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Filter housing seal leak


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Hello it appears as though I have a leak right where the filter housing sits on the surface of the hot tub (see pictures attached) it’s either this or the leak is coming from the upper part of the 2 jets in the corner shown, I just think the waterline really indicates it’s more at the filter. My question is am I able to remove and reseal this portion from above the tub or do I need to get under it? My understanding is there’s a bit nut below so if I twist that top in reverse will it loosen that nut? Will I be able to retighten? Is there an o-ring there or do I just silicone it? Are there any videos out there that explain this process?

 

thanks in advance 

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3 things:

1) It's not the filter canister.

2) The canister has pipes glued to it that will prevent it from turning, unless you break them of course.

3) You will have to remove side panels and find the leak. You are just guessing. There is a lot going on in there, and leaks happen in many locations. It could just as easily be the air line on the jet next to the two you suspect. Or any of a dozen other circumstances.

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On 4/15/2021 at 9:58 PM, RDspaguy said:

3 things:

1) It's not the filter canister.

2) The canister has pipes glued to it that will prevent it from turning, unless you break them of course.

3) You will have to remove side panels and find the leak. You are just guessing. There is a lot going on in there, and leaks happen in many locations. It could just as easily be the air line on the jet next to the two you suspect. Or any of a dozen other circumstances.

Thanks, I took the front panel off today and there's this small spot at the back where all the water is coming out of , any idea what this is? video attached.

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Is that the the back wall of the equipment bay? 

Is your spa full foam? 

Many spas have a tray, sheet, or spray on the bottom that holds water inside the spa. It could be overflowing out of there, or originating nearby.

What is near there inside of the spa?

Remove some side panels and see what you can see under there.

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34 minutes ago, RDspaguy said:

Is that the the back wall of the equipment bay? 

Is your spa full foam? 

Many spas have a tray, sheet, or spray on the bottom that holds water inside the spa. It could be overflowing out of there, or originating nearby.

What is near there inside of the spa?

Remove some side panels and see what you can see under there.

Correct , back wall behind pump and control board. 

The spa is a beachcomber similar to this with the slats that are apparently unremovable (shitty for me) image.png.e93a464e54823bf2c8cdff0c5ddd85bd.png

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And a plastic pan on the bottom?

Is that a plug in it? Can you remove it?

How full is it? An overfull spa can siphon out through the air control valves.

Look closely at the light lens. Do you see any cracks around the inside of the flange (about 1/2" in from edge)? Any bubbles under the flange at the gasket/seal?

If the sides cannot be removed you will have to find it from the bottom. Those pans are usually removable once it's up on its side. You will probably see the screws. 

I can't say that I have ever done plumbing work on a beachcomber. I also can't say that I haven't. 

@CanadianSpaTech, are you familiar with beachcomber?

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"Beachcomber (puffs on cig) I haven't heard that name in years"...lol. Will be working on one just like that one later today. Here's what you do... Buy marine grade silicone and remove the 2 jets where the water level was down to and silicone around them where the jet body meets the acrylic... and even around the filter housing if you think that is where it might be at. Let it dry 24H and try it again. Trust me on this. If it continues to leak after that then you will have to stand the spa up and take the bottom off...or empty the spa and silicone every jet. Old Beachcomber spas are notorious for leaking jet seals and this is the only way without really costly repair... next you will say that won't last...have not ever had a call back and even if you have to do it again in a couple of years so be it.

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3 hours ago, CanadianSpaTech said:

"Beachcomber (puffs on cig) I haven't heard that name in years"...lol. Will be working on one just like that one later today. Here's what you do... Buy marine grade silicone and remove the 2 jets where the water level was down to and silicone around them where the jet body meets the acrylic... and even around the filter housing if you think that is where it might be at. Let it dry 24H and try it again. Trust me on this. If it continues to leak after that then you will have to stand the spa up and take the bottom off...or empty the spa and silicone every jet. Old Beachcomber spas are notorious for leaking jet seals and this is the only way without really costly repair... next you will say that won't last...have not ever had a call back and even if you have to do it again in a couple of years so be it.

