Pump and heater unions
The large threaded joints either side of the pump and heater. A loose union or a perished O-ring is very common.
Hot tub leak detection and repair
Most hot tub leaks come from a union, a seal, a jet or a joint in the pipework, not the shell. The wet patch is often a long way from the leak, so we trace the water back to where it starts before we fix anything.
- Call-out £75
- Includes first hour
- Then £35 an hour
We’re based in Camborne, covering Mid and West Cornwall, from Bodmin and Newquay to Penzance and everywhere in between.
5.047 reviews on Google- Working on hot tubs since 2002
- Hot Spring factory-trained in California
- EAL and City & Guilds electrical qualifications
- Pool Plant Operator (PPO) qualified
- 12-month guarantee on our work
- £2 million public liability insurance
Is it a leak?
Leak or evaporation?
A hot tub loses some water to evaporation and splashing, especially with the cover off. This simple test tells you whether it’s more than that.
See the 5 steps of the test
- Top the tub up to its usual level and mark the waterline with a strip of tape.
- Put the cover on, leave the jets off and wait 24 hours.
- If the level has dropped more than a little, or there’s water on the ground, it’s probably a leak.
- Let it carry on dropping. If it always stops at the same height, the leak is often at that level, such as a jet, a light or the skimmer.
- Run the test again with the pumps on. If it loses more with them running, the leak is more likely to be in the pipework the pumps push water through.
Losing water fast? Switch the tub off at the isolator. Pumps can be damaged running with too little water, and you don’t want water near the electrics.
Not sure if it’s a leak or just evaporation? Ask the troubleshooter.
Ask the troubleshooterBefore you call
What you can safely check
Switch off at the isolator before you take a panel off or look inside the cabinet.
Worth checking
See 5 things worth checking
- Look at the filter housing, its lid and seals, and the drain valve cap. They’re easy to see and a common source of drips.
- Find where the water is pooling round the cabinet, and take a photo for us.
- If a side panel comes off, switch off at the isolator first, then look inside with a torch for drips, wet foam or white, crusty deposits.
- If the leak is slow, keep the water topped up above the skimmer until we get there.
- Tell us how fast it’s dropping, for example a few centimetres a day.
Best avoided
See 5 things to avoid
- Don’t run the pumps with the water below the skimmer. They can run dry and be damaged.
- Don’t touch anything electrical if there’s water in the cabinet. Switch off at the isolator.
- Don’t pour in a leak sealant before the leak has been found. It won’t fix a loose union or a perished O-ring.
- Don’t cut into the foam insulation yourself.
- In freezing weather, don’t switch the tub off and leave it full. Water left in the pipes can freeze and split them.
Where leaks start
Where hot tubs usually leak
These are the places we find leaks most often. A drip from one of them can run along a pipe and land somewhere else entirely.
Pump shaft seal
If the seal on the pump wears, water can drip onto the motor, corrode it and, in time, trip the electrics.
Jets
The seal behind a jet can fail and drip down the inside of the cabinet.
Glued joints
Glued joints in the pipework can give way, especially on older tubs.
See 3 more places
Split pipes
Frost is the usual cause: water left in a pipe freezes and splits it.
Heater seals
The seals where the heater joins the pipework can weep.
Filter housing, skimmer and drain valve
Easy to see, so worth checking first.
On the visit
How we find the leak
We take the side panels off, dry everything out and follow the water back to where it starts.
See the 5 steps of a visit
- Take the side panels off and see where the water is.
- Dry it all out, then run the pumps and watch for the first drip.
- Trace the water back to its source, cutting away foam only where we need to.
- Tell you what we’ve found and what it will cost.
- Repair it, then run the tub and check it stays dry.
On a tub filled with foam insulation, it takes longer. The foam hides the pipes, so we may need to cut some away to reach the leak. We’ll tell you before we do.
Most union, O-ring and jet-seal repairs are straightforward. If frost has split several pipes deep in the foam, it’s a bigger job, and we’ll tell you plainly what’s involved.
Google reviews
What past customers say
5.0
From 47 reviews on Google
“John came out to repair a leak on out hot tub he turned up when he said he would sorted our leak out really quickly. what a lovely knowledgeable and friendly man,
we will always use john for any problems we have with our hot tub, great service.”
“Fabulous if you need you're hot tub repaired look no further. They explained what they were doing in detail and my hot tub was fixed in no time at a reasonable cost. Thankyou guys it was a pleasure meeting you both.”
“A really friendly guy with so much knowledge. He knows his hot tubs inside out. Do not go anywhere else for your hot tub repair.
Thanks for a great job and will always be using you in the future.”
Prices
What a leak repair costs
You pay for our time and any parts, and we tell you what’s needed before we fit anything.
- Call-out, including the first hour
- £75
- Each hour after that
- £35
- Seals and fittings
- Extra
- Finding a leak can take more than an hour on a foam-filled tub, so it’s worth knowing that up front.
- Larger jobs, such as replacing lengths of split pipe, are quoted first. Parts availability varies by make.
- We’re not VAT registered, so there’s no VAT to add.
FAQs
Leaks: your questions
How do I know if my hot tub is leaking?
Mark the water level with tape, put the cover on and leave it for a day with the jets off. Losing a little is evaporation. If it drops more than that, or there’s water on the ground, it’s probably a leak.
Can I use a leak sealant?
Sealants can sometimes stop a tiny leak, but they won’t fix a loose union or a perished O-ring, and they can block filters and jets. It’s better to find the leak first.
Can frost cause a leak?
Yes. If water freezes in the pipes or the pump, it can split them. Keep the tub running with the cover on in cold weather. If you’re turning it off for the winter, it needs draining properly.
Is it safe to keep using my hot tub while it leaks?
If it’s only a slow leak, yes, as long as you keep the water topped up above the skimmer. If water is reaching the electrics or the tub keeps tripping, switch it off at the isolator and see our page on tripping the electrics.
Is my hot tub worth fixing?
In most cases, yes. Leaks usually come from a fitting or a seal, which are straightforward to repair. We’ll tell you honestly if a repair isn’t worth it.
Losing water? Tell us where you can see it.
Let us know roughly how fast it’s dropping and where the water is, and we’ll get back to you with a date.
If your tub is sunk into decking or the ground, or set against a wall, it helps to mention it when you book. If you’re not sure, a photo is fine.
Areas
Leak repairs across Cornwall
We’re based in Camborne, covering Mid and West Cornwall, from Bodmin and Newquay to Penzance and everywhere in between. Towns we cover include:
See the 18 towns we cover
Somewhere else in Cornwall? Just ask. Every area we cover