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Hot Springs - 2009 Vanguard Leak Moto Massage


Troy Mitchell

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Just wanted to share my experience since I could not find another one out there like it. My 2009 Hot Springs Vanguard spa developed a slow leak after a recent move. The leak was observed as a drip from the corner of my spa. After a lot of googling I decided to remove my panels and dig through the foam in the corner to see if I could find the source of the leak. The foam was soaking wet. I started at the bottom and worked my up toward the moto massage housing. I thought for sure it was going to be a leaky manifold at the base of the moto massage housing but to my surprise the water was coming down from above it. I dug out the foam so that I could get on top of the moto massage housing and found the culprit. It was an LED fixture. Hot Springs basically bored a hole in the housing, placed a plastic nut on the outside of the housing that was held in place by some epoxy. From the inside of the spa within the moto massage housing, they insert a threaded bolt which doubles as a LED light chamber and screw it through the hole in the housing and into the nut that was previously described. The bolt also makes use of an o-ring to prevent leaking. The problem, o-rings eventually fail and yes, surprise surprise, I'm sure my chemical balance has at times not been perfect over the past 11+ years. While I'm sure I can get o-rings from somewhere that would work, I chose to just order the led kit that is used with the pillows as the units appear identical to what they used in the moto jet housing. I have 6 other led devices like this in my tub and I'm sure they will all eventually fail. The good news is that you may not have to dig through your foam. You may be able to repair from inside your tub. I'm thinking you simply need to unscrew the plastic led from inside the tub, replace the o-ring and screw it back in. The only concern I have is the LED. When you pull out the threaded plastic bolt you may cause the LED light to fall out and may be unable to get it back it since you want have access to the area. You may be able to partially unscrew it (i.e. a couple turns), and then slip the o-ring over the top and then screw it back in. I'm going to try this on my next one and will provide an update. Worse case, you lose the LED light in your moto massage area! Better than a leak, and better than digging through all your foam!! Another tip, lower your water level below the led so that you don't introduce a bunch of water unnecessarily to your foam. I also posted a video on Youtube that shows a little more: 

 

 

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