Hot Tub Repairs and Remodeling

Acrylic hot tubs

RATING: PRO

Cracks in molded fiberglass or acrylic hot tubs can be patched. To detect the leak, follow the previously described methods using evaporation, dye, or drain-down. Leaks in hot tubs often occur where plumbing meets the hot tub shell. Shells often move away from their deck supports when the ground shifts and are especially susceptible to soil erosion problems. Since bather loads and displaced water are high in relation to the total size of a hot tub, water frequently washes away fill or base materials, allowing the weight of bathers to shift the hot tub and separate plumbing.

Acrylic layer Cracks or breaks in the acrylic can be repaired with materials available at the supply house. The technique is similar to patching small cracks in plaster, where you widen the crack to accommodate a fill material. The only difference with acrylic hot tub material is that the filler is not the final step; there is also a topcoat.

1. Prepare After identifying the hole or crack, drain the hot tub to a level below the work area Acrylic/fiberglass hot tub and dry it thoroughly.

2. Drill Drill a small hole at each end of the crack to prevent it from spreading. The hole should be slightly wider than the crack, but not more than Y4 inch (6 millimeters).

3. Widen Using a file or a small blade on a handheld electric grinder, open the crack to a V shape wide enough to accommodate the fill material. Clean the crack with acetone to remove any dust or loose material.

4. Patch Patch the crack with acrylic filler, which is available in kits from the supply house. Modern filler is designed to expand and contract at the same rate as the hot tub shell, which is subject to extremes of temperature, chemicals, and bather load weight stresses. Follow the package instructions for mixing, curing, and drying times. Generally, acrylic patch sets up rapidly and dries in a few minutes, so be prepared to work quickly. As with plaster patching, make more material than you think you need so you don't run out in the middle of a job. Slightly overfill the crack, then wipe off the excess. Slight shrinking takes place during drying.

5. Sand When it is completely dry, sand off the excess down to the level of the surrounding surface. Avoid sanding too much of the surrounding surface. Because the acrylic finish is usually very high gloss, imperfections in the sanding will stand out like the proverbial sore thumb. Take great care to smoothly sand the patchwork.

6. Paint The patch must be painted to match the color of the hot tub. Color powders or liquids are provided in the kit to mix with the base enamel paint, also provided. Mix very small amounts and repaired paint a test area, inside the skimmer, for example, until you achieve a good match. Remember that when the paint is wet, it appears in somewhat darker than the final color. Paint the patch, smoothing out the color and feathering it into the surrounding area. Spraying instead of brushing will achieve smoother results. In either case, remember that the match will not be exact.

7. Seal A clear topcoat seals the paint job and adds luster to the finish. The topcoat is also provided in the repair kit. Adding a little of the final color mix from the base coat to the topcoat will also help the finished repair blend better with the background material.Do not use automotive body resins and Bondo-type products to but not repair hot tubs. That was the only repair material available for many years, and experience taught that these products quickly shrink and leak when exposed to the harsh hot tub environment of heating, cooling, chemicals, and weight pressures.

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