2006 Calspas Avalon leaking like a sieve

[striider]

SO 10 months ago, I bought a "barely used" hot tub on Craigslist, and being the handy guy I am, I figured it would be easy to maintain and fix if it had any problems. The previous owner had it drained and winterized properly when I started talking to him about buying it, and said it worked fine before it was drained. I wanted to see it run with water in it and look for leaks, but made the deal anyway since it was such a new tub. Turns out, it was 10 degrees the night before I was to pick it up, and the dolt filled it about 1/4 of the way before I told him nevermind - I didn't want to see it full since I had already scheduled a mover for the next morning. So, other than a broken coupler going into the heater from freezing, which I replaced with a 2 piece, I had no problems for about 6 months. A few months ago, I noticed a small amount of water coming out of the low side of my concrete slab I have it on. No noticeable water level decrease really, but a small leak for sure. Well, I put it off most of the summer, but about 2 weeks ago, I finally drained it, tilted it up on one side, and started looking for leaks. After removing the protective plastic covering on the bottom, and digging out lots of foam, I found the source of one leak (I think) and replaced a segment of flex pipe. I also noticed another leak dripping off of the 6 way water manifold under the cool down seat area. I thought it was coming from above there somewhere, but couldn't tell for sure since the tub was on it's side and the water trail was drying up.

I decided to get smart and actually see where the leak was coming from, so down to the auto parts store I went, and I am now the proud owner of 10 2-ton jack stands. The tub is about 14" off the ground and half full of water and now I have 5 wet spots under there! So for the last 2 days after work, I have been digging out foam and tightening the large nuts on the backs of jets. It seems this is where my leaks so far have been coming from, although I have still not found the one near the manifold - been too busy with other faster leaks.

Lessons learned so far include:

1) CalSpas are very nice to sit in and relax, but also suck arse and leak for no reason...even if they are only 2-3 years old and you maintain the chemicals perfectly.
2) Always start high in the foam and work down...chances are that the leak is at a jet way up near the body.
3) Never use a super long screwdriver to turn a nut behind a jet...you will split the nut and curse ALOT because now you have to replace an entire jet assembly.

Questions I have for the experts are:

1) Is there an easy way to replace the broken nut on the back of this jet? It looks like there is only one way - remove the water and air fittings from the assembly and patch in new air tubing with couplers and new flex pipe. Is it possible to get flex pvc pipe out of a jet assembly, or should I save myself the pain and buy a new one? Do they make some kind of 2 piece nut for these like I used on the heater coupler?
2) Do CalSpas really suck this badly, or am I just lucky and got some Mexican that can't tighten nuts that put mine together?
3) Should I go ahead and dig out every jet and tighten them, even if they aren't already leaking?
4) Should I spend $300 to buy expanding foam to replace all the foam I have dug out or leave the pipes exposed for now? Of course they will be under the side panels and I have some normal fiberglass insulation I could put in there for the time being.

Thanks in advance folks!

Striider

[spaman--]

It is not a problem with Cal Spas it is the fact that that fool left water in the plumbing lines and it froze and caused your leaks. I do not care who makes the spa no matter the manufacturer the outcome would have been the same maybe less maybe worse. To try and say this is poor manufacturing is incorrect.

Last winter I had my car painted and the radiator replaced and some joker put water in the radiator, now it leaks through the freeze plugs should I blame Ford?

Both of the instances are the result of neglect plain and simple. :-/

Give me the serial number let me research your tub. I am interrested in seeing the history of this thing.

I think I know where this thread is going but I will let it ride out.  

[Gary]

1. I am not aware of split nut for the jets. Yes you can remove the flex from the jet with a heat gun but it takes some practice.

2. Might as well check the rest since you are already that far into it. I do not know if they where left loose, sometimes when a shell get too hot from sun exposure it will warp the jets and make them appear to be loose.

3.  Save as much of the old stuff as you can and put it back in the spa and use cans of spray to seal in.

[striider]

Thanks guys for the tips...now I need to find a heat gun and try not to set the foam on fire  

Not sure if this is the right serial, but the one on the heater reads like this:
Date: 3/2/06
Serial: 12721

I am not sure if this could all be attributed to freeze damage, since there was no water in the lines behind the jets that are leaking, and most didn't start leaking until I moved it again to put it up on it's side.

[Steve]

My guess is that you are seeing a result from freeze damage as well as a tub sitting empty allowing the o-rings to dry out and shrink. It's not a Cal issue... it's owner abuse.

Steve

[striider]

Maybe...but check this out.  This 6 way gang thingy is leaking from one of the joints on the top tubes!  You guys think I can grind out the leftover residue in the large pipe on the left after I saw this thing off and splice 6 extensions onto the pink flex pvc pipes?  the large white pipe feels pretty rigid.



I also went ahead and cut off the jet that broke the nut on, and the gasket seems nice and pliable still - very silicony.

[gwstudios]

That's nothing, I have a sieve that leaks like a hot tub.

[Pathfinder]

Your tub serial # will be on the plate at the bottom right at the front of the tub.
It should start with 06S-..... and have 5 corresponding #'s

[striider]

There is no plate in the control area of the tub or anywhere else I can find.  The only serial I can find is hand written onto the Balboa heating unit and matches the inspection paper tucked into the control area also.

Serial = 12721
Model A857L
Shell Color = Odyssey

[Gary]

A ram bit will clean out plumbing so you can reuse it.

[striider]

Repair is still in progress, but the mystery of the leaking jets is SOLVED!  

I removed the jet that I broke the nut on, and noticed that the inner jet assembly was SUPER tight.  I could not get it out or even turn it while it was in the tub.  Some jets have been stationary since I got the tub, and I just assumed they were not supposed to turn or rotate out easily like most of the others.  I was wrong.  They are all supposed to be adjustable, and they are all supposed to have a little room around them so they can rotate freely within the actual jet body.  I had to put the whole jet body and assembly in a bench vise and get both hands on it to rotate the assembly out of the body!

