Attn: RDspaguy 2008 HS Jetsetter leak

[BritDub]

I have a 2008 Hot Springs Jetsetter that recently began leaking behind the Moto Massage seat. I have attached a photo of what I believe is the source of the leak. I sent this photo to our spa dealer and the service department stated that they would simply plug this and gave me a quote.

We live in a very rural area, two hours from the nearest city so unfortunately my options for maintenance are severely limited. I called the spa dealer because I wanted this fixed correctly by a professional, and instead I feel like they’re offering to put a bandage on a bullet hole.

So here are my questions: is plugging this hole a legitimate option for a long-term fix? Will my Moto Massage jets still work correctly and how will plugging this affect the functionality? Is this an air or water line?

For the past couple weeks I have been scouring every forum and watching any relevant video I can find related to this. I know it is a common issue and I am aware that there are kits out there to purchase + fix this issue.

 

[Mdragger88]

Let’s tag him
@RDspaguy

 

[BritDub]

Let’s tag him
@RDspaguy

He must have the weekend off! @RDspaguy I’ll see you back here on Monday!

 

[RDspaguy]

I'm not sure what I'm looking at here. Is the air line attached to anything? Is that an o-ring on it?
2008 is probably newer than any motossage jet I've worked on, but if I'm seeing this correctly then the o-ring hose goes into the hole and should have some kind of compression fitting to hold it in. Have you found any weird plastic pieces floating around?

 

[BritDub]

I'm not sure what I'm looking at here. Is the air line attached to anything? Is that an o-ring on it?
2008 is probably newer than any motossage jet I've worked on, but if I'm seeing this correctly then the o-ring hose goes into the hole and should have some kind of compression fitting to hold it in. Have you found any weird plastic pieces floating around?

The blue air line was attached to this threaded nipple, which was then screwed into the hole that you see in my previous photo. When I discovered the leak, I removed the blue hose and this fitting, and saw this “crack” behind the compartment.

 

[BritDub]

Here’s another photo from the compartment. Whatever piece is directly behind the niche air fitting, is what looks to be broken to me from photo no. 1.

The blue air line was attached to this threaded nipple, which was then screwed into the hole that you see in my previous photo. When I discovered the leak, I removed the blue hose and this fitting, and saw this “crack” behind the compartment.


View attachment 534907

 

[BritDub]

Here’s another photo from the compartment. Whatever piece is directly behind the niche air fitting, is what looks to be broken to me from photo no. 1.

 

[RDspaguy]

to this threaded nipple,

That makes alot more sense, and is more what I recall.

Whatever piece is directly behind the niche air fitting, is what looks to be broken to me from photo no. 1.

I see what you mean. I should point out that they use a gray medium body cement on their fittings, and are not known for neatness. Are you sure that's not a stripe of cement, which is what I assumed upon seeing it. I am on my phone, so the image is so-so. I just can't imagine anything cracking a pvc elbow and not cracking the jet body it's attached to. Not to say it can't happen, but it's unlikely. Also, pvc cracks seldom open up, appearing as hairline cracks, barely visible in most cases. I"d investigate a bit further.

 

[DangerBoy]

Watkins makes their shells out of acrylic and maybe ABS too. My old Grandee is an acrylic over ABS shell, not sure what the newer ones are made of. If yours is Acrylic or Acrylic over ABS then Plast-aid will fix any crack you might have in the shell if you can get to it. Just V groove out the crack a little with a Dremmel tool and fuse it back together with the Plast-aid. It will work better than any other kind of adhesive or putty you can find just as long as the material is either acrylic, ABS or PVC.

Personally, I cannot see any cracks in either of the pictures you provided. Perhaps if you could highlight or circle where you think the crack is, maybe I could see it.

The blue line you took the nipple out of is an air line so screwing in a plug might help but it's an air line so the only way I can see water getting into the compartment behind the moto-massager is through the threads that the nipple screws into so maybe try putting some teflon tape on the nipple threads. I may not totally understand how that whole assembly works so I could be totally off base with that suggestion.

Plugging off the hole would stop the air from getting into the jet stream of the moto-massager but the moto-massager will still work okay. Just not as bubbly. Plugging it off would also help troubleshoot the problem because if it doesn't stop the leak then you know the leak isn't there so it's got to be somewhere else.