Never seen anything like this…what would you do?

[ferretbone]

“hydrostatic plug” different than a “hydrostatic valve”. Yeah they are different. They serve the same purpose though.

If I sound rude don't misread my tone I'm always having fun and up passed my bed time.

In my area they install lots of those plugs backwards, threaded from the bottom of the drain buckets and before installing some times in the skimmers too. The only way to remove the plug when installed like that is by using a key and spin it backwards. As in down into the dirt. So then what? Now you would have a plug lose under your bucket. How do you get the plug back in? You don't, because it's purposely made permanent by installing it that way. Like pouring cement over the plug the way they did to your three drain port plugs. Those plugs are obsolete now in your pool.

Anyway way bud those plugs are the least of your concerns in those buckets. Those buckets look like they sit on top of San andreas fault. The whole Dang bucket has shifted in your first pic. Thats your leak. Or was until filled in plugged cut out up line somewhere.

I can't tell how bad the second pic is but, do you see all that dirt, roots, sand, and rocks? On the sides of pic of two and three? Where do you think the water is/was going? It's going into the ground, as in outside your spa. Or was if someone cut those off inline somewhere or filled them. You prolly only have one drain that pulls water if any. And that would be the one with the most foam and cement poured into it thats patched the best. And still leaking, just not as bad as before.

It looks like someone tried to cement over some very large leaks, which needed to be replaced with new drain buckets. There isn't any other fix in the world for all that mess. Regardless leave those plugs alone. They are not for you. What you need is a leak detection.

 

[mikegmi2]

“hydrostatic plug” different than a “hydrostatic valve”. Yeah they are different. They serve the same purpose though.

If I sound rude don't misread my tone I'm always having fun and up passed my bed time.

In my area they install lots of those plugs backwards, threaded from the bottom of the drain buckets and before installing some times in the skimmers too. The only way to remove the plug when installed like that is by using a key and spin it backwards. As in down into the dirt. So then what? Now you would have a plug lose under your bucket. How do you get the plug back in? You don't, because it's purposely made permanent by installing it that way. Like pouring cement over the plug the way they did to your three drain port plugs. Those plugs are obsolete now in your pool.

Anyway way bud those plugs are the least of your concerns in those buckets. Those buckets look like they sit on top of San andreas fault. The whole Dang bucket has shifted in your first pic. Thats your leak. Or was until filled in plugged cut out up line somewhere.

I can't tell how bad the second pic is but, do you see all that dirt, roots, sand, and rocks? On the sides of pic of two and three? Where do you think the water is/was going? It's going into the ground, as in outside your spa. Or was if someone cut those off inline somewhere or filled them. You prolly only have one drain that pulls water if any. And that would be the one with the most foam and cement poured into it thats patched the best. And still leaking, just not as bad as before.

It looks like someone tried to cement over some very large leaks, which needed to be replaced with new drain buckets. There isn't any other fix in the world for all that mess. Regardless leave those plugs alone. They are not for you. What you need is a leak detection.

Thanks for the reply!

To be fair, I Cant be certain the drains are the source of the leaks…in fact it rained here yesterday and the drains are now full with water…and have stayed full for a full day. If the drains were leaking wouldn’t all that rainwater run out of the spa through the leak(s)?

also I’m not sure what you mean about the bucket shifting…are you talking about how the plastic drain rings are misaligned? If that’s what you’re talking about, my understanding is that is like that because the previous owner had the floor repoured multiple times over the old floor. Each time they put in a new drain ring…there are 3 of them total if I counted right…and it makes sense that the floor was done this way because the floor is now past the bottom of the light…making it impossible to remove the light cover (it is basically cemented in place).

I thought the drains were the source of the leak but now I am not so sure after it rained hard and they are holding water right now. The light box might be where the leak is…it’s the only part of the spa I have not inspected yet.
Next step is to take my rotary hammer and chip out the floor, look in the light box to see what I can see…

worst part about all this, is the can’t get anyone to show interest in renovating this spa for me, can’t even get a leak detection company to come out. Nobody seems to want to work anymore….so I’ll try doing it myself.

 

[ferretbone]

Thanks for the reply!

