I just bought the RTV silicone at Canadian Tire here in East Canada. Fixing a hot tub light leak. Thank you so much for suggesting RTV stuff. I had to go to the automotive section and not the sealant section of the store. You helped save me time by asking for RTV at the start. Stay safe, cheers, Prince Edward Island.
Awesome video. Super helpful and I believe you know what you are talking about! I pulled the filters on my hot tub and the sealent under the filter came out. Will try 802 silicon of the RTV. Thanks so much! Love the pulling tip too. Great contribution for us do-it-yourselfers who love hot tubs!
Great video! Thank you so much!!! I discovered my newly installed jacuzzi bathtub had 4x inch long hairline cracks beneath two side jets following lots of additional subcontractor work in my master bathroom. I used this product to seal the cracks and jet fixture they were beneath, and it worked wonderfully! Applied easy, no odor, barely visible. FYI I applied white nail polish to the cracks to fill them prior to sealing. Given the tub was perfectly smooth and white, the cracks, however small, seemed able to catch a shadow (or perhaps dust) which is how I noticed them. To avoid creating a durable seal that preserved the visible crack, I painted them closed with the nail polish since it was easy to apply and blend smooth, before adding the silicone. Now you can't tell the cracks were there and the tub has been perfect. Thanks for saving my tub!
Yes, I was told by 3 spa repair personnel to NOT LEAVE IT drained until ready to fix it. Something about rot, mold and drying out gasket issues. Thanks for sharing to confirm these 3 personnel were correct after all. As a result, while waiting to figure out how to fix it myself or for repair guy to come get the roto molded hot tub, 2 person, I have set up a system to catch some of the leak into a large bowl. Every 8 hours I have to empty the bowl and return the spa water back into the spa. Apparently here in this area on Prince Edward Island, Canada, service is not prompt with allegedly limited staff issues. So Since May 2022 I have have to wait until Sept. 2022 before any service person come. It is July 31st at the time of this comment. The more vids I watch on roto molded hot tubs repair leaks the closer I am coming to the next best decision on how to proceed. Cheers from Atlantic Canada.
I just wanted to tell you, your thumb % knuckle thing was worth its weight in gold for calking the jets. I was doing it and start making a mess and then I just remembered what you said🙌👍. Thanks.
1 year later update: RTV is holding up pretty well! No leaks! No real discoloration of the sealant but I am noticing a slight pulling away at the very edge where it's pretty thin. Hard to say if it will get worse. Ultimately I'd still recommend the 802 Boss sealant over the RTV just because that's what has been recommended more in my research. Boss 801 vs 802 compareason: Boss 801 is a one-part, low-odor, neutral cure, mildew resistant, noncorrosive silicone adhesive/sealant. It is designed to adhere ceramic tile to many substrates such as acrylic, fiberglass, ABS, PVC, wood and masonry. It also provides an excellent seal for spa jets and fittings. Boss 802 is a clear silicone adhesive pool spa sealant that is specially formulated to hold up to hot tubs and swimming pools. It is ideal for household and construction repair and maintenance. Unlike common silicone products, this advanced industrial formula resists spa and pool chemicals including chlorine and bromine without harm to acrylic surfaces.
hey matthew, am in a very similar situation and got the 802, planning on jumping in on thursday. qq - and probably really stupid - since there is still a lot of the old sealant (though heavily degraded) left, what was the exact process to remove it? can you simply pull/scrape it off; or is there some specific product/technique that will make this easier. thanks really glad you uploaded it, very little info on this online, no video on youtube, and man every professional i spoke to basically just said 'pass' - literally they just said it's too much of a pain in the ass they aren't interested in doing it. so kudos and spending the time/effort to share your experience.
Hey Matthew -- thanks for the video. I "inherited" a hot tub when I purchased my house, but come summer, I found a whole bunch of issues. The manifold cap for the heater was cracked and losing 2 inches of water per day. Replacing that helped but it is still losing water from somewhere in the middle of the underside of the tub. I'm going to finish draining and drying the tub and start inspecting gaskets. I'll use your push-not-pull method for sealing gaskets and see if that helps our issue. At the very least, it loses like 0.5" of water per day right now...not the end of the world, especially with my incredibly painful back, so worst case scenario, I'll be adding water off and on until a permanent fix. Fingers crossed this is our solution though. Thanks again!
I chose to do all of them however I also removed some of the foam from the inside of the cabinet under the tub. I was able to expose some of the jets and could tell which where leaking. Not ideal of course as putting insulation back is a pain...
So many were leaking it would be a pain and then you would have to redo all the insulation underneath and that's a huge pain to replace! Basically not DIY in my research.