I have been working with a local hot tub repair guy to get parts, and talked to him at length about this.  It turns out these jets (mostly on one wall of the tub) have been overheated and warped from being exposed while the tub was empty in the sun.  This makes perfect sense, because the warped jets are all on one side of the tub, probably the side that got the direct afternoon sun.  The sun here in Colorado can be especially brutal at altitude.  He said Calspas are prone to this due to the stainless steel escutcheons and the dark color of the jet assemblys, they heat up quickly and get HOT.  You can see on this jet that it is visibly warped and has actually shrunk in diameter compared to the replacement.  So I started looking at the other jets that have been leaking, and without fail you can see that they also are warped, and the seals have been allowed to shift underneath.  Tightening them like I have done may work for awhile, but eventually I am facing 20-30 jet replacement.

FUN eh?

We were all partially right, it was owner abuse that has led to all of my problems.  I am still working on replacing that 6 way manifold and will let you know how that goes.  Thanks for all the help so far folks, you rock!

The moral of this story is:

[size=20]TAKE CARE OF YOUR HOT TUB!  NEVER leave it uncovered and empty in the sun for ANY length of time for ANY reason.[/size][/b]

[stuart]

Repair is still in progress, but the mystery of the leaking jets is SOLVED!  

I removed the jet that I broke the nut on, and noticed that the inner jet assembly was SUPER tight.  I could not get it out or even turn it while it was in the tub.  Some jets have been stationary since I got the tub, and I just assumed they were not supposed to turn or rotate out easily like most of the others.  I was wrong.  They are all supposed to be adjustable, and they are all supposed to have a little room around them so they can rotate freely within the actual jet body.  I had to put the whole jet body and assembly in a bench vise and get both hands on it to rotate the assembly out of the body!

I have been working with a local hot tub repair guy to get parts, and talked to him at length about this.  It turns out these jets (mostly on one wall of the tub) have been overheated and warped from being exposed while the tub was empty in the sun.  This makes perfect sense, because the warped jets are all on one side of the tub, probably the side that got the direct afternoon sun.  The sun here in Colorado can be especially brutal at altitude.  He said Calspas are prone to this due to the stainless steel escutcheons and the dark color of the jet assemblys, they heat up quickly and get HOT.  You can see on this jet that it is visibly warped and has actually shrunk in diameter compared to the replacement.  So I started looking at the other jets that have been leaking, and without fail you can see that they also are warped, and the seals have been allowed to shift underneath.  Tightening them like I have done may work for awhile, but eventually I am facing 20-30 jet replacement.

FUN eh?

We were all partially right, it was owner abuse that has led to all of my problems.  I am still working on replacing that 6 way manifold and will let you know how that goes.  Thanks for all the help so far folks, you rock!

The moral of this story is:

[size=20]TAKE CARE OF YOUR HOT TUB!  NEVER leave it uncovered and empty in the sun for ANY length of time for ANY reason.[/size][/b]

OK,
I've got to step in here and say something...Yes, you never want to leave any brand of spa uncovered in the Colorado sun. Your tech saying that Cal was more prone to this than other brands is incorrect. I've had several jets warp and fail in the D1 spas as well as many other brands for this very reason. It really doesn't seem to matter what the jets are.

Here is where I have a problem...although you've brought out some interesting points as a homeowner fixing your own spa, you've also made offhanded comments that may or may not have been intentional about the Cal Spa brand so lets clear this up;

This spa has been abused! It was left in the sun uncovered, it was left with water in it in the winter without power. The only thing worse than those two things is to take a sledge hammer to it!

I'm happy to help if I can as a Cal Spa Dealer here in Colorado however lets blame the situation on the abuse and not list it as brand specific problems...No brand would have held up in those conditions.

Being a new Cal dealer I honestly can't tell you of any problems that are ongoing with that year of spa however, so far we are getting rave reveiws from existing customers who had the product from the old dealer!

[striider]

Thanks Stuart.  I agree with you - this is not a CalSpas problem, it's an abuse problem.  I did not say "more prone" nor insinuate that it was brand related, I was merely stating facts about what probably accellerated this issue for me.  Another thing to note is that my tub body is Navy Blue (Odyssey), so it also sucks in the heat, but I am not blaming CalSpas for that either.  I love my tub (when it's working), and I have no animosity towards CalSpas at this point, just the dolt I bought it from.  Add me to the dolt list for not knowing what to look for before purchasing.

On a side note - maybe you can make me a bulk deal on those jets I need to replace?  

[spaman--]

O.k so the tub was left out in the sun and the jets and housings warped. In perspective that is an incredible spa shell that can with stand that kind of abuse and not blister, crack or peel. This means they are doing something right. Remember they do not make the plumbing or its parts, however they take all the steps necessary to make certain the spa shell can with stand this kind of abuse. A good testament!!

Last year at a show, a spa rep friend of mine was out in a tent, sun shining bright, one of the spas was kinda hangin outside the tent in the sun. Imagine his surprise when the spa he was a rep for blistered the size of a softball in less than half of a day.

I would be amazed to see the many outcomes we would have in a testing ground of this nature.

Bring on the Geloy!!!!!!!!!


BTW give me a call, I will see what kind of price we can get on those jets.

[Steve]

O.k so the tub was left out in the sun and the jets and housings warped. In perspective that is an incredible spa shell that can with stand that kind of abuse and not blister, crack or peel.  

What is different in a CalSpas acrylic than a similar acrylic? I thought there were only a few companies that made acrylic for all spas? :-? Just curious as I've never heard that before.

Steve