It can be very frustrating if you have a hot tub leak in your home especially the small ones, it’s very hard to locate the leak. And surely, there is no way you can fix it if you can’t find where the leak is. To help you out we provide you a detailed DIYA�step by step to find the leaks for hot tub repair.
Not all materials on the list are needed for the project. Mostly, you need some hot tub components and replace the damaged ones for hot tub repair.
Hot Tub Repair Method 1
Check The Pump
The leaks of the damaged hot tub mostly come from the pump. To fix it up; turn off the power and look for water leaking under the pump. Seal the pump if you find water leaking and replace it if necessary. If you didn’t find any leaks, later on, your hot tub repair project is done.
Check The Union Fitting
If the pump is good and there is no water leaking, you can check the union fitting located around the heater and pump because they can be unfastened easily. Surprisingly, this damage can happen even for a new hot tub because of the vibrate while shipping.
To fixA�the union fitting tighten it by your hand! Don’t use a wrench to tighten it or you will damage the union fitting if you use a wrench. And just finished your hot tub repair project.
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Check The Heater
Check the heater if the pump and the union fitting are good. And then, inspect the heater assembly manifold, pressure switch, the heater and another component around it. Replace the broken parts to fix the leak.
Check The Valves
Check all the valves and find leaks. If your hot tub uses knife style valves, inspect a gasket between two valves, which can cause leakage. Some hot tub place valves on the side of pumps, so you don’t need to shut off and drain it for replacing the component and fix it.
However, this is such a most common problem of hot tub leaks. Remove it entirely after you fix it.A�
Check The Connections
Furthermore, check the pipes, connections, and jets. Tightened the connections then just seal it if you find some leaks.
To fix the leaking jets that have failing gasket, replace it with a new component. For a hot tub which uses PVC pipes, for cracks or hole and fixes them with Plast-Aid. It is a molecular bonding which is stronger than the PVC, it can fix the crack or hole in the PVC pipe.
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Check The Shell
The most recent hot tub shell is made of fiberglass and other layers which can cause a problem with one of the jets and another component if there is a leak in the shell.
Fix the leak by using Plast-Aid, it will cover the crack and make your hot tub shell look like a new one. And that’s it, your hot tub repair project is finished.
Tips If You Can’t Find The Leaks
If you can’t find the leak after inspecting all the component, and the component seems to be fine, you can try another method.
For example, if you can find the leak because it is too small, put small amounts of dark-colored dye (or you can try food coloring) in the water and looks were where the leaks come from. It also can work if your hot tub is in the wet area, so you can easily detect where it comes from and fix it immediately.A�
The last method to find the leak is, fill your hot tub and let it drain. Once the water stops draining, mark it, find the leak location and fix it.
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Hot Tube Repair Method 2
Using “Fix A Leak”
If you don’t want to replace the component, tear into equipment and spend your time and energy to find the leak location, a great way to fix it is using Fix-A-Leak. It is a blended concentrated material to seal a leak in any materials. It also works well in the plumbing.
Made specifically for a hot tub and can fix up to 0.125 inches in diameter. Trying to use Fix A Leak may save you times for finding the leak in the hot tub, if it doesn’t work you can use the method below to find the leak.
To use Fix-A-Leak follow these step:
Dosage:
Use 80z Fix-A-Leak per 1000 gallons to fix small leaks. Use the second bottle for a larger a larger leaks.
Steps:
- Determine water loss in the hot tub for 24 hour period
- Fill it to original level and mark the water line
- Remove filtering device or cartridges
- Add Fix A Leak slowly while pump running through skimmer
- Recirculate it for 8 hours and shut the system off
- Check the water lever the in the next day
- If the water level is same than yesterday, the leak is already stopped.
- Wait 48 hours before use it again.
- Don’t use the hot tub until the leak fixed and the Fix A Leak filtered.
If the leak is just slow down and not totally stop, you may add more fix a leak to make it completely cover the cracks in your hot tub.
Stir the fix a leak in your hot tub with a broom to clean your hot tub.
About Fix A Leak
Usually, the Fix A Leak will cover holes 1/8″. Fix A Leak need water pressure to make sure it’s impact to the leak area. The leaks created come from a crack in a pipe can be sealed. A leak may reoccur because of vibration that will migrate in size and recreate the leak.
Since most hot tubs are foam insulated, it can greatly delay the cure tome of Fix A Leak when saturated with water. So, you should drain the hot tub, wipe down shell with a cloth to remove the residue of Fix A Lot immediately. Wait 3-5 days before refill the hot tub, in most case it can fix your hot tub.
Before starting to find out the leak in the hot tub make sure you disconnect all the power. When you inside the equipment compartment, you can find most of the leaks come from:
- Tubing and PVS Plumping Parts
- Pump Wet End Seal
- Gate Valves and Slice
- Pump
- Connections
- Jet Bodies
- Heater Assembly Manifold
Hot Tub Repair Method 3
As the alternatives of the method 1, here we provide some other ways in repairing your hot tub. The methods are not really different with just some additional methods that you can try.
