After the final inspection I thought I was ready to go. The first step before I energize the system is to do a static test of the lines and equipment connections. That means to close all of the valves to the equipment and fill the spa with water and wait to see if the water level stays the same or goes down. If it stays the same over the course of a day, I'm good to go. If it doesn't-there is a leak somewhere that needs to be fixed before continuing the start up process.
You may recall that sometime in the summer I had a cracked jet housing on the outside of the spa. I knew at the time that the air line which is on top was cracked, so I fixed it. But when the spa began to lose water after the water level went above the top jet line, I checked the water pipe on that housing and it has a slow leak.
After a visual inspection, it appears that the leak may come from a crack in the crease at the "T" on the bottom of the housing. It's hard to believe that the housing could crack where it appears to be leaking. The good news is that my glue job was so good that the crease became the weak point. I'm concerned that this weak point could break again, but I'm confident that the solutions that Gene has suggested will be successful.
I could open the valves and test the connections to the equipment while I have water in the spa, or wait until I fix the leak and do it then.
I held off for a couple of days to see if the water level continued to drop past the leaking top jet level.
It did. I obviously have another leak.
At this point I was very discouraged. I was so meticulous about all of the glue joints. How could there be another leak? What if the leak wasn't in the plumbing? Could the spa itself be leaking after all of the time, trouble and expense I went to so it didn't? I was meticulous about that too. Then what would I do?
At this point I was very discouraged. I was so meticulous about all of the glue joints. How could there be another leak? What if the leak wasn't in the plumbing? Could the spa itself be leaking after all of the time, trouble and expense I went to so it didn't? I was meticulous about that too. Then what would I do?
If there was another leak in the plumbing without even using it yet, what would happen when the plumbing is under pressure? What happens if (when) there is an earthquake?
I decided to remove all of the dirt surrounding the spa so I could observe the plumbing and the spa walls when I refilled the spa and tested it again.
I suppose I shouldn’t have filled in the dirt in the first place, but I was anxious to get rid of the dirt. I'm not going to refill the dirt around the spa when the leaks are fixed. I'm going to build the deck over the trenches so I can service any future problems.
The second leak has turned out to be on the lowest level (of course). It is an area that I had to make three simultaneous connections while in a difficult position where I didn't have very good leverage. The connection from the housing to the body going through the spa is crooked and leaks very slowly. I actually suspected that connection when I had a hard time threading the jet housing because of the angle.
It amazes me that a small leak like it appears to be can drip enough to drop the water level after a few days, but so far there does not seem to be any other leaks. The walls are dry and the other connections seem solid.
I’m letting the water drop below the bottom row so the area to be fixed will be dry. Then I plan on filling the spa above each level, observing the water level and checking for any other leaks. Then I can continue to test the system. I can hardly wait to see what that will bring!
The second leak has turned out to be on the lowest level (of course). It is an area that I had to make three simultaneous connections while in a difficult position where I didn't have very good leverage. The connection from the housing to the body going through the spa is crooked and leaks very slowly. I actually suspected that connection when I had a hard time threading the jet housing because of the angle.
It amazes me that a small leak like it appears to be can drip enough to drop the water level after a few days, but so far there does not seem to be any other leaks. The walls are dry and the other connections seem solid.
I’m letting the water drop below the bottom row so the area to be fixed will be dry. Then I plan on filling the spa above each level, observing the water level and checking for any other leaks. Then I can continue to test the system. I can hardly wait to see what that will bring!
I've also unfortunately learned an additional lesson: My right wrist seems to have had enough digging, and has painfully swollen to where I should not use it for a while. But I need to finish clearing out the remaining dirt from the plumbing before I can fix the leaks and refill the spa. I'll just have to see how it goes. Perhaps I can go with my left!