To be fair, I Cant be certain the drains are the source of the leaks…in fact it rained here yesterday and the drains are now full with water…and have stayed full for a full day. If the drains were leaking wouldn’t all that rainwater run out of the spa through the leak(s)?

also I’m not sure what you mean about the bucket shifting…are you talking about how the plastic drain rings are misaligned? If that’s what you’re talking about, my understanding is that is like that because the previous owner had the floor repoured multiple times over the old floor. Each time they put in a new drain ring…there are 3 of them total if I counted right…and it makes sense that the floor was done this way because the floor is now past the bottom of the light…making it impossible to remove the light cover (it is basically cemented in place).

I thought the drains were the source of the leak but now I am not so sure after it rained hard and they are holding water right now. The light box might be where the leak is…it’s the only part of the spa I have not inspected yet.
Next step is to take my rotary hammer and chip out the floor, look in the light box to see what I can see…

worst part about all this, is the can’t get anyone to show interest in renovating this spa for me, can’t even get a leak detection company to come out. Nobody seems to want to work anymore….so I’ll try doing it myself.

The drains would leak that rain water out but at a very slow speed. If they are leaking they will leak much faster under the pressure of 100 200 etc gal of water. Then even faster than that while the spa is running.. I must say If all of those drains are hooked up and not plugged off somewhere I would lose money on bets where the leak is. I just dont see how more than one drain is still plumbed into the system. Because those all look like they would leak. You can see that they were at some point by the hack repair with foam and cement. And If only one drain was left plumbed in then I'd still want to have that one tested with air. Because the best picture looked way ifey at best.

I'm sorry I just don't have anyway to help walk you through checking those drains over the net.. I think at least two of them are a waste of time and should be filled in. If they havn't been already. But don't run to the bank with that because I have not even seen your spa or pool.

If I'm reading your post correctly about your pool light, or spa light all you should need to do is remove the fixture by pulling that one screw out, remove the fixture and set in to the side.. Then follow the cord to where it goes into the wall. That is where pool lights leak. Always, unless you upload some freaked up picture of another train wreck that I don't know about lol.

Seal around that cord with something that's not permanent. I pursonally use clear silcone. Flex seal does not hold up well under warm water I've noticed. The trick is whatever you use seal it good and do not move the cord or light until that is dry. Once it is dry reinstall the light. But not before because it opens up your seal moving the cord ptting the light back in to soon.

 

[mikegmi2]

The drains would leak that rain water out but at a very slow speed. If they are leaking they will leak much faster under the pressure of 100 200 etc gal of water. Then even faster than that while the spa is running.. I must say If all of those drains are hooked up and not plugged off somewhere I would lose money on bets where the leak is. I just dont see how more than one drain is still plumbed into the system. Because those all look like they would leak. You can see that they were at some point by the hack repair with foam and cement. And If only one drain was left plumbed in then I'd still want to have that one tested with air. Because the best picture looked way ifey at best.

I'm sorry I just don't have anyway to help walk you through checking those drains over the net.. I think at least two of them are a waste of time and should be filled in. If they havn't been already. But don't run to the bank with that because I have not even seen your spa or pool.

If I'm reading your post correctly about your pool light, or spa light all you should need to do is remove the fixture by pulling that one screw out, remove the fixture and set in to the side.. Then follow the cord to where it goes into the wall. That is where pool lights leak. Always, unless you upload some freaked up picture of another train wreck that I don't know about lol.

Seal around that cord with something that's not permanent. I pursonally use clear silcone. Flex seal does not hold up well under warm water I've noticed. The trick is whatever you use seal it good and do not move the cord or light until that is dry. Once it is dry reinstall the light. But not before because it opens up your seal moving the cord ptting the light back in to soon.

Thanks again for the reply. I believe 2 of the 3 drains are hooked together to prevent entrapment (like the othe rgentleman said earlier), and the third drain is separate. One is a loop for the jets pump, the other for the heat/filter pump. So there are really only 2 drains…2 are tied together.

My plan was to fill the spa and go in with goggles and leak detection ink and see what I could find…but I also wanted to check that light and the cover doesn’t come off. It’s cemented in place, literally. I’d have to chip the bottom out around the light to get the cover off.

Someone was supposed to come take a look at it this weekend but, for the 3rd time now I’ve been ghosted lol…no call no text…nobody wants to bother with small jobs anymore. Can’t get anyone in the Detroit area to come inspect this spa. Would pay good money to get it fixed but nobody wants the work.