I picked up an old fiberglass (I'm pretty sure) spa complete with associated plumbing and such from Craig's list for nothin'. I hope to be able to turn it into a new pond. But before I plunge ahead and make blunder after blunder, I have a couple of concerns about what the heck to expect. How should I seal up the holes in the sides where the jets used to be? Should I remove or somehow use the skimmer box? I've filled it once and there are no major leaks (Yippee!!!) just around one of the jets and on the skimmer where it attaches to the spa proper. I don't really know what else to ask; I'm just hoping that others might have done this sort of thing and can let me learn from their mistakes or successes. (It'll replace the current 35 gallon tub at the base of a cascading set of 2 half-barrels. The spa should hold about 400-500 gallons.) Thanks! ~~Bryan -- ************************************************************ * Can't see the Forest | Bryan B. * * Through the Trees? | Reply if you want. E-mail * * Take it out! | address changes frequently * * (Damn Viruses!) | to foil spambots. * ************************************************************

BB <bbnewsh3y.FOREST@THROUGH.THE.TREES.onemain.com> wrote: > I picked up an old fiberglass (I'm pretty sure) spa complete with > associated plumbing and such from Craig's list for nothin'. I hope to be > able to turn it into a new pond. But before I plunge ahead and make > blunder after blunder, I have a couple of concerns about what the heck to > expect. I converted my old spa into a koi pond. It served well for over 15 years. > How should I seal up the holes in the sides where the jets used to be? > Should I remove or somehow use the skimmer box? I've filled it once and > there are no major leaks (Yippee!!!) just around one of the jets and on > the skimmer where it attaches to the spa proper. I didn't seal up the holes, although I did block off the skimmer box with some rocks and stuck rubber bathtub drain plugs in the large water outlets (to keep nosey little fish out of them). I left all the old plumbing in place, but never used it. Put in a submersible pump, wrapped in furnace filter in a small milk crate, biobead filter and UV. Used plastic rain gutter for my waterfall. > > I don't really know what else to ask; I'm just hoping that others might > have done this sort of thing and can let me learn from their mistakes or > successes. > > (It'll replace the current 35 gallon tub at the base of a cascading set > of 2 half-barrels. The spa should hold about 400-500 gallons.) Sounds like a fun project. Maybe some pics of the process? Mine was 8' x 8' x 3'. -- Nick. Support severely wounded and disabled Veterans and their families! Thank a Veteran and Support Our Troops. You are not forgotten. Thanks ! ! ! ~Semper Fi~

Phyllis and Jim <jimandphyllisrp@gmail.com> wrote in news:1189385798.845085.8300@22g2000hsm.googlegroups.com: > I second the don't-remove-them approach to jets. You won't want to > run them, but they should be no problem. If you really wanted to > close them off, fiber glass could should bond well over them. Our spa > is still a spa, but it is now over 15 yrs old without any problems. > Enjoy your new pond and do post pics. > > Jim > Well, one is already removed and one other is leaking. (There is only a total of four jets.) How would one bond fiberglass over the openings? (Sorry if it seems like a dumb question; I know some things but not others. This would be one of those I don't know. :) ) And, where would one *find* fiberglass to bond over the openings? I'm not sure we have a "Fiberglass Depot" in town. :) My plan has been to remove the jets and then just stick in some appropriately sized PVC pipe with a cap and then seal that somehow to the spa. Would aquarium sealant work? (Maybe I should get some pictures.... It might save me 1,000 words... :) ) Let's see if I can drag out my ASCII image skills.... Naturally, fixed width fonts would be best for this... | | | |--- -------- | | Pipe | <-- Cap fitting | ____ / / -------- | / , \ / / | |--- < ===== | \____/ \ \ | \\ \ \ | | <-- Spa wall ^ | | | Fishy So, that's what I have had planned. I suppose what my question for this is, what should go between the cap/pipe and the wall? Thanks! ~~Bryan -- ************************************************************ * Can't see the Forest | Bryan B. * * Through the Trees? | Reply if you want. E-mail * * Take it out! | address changes frequently * * (Damn Viruses!) | to foil spambots. * ************************************************************

