I'm a newbie with a leak in my 1995 Hot Spring Prodigy after 2 months on my deck. It is currently full of water and loses about 1"/day when plugged in (115V) and the circ pump is running. It seems to leak faster (3"/day) when it's not plugged in. The water is pooling in the equip compt. I shop vac'ed and toweled it out to check the flood light (dry), and the shaft seal (dry). It seems like the leak may be at the 3" black flex tube that's clamped to the pump and headed to the spa heater return. Where it's located it's hard to see, so it might be coming from a crack or something behind the jet pump instead. I just can't see anything flowing out definitively. I've attached pictures to show the pump (Wavemaster 5000) and the black flex tube. Questions: 1) Do I drain the spa to tighten up that flex tube connection? 2) Is there a gasket or something or does it just snug up to a plastic opening in the pump? 3) Is there something that can crack or leak on the 'dry side' of the pump? 4) Am I crazy to try to do this myself or should I call in the experts? Thanks for your help!!!

The leak isn't related to the air duct on the back of the jet pump. That's about the only thing we can rule out.

If you can't see the a component leaking, look for a leak through the shell, either around the light lens or a hairline crack near the step.

Look for water trapped between the plastic equipment floor and the spa shell near the light.

It does look like trapped water is coming up from under the plastic equipment floor cover in a couple places. One is from a clear 1/2" tube going into the bottom near the wet-end of pump (pic, circled). Also from somewhere under the jet pump, perhaps under the back bracket (can't see). The leaked water is quite warm there.

Can I take off the 3" black flex air duct from the pump for a better look (without making matters worse)? Does it even matter where it's seeping out?

I inspected around the step for hairline cracks and found nothing. The light lens seems suspect, although directly behind it is dry as far as I can reach (not far). Reaching into the jet hole towards the light (pic), it was a bit damp and cruddy. I wonder if it's wet farther below the light where I can't see or reach. Inside the tub, the outer seal of the light is discolored brownish (pic through water), also making me think there's been a breach. But I couldn't confirm it definitively.

Is it prudent to try to replace and reseal the light lens based on this info?

Much thanks for the help and expertise!

Look at the bottom of the light from inside the equip compartment, also feel at the bottom of the light for water seeping in between the large plactic "pan" the equipment sits on and the spa shell at the base of the light.

The bottom of the light is dry to the point that I can feel and see it. Is it possible that I can't reach low enough inside because of the insulation and edge of the liner pan? Or if the light is the culprit, would water be evident everywhere around the hole?

Can you temporily secure a paper towel around the light and wait a bit? If the paper towel is wet, there you go. Also, wrap a paper towel around other fittings that you might suspect. Don't let the paper towels touch the water that's allready there and wick it up. A wet paper towel will be a very good indicator of a leak.

Leaking more when unplugged? Sounds as though you may have a leak on the suction side of the small circ. pump. The piping that attaches to the suction side of the circ pump leading to one of your three filters. There probably is a bleedline or two coming off that piping that you can't see that may be your culprit. You're going to have to be a detective. I wouldn't rule out the shell crack either just yet. Look for what appears to be a hair on the shell that doesn't move.

What about pouring some of that Seal-A-Leak stuff into the tub and cross my fingers? Is it worth a try or just a wishful thinking quick fix? Seems like the leak may be tucked away behind something...

It's a bandaid. Good money after bad.....

Yes! There is a crack in the shell! Actually there are two right next to each other. One is about 1" long and the other about 1/2". They are on the equipment side in the corner opposite the filters, consistent with where the water pools up inside the compartment.

So now this leads to my next obvious question... How should I fix the cracked shell to do it right (and only once)? This is the white knobby Endurol shell that's pretty common in Hot Spring. I also will look through all the previous postings for advice on this topic, but haven't yet. I was just so excited to find "the hair that wouldn't move" that I had to post. I confirmed the cracks with a squirt a bit of phenol red and watched the dye get sucked in. Thank you, thank you for all your amazing expertise and advice. I'm already looking forward to a leakfree tub.

I'm so glad I didn't pour any seal-a-crap into it.

Casey

Yes! There is a crack in the shell! Actually there are two right next to each other. One is about 1" long and the other about 1/2". They are on the equipment side in the corner opposite the filters, consistent with where the water pools up inside the compartment.

So now this leads to my next obvious question... How should I fix the cracked shell to do it right (and only once)? This is the white knobby Endurol shell that's pretty common in Hot Spring. I also will look through all the previous postings for advice on this topic, but haven't yet. I was just so excited to find "the hair that wouldn't move" that I had to post. I confirmed the cracks with a squirt a bit of phenol red and watched the dye get sucked in. Thank you, thank you for all your amazing expertise and advice. I'm already looking forward to a leakfree tub.

I'm so glad I didn't pour any seal-a-crap into it.

Casey

Yes! There is a crack in the shell! Actually there are two right next to each other. One is about 1" long and the other about 1/2". They are on the equipment side in the corner opposite the filters, consistent with where the water pools up inside the compartment.

So now this leads to my next obvious question... How should I fix the cracked shell to do it right (and only once)? This is the white knobby Endurol shell that's pretty common in Hot Spring. I also will look through all the previous postings for advice on this topic, but haven't yet. I was just so excited to find "the hair that wouldn't move" that I had to post. I confirmed the cracks with a squirt a bit of phenol red and watched the dye get sucked in. Thank you, thank you for all your amazing expertise and advice. I'm already looking forward to a leakfree tub.

I'm so glad I didn't pour any seal-a-crap into it.

Casey

HotSpring crack repair.
You have one choice for a permanent fix and several for the temporary fix.
The permanent fix is the crack repair kit available from a hotspring dealer. This repair is done from the back side of the shell which also strengthens it. Generally all the equip. is removed from the compartment, shroud cut away and some foam removal.
A great temporary fix is LeakMaster from Anderson, in white. Flexible sealer that can be applied under water, stays flexible. Or some of the epoxyy pool putty (but these discolor overtime and don't stay flexible.)

I'm intimidated by removing the equipment, shroud, & foam; that I will break something else in the process. So first I will try temporary fix, the Anderson LeakMaster Flexible Sealer. I'll see how it goes and if it doesn't hold, move on to the permanent solution. Thanks again for the insight!

I have also had great luck using the Devcon two part epoxy sold by Watkins on the inside of the shell in instances where the crack was not accessible from the motor compartment, and the customer was not interested in digging out the foam to repair from behind.

I usually drill a small hole on both sides of the crack, then carefully use a dremel to make the crack into a 'V' so there is a channel for the Devcon to fill in and bond with the shell better. I've done this about 10 times over the last 8 years without any call-backs.

Good luck!

Dan goes one step further than we do. We'll just smear a little DEVCON into the crack, and haven't had any issues as well. However, after a year or two, we'll usually see another crack will appear on the equip side.

I ended up getting the flexible sealer. Drained and dried the tub hoping it'll adhere better dry than underwater. I applied one coat, followed by a second, and now I'm waiting the 24 hours to cure before I fill and heat it up again. If it doesn't hold, I'll try Devcon or start dremeling 'v's and holes. Hopefully this will take care of it until the next crack shows up, and in a couple days I'll be able to follow up with a final "it seems to have worked". Much thanks...

The leak is fixed now. Awesome! Thanks for your help!

OK, I have the same problem. There is a very slow leak and it is coming from the pan under the light. But the light is not leaking (water isnt dripping from the sealer around the light into the pan. If there is water in that pan under the light what exactly does that mean? What else connects to the pan and how do I fix it! I dont have leaks in any of the pumps or heater--that I know! Wow, it would be so cool if someone could help me!

Sam