Frog1 Posted March 24, 2023 Report Share Posted March 24, 2023 Fixed the leaking light and filled in one crack 2 years ago. Leak came after this winter- dug it out again, now have a new crack that looks like my leak source- can this be repaired? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanadianSpaTech Posted March 24, 2023 Report Share Posted March 24, 2023 Repairs can be made but you have some work ahead of you and it won't be pretty. Photo doesn't really tell a story of where the crack is or how big/long it is. Is there also a crack in the acrylic in the bather area? how/where is the water getting past the acrylic. Spa shells are a vacuum formed sheet of acrylic backed in most cases with fiberglass and resin. If there is a crack in the acrylic I might use a marine 2 part epoxy. For a crack in the fiberglass it would depend on how long it was. There should be fiberglass patch kits available for smaller areas that are a pre mixed fiberglass and resin. For bigger areas sheet fiberglass hand rolled with resin. Preparation is key in any job and this is no exception. But it's not rocket science either. Just a lot of work. How old is the spa and what brand? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ratchett Posted March 24, 2023 Report Share Posted March 24, 2023 This generation of Hotspring spas is well known to develop a leak on the nipple for the drain line at the base of motomassagers. Very likely this is the source of the leak and where I'd start searching. If you dig the nipple out from the back side, you will find a small vinyl tube connected to the nipple. You can break it off, drill out what’s left of the nipple, and glue another one in. I believe the Hotspring part number is 30598. Then reconnect the hose and you’re done. There is a nipple repair kit which can be done from inside the tub, however that kit is available exclusively to dealers, and it only has a 50/50 chance of working so the drain nipple replacement from the back-side is a more reliable method to fix the issue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frog1 Posted March 24, 2023 Author Report Share Posted March 24, 2023 1 hour ago, CanadianSpaTech said: Repairs can be made but you have some work ahead of you and it won't be pretty. Photo doesn't really tell a story of where the crack is or how big/long it is. Is there also a crack in the acrylic in the bather area? how/where is the water getting past the acrylic. Spa shells are a vacuum formed sheet of acrylic backed in most cases with fiberglass and resin. If there is a crack in the acrylic I might use a marine 2 part epoxy. For a crack in the fiberglass it would depend on how long it was. There should be fiberglass patch kits available for smaller areas that are a pre mixed fiberglass and resin. For bigger areas sheet fiberglass hand rolled with resin. Preparation is key in any job and this is no exception. But it's not rocket science either. Just a lot of work. How old is the spa and what brand? It’s a 2010 Hot Springs Grandee. The crack is not inside the moto housing area- only on the outside. I’ve attached a pic of the first leak (around the light) where I discovered the first crack (wasn’t leaking then and this appears to be a new crack off of that one?). Water flows out of the crack and when I push down, it stops. It appears to be about 7 inches long but could be under the other repair I made and be longer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frog1 Posted March 24, 2023 Author Report Share Posted March 24, 2023 56 minutes ago, ratchett said: This generation of Hotspring spas is well known to develop a leak on the nipple for the drain line at the base of motomassagers. Very likely this is the source of the leak and where I'd start searching. If you dig the nipple out from the back side, you will find a small vinyl tube connected to the nipple. You can break it off, drill out what’s left of the nipple, and glue another one in. I believe the Hotspring part number is 30598. Then reconnect the hose and you’re done. There is a nipple repair kit which can be done from inside the tub, however that kit is available exclusively to dealers, and it only has a 50/50 chance of working so the drain nipple replacement from the back-side is a more reliable method to fix the issue Thank you- definitely coming from this crack- I push down on it and water stops leaking out of it. There’s no crack on the inside so it makes no sense where the water would be coming from to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frog1 Posted March 24, 2023 Author Report Share Posted March 24, 2023 Cleaned off the area- here is the length of the crack. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frog1 Posted March 24, 2023 Author Report Share Posted March 24, 2023 3 hours ago, Frog1 said: It’s a 2010 Hot Springs Grandee. The crack is not inside the moto housing area- only on the outside. I’ve attached a pic of the first leak (around the light) where I discovered the first crack (wasn’t leaking then and this appears to be a new crack off of that one?). Water flows out of the crack and when I push down, it stops. It appears to be about 7 inches long but could be under the other repair I made and be longer. 3 hours ago, Frog1 said: It’s a 2010 Hot Springs Grandee. The crack is not inside the moto housing area- only on the outside. I’ve attached a pic of the first leak (around the light) where I discovered the first crack (wasn’t leaking then and this appears to be a new crack off of that one?). Water flows out of the crack and when I push down, it stops. It appears to be about 7 inches long but could be under the other repair I made and be longer. I spoke too soon- there is a crack on the inside too! So it’s running down the whole back part of the “moto chamber” Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frog1 Posted March 24, 2023 Author Report Share Posted March 24, 2023 7 hours ago, Frog1 said: It’s a 2010 Hot Springs Grandee. The crack is not inside the moto housing area- only on the outside. I’ve attached a pic of the first leak (around the light) where I discovered the first crack (wasn’t leaking then and this appears to be a new crack off of that one?). Water flows out of the crack and when I push down, it stops. It appears to be about 7 inches long but could be under the other repair I made and be longer. Sanded, cleaned, applied several layers of epoxy with a few layers of fiberglass mesh. Will this do it or should I coat it with marine weld on the outside of this too? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanadianSpaTech Posted March 24, 2023 Report Share Posted March 24, 2023 Wow you don't waste time. Like I said it won't be pretty but you are lucky it is in the right area. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frog1 Posted March 24, 2023 Author Report Share Posted March 24, 2023 5 minutes ago, CanadianSpaTech said: Wow you don't waste time. Like I said it won't be pretty but you are lucky it is in the right area. Ha! I already had it torn out so I followed your lead and asked questions at the plumbing store. Good with the epoxy or would you add anything else? I also drilled super small holes at the ends of the cracks before I epoxied. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanadianSpaTech Posted March 24, 2023 Report Share Posted March 24, 2023 Looks good from here...lol You can always add more if needed. I might have gone up past the light and deleted the light as this is where it might have started but looks like you got it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frog1 Posted March 24, 2023 Author Report Share Posted March 24, 2023 57 minutes ago, CanadianSpaTech said: Looks good from here...lol You can always add more if needed. I might have gone up past the light and deleted the light as this is where it might have started but looks like you got it. Thanks for your help! I’ll update after the refill and set time. I know one thing, I’m not filling it back up with foam. I’m tired of digging that crap out! I’ll spray some back in on the bottom and the rest will be good old Pink Panther insulation stuffed in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanadianSpaTech Posted March 24, 2023 Report Share Posted March 24, 2023 I would use Rock Wool over pink to fill void but if you have pink use pink. Place it in a contractor grade garbage bag and tuck tape it up depending on available space or just pack it in. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frog1 Posted March 25, 2023 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2023 16 hours ago, CanadianSpaTech said: I would use Rock Wool over pink to fill void but if you have pink use pink. Place it in a contractor grade garbage bag and tuck tape it up depending on available space or just pack it in. Will do! Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ratchett Posted March 29, 2023 Report Share Posted March 29, 2023 Awesome work, fingers crossed that fixes the issue and she's back in business! Keep us posted 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frog1 Posted April 1, 2023 Author Report Share Posted April 1, 2023 Got it all back together and so far, so good. I had to replace some rotted wood too where the cover cradle goes in. Have a brand new cover on it now too! Once again, saved myself from getting angry and buying a new one. Thanks for all of your help guys! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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