"BB" <bbnewsh3y.FOREST@THROUGH.THE.TREES.onemain.com> wrote in message news:Xns99A6D617F721Bbbnewsh3yTHROUGHtheT@216.168.3.70... > Phyllis and Jim <jimandphyllisrp@gmail.com> wrote in > news:1189385798.845085.8300@22g2000hsm.googlegroups.com: > >> I second the don't-remove-them approach to jets. You won't want to >> run them, but they should be no problem. If you really wanted to >> close them off, fiber glass could should bond well over them. Our spa >> is still a spa, but it is now over 15 yrs old without any problems. >> Enjoy your new pond and do post pics. >> >> Jim >> > > Well, one is already removed and one other is leaking. (There is only a > total of four jets.) How would one bond fiberglass over the openings? > (Sorry if it seems like a dumb question; I know some things but not > others. > This would be one of those I don't know. :) ) You should be able to bond a piece of stiff flat plastic over the holes with 5 minute epoxy. Make sure all surfaces to be bonded are spotlessly cleaned. Be sure to apply pressure while the piece is bonding. And then allow the epoxy to dry for at least 24 hours before you get it wet. George

"George" <george@yourservice.com> wrote in news:SC3Fi.57287$U24.29@bignews5.bellsouth.net: > You should be able to bond a piece of stiff flat plastic over the > holes with 5 minute epoxy. Make sure all surfaces to be bonded are > spotlessly cleaned. Be sure to apply pressure while the piece is > bonding. And then allow the epoxy to dry for at least 24 hours before > you get it wet. > > George AH! That I can find and do.... Thanks! ~~Bryan -- ************************************************************ * Can't see the Forest | Bryan B. * * Through the Trees? | Reply if you want. E-mail * * Take it out! | address changes frequently * * (Damn Viruses!) | to foil spambots. * ************************************************************

"mark Bannister" <markRemove@ThisINjection-Moldings.com> wrote > I'm pretty sure nothing can "sink into" fiberglass. Au contraire, Monsieur. As any boat owner will tell you, the fiberglass plies are coated with "gel coat", an outer layer of resin not containing any fibers. This protective layer works pretty well, but breaks down in sunlight over time, and it can be damaged/scratched by hard objects. Holes in the fiberglass (as for jets) are usually unprotected by gel as well. I would imagine that an older tub has lots of wear and more than a few avenues for "stuff" to get into the layers of fiberglass below the gel. OTOH, I doubt that the stuff put into a hot tub over the years is likely to be harmful to the fish. A good non-abrasive scrubing should remove any surface contaminants. And if there remains some concern, line the tub with pond liner (difficult and unattractive) or paint a layer of clear gel inside yourself (easy and not a lot of work). Boat owneres do it all the time and you can get some at most any boat supply retailer. Michael New Orleans, Louisiana USA fermanis@REMOVEsprynet.com ================================================================

"Derek Broughton" <news@pointerstop.ca> wrote >> OTOH, I doubt that the stuff put into a hot tub over the years is likely >> to be harmful to the fish. > > C'est vrai (two can play at this game!). I would be slightly concerned > about gel coats for boats. I imagine its possible to get them containing > anti-fouling agents - which are typically toxic to invertebrates. I'd > want > to avoid those. C'est vrai! You definitely don't want to use any gel coating with anti-fouling additives. However, they are fairly rare, since the anti-fouling materials are usually in the bottom paint and not in the fiberglass gel. And you also want to let the stuff completely cure ("dry", so to speak) because it gives off some pretty nasty vapors until it is cured. Michael New Orleans, Louisiana USA fermanis@REMOVEsprynet.com ================================================================