If you unseat the "female" portion or body they generally have a gasket and or silicone or both on the inside of the tub and are silicone on the underside of the tub and or may even have spray foam insulation on them and around them, if not some overspray. The real problem especially if the tub is sunken into a deck is the room to work. to replace the entire jet male/female assembly involves cutting and spicing the water and air lines with two different types of primer and sealant products, extra hose and clamps and connectors.(extra connections to leak possibilities in future. The biggest pain is where the water line connects and getting that piece out of the body. Quite a chore. If all sides of the tub are accessible then a total replacement could be achieved, but again the cutting and splicing the lines is a lot of work. A lesson learned the hard way by a lot of people, myself included. Don't leave your tub dry for days after draining and changing the water. 16 years of care free operation with no leaks and no issues ended when i left it drained for a little over a week and then refilled. I had gaskets dry out on a few jets that were a struggle to repair. Lessons learned the hard way.
That gasket is not drying out. Its probably been over chlorinated which has perished them. Common problem for people who have no idea how to use chemicals.
Water was visible from under the hot tub. Once the sides are off you can ball park where but to really find out you will need to remove the foam around and follow the water. This part is a pain and I would be cautious to do it unless you absolutely need to. If you can fix from the acrylic tub side even better or the "fix a leak" sealant stuff you pour into the water, circulate, then let sit, drain, refill, etc.
2 months later and it's holding very well with no issues or leaks!
I appreciate knowing this follow up. Cheers East Canada
I just bought the RTV silicone at Canadian Tire here in East Canada. Fixing a hot tub light leak. Thank you so much for suggesting RTV stuff. I had to go to the automotive section and not the sealant section of the store. You helped save me time by asking for RTV at the start. Stay safe, cheers, Prince Edward Island.
Awesome video. Super helpful and I believe you know what you are talking about! I pulled the filters on my hot tub and the sealent under the filter came out. Will try 802 silicon of the RTV. Thanks so much! Love the pulling tip too. Great contribution for us do-it-yourselfers who love hot tubs!
Great video! Thank you so much!!! I discovered my newly installed jacuzzi bathtub had 4x inch long hairline cracks beneath two side jets following lots of additional subcontractor work in my master bathroom. I used this product to seal the cracks and jet fixture they were beneath, and it worked wonderfully! Applied easy, no odor, barely visible. FYI I applied white nail polish to the cracks to fill them prior to sealing. Given the tub was perfectly smooth and white, the cracks, however small, seemed able to catch a shadow (or perhaps dust) which is how I noticed them. To avoid creating a durable seal that preserved the visible crack, I painted them closed with the nail polish since it was easy to apply and blend smooth, before adding the silicone. Now you can't tell the cracks were there and the tub has been perfect. Thanks for saving my tub!
Yes, I was told by 3 spa repair personnel to NOT LEAVE IT drained until ready to fix it. Something about rot, mold and drying out gasket issues. Thanks for sharing to confirm these 3 personnel were correct after all. As a result, while waiting to figure out how to fix it myself or for repair guy to come get the roto molded hot tub, 2 person, I have set up a system to catch some of the leak into a large bowl. Every 8 hours I have to empty the bowl and return the spa water back into the spa. Apparently here in this area on Prince Edward Island, Canada, service is not prompt with allegedly limited staff issues. So Since May 2022 I have have to wait until Sept. 2022 before any service person come. It is July 31st at the time of this comment. The more vids I watch on roto molded hot tubs repair leaks the closer I am coming to the next best decision on how to proceed. Cheers from Atlantic Canada.
Thank you. Saved me. I used Loctite PL Marine in a pinch.
Great video! Thanks for the details, it's going to help heaps.
Cool! Just sealed up the leaky hose distribution part. Now we notice it’s still leaking but from the jets also! Hoping to try your method! 🤞
Thanks for the advice ❤
Great video!
Thank you for this!
I just wanted to tell you, your thumb % knuckle thing was worth its weight in gold for calking the jets. I was doing it and start making a mess and then I just remembered what you said🙌👍. Thanks.
Awesome..makes life easier
1 year later update: RTV is holding up pretty well! No leaks! No real discoloration of the sealant but I am noticing a slight pulling away at the very edge where it's pretty thin. Hard to say if it will get worse.
Ultimately I'd still recommend the 802 Boss sealant over the RTV just because that's what has been recommended more in my research.
Boss 801 vs 802 compareason:
Boss 801 is a one-part, low-odor, neutral cure, mildew resistant, noncorrosive silicone adhesive/sealant. It is designed to adhere ceramic tile to many substrates such as acrylic, fiberglass, ABS, PVC, wood and masonry. It also provides an excellent seal for spa jets and fittings.
