And for my next project...

[RDspaguy]

Got some more tubs in. Starting on this mystery tub (no manufacturer info) with balboa controls, aqua-flo pumps, and old-school jetbacks and flanged thru-wall fittings.
It's clear from the calcium on the shell that it's been leaking at the thru-wall gaskets. Upon removing jets they crumbled. Brittle does not begin to describe them. It also has several bubbles and a crack in the acrylic, as well as a terrible looking epoxy patch on a bubble that cracked out. Fun!
Maybe one of you chemical gurus can tell me why some jet gaskets turn to goo while others get dry and crumbly? I have my suspicions, but that's all they are.
Some pics...

Sometimes jets come out like this.

Crumbled gasket and the still flexible caulk next to it. This is why I repair with caulk.

 

[ajw22]

Maybe @JoyfulNoise can explain gasket materials and spa water chemistry.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Depends on the material.

A true rubber material is soft and pliable like gum. What turns rubber into a useable material is a process called vulcanization. It’s basically a cross-linking process that uses sulfur and sulfur-nitrogen bridges to make the long linear polymer chains attached to one another. This results in a hardening of the material and change in its mechanical properties. With time, heat, oxidation (chlorine & UV and/or exposure to Ozone), and water, the vulcanization process can be undone and the rubber will revert back to it’s gummy state.

Some polymer seals are not made of rubber at all but of entirely different polymeric materials (ex., Viton or fluorinated vinylidene). These materials respond differently to hydrolysis and oxidation and will often become brittle from chemical changes as well as the loss of additives like plasticizers.

So it really depends on the starting material in question.

Nice tub project. It’s going to be fun to watch this one come to life.

 

[RDspaguy]

Thanks @JoyfulNoise , that makes sense.

 

[Newdude]

Good luck brother !!!!

Go on then.

 

[cranbiz]

Looking forward to watching this one come back from the dead.

 

[Mdragger88]

Waiting to see you work your magic on this one!

 

[Methuselah]

Would you still have bought it if it was all spray foam insulation? Your project looks like an "experts only" task. I too look forward to seeing it run

 

[RDspaguy]

Would you still have bought it if it was all spray foam insulation?

Of course, if there was money to be made. The one next to it is a full foam D1 (dimension 1) that weighs half a ton empty. Those are big $ tubs. Really well built. This is a cheapo, hence the acrylic issues. That would never happen on a high end tub.

 

[RDspaguy]

Just to wrap this up...
A total of 23 jets broke during removal. Most are no longer available, and nothing else will fit the jet bodies. This means I'll have to replumb and replace 18 complete jets, and 5 internals, reseal the remaining jets/suctions, repair the 3 acrylic bubbles, and refinish/replace the skirting.
All the jets are full of sand and multi-colored grit, I've never seen anything like it and have no idea what they did to it. But it's a huge problem, and I have no clue what's in the pipes still.
Adding all this up comes to more than I can get for it, so it just became a parts tub.
Oh well, can't win them all. On to the next one. Freeze damage, have to replace a bunch of manifolds, and the stereo and speakers. But equipment works, skirting is there but needs rebuilt, has new pillows, and it has a halfway decent cover. Deep tub, maybe the deepest non-swimspa I've seen. Should be a quick sale.

 

[kimkats]

I just found this one and it is "done" LOL Good call on knowing when it is too much to be worth your time/effort!

What do you do with the big parts such as the shell you will not use?

 

[RDspaguy]

Usually send them to the dump, but I'm building an aquaponics greenhouse and will likely use it as a raised bed.