Hot Tub Leak Detection & Repair
Good news & Bad news
Good news: 90% of leaks in portable hot tubs are found in the easily accessible equipment area. Hot tub pumps send vibrations through all the plumbing so fittings can loosen over time leading to leaks.
Leaks in your hot tub equipment area are usually routine and ordinary and only require tightening a fitting or sometimes replacing a gasket or 0-ring.
Bad news: 10% of leaks in portable hot tubs are found in the complex plumbing, buried in spray-foam insulation deep inside the less accessible parts of the cabinet.
Leaks can happen anywhere in the complex pipes and plumbing hidden deep inside your hot tub
Hot tub shells are placed up-side-down on the assembly line so workers in a pit under the shell and workers above on both sides can attach all the complex plumbing that delivers water to each of the jets in a modern, portable hot tub.
After the plumbing is complete, the shell and all the pipes and fittings are usually water tested and then sprayed with foam insulation untill all the plumbing is buried under several inches of insulation. Once the frame and cabinet are installed most of the plumbing in a portable hot tub is not readily accessible.
IMPORTANT: Leak repair can not be guaranteed until the source of a leak has been identified
Leaks in the cabinet are not routine or ordinary and may be caused by factory defects such as bad glue joints, old brittle plumbing, chemical damage and rodent damage.
Here in San Diego, leaks in a hot tub cabinet are often caused by rodents chewing on plumbing while they set up a nest and raise a family deep inside your nice, warm hot tub hotel.
If you live on a canyon or greenbelt, have fruit trees, or just have a community fence line running through your backyard...there is a pretty good chance you've had mice and rats sniffing around the bottom of your hot tub looking for a way in.
Leak detection often involves digging and scraping foam insulation off complex plumbing. Leak repair often involves cutting out and replacing components.
Leak detection inside the cabinet of your hot tub usually starts wtih digging out and scraping off the spray-foam insulation used by most hot tub manufacturers. Once the leak is identified a repair usually involves cutting out and replacing pipe, fittings and other components such as the filter assembly pictured above.
$135.00 Troubleshooting, Testing, Inspection
- Inspect accessible equipment for leaks
- Repair minor, routine leaks
- Tighten fittings
- Replace gaskets
- Minor epoxy repair
$125.00/Hour Labor: Leak Detection (Sides of Hot Tub)
- Remove cabinet panels
- Probe insulation for wet spots
- Dig out spray-foam insulation to identify source of leak
Over time, surge fatigue and chemical overdose can make the flexible pipe in your hot tub stiff and brittle. If your hot tub is leaking at cracks in brittle pipe it can be repaired but more leaks are pretty much inevitable.
$125.00/Hour Labor: Leak Detection (Bottom of Tub)
- Drain hot tub
- Jack tub up
- Set tub on concrete blocks
- Refill hot tub
- Dig out spray-foam insulation from bottom of hot tub
$125.00/Hour Labor: Leak Repair
- Drain hot tub
- Cut out defective components
- Re-plumb defective components
- Refill hot tub
- Check for leaks
Typical Cost: $135.00 to $485.00*
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*Informal estimates are for information purposes only and do not constitute a binding contract. Actual cost may vary. Certain limitations apply. Schedule a Troubleshooting, Testing & Inspection visit for guaranteed estimates.
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