2006 Calspas Avalon leaking like a sieve

[stuart]

There are three major acrylic companies...The acrylic has less to do with it than the bonding agent and sheer strength of the shell.  

The "friend" spaman is talking about is me... the spa was a D1 Amore Bay and it blistered pretty rapidly with just a small portion of it sticking out in the sun.

I've yet to see the results with the new Cal's but my guess is this was a good testament right here!

[striider]

Yup my spa has a super strong shell, I can attest to that.  We moved it here in the freezing cold, some dillhole left it in the direct sunlight, and there are no cracks or any hint of flex that I can see.  Around the jets that are leaking, I can see no seepage into the shell at all, and it is almost 1/4 inch thick.  Something tells me this tub will be around long after I am gone for sure.  It still looks brand new also, I will post some pictures after I get it all set up again.

[gwstudios]

FYI,

You can pour properly mixed fiberglass resin over almost anything with stress cracks and it will seal the leak and last basically forever. If you mix it too hot, it becomes brittle.

Make sure the tub is off and there is no pressure in the lines when you do this.

[Vanguard]

There are three major acrylic companies...The acrylic has less to do with it than the bonding agent and sheer strength of the shell.  

The "friend" spaman is talking about is me... the spa was a D1 Amore Bay and it blistered pretty rapidly with just a small portion of it sticking out in the sun.

I've yet to see the results with the new Cal's but my guess is this was a good testament right here!

Honest question here.  Wasn't the blistering of the D1 shell due to the spa retaining the heat because of the full foam insulation?  I don't think any full foam spas allow you to leave the spa in the direct sunlight without a cover or water.  

Non-full foam spas allow the heat on the shell to dissipate so they won't blister as quickly.  That is what I've always been told.  Let me know if that is incorrect.

[spaman--]

Honest question here.  Wasn't the blistering of the D1 shell due to the spa retaining the heat because of the full foam insulation?  I don't think any full foam spas allow you to leave the spa in the direct sunlight without a cover or water.  

Non-full foam spas allow the heat on the shell to dissipate so they won't blister as quickly.  That is what I've always been told.  Let me know if that is incorrect.

This is incorrect the Cal Spa was full foam, the reason for the blister in the D1 was because the shell did not bond to the backing well enough to keep it from seperating. I will agree that "elasty caste" is hard but it allows for blistering. Some believe that the reason for blistering is the blame of full foam, in reality if you back the acrylic right it will not blister.

[stuart]

Well if it was a case of full foam then here's a funny fact...The footwell has little to no foam in it or at best the least amount in the whole tub.

The blisters where only in the footwell...

[nickPSD]

When I had my Cal Spa torn apart due to freeze damage the place that had the least amount of foam was right under the main foot well just, I bet there was under 1" of foam under it. Let me see if I have a picture to show what I mean...

Here we go, you can kinda see what I mean, right under the 2x4 that goes threw the middle

[spaman--]

When I had my Cal Spa torn apart due to freeze damage the place that had the least amount of foam was right under the main foot well just, I bet there was under 1" of foam under it. Let me see if I have a picture to show what I mean...

Here we go, you can kinda see what I mean, right under the 2x4 that goes threw the middle

WOW! That must be at  least 10 years old, the bottom of Cal Spas look nothing like that today. There is at least 3.5" of foam under them today. I am amazed how many people allow spas to freeze.

[nickPSD]

Its 8 years old to be exact, considering I got the hot tub for free, im not going to complain, I replaced all the pumps and put a new Balboa VS510 spa pack in, I added alot of insulation in the tub, also, im not hoping for much of any trouble. So far so good... Knock on wood  

[striider]

Well guys, after my hot tub has been sitting empty and covered for a couple of weeks during repairs, guess what I noticed today?  HUGE bubbles in the acrylic all over the side that must have gotten past sun exposure.  I guess I am done owning a hot tub, and out $3000 because I am an idiot.  Unsure why the bubbles just showed up now - maybe water pressure or something kept them in check until it sat empty?  SO I take back my sterling review of the shell, as it did not hold up any better than the jets apparently.  Thanks for all the help.

Any of you Denver guys know of someone that will come haul this thing off and maybe give me something for it for parts?  It is only 2.5 years old after all.

[spaman--]

can you send pics of it? Where is the eggs wiping off of chin smiley?

I can fix it,

I mean I know a guy that can fix it.

[striider]

They are massive, man.  One is the size of 2 or 3 softballs.  I will post pics tomorrow I guess.

[Spatech_tuo]

They are massive, man.  One is the size of 2 or 3 softballs.  I will post pics tomorrow I guess.

Is the spa fixed otherwise or did you have pending repairs that you've now put on hold?

[striider]

I have the 6 way manifold underneath the cool down seat area to replace still, and a jet on the other side of the tub to replace.  It has been removed, but not replaced yet, as I was going to order both parts at the same time.

[Hillbilly Hot Tub]

There are ways to fix blisters, don't junk it yet. We have heard of, but not tried a method from our manufacturer...You drill 2 small holes in the blister, a size that you can glue a small piece of vinyal tubing in, glue tubing in each, squirt super glue (they have one made for acrylic repair) in one tube while applying a vacuum to the other pulling the blister down to the backing and sealing it.

It sounds good in therory, but we have not tried it. There are several other ways that may work also depending on the blistering, backing ect.

Good Luck.