Thanks! Really appreciate this info, you too @RDspaguy

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3 hours ago, CanadianSpaTech said:

"Beachcomber (puffs on cig) I haven't heard that name in years"...lol. Will be working on one just like that one later today. Here's what you do... Buy marine grade silicone and remove the 2 jets where the water level was down to and silicone around them where the jet body meets the acrylic... and even around the filter housing if you think that is where it might be at. Let it dry 24H and try it again. Trust me on this. If it continues to leak after that then you will have to stand the spa up and take the bottom off...or empty the spa and silicone every jet. Old Beachcomber spas are notorious for leaking jet seals and this is the only way without really costly repair... next you will say that won't last...have not ever had a call back and even if you have to do it again in a couple of years so be it.

Have you found a particular brand of marine grade silicone that works best? 3M?

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6 hours ago, CanadianSpaTech said:

Here's what you do...

Oh lord... here it comes... 😉

6 hours ago, CanadianSpaTech said:

Buy marine grade silicone

Ahhhhhggggghhhh!!! Blasphemy!

6 hours ago, CanadianSpaTech said:

silicone around them

Be sure to smear it around good so it looks like every other silicone slathered POS out there.

I just got a nice Cal spa. The owner had a leak and decided (without any troubleshooting) that it must be the jet flanges. Being a know-it-all DIY master, he watched a YouTube video and proceeded to use epoxy putty to "fix" every jet in the tub. Looks like dog **** between your toes. 

Then, when it was still leaking (since it was never leaking at the flanges anyway) he paid to have it hauled away. I'm pretty sure it was a pump seal leak to begin with.

Now I have a gorgeous tub that will take days of meticulous work with a dremel tool to get looking decent again. Then I can fix the leak.

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41 minutes ago, RDspaguy said:

Oh lord... here it comes... 😉

F'N EH! as we say here in God's Greatest Creation CANADA... Here it comes...🙏 it works...lol

Have always used GE... https://www.homehardware.ca/en/828ml-clear-marine-silicone-sealant/p/2031161

I remove the jet and try to dry out the area around the Jet Body where it meets the acrylic. There is a seal that sits between the jet body and the acrylic. There will be a gap between the jet body and the acrylic where the seal sits. Snip the silicone tube on a bit of a 45 degree and run a bead of silicone around the jet body filling the gap. I spit on my finger for lubrication to keep the silicone from sticking to me finger and circle around the bead of silicone smoothing it out a bit and making sure the gap is completely covered and the silicone has made good contact with all surfaces. I put the jet back in in the on position and wait 24H.  

There that wasn't so bad was it...lol 

 Would I do this with any other tub...well sure...lol.. but Beachcomber leak repairs are a nightmare like no other and seal leaks are common on these spas. I am currently (still...3 weeks) doing this exact repair. Side skirt does not come off. To make the repairs from the inside you have to disconnect all the plumbing, electrical, and spa pack from the spa as they are external. Then I have to get my movers in to in this case remove it from a deck that was built right up tight the the edge of the spa and stand it up on the deck so I could take the bottom off. Then have them lay it down on 6x6's so I can put water back in to find where it is leaking from. Full Foam Spa as well and everything was soaked so the leak could have been anywhere. This spa's leak was in the bulkhead ozone jet. It had broken off inside. It was a frozen spa. I ordered the part and made the repair and now could fill the spa all the way up to check for other potential issues and sure enough there was a jet with a failed jet seal at the top jet. Removed all the soaking foam so I could reach up in there to get to the back nut of the jet body. Backed it off and pushed it forward enough to remove the old deteriorated seal and Slathered the silicone to it inside and out and tightened it all back up. Filled it up AGAIN and now we wait the weekend to see if it leaks because once it goes back into the deck (call the movers again) I'm never going back...lol. I will make a total of 8 trips for all this if all goes well. Estimated repair cost $2500 CDN. Spas current value $2K. This is why I say "Slather Me Up" and try the quick (hack) repair first. I have had surprising success.

Hope you are well my American friend...still waiting for BBQ pics. Cheers

 

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7 minutes ago, CanadianSpaTech said:

. I spit on my finger for lubrication

Alright... keep your personal life personal.😉

7 minutes ago, CanadianSpaTech said:

Backed it off and pushed it forward enough to remove the old seal and laid the silicone to it inside and out and tightened it all back up.

👍

Now that is a repair.