Pump
After you are in equipment compartment, the first thing you have to check is the pump, often the pump seal is the main reason for the leak. If you find water leaking from the pump, you can decide to replace the seal orA�replace the entire wet end to fix the leak.
If you want to save your time from further leaks, replacing the entire wet is the option for you, because replacing the seal is quite hard without breaking other components within the wet end. In short, you can replace the seal or the entire wet end, but we recommend you to replace the entire wet.
Unions
If you find the pump is okay, check the union fitting around the pump and the heater. It can be the source of the leaks even for a brand new hot tub due to the vibration during shipment.
To fix it, DO NOT use a wrench to tighten it up! It can be tightened by hand, or you can remove the realign parts to make it straighter fit then tighten by hand. Once again, DO NOT use a wrench because it can damage your hot tub. Fix the leak in the union and you just finish your hot tub repair work.
Heater
The next step is, check the heater assembly. The heater consists of heater pressure switch, the heater assembly, and other heating components. Replace the necessary part if you find the leak come from it. Make sure you find the right component and replace it carefully.
Valves
Furthermore, you should inspect all the valves in your hot tub as they are the source of the common leak. If you have a knife style valves,A� the gasket between the two valves which are bolted can be causing leaks.
And then, some manufacturers build a hot tub with the valves installed on both side of the pump, so water doesn’t need to shut off. So you can access the pump and replace it. Our recommendation is; remove the valves because they are the common leak source of a hot tub. So you can save a lot of time and headache.
Connections and Jets
The next step if you didn’t find the source leak is,A�inspecting all of your pipes, jets, and connections. The leaking jets because of the bad gasket un the jet, but it probably happen because of the bad over time and you should replace it. Check the pipe if it needs to be tightened, tight it up or seal it with PVC glue.A�
The Average Cost of Hot Tub Repair
For sure, when you choose to repair your hot tub all by yourself, you can save lots of money. You may need to spend some bucks just to purchase the components to replace the damaged ones.
However, when the damage is too difficult to handle by your amateur skill, you will always need to call a professional. The risks of getting some human error problems are widely possible when you force to do all the repair by yourself.
The cost of hot tub repair, of course, depends on what kind of damage that you experience. Some common issues like leak, heater, or light, each will cost you different budget. Then it also depends on how severe the damage is.
Hot Tub Pump
For this kind of circumstance, if you choose the DIY method, the average cost that you may need to spend is about $65 to $1,500. The price relates to which component of the spa that causes the leak or other relating problems.
When the jet pump is the main problem, you will need about $65 to fix the wet end and about $200 if you need to purchase a new motor of the pump.
The cost can rise up to $500 when you hire a pro to fix the similar problem, but if the leak relates to the other parts of the spa like frame and cabinet, you have to prepare an even higher budget for around $300 t0 $1,500.
Hot Tub Heater
As one of the main parts of the hot tub, when you have the damaged heater you would not want to let it for long. You have to repair it as soon as possible to enjoy the main function of your hot tub again.
A complete heater component which sometimes sold in kit, averagely sold at $1,000. The price depends on the brand and heater material.
Hot Tub Jets
When you have your hot tub jets broken, the problems that may occur are like the low water pressure, hard water, and rigid jets move. Handling this problem all by yourself may not be a wise idea since you will need a hot tub pro just to determine the source of the problem itself.
Averagely, you will need to pay $75 per jet which also includes the labor cost. The price may vary due to the type of the jets and the source of the problem.
Hot Tub Light
Though it’s just the bells and whistles of a hot tub, but it is also one of the things that you have to fix when it gets broken. Commonly, they are sold in LED or halogen.
To replace the broken hot tub lights with the new ones, the price that you will spend can range from $15 to $70. You can install the lights easily without hiring a professional.
But, if you are eager to pay a professional electrician, it can cost around $150 to pay the components and the labor.
A quick tip when you hire a pro to repair your hot tub, try to troubleshoot the issue that you experience, so it will save the identification cost.A�The average cost of hot tub repair is also determined by the are where you live, and also the range of the hot tub. The more expensive your hot tub is the more repair cost that you may need to pay.
Keep in mind to consider hiring a hot tub guy when you think you can’t handle it by yourself, because it will either end up letting the problem happen or even worse, further damaging your beloved hot tub.
Furthermore, you may also risk your safety since most of the hot tub parts involve electricity.
CONCLUSION
It is not hard to fix our hot tub if know where the source of the leak comes from. We provide you several methods, so you can repair your hot tub by yourself. Follow the instructions carefully, so you won’t need to pay more for fixing your hot tub.
As a pricey health investment, a hot tub should provide you a long lasting service, but still, some damages will always happen, especially when you use it uncarefully.
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