About 20 years ago, I spent 2 years doing hot tub repairs, and in that time never ran into a leaky gate valve. I'd keep it original and put in the new gate valves. Ed
--- In DoIt_Yourself@yahoogroups.com, "Aki" <01dyna@...> wrote:
>
> Our 10yo outdoor hot tub has started leaking at two of the four gate valves
> around the pumps.
>
> Both, fortunately, are easy to get to so removing them is pretty straight
> forward. The two others
> are not so easy to get to and seem to be fine (don't fix what ain't broken).
>
> In reading around the 'net, the general consensus seems to be that when
> these gate
> valves leak (and they eventually will), just remove them and replace them
> with sch 40 slip couplers and
> not to put in replacement gate valves. The reasoning being that they
> frequently leak and it's
> just another, unnecessary potential leak point in a spas plumbing system.
>
> The gate valves can also be replaced with ball type valves but I've read
> that they too are
> subject to leaking.
>
> For those unfamiliar with gate valves, they're essentially "T" handled knife
> type valves that cut off water coming
> into and going out of the various water pumps used in the spa. The
> reasoning for these valves
> is that should a pump need to be serviced (e.g. replaced), the valves can be
> shut off so that the
> pump is isolated and the tub doesn't have to be drained for the pump to be
> serviced. However,
> most people feel that draining the tub is a good idea anyway and isn't that
> much of a sacrifice
> compared to the added risk of these valves leaking (which *does* require
> draining the tub to
> service).
>
> My question is, for those that either own/owned hot tubs or have serviced
> them, do you recommend
> replacing the gate valves or just removing them and straight piping the
> connection? I'm seriously leaning
> toward just removing them. It only takes a couple of hours to completely
> drain the tub anyway.
>
> -aki
>
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