We can all agree that relaxing in your hot tub while you’re meditating, listening to your favorite playlist, or engaging in deep, meaningful conversations with the ones closest to you is the most enjoyable part of soaking in a hot tub.
Let’s also not forget the health benefits that warm water provides for medical conditions like fibromyalgia, arthritis and low back pain.
As relaxing as soaking in a hot tub may be, most hot tub owners don’t find the draining and cleaning part as enjoyable.
But draining your hot tub water and adding the right amount of chemicals is critical for your health and safety.
WebMD reported that between 2015 and 2019, bacterial outbreaks from hot tubs and pools caused over 3,600 people to get ill and need urgent hospitalization. Unfortunately, almost 300 deaths occurred as a result of improperly cleaned hot tubs.
Here’s how often you should be draining your hot tub water
We did a poll in the Facebook group “Hot Tub Help Forum” asking hot tub owners how often they drain. The poll became very popular and received 349 votes!
Here are the results:
71% of hot tub owners drain and fully replace their hot tub water every 6 months, while the second most popular answer was only once a year!
While draining every 6 months or once a year is possible, it requires a lot of knowledge to constantly monitor your water’s chemical balance.
The truth is, how often you drain and clean your hot tub depends on how much you actually use it. For regular users, it’s advised to drain every 3-4 months of the year.
The good part about draining is that it doesn’t take more than an hour and a half, and cleaning your hot tub thoroughly should take about an hour.
Here are a few simple steps on how to drain your hot tub's water
- Turn off your hot tub power
It’s a relatively obvious step, but sometimes turning off your power can be overlooked. Try your best not to be forgetful about this step.
- Drain your hot tub
Find your valve for draining, and make sure to open it so the water can start to release and drain. You can use a garden hose to wash the sides of the hot tub during this time.
- Scrub the inside of your hot tub
Make sure to take the time to scrub out with warm water and soap the entire inside of your hot tub and the jets. If your hot tub has water lines that won’t wash away, we recommend using this Spa Surface Cleaner.
- Rinse your hot tub from soap
Make sure you hose down your hot tub thoroughly to clean up any soap residue. You can also dilute and add hot tub chemicals.
- Refill your hot tub
Once there’s no soap residue left, it’s time to fill up your hot tub. The best way is to attach a garden hose to a faucet and let the water fill up your entire tub. Just make sure not to overfill, so when you go in, it doesn’t overflow.
- Add Hot Tub Chemicals
This is the last and most important step. Make sure to add your hot tub chemicals in diluted form, and add chlorine last because it sanitizes everything that circulates in the water.
Don’t miss out on these other steps when refilling
Apart from draining, cleaning, refilling and adding chemicals to your hot tub - there are a few other things to also focus on, which apply to most hot tub brands.
- Clean your filters
It’s useless if you drain and refill without keeping your filters clean too! After all, they are literally filtering your spa water to help keep it clear and remove any type of impurities, such as debris, dirt, body lotions, bacteria and algae.
It’s recommended to use a special hot tub cleaning solution to maintain the lifespan of your filter. You can check out the filter soak solution that hot tub owners in the US swear by.
- Check for cracks or leaks
Once your hot tub water is fully replaced, it’s advised to check if there’s any leakage. This is important because it may cause electrical problems.
You can invest in an effective spa leak sealer if you do have this problem. The best ones seal even the hardest-to-find cracks within 24 hours, like this one.
- Test your pH levels
The pH levels should be between 7.2 - 7.8. This ensures that your hot tub chemicals can work properly.
- Balancing your alkalinity
Your alkalinity levels should range from 80 to 120 ppm (parts per million). These levels are important to make sure the pH levels stay within their range. Anything outside these levels can cause equipment corrosion.
- Sanitation and Shock Treatment
Chlorine and bromine are most commonly used to kill contamination. Recommended Chlorine levels are 3-5 ppm, and for Bromine, anywhere from 2 to 6 ppm.
If you want to reduce the amount of chlorine, you can use a non-Chlorine shock treatment, to get a spa level-experience without visiting the spa!
In conclusion, if you’re a hot tub enthusiast who enjoys frequent soaks, it’s best to drain every 3-4 months per year. Apart from regular cleaning, refilling and adding hot tub chemicals, it’s also important to take care of your filters, maintain a recommended pH and alkalinity balance, use shock solution and sanitize with Chlorine or Bromine.
Still have questions regarding hot tubs? Join our Facebook community of hot tub experts that will give you the best tips and help regarding chemicals or even mechanical issues.
