Leak detection & repair
A falling water line, traced to its source.
Water loss is solvable. It takes patience, a process of elimination and a few honest tests.
Start here: is it really a leak?
Before anyone opens a cabinet, it helps to rule out the false alarms. Evaporation in a heated tub can drop the level by an inch or more in a week, and it speeds up on dry, windy days. Heavy use carries water out on bathers. A cover that is saturated and heavy can draw water as well.
A simple test separates these. Fill to the usual level, mark the skimmer wall with tape, switch the equipment off and leave the cover on for a day. Then compare with the same period with the pumps running. If the level drops in one case and not the other, the leak lies in the pressurized plumbing. If it falls either way, the shell or a fitting below the waterline is the suspect.
How we find it
We work through the tub in a fixed sequence so no area is skipped. Visible places come first: equipment bay unions, pump seals, heater connections and the drain valve. Next, we isolate each circuit and pressure-test it with air or water until the loss shows itself. Fittings for jets, lights and the circulation inlet follow, then the shell, looking for hairline cracks or crazing.
Dye helps with the last stage. A small amount released near a suspected spot will be drawn toward the opening, and the path is plain to see. Moisture meters and a careful hand along the underside of the cabinet confirm what the other methods suggest.
Where tubs usually leak
Roughly in order of how often we find them.
- Pump unions and seals, where a gasket has hardened or a nut has loosened
- Heater connections and the drain valve
- Jet fittings and gaskets where they pass through the shell
- Hidden plumbing that has been stressed by freezing or vibration
- Light housings, where a seal has dried
- The shell itself, only when there is physical damage
Freeze damage deserves its own note
Stamford's cold season runs from roughly the middle of November to the last days of March, and ice does not need long to do harm. Water that has been trapped in a pipe, pump housing or heater expands as it freezes and splits whatever holds it. The break often reveals itself only after thawing, when a tub that seemed fine starts to lose water.
If you suspect frost damage, switch off the power at the breaker and call us. We inspect the pump wet ends, heater housing and the elbows and tees that tend to fail, and we repair or replace what has split.
What a repair looks like
The aim is a permanent fix, not a patch that holds for a month.
- LocateThe leak is found and photographed so you can see what we saw.
- SelectWe choose between re-seating, replacing a fitting, re-plumbing a short run or sealing the shell.
- RepairSurfaces are cleaned and dried and the work is carried out with materials made for spa plumbing.
- WatchThe tub is refilled and observed under pressure, then re-checked after a settling period.
Local points worth knowing
Stamford runs separate systems for sanitary sewage and stormwater, and street inlets discharge to the Sound untreated. If we need to lower the water for a repair, we plan where that water goes and never aim it at a drain in the road or a neighbor's lot.
Shoreline homes in Shippan and The Cove often have patios close to the water table and little slope, so a leaking tub can leave a damp patch that looks like drainage trouble. A wet patio does not always mean the tub is leaking, and we check both.
Questions
Common questions
How much water loss is normal?
A small drop from evaporation is normal. A fall of more than an inch a day with the cover on deserves a look.
Can a crack in the shell be fixed?
Often, if it is localized and the structure behind it is sound. We assess whether a repair will last and say so if it will not.
Will you need to empty the tub?
Sometimes, if the work is below the waterline. We tell you in advance and plan the drain responsibly.
Is a leak dangerous?
Water near electrical equipment is. Turn the power off at the breaker if you can see water in the equipment bay.
Ready when you are.
Tell us what the tub is doing and we will reply with a time. Call or text at any hour; we answer in the order messages arrive.