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How to Drain, Clean & Re-Fill Your Hot Tub

Draining and cleaning your hot tub 3 or 4 times a year will ensure you are soaking in clean, Clear water and minimize the amount of time and effort spent on keeping your hot tub water fresh and balanced, So it always leaves you feeling refreshed.

Before Draining Your Hot Tub

Before you begin draining your hot tub water, It is a good idea to use a Whirlpool Rinse to clean and degrease your hot tubs internal plumbing and prevent calcium build up which can affect the performance of your hot tub. Simply add 250ml of Whirlpool Rinse to your hot tub water, Remove your filters & headrests (pillows) before adding Whirlpool Rinse, Run the jets (pumps) for up to 1 hour before draining the hot tub. Whirlpool Rinse is recommended once a year, Not with every water change.

Draining your Hot Tub

Once you are ready to drain your hot tub, switch the power to the hot tub off.

All Sundance hot tubs are equipped with a drain to remove the water from your hot tub. In addition to this drain, there are a couple of options available to speed up the hot tub draining process.

The Quick Drain, Available at all 4 locations of The Sundance Spa Store (Burlington, Oakville, St. Catharines & Mississauga) is up to 5 times faster than the gravity drain, removing 10-12 gallons of water a minute! In addition to saving time, it also Vacuums the as it drains, removing leaves, grit, sand any other debris from the hot tub.

For ever faster water removal, you can use a small submersible pump that can be purchased at most hardware stores. This is particularly handy during the colder months! Will not vacuum like the Quick Drain.

There will always be a little water left in the foot well of your hot tub. This can either be removed with a Shop-Vac or simply left in place as it will have no impact on the fresh new water you are adding to your hot tub.

Cleaning Your Hot Tub

Now that your hot tub is empty, You may want to give the hot tub shell a quick clean. Whilst it is tempting to use your favorite cleaning products on your hot tub, All you actually need is water and a little bit of vinegar. Using harsh cleaning products will result in foamy water when you re-fill your hot tub. A product such as The Tub Scrubber can be used to remove any residual waterline build up.

Draining your hot tub also gives you a good opportunity to give your hot tub filters a clean (or replace your Sundance Micro Clean Filters). Using a strong setting on your hose nozzle, Spray down your paper pleated hot tub filter(s) to wash out any debris collected inside the filter (NO PRESSURE WASHERS). Occasionally Soaking your hot tub filters in a Cartridge Cleaner will help break down any organic matter trapped in the filter pleats.

NOTE: Sundance Spas Micro-Clean filters used on 780, Select & 880 models should not be sprayed or washed like a paper pleated hot tub filters. The Micro-Clean filters are maintenance free like the Brita water filters. You should also never soak Micro-Clean filters in Cartridge Cleaner. Cartridge Cleaner is only meant for paper pleated cartridge filters. If you want to rinse your Micro-Clean filter, Very gently rinse the Micro-Clean filter with warm water under a tap. (never spray or apply pressure)

Giving your hot tub cover a clean, and treating it with a UV Protectant, such as Ultrashine is also advisable whilst you are draining and cleaning the hot tub to keep the vinyl of the cover from drying out and shrinking.

Re-filling Your Hot Tub

When adding new water to your hot tub, Put your hose into the filter well so that it runs through the pipes as it fills up, This will help prevent air locks upon re-start. Once your hot tub is filled, You can turn the power to the hot tub back on so it can begin heating up. Do not turn the power back on until the water level is at least above the filter(s).

Now your hot tub is full, It’s time to test and treat your water so that you can enjoy it as soon as it heats up to your desired temperature.

While the water is still cold, you should add approx. 100ML of Prevent II to eliminate and prevent staining and scale formation.

Once the water is hot (wait at least 5 hours) you should use a test strip to check your water is balanced correctly. After making any adjustments to the Alkalinity or pH that are needed, you should add a small amount of your sanitizer to the hot tub water, and boom! You’re ready to get your hot tub party on!

Happy Tubbin’!

The Sundance Spa Store Team.