What the call usually is
Hot tub leaks in Seattle are almost never the shell. They are a pump seal, a union o-ring, a heater gasket, a jet body or a glued joint buried in foam, and locating the leak is most of the work. We start in the equipment bay and move outward only when the bay is dry.
Before you call about a leak in Seattle, run the tape test: mark the waterline, cover on, wait 24 hours. A quarter inch is evaporation in our climate; more than that, or any wet spot, is a leak worth a visit.
Cabinets on shaded Seattle lots stay damp from October to April. A cabinet that is always damp in Seattle hides a slow leak for months; we pull the panels on every side and dry the bay before trusting what we see.
Our route covers century-old grids, mid-century ramblers, lakefront decks and new townhome patios. Tubs on sloped or settled Seattle lots are often out of level, and a tilted tub stresses unions and jet bodies on the low side — level is checked before joints are.
What owners describe on the phone
Level drops an inch or more a week
Past evaporation. We tape the level, confirm the loss, then isolate: pump off versus pump on tells us suction side or pressure side.
Wet floor inside the equipment door
Pump shaft seal, union o-ring or heater manifold gasket — all same-visit repairs with parts off the van.
Soaked foam, no obvious source
A jet body or a glued joint inside the insulation. Moisture meter and dye find it; we cut only what is needed.
Leaks only when the jets run
Pressure-side plumbing: a jet gasket, a diverter or a cracked manifold. The tub holds water at rest and loses it under pressure.
How the visit runs
- A call half an hour before we arrive
- Diagnosis with a meter, then one written price you approve
- Water hardness and alkalinity checked and noted
- Special-order parts arrive the next business day in most cases
- If the tub is not worth fixing, we say so
Scope, plainly: the spa and what lives inside its skirt. New circuits, supply plumbing and setting new tubs go to an electrician or a dealer.