When Should I Drain and Refill My Hot Tub?

A personal hot tub makes for a great investment, especially for those who would love their own spa at home. It’s not only convenient to have, but it also provides great added value to the property itself. 

Because water is an important element of the hot tub experience, it’s important that it stays clean and safe for use. 

How does hot tub cleaning work exactly? How should owners keep their spa water clean and ready to use? Also, changing spa water is a time-consuming task, but should be regularly done. How frequently should the cleaning be exactly, and what are the steps they should take?

Draining the Hot Tub

If you own a hot tub, you should first note the schedule for draining the tub. Replacing the water every three to four months is considered average, but it really depends on how often you use it. 

The time-consuming part about draining the tub has more to do with waiting for all the water to drain, more than actual manual work. And with the right tools, it should even be easier and more convenient. 

Tools for Draining the Hot Tub

You can use a long garden hose to get the water out from the tub to the drain or get a submersible pump for a faster job. With the hose, you’ll need about an hour to get everything out, but with a submersible pump, it can be as quick as 10 minutes. 

Of course, you’ll need plenty of rags to keep the space dry. You should also get a cleaning soap that’s specially made for tub cleaning. And before you do anything, ensure the power is turned off, not only from the unit but from the circuit breaker itself. 

The spa will usually have two drainage spigots — one for draining water and the other for the internal bleed lines. The garden house should be attached to the main drainage spigot. To get the water finally draining, open the ball valve that’s on the spigot. 

On the other hand, if you’re using a submersible pump, all you need to do is put it inside the tub, turn the pump on, and leave it to drain.

Clean & Refill

Once the water is drained, you must thoroughly clean the tub before refilling it with water. And it’s not just the interior of the tub that you should be cleaning. You also need to check the filter and remove any debris or grime that may keep it from functioning well.

Once you’ve put the filter back, you can refill the tub by putting the hose in the tub. The one thing you should pay attention to when refilling the tub with water are air bubbles. These develop when an airlock gets trapped in the tub’s plumbing. This needs to be prevented because it can definitely cause problems for the unit later on. 

If bubbles occur, you did not position the hose right in the tub’s shell. So all you have to do is correct this.

With these simple tips, you can enjoy your personal spa much better, and for longer.

Categorised in: Hot Tub Tips