Not a job I'm looking forward to!

[Phil.c]

Not a pool problem but the spa next to the pool has been leaking slowly 8 buckets per week for a few years, I tried Fixaleak three times, it works for a couple of days then the leak starts again. It now leaks 30 buckets a week when hot so it's been off all summer, but in a couple of months time I will have to get it out of the ground ( it's sunken by about 2 feet) and sort it, the problem is, as you can see, the tiles!

[Denniswiseman]

What a lovely setup, I don't relish your job at all. Are the tiles still available
Even if you dig round the spa will the pipework be accesible

[Phil.c]

Thanks Dennis.

The pool and Spa were put in nearly twenty years ago so the tiles are not available.

The tiles up the spa sides when removed leaves a gap of about 3/4" from the floor tiles to the spa walls, there's wood strip panels behind the spa tiles the same as on the pump cover on the left which is usually in the hole on the right, so it's possible for handles to be screwed on hopefully making it easier to lift the whole thing out, with a bit of luck the floor tiles will still be intact

BTW. The hotel painted on the wall (I did it in 2002) is where we stay every year in Sorrento.

[Denniswiseman]

Is it possible to lift it out (rigid piping)

[Phil.c]

Well... the guys that put the pool in lifted the spa in!

All the piping is behind the wood panels and the motor and pump is detachable.

[Denniswiseman]

Doesn't seem to bad, good luck
Report back and let us know how you get on

[Phil.c]

Other issues to sort out first Dennis, as I've had the tester from Teapot, I've shocked the pool, next step to get the balance right then work on the brown metal stain over all the liner, but that's another thread!

[Teapot]

Phil when doing the ascorbic acid/vitC test, it works better with near 0 chlorine.
Metals don't often test in the water sample when they have plated out, only when they are in suspension in the water. The vitC changes the form of the metals to a soluble form so it appears to disappear but it's now in solution. When you add chlorine or any other oxidiser it changes it back the the staining form. That's why I detest the "metals out" blurb because it does nothing of the sort.

On your spa do you not have an access panel to the motor etc so you can inspect without having to lift it?

[Phil.c]

The motor is in the pit, easy to inspect etc, no leaks here, the box unit on the left of the first picture drops into this and over the motor, it's then ground level.

[Teapot]

Well that's unusual that you can't see a leak down there, intriguing!
Do you have a standard spa cartridge filter setup?

[Phil.c]

The pipe work runs around the spa from jet to jet etc, the leak is somewhere around the back area, the earth where the pump is, is always damp, but the main leak runs straight down to the ground below.
I have a standard spa filter setup which is in the corner to the left of the motor, so if the leak was there it would show around the motor area.