Here is a picture of the second coat of epoxy, all the tiny cracks are sealed after applying the second coat. There are a few spots that the epoxy will not adhere to. The silicone remnants must still be on the surface for some reason. I used acetone, rubbing alcohol, muratic acid, and sandpaper to try to get it all off, but it is being stubborn.
Epoxy Coating #2
Total expense to date: $195.42
The repairs to the tub are finished and the epoxy coating is being applied. The tub was sanded with 100grit sandpaper and cleaned with sulfuric acid before applying the epoxy coating.
We decided to go with a dark blue color for the tub. Applying the epoxy to the tub surface is a bit tricky. Thin coats are needed, if you apply too much it can drip easily. With the cold temperatures in the Northeast, it is going to take several days for each coat to cure. The instructions show to mix up half of the containers, but I found out that that amount is too much to mix at one time. I will be able to get 3 coats out of the material that I have. Hopefully by the 3rd coat the drips will not show too much. The dark blue color looks nice and it if a high gloss finish.
First coat of epoxy
Total expense to date: $195.42
We needed to purchase a few parts to make sure that the tub had all the correct sized holes, A skimmer, return drain, and an air valve. We also purchased the epoxy coating, a few brushes, roller and mixing bucket for the epoxy that will cover the old surface. Here are some pictures of the items:
Water Suction Fitting, The original one is on the right.
Total expense to date: $195.42
Yesterday we filled the hot tub to about the 1/4 level to test the air blower plumbing. We were unsure if there were any cracks in the blower system, but after filling the tub to cover most of the blower holes, we feel that it should be fully operational. I used an air compressor to feed air to the blower system. No leaking at all  from the underside of the hot tub.
Total expense to date: $23.90
There are 3 areas that need to be filled in with fiberglass. The original air button location, the original control panel location and the 2nd water return needs to be shortened in length.
I started with the air button repair. I used a hole saw to cut out 3 pieces of scrap fiberglass from the old filter well that I had cut out. The pieces are epoxied together and I used a paint stirrer to hold the part in place while the Plast-aid cured. Then it was easy to fill in the gap and sand smooth with the surrounding surface.
A rectangle piece was cut out of the scrap as well. I made it a tight fit so I would not need to assemble any type of jig to hold it in place. I also decided to go with only one layer of fiberglass here in case I need to install anything else in this spot. The air intake valves may go here if they are not installed inside the surround. The sanding down of the rectangle area is next on my list and it will finish out this part of the hot tub.
Total expense to date: $23.90
After all the plumbing was removed I started to determine what was needed for repairing the surface of the tub. I had about 20 cracks that needed to be filled in prior to the sealing process. Most of these cracks had silicone in them (which was applied by the previous owner as a temporary repair) so I began to remove the silicone with an x-acto knife and with the help of some acetone.
My research for a suitable product for repairing the cracks brought me to this site: http://www.plast-aid.com I decided to give it a try and purchased a 6oz size from http://www.spadepot.com
The process was simple, mix some of the powder with the liquid and it will start to become thick enough to use to seal cracks or wait a few more minutes and use it to form into a shape to make parts or fill in a larger area. I have a few chips near where the controls used to be and I plan on fixing those as well with the plast-aid.
Total expense to date: $23.90
These were taken after I had removed the original plumbing lines. Everything needed to be removed anyway before we refinish the tub surface:
All the plumbing lines, jets and the cracked filter housing
We do have the original frame that was used for the hot tub, but we will not be using it. It will be replaced with insulated walls around the hot tub.
Total expense to date: $0.00
