General Hot Tub Design Question

[Mike32110]

http://www.beachcomberhottubs.com/customer-care/documents/2002_Owners_Guide.pdf

If you guys check out the manual on page 1-8, there is a diagram of the external pump system that I currently have for my beachcomber 580.

I am very confused with this as I am currently dealing with a leak. There are essentially 4 connectinos to the hot tub:suction, pump return, hush suction, and heater return; there is also a hush pump return connecting the heater to the hush pump. So I am assuming that the suction tubes are the OUTGOING tubes, and the return is where the water is returning? I was confused by the term "suction" as I was expecting that to be where the water would enter the pump.

So therefore in this diagram, for maintence the water would enter through the heater return, go to the hush return to the hush pump, then go out the hush suction, to the rest of the jets, water then goes through the suction drains at the botom of the tub, and then back to the heater return? And when the tub needs to heat up and the second pump kicks in, then the bigger pump kicks in, water enters the return, and shoots out the main suction. I am assuming that the second set of pumps would converge with the hush pump suction right inside the hot tub? Or is the second pump an independent system in itself? I just want to make sure I understand how this tub works so i can help identify my leak and how to fix it.  Am I totally wrong on this one?

I noticed that my tub stops leaking at about 1/3rd of the level of the main suction at the bottom of the tub. I'm assuming that the hot tub is leaking from the main return valve going towards the main pump return.

[Dr. Spa™ Ret.]

"Suction" is where water is sucked from the spa. "Return" is where water is returned to the spa.

[TwinCitiesHotSpring]

pump 1 and pump 2 are completely separate systems...#1 on the diagram would be pump 1 suction, #2 would be pump 1 discharge/return....#3 would be pump 2 suction and #7 would be pump 2 discharge/return..which of course runs through the heater before it is returned to the spa.

One thing to try to see if it is perhaps leaking right at the fitting(s) would be to fill the spa to just over your suction fittings/footwell area and fill a syringe with food coloring and dispense that food coloring around the fittings themselves and if the food coloring is instantly "sucked" in you know that you are losing water at that particular fitting.