If you own a backyard spa pool, you’ll know how much it can do for you: offering health and wellness, rest and relaxation and quality time with your friends and family.
In short, your spa takes care of you, so it’s only fair that you take care of it. Doing a little bit of maintenance and upkeep ensures you continue to enjoy the highest quality spa pool experience possible – one that delivers all the benefits mentioned above.
And one of the most critical elements of your spa pool maintenance regime is to periodically drain it, clean it and refill it. Here's how.
When to drain your spa pool
If you’ve invested in a Hot Spring spa pool, particularly one with high-end water care technology, your spa pool water will be pretty good at keeping itself clean, clear, soft and fresh. But no matter how good your water care system is, no spa pool water will last forever.
You’ll need to change it from time to time. How long between water changes will depend on the spa:
- Standard spas need to be drained and refilled every few months.
- Hot Spring spa pools with the FreshWater® Ozone System can stay clean for up to six months.
- Hot Spring spa pools with the Fresh Water ® Salt System can stay clean for up to a year.
There is a formula, designed for standard spas, that takes into account the size of the spa and how much you use it to spit out a draining and refilling schedule – you can read more here.
There are also the warning signs to look out for: if the water appears discoloured, cloudy or otherwise murky, or if you see mould or mildew on the inside of the spa or cover, you should drain, clean and refill your machine as soon as possible.
How to drain, clean and refill your spa pool
Draining, cleaning and refilling your spa pool is a fairly simple process, especially if you placed your spa close to a drain when you installed it. It can be done by following these five steps:
1. Get the right equipment
Before you drain your spa pool, you need to ensure you have the right equipment. All you'll need is:
- A garden hose (long enough to reach from your spa pool to a drain) OR a submersible pump
- Spa shell cleaner
- Clean rags
2. Drain your spa pool with a garden hose
Draining your spa with a garden hose generally takes around an hour (depending on the size of your spa). The process is as follows:
- Turn the spa off at the circuit breaker – you don't want the pumps or jets to accidentally turn on while there isn't any water in the spa!
- Find your drainage spigot. Depending on your spa model you may have two: a primary and auxiliary spigot.
- Attach the garden hose to the primary spigot, being careful not to cross-thread. The spigot's threads will be plastic and may break if you apply too much force.
- Run the other end of the hose downhill or on level ground out to your nearest drain (the water may cause damage if drained on your lawn and garden.) If you try to run the hose uphill, you'll drain some water from your spa, but not all of it.
- Open the ball valve on your spigot so the water can drain.
- Once the primary spigot has drained most of the water, switch to the auxiliary spigot to drain the internal bleed lines.
3. Drain using a submersible pump:
As a machine built for the job, it should only take ten minutes or so to drain your spa with a quality submersible pump. Here’s how to do it:
- Turn the spa off at the circuit breaker.
- Place the pump inside the spa.
- Lead the pump's outflow hose to a drain. If it isn't long enough to reach, connect it to a garden hose.
- Turn the pump on and let the spa drain.
- When the spa pool is empty, turn off the pump.
4. Clean your empty spa
Once the water is drained, you can easily inspect and clean the interior. You should also take the opportunity to remove and clean your spa filters.
Hot Spring spa pools are designed to resist dirt and stains, and cleaning will require nothing more than a soft, damp rag and the right cleaning product. Many household cleaners can be harmful to your shell, so check your owner's manual before using any – we recommend using a product built for the job. When you’re done, rinse the shell with clean water.
While you don’t need to drain your spa in order to clean your filters, and you should be cleaning the filters monthly, draining and refilling your spa offers a great opportunity to knock this job over. To clean your spa filters:
- Remove the cover to the filter compartment.
- Remove any floating items from the compartment.
- Turn the filter retainer handle to unlock the filter and retainer.
- Remove the filter cartridge and retainer.
- Soak your filter in a degreaser or purpose-built spa filter cleaner (according to the package instructions.)
- Rinse the filter clean with a garden hose, spraying from all angles to ensure you've washed away all debris.
- Replace the filter and lock the handle, being careful to not overtighten.
5. Refill your spa pool
Refilling your spa pool can be as simple as placing your garden hose in the spa and turning it on. But a word of warning: if you choose this method, you might accidentally create an airlock.
An airlock is an air bubble that gets trapped inside the plumbing of your spa as you fill it with water. Air bubbles can cause issues with your spa, from clunky operation to real damage to the jets and circulation pumps.
Air bubbles are relatively simple to remove, although the best method can vary from model to model, so it’s wise to contact your local spa pool dealer to find out how to get rid of them.
But prevention is always better than cure, and there is a simple way to stop air bubbles from forming during refilling: fill the spa using the fill pipe. Your owner's manual will tell you exactly where to find your fill pipe.
Generally speaking it will take about the same time to fill your spa as it did to drain it with a hose.
In total, draining, cleaning and refilling your spa should only take 2-3 hours, with most of that time spent relaxing while you wait for the spa to drain or refill.
For more information on how to drain and refill your particular model, or advice on how to make your water last longer, get in touch with a Hot Spring spa pool expert today!
