My spillover hot tub drains down to the same level every night which is just below the sandstone cap (between 2-3 inches) that makes up the spillover. I have had the same leak detection company out twice to diagnose the leak and they did apply some epoxy to a suspect area (receded mortar between stones) however the issue persists. To add, I have changed out the internals in the flapper check valve for the hot tub. Given that the tub leaks down the the same level each night one would suspect that it’s a leak in the tub however I wanted to post here for any other ideas that I’m not aware of. I have considered lining the underside of the entire layer of spillover cap stones in epoxy in the hopes to rectify a small leak that has eluded the leak specialists. Any help is appreciated.
Potential Hot Tub Leak
- Thread starter Roberd07
- Start date
R,
Spillover spas will often drain back into the pool when the pump is off. Generally this is caused by a bad check valve in the spa return line. Not sure that is your problem, because of how little it drops.
How about showing us a picture of your spa so we can get an idea of how high the spa is above the pool level, as well as how far down the spa drains.
Thanks,
Jim R.
Spillover spas will often drain back into the pool when the pump is off. Generally this is caused by a bad check valve in the spa return line. Not sure that is your problem, because of how little it drops.
How about showing us a picture of your spa so we can get an idea of how high the spa is above the pool level, as well as how far down the spa drains.
Thanks,
Jim R.
R,
Thanks for the pics..
It does not appear that you have the "normal" drain down issues that most spas can have.
I am sure this is obvious to you, but logic tells me the leak has to be has to be right where the capstones meet the jumble of stones under the capstones. I assume that water is flowing under the capstone and then through the rocks and back into the pool. What else could it be?
I suspect that the capstones at the spillover will have to be removed and reinstalled or replaced.
What has your leak detection company done so far?
Thanks,
Jim R.
Thanks for the pics..
It does not appear that you have the "normal" drain down issues that most spas can have.
I am sure this is obvious to you, but logic tells me the leak has to be has to be right where the capstones meet the jumble of stones under the capstones. I assume that water is flowing under the capstone and then through the rocks and back into the pool. What else could it be?
I suspect that the capstones at the spillover will have to be removed and reinstalled or replaced.
What has your leak detection company done so far?
Thanks,
Jim R.
- May 23, 2015
- 25,760
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Agree with @Jimrahbe … the cap stones were probably laid down with standard S mortar which is not waterproof. The spillover stone work should have first had water barrier layers on the gunite shell and then the spillway capstones set with a waterproof epoxy all around. I bet there are just multiple points of infiltration for the water in the spa and it’s just leaking back behind the stone work. That’s very much not optimal because that water will pick up a lot of minerals from the stone and cause efflorescence wherever it exits back into the pool. Also, if you ever get a hard freeze, any trapped moisture could easily freeze and pop the stone work off.
You need a mason to come look at it and suggest ways to make the entire length of that spillway watertight to the underlying shell. That will likely require removal of the capstones and resetting then or replacing them.
You need a mason to come look at it and suggest ways to make the entire length of that spillway watertight to the underlying shell. That will likely require removal of the capstones and resetting then or replacing them.
The leak detection company ran a bead of waterproof epoxy up under the length of those capstones. The bead is thick enough that it really seems like it would have stopped any leak up under the capstone but who knows. The water level does seem to drain down very close to where the tile meets the pebble tec so I guess that could be an area of concern as well. Now that efflorescence is mentioned there is a slight area on one part of the tub that has a white residue however I never considered this an issue as it is well above the water line. I’ll post a pic. I think y’all are right, I think the ultimate fix is to have a mason come out.
Attachments
- May 23, 2015
- 25,760
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Hard to tell from the pics but is the capstone made of flagstone? Looks like it.
Flagstone is just a type of soft sandstone that is not waterproof. Think of it like a sponge. If water contacts it, it will absorb and wick the water away. So the spa water (it’s really a “raised spa” not a “hot tub”) is simply flowing in and around the stone work.
Flagstone is just a type of soft sandstone that is not waterproof. Think of it like a sponge. If water contacts it, it will absorb and wick the water away. So the spa water (it’s really a “raised spa” not a “hot tub”) is simply flowing in and around the stone work.