When I moved into my new house there was a hot tub. Finally got around to filling it, balancing the water, etc. It works great...but I notice a wet spot in the concrete slab in one location. Not huge, but after about a month I can tell the water line has dropped...but just slightly.

The 'wet spot' starts to dry up when the pump is not on, and I've removed the access panel and don't see any dampness on or around any of the pump/piping, etc. So I suspect it is coming from one of the jets, or someplace that I cannot see.

I have no idea what brand the unit is. Nowhere does it specify a make, model, etc. I thought I could remove the skirt, starting at the access panel, to get around to the jets in question. The skirt is redwood lap board, and impossible to get off without splitting. No way am I going to do this.

So my question is: Is there another way to possibly detect and fix the leak, or should I just leave it alone? The water runs off into the yard, and it's only leaking when the pump/jets are on, which is not most of the time anyway. As long as it doesn't get bigger, the only downside is more attention to water level and chemical balance.

Thoughts? Thanks !

If you don't want to do the work to get at the leak, you will have to live with the leak. There is a product out there that states it will seal small leaks just by dumping it into the water (like radiator sealer), but DON'T USE IT! It can cause more problems than it's worth, and barely works, at best. So you have two choices... Live with the leak, or repair the leak.

it's not so much that I don't want to do the work, it's that I can't get the skirt off to do it. Is there another way, such as removing the jets from the tub side and inspect them for cracks?

Not sure, but I hope so. If not, yes, I will live with the leak, because I don't really want to replace one entire side of the skirt.

Thanks for the advice !

LOL actually it wasn't a leak at all...

I didn't turn the tub on for a few days and noticed the spot on the concrete was shrinking. I think removed the cover to test the water, and then saw the source of the 'leak'.....condensate from the underside of the cover was dripping down the cover flap that goes over the skirt. I assume this happened every time I opened the cover. I I noticed that only a small amount of drops caused the puddle to get much larger; probably due to the porous nature of concrete.

I always wondered why when I turned the jets on I couldn't SEE the leak, but the puddle got bigger; it's because when I go in, I don't remove the cover completely, I just flip one side on top of the other, and the dripping begins.

Next time I'll look much closer.

Yup, that would explain it... trust me, you're not the first person to experience that!

Specifically what are the issues?

How many times have you tried to use it?
I still have to replace the entire heater on my hot tub, and just wonder what it really will do. Might be easier than hacking through all the foam to get to the leaks....





Tom

I have never, and will never use a stop leak for a spa, and I will always try to steer people away from it. Reason is most leaks are not little tiny holes, which the product is designed for. Most are broken fittings, ruptured hoses, bad glue joints, or bad seals on jets. Also, the stuff is made to plug small holes, and even though you can follow the directions to a "tee", you will likely end up plugging up your filter in the process. Not to mention it coats EVERYTHING. Pumps, heaters, hoses, seats, jets, everything. It isn't picky where it decides to precipitate onto. Lastly, it's NEVER perminant. If you ever read the instructions, the labor alone involved would encourage you to dig 5 pounds of insulation to do the repair right.

I'm not going to discuss it any further, it's a bad product, and anyone in a reputable repair business will back that.

Use it if you wish, but don't expect miracles.

It's not a bad product at all! I have used it with success. It is not only designed to seal little tiny leaks, but leaks up to an 1/8 of an inch. It wont coat your filter either, read the instructions, you remove the filter! It doesn't dry until it reaches air either. Sorry to say but your oppinion is just that. Fix a leak made by Marlig is a good product. It's not a fix all, but it does have a good success rate.

What I find entertaining about this rebuttal is that he states it is not a fix all, but yet it will fix a 1/8" leak? A 1/8" leak is a VERY SERIOUS LEAK in a hot tub!

Stop leak products will NEVER seal leaks as big as 1/8 of an inch, and it is a temporary fix on failed joints, at best. To put it another way, it's patching a hole in a dyke with a piece of bubblegum... it stops the tiny leak, but only for a short time. This guy clearly doesn't know what he is talking about, or he is a dealer of the product trying to unload some inventory.

Oh no, i'm not a dealer at all! I have nothing to do with the pool/spa business. I did however have several leaks in my sundance montego spa. I fixed the leaks that I could get to & used fix a leak for the rest of the leaks that were under the spray on foam. This product works very well.

The bottle says that it will stop leaks up to an 1/8 of an inch. Will it? I don't know, it sure did fix my leaks though. I was loosing several gallons per day & this product worked for me.

Clearly you are the one who is closed minded & doesn't know what you are talking about. I speak from my own personal experience. By the way, it has been holding for over a year now.

If you have a leak that's in plain sight then by all means just fix. If it's under the sprayed on foam then why not try a bottle? It's easier than draining, tipping your spa & digging into it.

You shouldn't knock it if you don't know about it. There are a couple of other copy cat products out there that seem to work as well.