cub tub Posted October 14, 2007 Report Share Posted October 14, 2007 Hello all i am new to the forum. i am seriously addicted to my hot tub and it's leaking!! It's my transition to the world in the morning. i get more use out of it than all my sports equipment put together!! Please, can any one help me? Our Hot Springs Sovereign is 11 years old. It is now leaking from a crack in fiberglass below the light. the repair people (may have caused it..) in trying to fix initial leak in light... Has anyone ever repaired fiberglass cracks with a fiberglass patch or topical product??? thankyou. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chas Posted October 14, 2007 Report Share Posted October 14, 2007 Yes, I have done a few. The way to do it best is as follows: Empty spa and flip it so that you have the easiest access to the back of the crack. Apply a "Large Crack Repair Kit" from a Watkins dealer. This is a two-part kit: one part has a bunch of fiberglas cloth, gloves, paint brushes, mixing buckets, stirring sticks, instructions, and a replacement insulation blanket to put over the completed repair. The second part has the epoxy resin and catalyst. Cut away the equipment box and remove any insulation to expose the back of the crack, and cut four sheets of glass cloth to cover the crack. You should follow the instuctions here, but the basic rule is to cut the glass cloth about six inches on either side of the crack if at all possible. Each layer can be smaller, the last layer can be as little as an inch on each side of the crack. I don't think it really matters if you put the large layer on first or last, but the instructions call for it to be last. Clean and dry the surface - wipe with acetone or MEK. It's not a bad idea to put some tape on the crack on the inside of the spa in case you squeeze some epoxy through from the back as you are working. Mix the epoxy resin and catalyst, and paint it onto the surface where you will put the glass cloth. Then put the cloth in place - it will stick to the resin easily. Paint over the cloth, and put the next layer of cloth on. Paint over it, and so on until you have four layers over the crack. I find that putting marks on the surface outside of the repair area is helpful: once you put the first layer of epoxy on you may not be able to remember exactly where the crack is. Let is set up overnight, and then reinstall equipment and flip and fill the tub. If it leaks, and it might, you will have to do a surface repair. On an older tub you just get a "surface repair kit" from the dealer. It's a little over ten bucks IRCC, and it contains just a bag of pellets. The pellets are softened in MEK overnight to make a paste, and then just paint it on the inside of the spa over the crack. Work it into the crack, and then finish it to the level you desire: that is, you can just slop it on and be happy, or you can work unitl you have a nice finish which matches the rest of the spa. Consider that it will be under water, and make your own choice on that one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stel1223 Posted February 11, 2009 Report Share Posted February 11, 2009 Hello all i am new to the forum. i am seriously addicted to my hot tub and it's leaking!! It's my transition to the world in the morning. i get more use out of it than all my sports equipment put together!! Please, can any one help me? Our Hot Springs Sovereign is 11 years old. It is now leaking from a crack in fiberglass below the light. the repair people (may have caused it..) in trying to fix initial leak in light... Has anyone ever repaired fiberglass cracks with a fiberglass patch or topical product??? thankyou. Hello: This is my first time replying to any forum, so please bare with me. Anyhow, we bought our Sovereign - Hot Springs - in 1994. We had several minor repairs along the way, but nothing to complain about until @ 2003, when we noticed that we were losing water. We knew there was a leak, but had difficulty figuring out the cause. Since we believe in "fixing it ourselves", we spoke to our dealer @ the leak. After several attempts at a diagnosis, which proved incorrect, they finally suggested it could be a leak in the hot tub itself. They sent someone out & yes, indeed, there was a leak in the hot tub --around the light & below the shelf. Evidently, this was a known problem with this model -- a design flaw--that Hot Springs acknowledged. Even though our hut tub was out of warranty by now-10 yrs., since we had spoken with our dealer before the warranty expired, hot springs did fix it through warranty, [after some urging on our part.] We had several cracks, which took several repair, & several months [or so] to get it operating without losing water. Since then, no problems with leaks until this current winter--when we filled the hot tub back up. Now it is leaking & I think it is cracked again, although when speaking with dealer, they did not consider this a possibility. Since then, I believe that I have found the crack. Now my question--has anyone had dealings with Hot Springs regarding these problems & their relationship with designs problems, especially with the Sovereign? I have not called dealer yet, but I am sure that I will meet with resistance, since warranty is definitely expired. If not, how did the repair turn out that you did yourself, i.e. has it held with no further leaks and was it difficult to get repair kit? [i believe that the one that they used on our tub was a two part chemical system.] Thanks for any help/suggestions, as I am missing using the hot tub during the time of year that it feels the best –winter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan.The.Spa.Man Posted February 11, 2009 Report Share Posted February 11, 2009 Hello all i am new to the forum. i am seriously addicted to my hot tub and it's leaking!! It's my transition to the world in the morning. i get more use out of it than all my sports equipment put together!! Please, can any one help me? Our Hot Springs Sovereign is 11 years old. It is now leaking from a crack in fiberglass below the light. the repair people (may have caused it..) in trying to fix initial leak in light... Has anyone ever repaired fiberglass cracks with a fiberglass patch or topical product??? thankyou. Hello: This is my first time replying to any forum, so please bare with me. Anyhow, we bought our Sovereign - Hot Springs - in 1994. We had several minor repairs along the way, but nothing to complain about until @ 2003, when we noticed that we were losing water. We knew there was a leak, but had difficulty figuring out the cause. Since we believe in "fixing it ourselves", we spoke to our dealer @ the leak. After several attempts at a diagnosis, which proved incorrect, they finally suggested it could be a leak in the hot tub itself. They sent someone out & yes, indeed, there was a leak in the hot tub --around the light & below the shelf. Evidently, this was a known problem with this model -- a design flaw--that Hot Springs acknowledged. Even though our hut tub was out of warranty by now-10 yrs., since we had spoken with our dealer before the warranty expired, hot springs did fix it through warranty, [after some urging on our part.] We had several cracks, which took several repair, & several months [or so] to get it operating without losing water. Since then, no problems with leaks until this current winter--when we filled the hot tub back up. Now it is leaking & I think it is cracked again, although when speaking with dealer, they did not consider this a possibility. Since then, I believe that I have found the crack. Now my question--has anyone had dealings with Hot Springs regarding these problems & their relationship with designs problems, especially with the Sovereign? I have not called dealer yet, but I am sure that I will meet with resistance, since warranty is definitely expired. If not, how did the repair turn out that you did yourself, i.e. has it held with no further leaks and was it difficult to get repair kit? [i believe that the one that they used on our tub was a two part chemical system.] Thanks for any help/suggestions, as I am missing using the hot tub during the time of year that it feels the best –winter. Can you see water coming out of what you think is the crack? If so it is pretty easy to use the devcon repair kit on these. If not, you may have a leak due to pipes bursting open from ice. (if you had freezing temps before you filled it back up). Also could have had mice get into it. SOmetimes they chew through bleed-lines while the tubs sit dormant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bizdoc Posted February 13, 2009 Report Share Posted February 13, 2009 It is not the prettiest repair, but Marine-Tex epoxy is very strong and bonds to metal, fiberglass, etc. Made for boat repairs, it handles harsh environments. You can get it in hardware or marine supply stores. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
razoo125 Posted February 13, 2009 Report Share Posted February 13, 2009 It is not the prettiest repair, but Marine-Tex epoxy is very strong and bonds to metal, fiberglass, etc. Made for boat repairs, it handles harsh environments. You can get it in hardware or marine supply stores. I have used Marine Tex before and this stuff is amazing. I used it on several fiberglass boats before and none have ever leaked again. It can be sanded and painted also. West Marine sells this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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