To Drain Or Not To Drain

[tb0ne]

I will not be using my tub during the summer. Am I better off draining it, or just letting it filter throughout the summer? Ideally I'd like to drain it, but I worry about mold, and the plumbing drying and cracking and stuff like that. I'm also due for a water change anyway.

Or should I throw a little bleach in there and just let it filter all summer? I'd rather not pay the electricity costs, but if it saves the tub, so be it

[Hillbilly Hot Tub]

I will not be using my tub during the summer. Am I better off draining it, or just letting it filter throughout the summer? Ideally I'd like to drain it, but I worry about mold, and the plumbing drying and cracking and stuff like that. I'm also due for a water change anyway.

Or should I throw a little bleach in there and just let it filter all summer? I'd rather not pay the electricity costs, but if it saves the tub, so be it

You can drain it for the summer. If you live in an area that can freeze you should also winterize it just in case you do not get it up and running before a frost. To help keep mildew out of the lines, take a shop vac and put it on every jet sucking as much water as you can out(this is also part of winterizing) open the pump unions and drain them out, suck out water in filter, get as much as you can out of the tub. Ther is 15 gallons and up of water left in the tub after draining depending on how many jets etc. you have. Pull out filters, clean and leave them out. Clean cover well and let dry before placing back on tub. Put inscect/rodent repelent under the cabinet.

When you start it back up, fill it and super shock it! If you see junk coming out of jets, you can put some jet clean or swirl away in, let it run a little bit, then drain and refill. Check pump seals when you start it back up, sometimes they dry out after a tub has been drained and sitting and will leak. If they are leaking, take care of them right away. Plumbing should be fine.

If you leave the tub running, you still need to keep the water chemistry. Letting the PH go off is just as damaging to the tub and if you don't have sanitizer you will have more than mold growing in the water. You can keep the temp turned way down and set it for the shortest filter cycle (unless you have a 24 hour circ pump) as long as you check the water chemistry.

[tb0ne]

I will not be using my tub during the summer. Am I better off draining it, or just letting it filter throughout the summer? Ideally I'd like to drain it, but I worry about mold, and the plumbing drying and cracking and stuff like that. I'm also due for a water change anyway.

Or should I throw a little bleach in there and just let it filter all summer? I'd rather not pay the electricity costs, but if it saves the tub, so be it

You can drain it for the summer. If you live in an area that can freeze you should also winterize it just in case you do not get it up and running before a frost. To help keep mildew out of the lines, take a shop vac and put it on every jet sucking as much water as you can out(this is also part of winterizing) open the pump unions and drain them out, suck out water in filter, get as much as you can out of the tub. Ther is 15 gallons and up of water left in the tub after draining depending on how many jets etc. you have. Pull out filters, clean and leave them out. Clean cover well and let dry before placing back on tub. Put inscect/rodent repelent under the cabinet.

When you start it back up, fill it and super shock it! If you see junk coming out of jets, you can put some jet clean or swirl away in, let it run a little bit, then drain and refill. Check pump seals when you start it back up, sometimes they dry out after a tub has been drained and sitting and will leak. If they are leaking, take care of them right away. Plumbing should be fine.

If you leave the tub running, you still need to keep the water chemistry. Letting the PH go off is just as damaging to the tub and if you don't have sanitizer you will have more than mold growing in the water. You can keep the temp turned way down and set it for the shortest filter cycle (unless you have a 24 hour circ pump) as long as you check the water chemistry.

Thanks for the great advice. Would it be wise to run a little bleach through before draining it?

[Hillbilly Hot Tub]

I will not be using my tub during the summer. Am I better off draining it, or just letting it filter throughout the summer? Ideally I'd like to drain it, but I worry about mold, and the plumbing drying and cracking and stuff like that. I'm also due for a water change anyway.

Or should I throw a little bleach in there and just let it filter all summer? I'd rather not pay the electricity costs, but if it saves the tub, so be it

You can drain it for the summer. If you live in an area that can freeze you should also winterize it just in case you do not get it up and running before a frost. To help keep mildew out of the lines, take a shop vac and put it on every jet sucking as much water as you can out(this is also part of winterizing) open the pump unions and drain them out, suck out water in filter, get as much as you can out of the tub. Ther is 15 gallons and up of water left in the tub after draining depending on how many jets etc. you have. Pull out filters, clean and leave them out. Clean cover well and let dry before placing back on tub. Put inscect/rodent repelent under the cabinet.

When you start it back up, fill it and super shock it! If you see junk coming out of jets, you can put some jet clean or swirl away in, let it run a little bit, then drain and refill. Check pump seals when you start it back up, sometimes they dry out after a tub has been drained and sitting and will leak. If they are leaking, take care of them right away. Plumbing should be fine.

If you leave the tub running, you still need to keep the water chemistry. Letting the PH go off is just as damaging to the tub and if you don't have sanitizer you will have more than mold growing in the water. You can keep the temp turned way down and set it for the shortest filter cycle (unless you have a 24 hour circ pump) as long as you check the water chemistry.

Thanks for the great advice. Would it be wise to run a little bleach through before draining it?

You can, it will kill any germs you have now, but there will be no long term effect from the bleach. (It won't continue to kill germs thoughout the summer) so you will have to start up with a super shock still.