On this spa, we performed a leak detection to accurately identify where leaks occurred due to extensive root damage on the spa Venturi lines. We immediately saw where obvious water was coming through a bond beam, clouding the water with air and dirt and water loss was visually occurring. In some situations, getting at the pipes requires digging up concrete, but for this customer, their spa was surrounded by lawn and landscaping, allowing us to make repairs with ease and to get a real good look at just what palm roots can do to pool and spa plumbing. Palm roots travel, and in this instance, they travelled toward the water and made themselves comfortable by wrapping around the pipes and causing some pretty major leaks.
When we performed the initial leak detection, we used compressed air in the lines to identify where the leaks occurred. We plugged the returns and injected air that did more than make the sounds of leaks, it showed the leaks in multiple areas. In the video, you can see the clouding at both leak areas and we can even see the water flowing through the bond beam, back into the spa. That’s not good on a number of levels, but we began this job by addressing the pipes, not the structural repair needs. When we isolated where the damage was, we dug down to the pipes and could clearly see the root damage.
Spas have multiple lines that cross and connect to put air and water into the shell together, making the pleasure of owning and relaxing in a spa. However, when making repairs, this means both lines had to be replaced. Starting at the Venturi, we cut and removed pipes and began to re-install new PVC. Connecting them required a loop and multiple points coming back together to ensure complete functionality as it was originally installed.
The important part of making these repairs is that with each reconnection, we tested that section of line to ensure it was holding pressure without leaks before attaching the next section. This happens from the spa all the way back to the equipment to ensure that both air and water were being distributed properly without leaks. Once verified, we can refill the holes and return the spa back to service. This spa, once repaired, held pressure and functioned properly. The next part is to repair the breaks in the bond beam, but that is for another video.
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