1997 model. I bought it used last June for $1500. It was in great shape and this is the first problem I've had with it.I'll get you the price of the boards tomorrow, you may need to stain the boards to match as well. Repair sounds fine, just a bleed nipple. Replace with expansion foam. Just don't close the wound for a few days to make sure repair was done properly. ;)
- Law Dawg
I asked at Home Depot and Lowes and no one has ever heard of "high strength". They say its all one strength. So.....my question is, do I trust this repair to regular PVC Glue? Will this hold? I do not want to do this repair again for the foreseable future.I have used "Christy's Red Hot Blue Glue" forever. And I have done several of these repairs with just that - it works fine. I just wanted you to avoid the real cheap clear PVC glue which can be a problem.
I'd like to hear from some professional spa repair techs on this. Would you all be doing the same things that Lawdawgva has done?Yes, pretty much.
How long would a job like this take, and how much would the repair cost?That's a very hard one to answer. With experience, a good tech can usually find a leak much faster than an amateur. Yes, the bleed nipples cracked near the MotoMassage housing a lot, so that is the first place I would have checked - I would have done so by driving a small hole into the foam in that area and then filling and operating the spa elevated on blocks. That way, in about an hour, I can get a pretty good idea if the nipple is to blame or not. From there, another hour will have the spa emptied and the foam removed. The actual repair can take minutes once the foam is out of the way. Newer HotSpring tubs have removable side panels. I would then do exactly what Law Dog has done: let it set overnight, fill and run to observe if the leak if fixed. Then I would dig out all wet foam and replace with new foam. That is the expensive part, BTW. Is the foam in this tub used to provide support for the shell? If so, is the spa just as structurally sound after the repair? Yes, the area around the MotoMassage is pretty strong for two reasons: it is near the top of the tub which is thicker material, and it has the MotoMassage housing bonded to the shell which acts to strengthen that area of the shell. Is this an unusually nasty repair, or are there worse?I think that the four Precision Jets above the Moto Massage unit are harder to repair because they are somewhat harder to get to. What do you suppose caused this problem?As the foam expands on the production line, it can sometimes impart a bit of preload to the tubing in this area. It is a hard space to foam correctly, so they have modified the way it is done to get rid of this problem. They also beefed up the little nipples to allow them to handle side-stress if it is present. The nipples are there for two reasons: one is to drain the water out of the area for folks who winterize their spa, and the other is to have a smal flow of water from the circ pump through the cavity behind the MotoMassage jet to keep the water fresh and hot in that cavity.
The nipples are there for two reasons: one is to drain the water out of the area for folks who winterize their spa, and the other is to have a smal flow of water from the circ pump through the cavity behind the MotoMassage jet to keep the water fresh and hot in that cavity.[/b][/quote]
At the great risk of being severly criticized for the following, let me first state that I am NOT rubbing salt in the wound of lawdawgva for his leakage problem. Rather, I am asking prospective buyers to seriously consider the problems associated with FF units if a leak does develop past the warranty period. I understand the unit is 10 years old, but I still would not want to deal with the mess that this owner is going thru. When I have mentioned this potential problem on this site before, I was criticized by FF dealers for overblowing this possibility. Well, as I said before, if there is one thing almost everyone agrees with, it's that sooner or later, spas leak. Which would you rather fix, a fully foamed or an open chamber style?
HMMMMMM!!!!!!!!
Dosen't this sound like the same thing that people claim is a problem with Bullfrog. Does Hot Springs have a problem with the water in this cavity going skunky. Just kidding ;D Chas, sorry to use your post to make a point.
One question.....can I also have a spa babe come over and pat me on the head while we are soaking and having and adult beverage and say "what a good boy you are!"
-Law Dawg