair myself. If this does not work, I am returning the costco (and taking apart part of my deck).

I added two ~7" 2x4's between the PT wood frame at the bottom of the tub and the underside of the shell where the stress is present. I then sprayed a couple cans of wide gap foam spray into the area. I hit around where the added 2x4s touch the underside if the shell.

Then I drilled small holes at the end of each crack for relief. Then, I got an acrylic tub and shower crack repair kit....mixed that stuff up, and applied it the cracks. Waiting for that the dry, sand, finish.....then refill.

Sounds good. May the force be with you my son!

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Patch is complete. I'll be doing a test fill tonight!

One wild card is the heater. I had to remove it (and the section of pipe it is attached to) to get access to the repair spot. Well, I didn't pay that close attention to when I removed it, but it seems like its back right.

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Patch is complete. I'll be doing a test fill tonight!

One wild card is the heater. I had to remove it (and the section of pipe it is attached to) to get access to the repair spot. Well, I didn't pay that close attention to when I removed it, but it seems like its back right.

Yea those tubs are kinda messy/morphadite plumbing in the equipment bay. You'll know when you fire it up if its right.

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  • 10 years later...
On 8/13/2009 at 11:34 AM, mader said:

Update. The cracks have been patched. I refilled last night and no leaking as of this morning. I took a soak last night to enjoy the fruits of my labor. I will feel more confident in the fix after about a week of no leaking, but so far so good!

Underside: sprayed a couple cans of wide gap foam spray into the area. I hit around where the added 2x4s touch the underside if the shell.

Surface inside tub: drilled small holes at the end of each crack for relief. Then, I got an acrylic tub and shower crack repair kit....mixed that stuff up, 

How long has your repair lasted? The spray foam meant as additional support to the 2*4s contacting the underside and not to stop the leak, right? So you really only sealed from the inside of the tub.

My leak is between two fiberglass areas of the tub where the filter joins the main tub at one corner. I am hoping there's a high temp silicone caulk I can put in the underside gap. 

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