Boss 802 is a clear silicone adhesive pool spa sealant that is specially formulated to hold up to hot tubs and swimming pools. It is ideal for household and construction repair and maintenance. Unlike common silicone products, this advanced industrial formula resists spa and pool chemicals including chlorine and bromine without harm to acrylic surfaces.
802
Thank you
Also my favorite corrugated cardboard glue.
hey matthew, am in a very similar situation and got the 802, planning on jumping in on thursday. qq - and probably really stupid - since there is still a lot of the old sealant (though heavily degraded) left, what was the exact process to remove it? can you simply pull/scrape it off; or is there some specific product/technique that will make this easier. thanks really glad you uploaded it, very little info on this online, no video on youtube, and man every professional i spoke to basically just said 'pass' - literally they just said it's too much of a pain in the ass they aren't interested in doing it. so kudos and spending the time/effort to share your experience.
How do I get the jet covers off? Just starting to tackle this. No idea what I am doing so thank for this.
Did you remove the original gasket or leave them in there when you siliconed?
Hey Matthew -- thanks for the video. I "inherited" a hot tub when I purchased my house, but come summer, I found a whole bunch of issues.
The manifold cap for the heater was cracked and losing 2 inches of water per day. Replacing that helped but it is still losing water from somewhere in the middle of the underside of the tub.
I'm going to finish draining and drying the tub and start inspecting gaskets. I'll use your push-not-pull method for sealing gaskets and see if that helps our issue.
At the very least, it loses like 0.5" of water per day right now...not the end of the world, especially with my incredibly painful back, so worst case scenario, I'll be adding water off and on until a permanent fix. Fingers crossed this is our solution though. Thanks again!
Does this silicone yellow fast?
Boss 802 is not designed to be below the waterline. Boss 801 is and is chlorine resistant.
Well now I am confused. Everything I read said it’s the best for a hot tub.
I also bought a vintage tub with leaks and was just told I can’t get new jets. Thanks for the information and video. How do you get the jets off?
did you figure this out? going to try myself but unsure how to get them off
Did you remove the Outside of the jet or did you just go around the edge?
How could you tell which jets were leaking and how much? Just from the back end?
I chose to do all of them however I also removed some of the foam from the inside of the cabinet under the tub. I was able to expose some of the jets and could tell which where leaking. Not ideal of course as putting insulation back is a pain...
What is the 802 product that you mentioned that in hindsight you would have went with?
BOSS 802 ACETOXY CURE SILICONE GENERAL PURPOSE ADHESIVE
@@daveschreiner413 Thanks for letting us know.
How long until you can fill the tub after applying?
I filled the next day.
Would this work for jacuzzi tube jet leaks?
I would guess so, same concept IMO!
I can't get the jet cover off. Can I just squirt some in side side of eye?
We never let our hottub dry out
So why not pull out the jets and replace the gaskets?
So many were leaking it would be a pain and then you would have to redo all the insulation underneath and that's a huge pain to replace! Basically not DIY in my research.
If you unseat the "female" portion or body they generally have a gasket and or silicone or both on the inside of the tub and are silicone on the underside of the tub and or may even have spray foam insulation on them and around them, if not some overspray. The real problem especially if the tub is sunken into a deck is the room to work. to replace the entire jet male/female assembly involves cutting and spicing the water and air lines with two different types of primer and sealant products, extra hose and clamps and connectors.(extra connections to leak possibilities in future. The biggest pain is where the water line connects and getting that piece out of the body. Quite a chore. If all sides of the tub are accessible then a total replacement could be achieved, but again the cutting and splicing the lines is a lot of work. A lesson learned the hard way by a lot of people, myself included. Don't leave your tub dry for days after draining and changing the water. 16 years of care free operation with no leaks and no issues ended when i left it drained for a little over a week and then refilled. I had gaskets dry out on a few jets that were a struggle to repair. Lessons learned the hard way.
@@Bartyhummer thank you!!!
That gasket is not drying out. Its probably been over chlorinated which has perished them. Common problem for people who have no idea how to use chemicals.
801 is what you should use. NOT the Boss 802. 801 designed for this and 802 IS NOT!
How did you figure out it was leaking from the jets?
Water was visible from under the hot tub. Once the sides are off you can ball park where but to really find out you will need to remove the foam around and follow the water. This part is a pain and I would be cautious to do it unless you absolutely need to. If you can fix from the acrylic tub side even better or the "fix a leak" sealant stuff you pour into the water, circulate, then let sit, drain, refill, etc.