7 minutes ago, CanadianSpaTech said:

Hope you are well my American friend...still waiting for BBQ pics. Cheers

We are doing well my Canadian friend. I didn't realize you were waiting or I would have been sending BBQ pics. I'll get right on that.

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23 hours ago, RDspaguy said:

 

Oh lord... here it comes... 😉

Ahhhhhggggghhhh!!! Blasphemy!

Be sure to smear it around good so it looks like every other silicone slathered POS out there.

I just got a nice Cal spa. The owner had a leak and decided (without any troubleshooting) that it must be the jet flanges. Being a know-it-all DIY master, he watched a YouTube video and proceeded to use epoxy putty to "fix" every jet in the tub. Looks like dog **** between your toes. 

Then, when it was still leaking (since it was never leaking at the flanges anyway) he paid to have it hauled away. I'm pretty sure it was a pump seal leak to begin with.

Now I have a gorgeous tub that will take days of meticulous work with a dremel tool to get looking decent again. Then I can fix the leak.

👀 not gonna lie I tried the epoxy on a few jets last year when the leak was a little slower ,  mine looks good though 😉 

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22 hours ago, CanadianSpaTech said:

F'N EH! as we say here in God's Greatest Creation CANADA... Here it comes...🙏 it works...lol

Have always used GE... https://www.homehardware.ca/en/828ml-clear-marine-silicone-sealant/p/2031161

I remove the jet and try to dry out the area around the Jet Body where it meets the acrylic. There is a seal that sits between the jet body and the acrylic. There will be a gap between the jet body and the acrylic where the seal sits. Snip the silicone tube on a bit of a 45 degree and run a bead of silicone around the jet body filling the gap. I spit on my finger for lubrication to keep the silicone from sticking to me finger and circle around the bead of silicone smoothing it out a bit and making sure the gap is completely covered and the silicone has made good contact with all surfaces. I put the jet back in in the on position and wait 24H.  

There that wasn't so bad was it...lol 

 Would I do this with any other tub...well sure...lol.. but Beachcomber leak repairs are a nightmare like no other and seal leaks are common on these spas. I am currently (still...3 weeks) doing this exact repair. Side skirt does not come off. To make the repairs from the inside you have to disconnect all the plumbing, electrical, and spa pack from the spa as they are external. Then I have to get my movers in to in this case remove it from a deck that was built right up tight the the edge of the spa and stand it up on the deck so I could take the bottom off. Then have them lay it down on 6x6's so I can put water back in to find where it is leaking from. Full Foam Spa as well and everything was soaked so the leak could have been anywhere. This spa's leak was in the bulkhead ozone jet. It had broken off inside. It was a frozen spa. I ordered the part and made the repair and now could fill the spa all the way up to check for other potential issues and sure enough there was a jet with a failed jet seal at the top jet. Removed all the soaking foam so I could reach up in there to get to the back nut of the jet body. Backed it off and pushed it forward enough to remove the old deteriorated seal and Slathered the silicone to it inside and out and tightened it all back up. Filled it up AGAIN and now we wait the weekend to see if it leaks because once it goes back into the deck (call the movers again) I'm never going back...lol. I will make a total of 8 trips for all this if all goes well. Estimated repair cost $2500 CDN. Spas current value $2K. This is why I say "Slather Me Up" and try the quick (hack) repair first. I have had surprising success.

Hope you are well my American friend...still waiting for BBQ pics. Cheers

 

Wow and that's what I was afraid of with mine lol, good to know the estimated repair cost! I wonder if it Make more sense to destroy the side skirt to be able to repair in place but wasn't sure what options are to replace it

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14 hours ago, CanadianSpaTech said:

Try the silicone around the jet first... if it hold great and it will tell you where the leak is if you want to go deeper. if it still leaks then you have to make a decision. 

Yeah, why not? At least silicone is (relatively) easy to get off the shell. 

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Good trick for a nice caulk job is take 5 min amd run tape carefully leaving a 1/16 to an 1/8" gap around the flange.  You tape the edge if flange leaving a 1/16 there too.  Run your bead tiny like posted above with a 45 cut leaving hole small on caulk tube amd wipe with your wet finger really well. Pull tape after it tacks in a few min amd you have a factory looking bead of schmooze 

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