JAV Posted March 12, 2012 Report Share Posted March 12, 2012 First post so be gentle- sorry for the length. I have a 2006 vanguard which has been great. Two winters ago, we had a really cold winter and the tub sits on an elevated wood deck which is pretty exposed. In the spring of 2011, we noticed a leak which appeared to be coming from the right side drain. After much research and contacting the local dealer, it was determined that the pipe behind the drain plug had cracked (freeze damage suspected) and it was patched. The leak improved greatly but we continued to see a very small drip under the deck. We were told it could be residual water and it was so small (maybe 1 drip every 30 seconds to 1 minute) that we just went ahead and monitored it. The tub lost almost negligable amounts of water considering we were using it . It would drop about 1 inch per month. Yesterday- I went under the deck on another matter and could hear a noise which sounded like a distant plane... and again saw that the drip is still there. The tub was on meaning- it's power up and to temperature but the jets were off. I went topside and could hear nothing at all. If i put my ear up to cabinet, I can hear the circulation pump hum but, under the tub, the noise is much louder. The dealer tells me it's possible but unlikey to be the circ pump as it has a bearingless magnetic flow??... they are also suggested this pour in stop leak where the drip still exists... which i'm skeptical about. Could anyone offer some guidance? I'm thinking the circ pump needs to be replaced and the leaks source needs to found but given that it's so small- I don't want to spend a fortune chasing ghosts but I'm willing to dive in myself if I could get some guidance. Any help appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAV Posted March 21, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2012 Anyone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spatech (the unreal one) Posted March 21, 2012 Report Share Posted March 21, 2012 Do some more detective work by opening up the equipment compartment and looking closer for the sound and/or leak. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ed3553 Posted March 21, 2012 Report Share Posted March 21, 2012 First post so be gentle- sorry for the length. I have a 2006 vanguard which has been great. Two winters ago, we had a really cold winter and the tub sits on an elevated wood deck which is pretty exposed. In the spring of 2011, we noticed a leak which appeared to be coming from the right side drain. After much research and contacting the local dealer, it was determined that the pipe behind the drain plug had cracked (freeze damage suspected) and it was patched. The leak improved greatly but we continued to see a very small drip under the deck. We were told it could be residual water and it was so small (maybe 1 drip every 30 seconds to 1 minute) that we just went ahead and monitored it. The tub lost almost negligable amounts of water considering we were using it . It would drop about 1 inch per month. Yesterday- I went under the deck on another matter and could hear a noise which sounded like a distant plane... and again saw that the drip is still there. The tub was on meaning- it's power up and to temperature but the jets were off. I went topside and could hear nothing at all. If i put my ear up to cabinet, I can hear the circulation pump hum but, under the tub, the noise is much louder. The dealer tells me it's possible but unlikey to be the circ pump as it has a bearingless magnetic flow??... they are also suggested this pour in stop leak where the drip still exists... which i'm skeptical about. Could anyone offer some guidance? I'm thinking the circ pump needs to be replaced and the leaks source needs to found but given that it's so small- I don't want to spend a fortune chasing ghosts but I'm willing to dive in myself if I could get some guidance. Any help appreciated. Do not put stop leak in your spa...... Is it possible the noise your hearing under the deck it the bubbling from the floor drain / heat return. As far as the leak that you will have to remove some foam to locate . If the equipment compartment is dry then the leak in in the foam. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PreservedSwine Posted March 22, 2012 Report Share Posted March 22, 2012 The circ pump is mag drive- and it can be pretty noisy if the impellor is out of balance, and rubbing against the sides of the volute. It can sound like an airplane, to a freight train, and anything in between. As long as the flow is good- it's likely the problem will vanish on it's own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAV Posted March 22, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2012 Thanks for the responses. to answer a few questions: There are no visible leaks inside the equipment compartment. The noise is also difficult to hear inside the compartment... it's almost like the wood deck is amplifying a vibration and "creating the noise" under the deck. Topside- there's really very little audible noise. I'm going to try to isolate the vibration using a rod (up to my ear) on all the components to try to isolate the point of greatest vibration and perhaps find it that way. As to the leak- it definitly seems like I'll need to dig out some foam but I'm not sure how to best go about it. 1) some suggest - drain the tub, unhook the wiring and tip it on it's side- start digging. Easy enough but how the heck do you find the leak if theres no water in the tub OR track wetness if the tub is now in a different orientation? Won't the flow of wetness change making tracking it hard? 2) I could pull the sides and start digging that way but the sides don't appear to be easily removable? Do you just break the planks glue joints? 3) I could raise and support the tub with minimal water and dig from underneath it... doesn't seem especially fun or safe. I guess I'm looking for some ideas on how to start. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chr1s44 Posted March 27, 2012 Report Share Posted March 27, 2012 I'm in the same boat. I have small amounts of standing water at the base of my tub. Called my dealer and they came out and couldn't find anything in the equipment compartment and said if they put it on blocks and started digging foam to find the leak, it could cost me $2000-3000 to fix. I think I'd rather buy a new one than do that. I'm also concerned about the water rotting the base and the deck underneath. Any ideas to help us understand what it would take to fix if we do find the leak on the tub portion. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spatech (the unreal one) Posted March 27, 2012 Report Share Posted March 27, 2012 I'm in the same boat. I have small amounts of standing water at the base of my tub. Called my dealer and they came out and couldn't find anything in the equipment compartment and said if they put it on blocks and started digging foam to find the leak, it could cost me $2000-3000 to fix. I think I'd rather buy a new one than do that. I'm also concerned about the water rotting the base and the deck underneath. Any ideas to help us understand what it would take to fix if we do find the leak on the tub portion. Chris Look VERY closely at your light lens. I've seen it where the leak is minuscule and barely percetpable due to a lens leak. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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