Hoping I found and fixed the leak!

[Spoiledrotten]

2012 Hot Springs Envoy.  A couple of years ago, I developed a leak somewhere. It seemed to be very close to one of the drain outlet corners.  I opened the panel and checked for obvious signs in that compartment.  Dry as a bone.  Checked the two outlets to see if it was the rubber gasket at the caps.  Nothing.  I called the dealership and told them that I had a leak, thinking they would send out a technician that would investigate and possibly find the problem.  He showed up, looked in the compartment, checked the drain outlets and told me it would have to be taken in to the shop for the leak search.  He didn’t do any more than I did, and wrote me an invoice for $125.  I called and asked about getting it to the shop.  I was told that to the pick up and deliver, it would cost $1000, plus the cost of finding and fixing the leak.  Now, the way things have been going, I’m envisioning a final bill of around $3000.  I let it sit, drain as it would, and drained a tear every time I wanted to soak. I always kept it filled enough to keep all pump seals underwater.  Well, after allowing it to sit, I decided to use it anyway.  I refilled it, got the water chems right, and soaked on a few evenings.  The leak wasn’t terrible, but it was a leak.  About a month ago, I decided to take the matter in my own hands.  I purchased a little inspection camera that connects via WiFi to the cell phone.  I allowed the water to drain at its own pace so I could tell how close to the bottom it was.  With only a couple of inches left in the tub, I figured the leak had to be right at the bottom.  This morning, I got my inspection camera and started the inspection.  I opened the drain line and watched as about 2 gallons of the remaining water flowed out.  I eased the cam into that tube and found what looked like a small split in the flexible tubing, about 4” into the drain.  Could this really be what kept me from using my spa for 2 years?  If this is THE LEAK, it was going to cost me, most likely, $2000+ to have the stealership repair.  I cleaned the inside of the tubing very well, crammed a couple of flushable wipes into the tube to keep the water away, then mixed a good dose of JB Marine weld.   I got a chop stick, measured right where the “suspected leak” is and heavily smeared the JB Weld around the interior of the tube, pushing it into the area of the suspected area hoping to create a plug as well as a patch.  I’m now going to allow it to cure until tomorrow, and see what happens.  Worst case, I’m in no worse shape than before.  Next, if it even fixes for a short time, I’ll know to jack up the HT and see how I replace that flex tube, which is right on the bottom of everything.  Best case is that this fixed my long running problem until I remove or replace the tub.  Money spent doing it myself = $35 for the WiFi cam and $6 for the JB Weld, and my own time. 

[d00nut]

In all fairness to the dealership, not stealership.  Sounds like they would repair it the right way, versus your simple patch job. 

I would imagine they would run it, test it, and actually replace the tubing or pvc, whatever was the problem, and not smear gunk and cross their fingers. 

If you wish to save the money, bring the spa to them. 

Hopefully your spa is fixed for the long term, but they would most likely do a much, much, much more thorough job than what you just did. 

I don't believe people realize just how expensive everything is getting these days... 

[Spoiledrotten]

The guy spent about 10 minutes on my property. He didn’t even try.  That was one main thing that bothered me.   In my own defense, my way confirms if I found the cause of the leak, so in your way of fairness, if the spot I found is my leak, it would be a simple fix whether I have to replace the flex tubing “the right way” by actually tilting the tub up and going to the source or knowing that my patch stopped the leak.  I don’t really mind a patch if it works. I give lots of money to charitable organizations, but a dealership of any kind sure isn’t one of them.   When you have a nail in your tire, do you allow a patch/plug, or do you replace the tire?  I didn’t have to pay $1125 up front and then whatever they decided to charge for fixing the leak who knows where.  Whether you’re a dealer, technician or just a consumer, you know the game, but I can appreciate your marketing techniques.  At 62, I learned about that a long time ago.  Difference is the name on the payment check.  I’m pretty capable after I decide to get off my lazy butt.  I surely know how to fix things right.   

[d00nut]

Fair enough, you were just complaining about a suspect charge for how much it would cost to fix things the right way, versus your patch job.

I would disagree.  Fix-a-leak or JB Weld is not something I would allow my dealership to do.  That's for DIYers.  It won't hold for long, and most customers would rather it fixed the right way.

Splits in plumbing are pretty darn rare.  Almost impossibly rare, outside of freeze damage.  I know I would almost always suspect a joint first

[Tman122]

2012 Hot Springs Envoy.  A couple of years ago, I developed a leak somewhere. It seemed to be very close to one of the drain outlet corners.  I opened the panel and checked for obvious signs in that compartment.  Dry as a bone.  Checked the two outlets to see if it was the rubber gasket at the caps.  Nothing.  I called the dealership and told them that I had a leak, thinking they would send out a technician that would investigate and possibly find the problem.  He showed up, looked in the compartment, checked the drain outlets and told me it would have to be taken in to the shop for the leak search.  He didn’t do any more than I did, and wrote me an invoice for $125.  I called and asked about getting it to the shop.  I was told that to the pick up and deliver, it would cost $1000, plus the cost of finding and fixing the leak.  Now, the way things have been going, I’m envisioning a final bill of around $3000.  I let it sit, drain as it would, and drained a tear every time I wanted to soak. I always kept it filled enough to keep all pump seals underwater.  Well, after allowing it to sit, I decided to use it anyway.  I refilled it, got the water chems right, and soaked on a few evenings.  The leak wasn’t terrible, but it was a leak.  About a month ago, I decided to take the matter in my own hands.  I purchased a little inspection camera that connects via WiFi to the cell phone.  I allowed the water to drain at its own pace so I could tell how close to the bottom it was.  With only a couple of inches left in the tub, I figured the leak had to be right at the bottom.  This morning, I got my inspection camera and started the inspection.  I opened the drain line and watched as about 2 gallons of the remaining water flowed out.  I eased the cam into that tube and found what looked like a small split in the flexible tubing, about 4” into the drain.  Could this really be what kept me from using my spa for 2 years?  If this is THE LEAK, it was going to cost me, most likely, $2000+ to have the stealership repair.  I cleaned the inside of the tubing very well, crammed a couple of flushable wipes into the tube to keep the water away, then mixed a good dose of JB Marine weld.   I got a chop stick, measured right where the “suspected leak” is and heavily smeared the JB Weld around the interior of the tube, pushing it into the area of the suspected area hoping to create a plug as well as a patch.  I’m now going to allow it to cure until tomorrow, and see what happens.  Worst case, I’m in no worse shape than before.  Next, if it even fixes for a short time, I’ll know to jack up the HT and see how I replace that flex tube, which is right on the bottom of everything.  Best case is that this fixed my long running problem until I remove or replace the tub.  Money spent doing it myself = $35 for the WiFi cam and $6 for the JB Weld, and my own time.

I would of tipped it up right in your yard and removed the foam and fixed it right in about an hour. 125 bucks you provide beer and help me tip it up and down.

Old school repair guy

[Spoiledrotten]

D00nut,

I took a couple of pics from my camera of the spot I found.  I wish this site allowed pics to be downloaded straight from your computer/iPad.   I used to use photobucket until they started that crap of holding my pics hostage.  Oh well.