Hi guys-

The American Standard Williamsburg Elite whirlpool tub I installed a
couple months back has been working well, but I've noticed a leak at the
"air actuator switch" that turns it on and off. Since the tub is in a
shower enclosure, the switch gets very wet of course, and water is
leaking through the body of the switch and dripping into the area
enclosed by the tub. I checked to make sure it wasn't leaking around
the switch; no worries there as it is sealed well with silicone. The
water is coming THROUGH the switch.

I'm not terribly familiar with these air switches; I'd love to
dissassemble it so I can find out why water is getting through. But, it
is solidly mounted with silicone to the tub deck and I'm reluctant to
mess with it too much in my ignorance.

Anybody have experience with these switches? It's probably just a
"dissassemble, make sure gaskets are seated, reassemble" kind of
problem.

For reference, see the tub and related documents he

http://www.americanstandard-us.com/P...sp?prodID=1210

Any help appreciated!

Marc

In article ws.com,
says...
Hi guys-

The American Standard Williamsburg Elite whirlpool tub I installed a
couple months back has been working well, but I've noticed a leak at the
"air actuator switch" that turns it on and off. Since the tub is in a
shower enclosure, the switch gets very wet of course, and water is
leaking through the body of the switch and dripping into the area
enclosed by the tub. I checked to make sure it wasn't leaking around
the switch; no worries there as it is sealed well with silicone. The
water is coming THROUGH the switch.

I'm not terribly familiar with these air switches; I'd love to
dissassemble it so I can find out why water is getting through. But, it
is solidly mounted with silicone to the tub deck and I'm reluctant to
mess with it too much in my ignorance.

Anybody have experience with these switches? It's probably just a
"dissassemble, make sure gaskets are seated, reassemble" kind of
problem.

For reference, see the tub and related documents he

http://www.americanstandard-us.com/P...sp?prodID=1210

Any help appreciated!

Marc


So, I decided to investigate further and found I could remove the switch
easily. I disassembled it to find that indeed it was just a plastic
sleeve with a silicone rubber chamber, mounting on a plastic piece to
which the air hose to the pump fits.

The fit between the silicone rubber chamber and the plastic sleeve was
not great; any bit of water that gets in there could easily dribble
through. PRetty poor design IMHO.

I applied some vaseline to the parts to improve the seal; meanwhile I'll
call the manufacturer and see if they can send a new switch. Maybe mine
was marginal.

For a switch intended for wet areas, this thing seems awfully non-
robust. I'd rather see it designed such that water couldn't get in
there in the first place...

Marc

On Sun, 12 Sep 2004 16:35:48 -0400, MAG
wrote:

Hi guys-

The American Standard Williamsburg Elite whirlpool tub I installed a
couple months back has been working well, but I've noticed a leak at the
"air actuator switch" that turns it on and off. Since the tub is in a
shower enclosure, the switch gets very wet of course, and water is
leaking through the body of the switch and dripping into the area
enclosed by the tub. I checked to make sure it wasn't leaking around
the switch; no worries there as it is sealed well with silicone. The
water is coming THROUGH the switch.

I'm not terribly familiar with these air switches; I'd love to
dissassemble it so I can find out why water is getting through. But, it
is solidly mounted with silicone to the tub deck and I'm reluctant to
mess with it too much in my ignorance.

Anybody have experience with these switches? It's probably just a
"dissassemble, make sure gaskets are seated, reassemble" kind of
problem.

For reference, see the tub and related documents he

http://www.americanstandard-us.com/P...sp?prodID=1210

Any help appreciated!

Air switches are a membrane connected via a tube to a switch. There's
nothing that should leak "through" them. If it truly is, replace it,
they're pretty inexpensive.

Jeff