Where can I get a plumbing diagram/picture for a 1998 Hot Springs Soveriegn? I loose about 1 inch of water a day. I stop losing water when the water gets down to the middle of the moto-massage unit which lines up with two jets in the stationary cluster of jets in front right side of the spa. No leaking lens, no apparent cracks in anything. I would like a picture or digram before I go to town. Any help would be appreciated...

Dan O

Is there water seeping out from anywhere that you can see? How about behind where the moto-massage is along the bottom of the wood? There is a nipple that is prone to leaking in that area. If that is what it is you can take the 2 boards off from behing the moto-massage, pry out the small piece of plywood that is behind them, dig out a small amount of foam and it should be visible.

The line is 1/4" and it may be leaking or completely separated from the shell. If it is still attatched you can just snap it off easily. Then take a 19/64" drill bit and drill out the old hole. You can buy a replacement nipple from a local Hotspring dealer and just use PVC primer and glue to put the new one in.

I have a deck around three sides of the spa, that area is not easily accessable. I seemd to notice some moisture under the FRONT right side (the cluster of stationary jets). Of course now that the spa has been drained for weeks, everything is dryed up.

Do you think I should jack it up, refill, and watch for leaks??

Dan O

If you do it would be a good idea to slide it out a bit because there is a good chance it is the moto-massage nipple and it would have to be repaired from the back. Is the tub on a slab that is pitched toward the front? If so the water may be running from back to front.

It very well could be the bank of 10 precision jets that is leaking (maybe a glue joint). I have fixed a few glue joint leaks in that cluster of jets...but if that is the problem you should get much more water leaking out when the jets are on.

What do you use for a sanitizer in the tub?

If it is the broken motto nipple, it's fixable without removing any wood, or digging any foam.

You'd be guessing, but when it's a real job to move a spa, or there's no access in permanant installations, it works great in a pinch, and only takes about 20 minutes.

Essentially, you're sealing the hole in the back of the motto guidebod from inside the spa, then sealing the other side of that tube (which runs all the way into the equip compartment). If you take a couple pics in your equip compt (up high on circ pump output plumbing), I can show you where that bleedline originates.

Seal off both ends- viola, no leak

I have attached a couple of pics from my spa as you requested. I also noticed that mice have been (and maybe stil are) in the equipment area. Note the removed material. I may have bigger problems now if they chewed into something. Pic Spa1.jpg shows the moto-massage area, and spa2.jpg shows the equipment are. I have drawn circles around the chewed out area the resulting debri.

I am now looking for leaks, and maybe for some new pets :")

Dan O

The area's that need to be sealed are:

In pic #1, the small black spot area in the upper right corner of the picture. (with some type of epoxy or Devcon)

In pic#2, the hose to the left of where the ozonator plugs in to the control box needs to have the bleed-line clamped off. (the white coupling with the 1/8"line that tee's off)

is the bleed line the joint I have circled on the bottom left corner in the attached pic? To clamp it off, you mean completely close it off? What is/was it's function, and why would that contribute to me losing water in the spa?

Thanks,

Dan O

That's the one, clamp off the small line coming out of the top. It runs all the way over to the back of the moto-massage compartment at the spot that you need to epoxy. The nipple behind the small hole in the moto-massage compartment had a tendency to snap-off. Doing these 2 things will stop the leak if that is where it is.

Not sure what the thought process was when the engineers originally put it there, sealing it off won't change anything in the operation of the tub.

Dan,

It has been a while, and I have an update. The Hot Tub Store has been repairing my spa, and found several leaks in the plumbing joints under the spa (inside the foam). They repaired one leak (to the tune of $500) and want another ~$700 to fix the others. nearly all the cost is labor (and the foam, which they say is REALLY expensive to replace). My questions are:

1. With multiple leaks, is it more economical to flip the spa on it's side, tear the foam out, and repair all the leaks myself? They back their repairs, but they question the integrity of the other ~400 glue joints, once they see 3 or 4 leaking at once. They say they have seen spas where all the joints on a run are bad (probably glued by the same person).

2. If I do this myself, can I get the same good foam they use, and where/how much? They also talk about a clear coat finish on the bottom of the spa. What is that all about? Maybe a sealer so the foam does not rot.

3. Or as a last resort, is it better to dump the spa, and buy something else?

4. If crappy workmanship (not gluing the joints right) in a spa happens, would a lawsuit to get them to stand behind their work be appropriate? How many others have the same issue of the stoner gluing the joints bad on their spa? Just a thought... The term class action comes to mind.

Any comments would be appreciated.

Dan O