Swim Spa - How to Handle Cover and Spa Leaking.

[swimspaguyy11]

Hi, I recently purchased a 15ft Tidal Fit EP-15 Swim Spa. This swim spa has one of the 2 piece covers that you fold and take off both sides of the spa. I need to build a deck around 2 sides of the swim spa (one of the long sides and one of the short sides) and am trying to figure out how to handle the cover on the side with the deck. Originally I was thinking I could just take it off and lean it against the house or something but now that i have been actually using the spa I realize the cover is way too heavy any bulky for 1 person to move it around. Its difficult to get back on even with the cover lifter. Does anyone have any suggestions how to handle this? The Deck is going to be about 20 inches below the Spa so i might be able to slide it off and rest it against the spa on an angle but then i am going to need to lift it back on without any assistance and that might be hard to do.

The only idea I had was to build the deck with 2 inch slots so the cover lifter can go through the deck, then I can load the cover into the cover lifter and then let it fall against the deck (since obviously it wont fit through the 2 inch slots with the cover in it) and then i would have the cover lifter to help get it back up. However putting slots in the deck isnt ideal even if this idea works as intended.

There has to be a way to handle this other than a cavana motorized cover which I dont want to get becuase I want to swim in the full sun in the summer like a pool.

Thanks

 

[swimspaguyy11]

Hi all, I am the happy new owner of a Tidal Fit EP-15 Swim Spa. Overall we love it and things have been going well with it. However, its been leaking slowly and the concrete pad is constantly wet. I spoke with the dealer and they are saying the reason its leaking is due to me over filling it. It didnt seem over filled to me but they said if I filled over the filter door (the one that floats up and down) then that means I over filled it. They said that the hooks and attachment points for the exercise equipment are not water proofed and that is where its likely leaking from.

I believe they are correct in why its leaking, I let the water leak out for a couple of weeks until it stopped leaking when the water level got lower. Then we had a big rain storm and the water raised up and it started leaking again, so I think that pretty much confirms the cause.

However, is it normal for the spa to leak if slightly over filled? I was talking to someone on reddit who said their swim spa was overfilled by 4 inches with no leaking. I am very tall so I prefer to have the water level a little higher so am disappointed I cant fill it as high as i would like. The water is far below the top when its filled to the level that doesnt leak. I want to also make sure the dealer isnt just getting out of having to fix the leak if its not supposed to actually leak in this situation.

Another question, is it normal to get a lot of water in the spa during a big rain storm. Granted we had 7 inches of rain, so it was a lot, but some how the water level went up like 3 inches which seems like a lot! The cover completely covers the top, it's a 2 piece cover and it velcros in the middle, and that is the only place I can imagine water getting in. However, the cover is tallest in the middle and sloped so the water runs away from the velcro seam in the middle. I really dont understand how half the rain ended up in the spa!

Thanks much.

Sorry if this is in the wrong sub forum, I am new here so wasnt sure where to put it. There was no spa sub category in the equipment category so I figured its closer to an above ground pool than anything else. Please feel free to move to the correct sub forum.

Water level when leaking. You can see the silver colored hooks that are where the dealer says its likely leaking from.

 

[cranbiz]

On my hot tub, many manufacturers recommended fill height is to the bottom of the lowest pillow. One bather will raise the water level enough so the neck jets are submerged. I believe Tidal Fit is a May Manufacturing product (Artesian) and that's what they say to use for fill height in my owners manual.

 

[Mdragger88]

Why would they not make everything water tight? Terrible design flaw.
I would contact them about the cover leaking. Those things are too expensive to be dealing w/ issues like that in my opinion.
In the interim you could use a supplemental cover/tarp when u expect heavy rains.
As for the issue with the deck perhaps u could build the deck up in that area (like a step up) or make like a built in table of sorts so u can just slide the cover on to it. Maybe have it lower than the spa about the folded cover thickness so it’s not blocking your view.
That way it’s useful even when you’re not using the spa/pool & if u are going to have a lot of guests you could get help to move the cover elsewhere & use the table for entertaining.

 

[cranbiz]

I got to thinking about this and regardless of fill height, the inside of the shell shouldn't leak. I would be calling the dealer and having them come out and seal the thru fittings. Same with taking care of the cover.

If you have enough bathers at the recommended fill height, the water level is going to submerge the fittings. They should be water tight.

 

[jimmythegreek]

Every thing should be water tight. Several bathers will raise the level and it should not leak. Make them fix it.

 

[RDspaguy]

Normal. Very few spas are designed to be waterproof above normal fill height. Some end up that way due to the specific fittings used and such, but none are made to be so. Some actually have a buil-in overflow drain so you CAN'T overfill.
Also, the exposure to water in your air controls is going to trash the built-in check valve and make it leak even faster when overfilled. Filled above the skimmer door and your skimming ability is all but gone. Pillows will also suffer from submersion if your chemistry isn't perfect. Jet action from filter cycles may contact the cover, which can speed it's demise (again, depending on chemistry). And an extra 4" in a 6'x10' swimspa is an extra 1200lbs or so too.