My hot tub drained for no apparent reason. What happened?

September 23, 2006 2:36 PM

My hot tub drained for no apparent reason. What happened?

I have an aboveground hot tub with a HydroQuip DS2 filtration system. Last weekend, I adjusted the temperature and chemistry, and skimmed the water for floaty things. I adjusted the water levels by adding more water via a garden hose, to where the water level was just above the surface skimmer inlet. I replaced the tub's cover, and it rained all week. Today, I take off the cover and about 70 percent of the water is missing. I have never touched the built-in drain -- in fact, I don't even know where the built-in drain is (I've drained it in the past via the garden hose as a siphon).

What gives?

Besides an answer, can someone suggest a hot-tub technical consultant in the Seattle Eastside area?

posted by frogan to Home & Garden (5 answers total)

Perhaps you should find the built in drain and check the plug.
posted by chiababe at 4:21 PM on September 23, 2006

A quick google for "leaky hot tub" quickly turned up this article, which lists various things that might cause a tub to leak, then goes on to explain how to diagnose your leak and then how to fix it.
posted by wryly at 4:33 PM on September 23, 2006

I'll bet your tub or filter has developed a slow leak in one of the hoses or fittings that connect your filter/pump assembly to your tub, or that something in the filter/pump assembly has begun to leak. If you feel at all McGuyverish, you could at least pull the cover from the pump unit, and have a close look inside with a flashlight, at all the fittings and hoses. Sometimes, you can see a drop of water collected and ready to drip at or near the point of a leak. It may also help to put some dry newspaper at the bottom of the pump enclosure for a few minutes, and see if you can locate any fresh drips, above which, if they appear, is the source of your drip.

If you're feeling very McGuyverish, you can get a water soluble UV dye, add it to the refilled tank, start the filter/pump for a couple minutes, and then with a blacklight, see exactly where the leak is happening.

Can't help with any Seattle area service recommendation; I'd go nuts trying to live in a place where it rains for a solid a week at shot, much less what it rains out there!
posted by paulsc at 4:37 PM on September 23, 2006

Having had a tub for 15 years, definitely a leak. Most hot tubs drain through a filter at the bottom of the tub (defintely a God-send when you need to change out the water!). Most likely, this is where the leak stems from. If you're not experienced with the in-workings of a hot tub, I'd suggest saving yourself hours of frustration- fixes like this often times required removing a lot of paneling and testing to make sure you fix worked before you put everything back together. Then again, your hot tub will break down over time (especially your motor) no matter how good care you take care of it. Just like a car, investing the time now in learning how to fix your tub will save money down the line.
posted by jmd82 at 4:39 PM on September 23, 2006

Same thing happened to our hot tub last year. Water kept slowly draining out and in 3 days, it ended up half empty. We checked the drain filter but that wasn't it. We finally called the technician and he replaced a few hoses and some parts in the filtration system (it was covered under our warranty).

PS: Turn off the hot tub if it keeps draining. A service technicial will consider your warranty voided if its on during a leak.
good luck!
posted by special-k at 5:58 PM on September 23, 2006