Please Help with Leak and Broken Moto Message (Same Corner)

[hamholfarm]

Hello,

  I have a Hot Springs Grandee, it is somewhere north of 10 years old. This winter it began leaking out of one of the moto message corners. It froze at one point and stayed leak free until it thawed. Now, I have found ball bearings on the seat of the same corner where the leak appears to be. I understand that the leak could be anywhere, and may just be flowing downhill to that corner. However, is it possible that the leak was do to wherever the ball bearings came from? From a brief search here I learned there are ball bearings somewhere in the moto message., but I don't know where. Would someone explain where in the moto message the bearings are? I have taken the face plate off, but don't know where to go from there. Also, about the leak, could it be from the ball bearing issue? What is the best way to try to find the source of the leak. By disassembling the moto message to fix the ball bearing issue, would I likely find the source of the leak? For the overall condition of the hot tub, I don't believe it is worthwhile to pay for four people to come out to lift the tub onto blocks, and then pay a technician to fix it, and then pay again to have the tub lowered. I am very mechanically inclined, although pretty physically beat-up right now. I greatly appreciate all the help you can give me!

Thank you,

Chip

[Hot Spring Ace]

The ball bearings have nothing to do with your leak or the moto massage. They are from one of your rotary jets that ended up in that seat and you just need a new jet insert.

The leak is probably from the drain line in the back of your moto massage bucket. There may be a drain at both the bottom and mid way up that moto bucket. If so its good news because its easy to get to and fairly easy to fix. If you're going to take it on yourself just remove the siding in the corner carefully and dig to the back of the moto bucket and you may find that a drain nipple cracked. If so see your dealer for the parts to fix it or you can simply plug it on both ends properly because you don't necessarily need the drain line.

[hamholfarm]

Hi Ace,

Thanks for replying.

Is there a way to determine which rotary jet went bad without disassembling anything? How do I first get to the jet, and then how do I disassemble it to get to the insert? Would you happen to have a diagram or know where I could find one?

As far as the leak is concerned, approximately how far into the insulation do I need to dig before I would hit the drain hose and nipple. What is best to use to remove the insulation? If I find and can repair the leak, is the spray foam/insulation in a can the best product to use to re-insulate the whole area?

Do you have advice to add or other information that I would need?

I really appreciate your knowledge and assistance,

Chip

[dunecritter]

Just take the spinning jets out one by one and you will be able to identify which jet is missing some bearings or simply spin them manually empty...Turn the jet collar counter clockwise to remove...Sometimes it requires just a bit of twisting pressure but will come out. The jets are readily available at your dealer. You can also get a few guys to lift one end (Empty obviously) up and use a few 8x8x16 blocks to set it on and dig it from the underside...The Fitting that ACE is talking about is usually the culprit.

[hamholfarm]

Hi dunecritter,

Thanks for the reply!

I'll post back how it turns out.

Chip