Need to know how to find a leak in your spa?

Rick the Spa Guy

Do you Need to know how to find a leak in your spa?


If you are losing water in your spa more than 1 inch per week then most likely you have a leak. Now in the winter months when the air is cold and the spa is hot you COULD lose more than this in evaporation if you leave the cover open too long so do not mistake this for a leak.




How do I know if my spa is leaking or not? You can do a bucket test. Get a small bucket and fill it with the spa water and place it on the highest seat so that the top of the bucket is above the water level but you need to be able to close the cover, so find whatever bucket fits your needs best.


Now place the bucket on the highest seat and mark the spa water level with some duct tape mark the water level in the bucket as well, so you know the exact level. Now close the cover and wait 24 hrs, after that open the cover and see if the spa water has dropped down from the tape mark, if so now look in the bucket and measure if the water in the bucket has lost the same amount of water if so then it is just evaporation and you have no leaks. If your spa water level is lower than the bucket then yes the spa is leaking, now what?


So now we know you have a leak now you need to find it. First I would open the spa cabinet below the control panel to see if any of the pumps are leaking or if there is an obvious leak in the equipment area.


If nothing is found there you need to take it to the next level. Get yourself a 2 foot long wooden dowel, you will need to remove all the skirting around the spa to expose the insulation. Now the fun part!!


Pick a starting point, stick the dowel into the foam and insert a foot or so then pull the dowel out, as you are pulling it out inspect it for wetness. Once you get in the area of the leak or leaks the dowel will become wet.


 It is easier to use the dowel than it is to start pulling all the insulation out little by little. Now once you find an area that the dowel comes out wet start digging inward towards the back of the spa shell, as you are removing the insulation note if the insulation is getting wetter or dryer, if getting dryer then start moving to the left or right. Remember this: the water can channel through the foam and be leaking out of the spa in a totally different area, this is why we use the dowel and take our time.


Another thing to keep in mind is this, as you get close to the actual leak the wet foam should get warmer, if the foam you are handling is wet but cold then you are not close to the leak and it may just be channeling out the spa. Once you find the leak you will have to asses the area and determine if this can be repaired with the water in the spa or if you will need to drain the spa to repair.


In a lot of cases it would just be a loose fitting or bad silicone around a jet fitting and you will just need to tighten the fitting or run a new bead of silicone around the outside of the jet fitting. If you find a crack in the plumbing or a bad glue joint then you will need to drain the spa and replace the broken fitting and let the new glue joint dry for 24 hours before refilling the spa.


So this is the basic 101 of spa leak repair, check back for further spa repair helpful hints.


Until Next Time...