RickJ

That's a bummer N7LT. I think I got all the water out of my lines. I have two shop vacs, so I had one blowing air into my system through the filter intake area, and then used the other so suck water from each individual jet. That worked for my primary circulation pump. On my secondary pump I unhooked the intake line from the pump, and then used the shop vac to blow air through the pump and into the system. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I was able to remove all the water from the system.

FYI - Dr. Spa is one of the most-knowledgeable and respected cover manufacturers around. He makes some of the best-quality covers out there, and offers excellent service. I would highly recommend checking out his site for a cover. www.rhtubs.com

Good idea. Thank you for the advice. I called the local Master Spa dealer (Master makes the Down East tubs) and asked them for their advice. First, they said to run it all winter, but that's not an option right now. Then they told me not to put any antifreeze in the system, because the stuff could be very difficult to flush out next spring. Basically said that I would have to drain and refill several times to get rid of all the antifreeze. I'm not sure if that is really a big deal, compared to having a frozen pipe, but that was their advice. So today I vacuumed all of the lines, pulled the drain plugs from the pumps, and drained as much water from the plumbing as I could. Then I disconnected the intake lines from the pumps, and used my shop vac to blow air through the pump system. That blasted any remaining water out of the lines. After running air through the system for long enough that I didn't see any water coming out, I connected everything back together, put on the sides and the cover, and then put a heavy-duty tarp over the whole thing. I may change my mind and fire the thing up in a week once I'm done being buried with work, but for now it is as winterized as I can make it.

I apologize if this topic has been covered a million times before, but I did a search and couldn't find what I was looking for. I have a 2003 Down East - East Hampton spa. Last spring, one of my pumps sprung a leak, so I shut the tub down, and drained it, thinking that I would fix it over the summer. Well, got busy, and never got around to fixing the spa. Now the weather is cold again, so I've decided to just winterize the tub and leave it dormant for the season. (It's also saving me craploads of money on my electric bill, which is helpful this year.) I checked the tub a week ago, and it was partially full of water, due to rain water leaking around some gaps and cracks in the cover over the summer. So I pumped out the water with an electric pump, and used my shop vac to suck out as much water from the plumbing as I could. I have bought 12 gallons of RV antifreeze that I was going to pour into the piping system to hopefully flush out any remaining water from the pipe, and get into any low spots that might freeze during the winter. Once I've done that, I plan to put a tarp over the thing and seal it up. Is there anything else that I should be doing? Should I pull the drain plugs from the pumps to drain water out of them? Is 12 gallons of anti-freeze enough? Too much? I was planning to pour the antifreeze into the piping in the filter area. Is that the right place, or should use a funnel and back-fill some of the jets to have the antifreeze go straight to the pump area? Any advice is appreciated. I think that Thursday morning is going to be only time that I will have this week to get this sealed up. Oh, I'm in Minneapolis, Minnesota, so it gets pretty cold here in the winter. It's already been down to 15 degrees one day, so I may be too late to protect anything from freezing damage. But I'm hoping that one cold day isn't going to be enough to cause a really hard freeze in any of my pipes.

This is a good idea. My latest problem is that it's so jokin' cold that the water freezes on the steps while I'm IN the hot tub for 30 minutes or so. I thought about getting one of the anti-freeze electrical lines for pipes and tack it to the bottom of the stairs. I don't like the idea of any electrical heater near water. I would be too afraid of an electrical shock when getting out of the tub. I'm going to be trying the towel idea myself. Even though the towel might get wet and freeze, it would still provide some traction. I like to try the simple solutions first.

I don't have any experience with that cover, but it looks like a POS. They don't show you any pictures of the cover off the tub, or of how the cover is constructed, and they want you to send them $175? Plus, with their awesome NO RETURNS FOR ANY REASON policy, how can you go wrong? Send me $150 and I'll ship you a tarp, some tie-down straps, and some trash bags that you can fill with air, and you'll probably have the same effect. That looks like something you should stay away from, unless you have an indoor tub in a very warm environment. I don't think it will give you any insulation value at all. You'll be watching your money float away with all the heat loss that your tub will experience.

That's cool. Is that a Ural?

I use a push broom to clear snow off my cover. It works great, and I can sweep the entire cover from one side of the tub.

I have a track driven John Deere that while underpowered IMO for the 26" width is about 15 years old and the 5 HP briggs is still solid. 2 Pulls. I don't think John Deere sells snowblowers anymore. When they did, the snowblowers were actually made by Ariens, so they were very good units. I think my brother has a John Deere for his house, and then my old Simplicity at his cabin. Oh, and I forgot about Honda snowblowers. I have heard they are awesome. But they are expensive.

Toro makes some pretty good units, but for my money, buy a Simplicity. Some of the best snowblowers on the market. I had a 1969 model that worked perfectly. Two years ago I gave it to my brother and upgraded to a newer one that can launch the snow over my house. Don't waste your money on a cheap off-brand, like MTD or Craftsman. They will be okay for a few years, but they don't last over the long run. Buy a Simplicity and you won't have to worry about buying another blower for a long time. I would rank blowers as #1) Simplicity, #2) Toro, and #3) Ariens. Just don't use them on top of your hot tub cover.

What about the rubber pond liner that they use for garden ponds? Maybe that would work?

I usually flip my steps over, or set them on their side. The ice accumulates on the bottom instead of the top of the steps. Then just flip them into position when you plan to use the tub.

All covers hold some water. Water seeps in during rains, or it soaks in from underneath due to evaporation from your tub. If there are rips or cuts in the vinyl that are letting water in, they make things much worse. But no matter how good your cover is, it will usually need replacing every 3-5 years. Dr Spa wants to know what part of the cover is holding water. Is it the bottom side of the cover, or the top side? Is it a little or a lot? How old is your cover? He is one of the experts on covers. His company sells some of the best quality covers in the industry. So answer his questions, and he can help you figure out your problem. Just saying that it is holding water "in the cover" is not enough information for anyone to help you diagnose your problem.

They're a Canadian company. Contact them through their website and they should be able to tell you where you can buy it. http://www.fixaleak.com/

How big was your leak? I've been fighting with a pinhole leak near one of my pumps. It doesn't leak too much, but it is annoying. I may have to try this product next summer if my current fix doesn't hold. I am afraid of something like this gumming up the pumps. Any talk of this in the reviews that you read? Also, in looking at their website, they do say that the product is toxic and should be kept away from children. Don't swallow it, and all that jazz. I would keep the dogs away from it until it has soaked into the ground. Or run the drain hose into a house drain so it goes into the sewer system. But keep the doggies away would be my advice.