Removing Sand/pebbles From Bottom Of Spa

[cporro]

little by little some large sand/small pebbles are accumulating in my spa. i tried sucking them up with my pump when i drain it. that doesn't really work. it's nearly impossible to grab them with my fingers. there must be a simple device that can collect them.

any ideas?

thx

[Pathfinder]

Go to your local dealer & pick up a Spavac/Spawand or Grit Getter

[PreservedSwine]

Spa vacuum. I prefer the "Paradise" model, around 35 bucks on the internet. Don't buy anything that adds water to the spa.

Just do a quick search for spa vacuum, and I'm sure the paradise one will be one of the choices. Works wonderfully for sand, pebbles, coins, etc, and is sturdy, reliable, and inexpensive.

[spatech (the unreal one)]

little by little some large sand/small pebbles are accumulating in my spa. i tried sucking them up with my pump when i drain it. that doesn't really work. it's nearly impossible to grab them with my fingers. there must be a simple device that can collect them.

any ideas?

thx

A spa vac will do the trick but if you don't have one there is a simple trick/method. Take the hose that is connected to the outside faucet and start filling the spa with water. Then with the house still inside the tub and under water, turn off the faucet and disconnect the hose at the faucet. Water will start to drain out of the spa through the hose and creates a suction. Use the hose inside your spa like a vacuum as the water drains for a minute or two to remove the sand.

[hot_water]

I use a wet or dry shop vac. Put duct tape over the nozzle so that the opening is only 3/4-1" wide, it will have enough umph to pick up just about everything. The best part, you probably already have a wet or dry shop vac. I spent money on one of those plastic toys that are supposed to be for just that purpose. It had no power and fell apart after a few months.

[waterbear]

The main advantage to a spa wand (and the Polaris ones are well made but not cheap) is that it does not remove any water from the spa and is operated by pumping on the handle so you do not need to be near a source of either electricity or running water for it to operate. IMHO, it is the second most necessary piece of maintenance equipment for your spa after a good test kit!

[Jake the dog man]

I tried the Grit Gitter and loved it for a few months, but it didn't age well. I am also not going to drag a shop vac out every time I need a few small pieces of stuff removed. I have the Pool & Spa VAC, which is one of the large stick wand type ones (about $45 at my local guy), it works OK. I still keep a basic Turkey Baster near by, which always works while sitting in the tub.

If I could only own one of them, I'd make it the turkey baster.

[bfunke]

I've found a short garden hose works fine. I lay it out on the lawn and then dip one end in and start a siphon. In just a few minutes i can suck up most of the small gravel and stuff and not lose more than a 1/4 inch of so of water level. Depending on the water level I'll add or siphon a bit. I use the blower to clean off my patio deck periodically and this really cuts back on sand/gravel bits in the tub. As my cover is getting old and deteriorating a bit I've notices more water and sand gets through it near the center seam. We had golf ball hail this past week in SC and that knock some of the stuff loose from my roof which of course got onto my patio and spa cover.