HOTSPRING Aria 2014 leaking - Advise

[tooltimetaylor]

I have had this Hotspring Aria since 2015. I have had constant issues with it.  Within the first year I had the Freshwater 3 Ozonator replaced with a KZO Ozonator due to the water always cloudy with the original Freshwater 3. The hot tub started to leak. The heater was replaced at this time, but this did not help. I was told to use Fix-a-Leak by the store I bought it from even though this is not recommended if it is still under warranty. It helped for a few months and the leak came back. I finally convinced the store to take the Hot tub back and repair the leak while it was under warranty.  They finally did take it back and fixed the leak. The leak came back within a few months. Last week I had the repair guy come out and he told me that to find the leak they would have to bring it back to the shop and the estimate would be $2000 to $5000 since it is no longer under warranty.  Also, the side panels may be broken in the process, and this would add to the repair.

Today, I decided to remove the side panels and found water in the foam.  By the way, the side panels did not break when I took them off.  I found that they had not replaced the foam that they dug out when it was taken to the shop years ago. I am not even sure if they ever did repair the leak or how they repaired the leak.

The water level stops where the jets are located on the side of the hot tub in the photo and this is the side where the leak is coming from.  Is there a way to remove these jets from the inside of the hot tub and reseal them.

Please advise on what you would do in this case.

Thanks

Jill

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 23, 2022 by tooltimetaylor
updated

[RDspaguy]

On 4/17/2022 at 5:52 PM, tooltimetaylor said:

By the way, the side panels did not break when I took them off.

You got lucky, or they had them off before. I'd have told you the same, because if they do break you need to understand that it is not "covered" and I will not buy you new side panels just because yours happened to break in the course of removing them. Him telling you this simply means he is familiar with this brand and it's issues, and is not willing to get stuck with a liability claim. 

I personally have turned down every hot springs job I've had in the last decade because I no longer want to deal with their issues. No spa is harder to work on, and I can't say I've ever had a happy hot springs owner at pay-me time. It's always 4 figures if sides had to come off. 

On 4/17/2022 at 5:52 PM, tooltimetaylor said:

found that they had not replaced the foam that they dug out

I do not recommend replacing sprayfoam after a repair unless absolutely necessary for structural support. It is expensive and can cause more problems than it's worth. 

On 4/17/2022 at 5:52 PM, tooltimetaylor said:

I am not even sure if they ever did repair the leak or how they repaired the leak.

"The leak" is the wrong way to think about it. The circumstances that create plumbing leaks are rarely isolated to one spot. If one jet seal is bad, most or all are in similar shape. One pipe cracked, others are likely to be cracked. They presumably found and repaired one leak, but there are almost guaranteed to be more. Most conditions that create these kind of leaks are not covered by warranty, as they are generally from poor water chemistry or neglect. An actual part failure causing a leak in the plumbing within the term of the warranty is extremely rare. 

[tjr]

Where are you located? 
If you turn the jet faces counterclockwise they will unscrew from wall fitting. Take a look at o-ring gaskets and see what they look like. If white and  you see cracks they have failed. To fix without cutting out plumbing and fittings requires sealing with Permatex ultra grey gasket maker according to Hot spring. 

 

Edited May 2, 2022 by tjr
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