Old spa leak/time to get a new spa?

[lorinast]

I have a 10 yr old Dimension One Interlude spa that's been leaking for about 3-4 months.  I tried Leakseal, which slowed it down BRIEFLY.  My boyfriend and the neighborhood brainstrust jacked it up part-way, and it's impossible to find the leak without major surgery, because the body is sealed.  (It's definitely NOT leaking out of the motor compartment or from the drain.) The local spa maintenance guys quoted me $2500 to pull it out of its location, take it into the "lab" and diagnose the problem -- no fix guaranteed for that price.  The leak is fast enough that I need to put in about 12 minutes of water from the hose/morning (don't know how many gallons that is -- but it's not trivial.)

Since it's already 10 years old, for that amount of money I'm thinking it's time for a new tub -- 'though it works perfectly in every other way.

(1) Do you agree new vs. fix?
(2) If fix -- HOW?  Do I really pay the $2500 to have them take it away with no guarantee of solving the problem?
(3) If new:  it's built in to my deck in such a way that getting a spa of a different size would be quite a problem.  The Interlude is 6'6"x7' (I believe), so I really need to find something EXACTLY that size... or I suppose I could get a new Interlude, if they're still made.  Any advice for me in this regard?

I live in California and the spa is installed JUST outside my sliding doors to the back deck, so I'm in it daily (or close to).  Making this decision right will have a big "quality of life" impact for me, so I sure appreciate your expert advice!

[stuart]

If you live in Calif. you could just about send it back to the factory and have it revamped for around that price... (well depending on what kind of condition everything else is!)

[Spatech_tuo]

If you do decide not to pay the $2500 and decide a new one is the better choice for you why not give fixing the old one a try yourselves. You'd have nothing to loose at that point other than some of your own labor and if you screw up the fix (which may even be minor once you get to it) its no big deal if you've decided to scrap the spa anyway.

[lorinast]

Thanks for the suggestions!  Good point (DUH!) on trying to fix it ourselves if we've already decided to give up and start fresh...   I think we'll try it (once the weather improves).

[wmccall]

Leak seal?  If its like any automotive "stop leak" product, is there any value to using it?

[Cgar]

Somewhat to my surprise, the Stop Leak actually does (or can) work.  Of course, this will depend entirely on the type of leak.  And, based on a recent episode, I've learned that the water must be warm in order for this stuff to work it's magic.