On April 19th I wrote about a used hot tub we bought from a couple who lives in our town. I wrote how I couldn't wait to get it installed and running so I could soak away my aches and pains. Well, it's almost a month since we bought it, and the dang thing still isn't running! Though I tried to be enthusiastic about hubby finding such a great deal, I had underlying pessimistic concerns about why the owners were letting a hot tub that is originally worth thousands go for only hundreds. My pissy negative attitude was not unwarranted...the thing has more wrong with it than what the seller had told us, and since we bought it "as-is", knowing that it had a leak (that hubby says would be easy to fix), we can't go back and complain. He just has to deal with it, which is what he has been doing almost every day since the parts he ordered for it came in several days ago. Moving it was a breezer for the company who we had pick it up from the seller and deliver it to our house. My husband checked it out thoroughly, and while I know he can fix just about anything, I also know from being married to him for almost 32 years that used things we buy always end up needing much more work than anticipated. Sure enough, the thing had leaks, but he bought the parts he thought was leaky, and also bought a new ozonator and assured me that he can fix anything (which I must admit he usually can, but usually takes awhile of trial and error). He installed the new parts, started putting the water in, and much to my non-surprise...it still leaked. At the risk of getting my head bit off, I said, "it would be our luck if the leak was underneath where the foot jets are, and hopefully there is nothing wrong with the electric." He didn't like that comment very much, said I was always thinking the worst and said it was going to be no big deal to fix, whatever it was.
He drained the water back out that he had put in it, and then figured out that he would have to remove the blown in foam crap that all the pipes and stuff are encased in. In the diagram at the top of this post, you can see where all the pipes and stuff are...now imagine all that encased in hardened blow-in foam. It's a bitch to get out without damaging anything else. He worked and worked on digging out about five large plastic trash bags of foam, and found the leak...he assumed there was only one leak. He got a new piece of pipe, put it in there and filled it again and guess what? Yep...another leak. He now thinks I am right about it coming from the area of the foot jets in the middle, which may mean that the damn thing needs to be stood on end to get at it.
He decided to try the electric since it had water in it, though it was still leaking some, and I hate to be right about these things...I really do, but it doesn't work! Am I shocked? Not at all.
After taking more stuff apart, he found that what happened was a MOUSE got in there and fried itself and shorted out the transformer, which in turn probably caused the pipes to freeze since the sellers had this on their deck outdoors year-round. He just removed the mouse carcass, and took the transformer out and is now looking online for a new one...and isn't having any luck yet since the damn thing is made in Canada. A new "discovery" while I am writing this, is that the panel where the buttons are doesn't work either. The whole damn thing is shorted out. Now we have already bought pipes, diverter, ozonator, and all the electrical supplies to install it's own electrical box, conduit, wires, etc. Now he has to buy the transformer, and a control pad.
Looks like this is going to turn into being his summer "hobby".
Stay tuned for more updates.
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