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Hot tubs are an excellent place for you to relax, unwind, and rest after a day at work, on weekends, or even during the holidays. However, keeping the water, shell, jets, and other components clean is necessary for the continued enjoyment of the hot tub, so you should regularly drain, clean, and refill the hot tub to get rid of any dirt, grime, or other contaminants.
Draining a hot tub is an effective way to access the inside of the hot tub and the internal components, but it’s also useful for replacing the existing water so you can remove oils, lotions, minerals, dissolved solids, and other impurities. Use this guide to learn how to drain a hot tub by using the drain valve or a submersible pump to remove the water, and then clean the hot tub and refill it.
How Often to Drain a Hot Tub
When you drain a hot tub it can seem like a time-consuming process. So you might stick to maintaining the water chemistry and using a hot tub cover to keep airborne dust and dirt out of the hot tub as a tempting way for you to delay this job. However, every time you use the hot tub dirt, oil, skin, and hair remain in the water. This organic debris builds up on the sides, bottom, and even inside the jets of the hot tub, creating a layer of grime that continues to increase every time you use it.
For you to properly relax in a hot tub, it’s essential to keep the hot tub clean so that you don’t find yourself sitting next to floating grime and debris. At least once every 3 to 4 months you should be draining, cleaning, and refilling the hot tub to ensure you aren’t relaxing in dirty water.
The frequency with which you drain the hot tub depends on how often it’s used and the number of people who regularly use the hot tub. If you or other members of the household use it daily or multiple times a day, consider draining, cleaning, and refilling the hot tub every one to two months to keep it clean. Similarly, if you use the hot tub only once or twice a week, then you may be okay to leave it for 4 to 6 months before draining, cleaning, and refilling it.
Reasons to Drain a Hot Tub
There are many reasons you should regularly drain, clean, and refill a hot tub, ranging from simple maintenance to getting rid of water contamination, including:
- Cloudy or discolored water typically indicates that the balance of the water is off. The hardness, alkalinity, and pH level may be affected by the accumulation of minerals and contaminants in the water, such as dissolved solids and organic matter, algae, or other impurities.
- Excessive or persistent foam on the surface of the water is a clear indicator that detergents, soaps, or other contaminants have built up in the hot tub, signaling that you need to drain, clean, and refill the hot tub.
- Difficulty maintaining cleanliness or chemical levels is typically a sign that you need to drain and clean the hot tub. This tends to point to an accumulation of dirt, oils, and other debris on the inside of the hot tub, the filter, or in the jets and plumbing lines.
- Visible debris and sediment should be taken as an indication that you need to drain and clean the hot tub. These particles may simply be due to a buildup of dirt and debris in the hot tub, but could also be due to a clogged or overused filter that needs to be cleaned or replaced when you drain the hot tub.
- Unpleasant odors emanating from the water tends to suggest that bacteria has taken root in the hot tub or there is a significant accumulation of organic matter that is too much to be handled by chemical treatments alone.
- Routine maintenance or deep cleaning requires that you drain the hot tub to properly clean the jets, plumbing lines, filter, and the inside of the hot tub to remove biofilm and other buildup, while changing the water to get rid of the accumulation of total dissolved solids, minerals, body oils, and other contaminants.
- Biological contamination, such as someone vomiting in the hot tub, is an immediate reason to leave the hot tub, drain it, and clean it.
- Repairs and replacements of hot tub components, such as fixing the heater or replacing the jets, will often require you to drain the hot tub.
- Winterizing the hot tub in colder climates is a seasonal reason to drain the hot tub in order to protect the plumbing from freezing and potential damage during the winter.
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Before You Begin
If you plan to drain a hot tub, then it’s a good time to also flush the plumbing lines, so you can remove all built-up dirt and grime at the same time. While the following are general steps for most hot tubs, check your unit’s user manual and manufacturer’s information for precise steps on completing this process if you have never flushed the plumbing lines.
- Take out the hot tub filters and turn the jets on full pressure.
- Pour a pipe-cleaning solution into the filter housing and let the jets run for 15 to 30 minutes to remove any biofilm or bacteria that may have built up in the pipes.
How to Drain a Hot Tub Using the Drain Valve
The simplest way for you to empty a hot tub is with a hose. By connecting a garden hose directly to the hot tub drain valve, you can direct the water to a nearby drain and prevent flooding on your patio or in your garden. You can follow these straightforward steps to complete this maintenance task.
Step 1: Locate and remove the valve cap.
Make sure that the power is off to the hot tub by completely unplugging the tub or turning off the circuit breaker for hardwired hot tub setups. The power needs to be disconnected because the pumps and jets can become damaged if they are used when there isn’t any water in the hot tub.
With the tub turned off, search for the valve cap. The valve cap for the drainage valve is usually located on the side of the hot tub, near the base. Its position allows the valve to drain water from the lowest point within the tub. Look for a black, gray, or sometimes white valve cap and pull it out to reveal the drainage valve.
Some hot tubs have a hollow enclosure where the drainage valve and other important components can be kept out of sight. If that’s the case for your hot tub, you will need to move the panel that is preventing access to the valve.
Step 2: Identify the type of drain valve and connect a garden hose.
Inspect the drain valve to determine how it works before proceeding. Some drain valves operate with a standard ball valve lever that just needs to be turned 90 degrees to open or close the drain. These are the easiest for you to identify and use, but there are several other types of hot tub drain valves. There are valves that open by rotating the valve and pulling it out to drain the water and valves that need to be pulled all the way out to connect the drainage hose, then pushed halfway back in to start the flow of water.
If you aren’t certain how your drainage valve works, check the user manual and consult the manufacturer’s website for instructions. Once you have located and identified the drainage valve, connect a garden hose to the valve and run the garden hose to a nearby drain.
Your average 2- to 3-person hot tub contains 150 to 200 gallons of water, a 4- to 6-person hot tub will typically hold between 300 to 450 gallons, while a 7- to 8-person tub has between 475 to 650 gallons of water. When you have this amount of water gushing out during the drainage process can damage the grass or plants in a garden, and it could even dislodge soil or stones that are currently supporting the patio. In addition, the chemical content of the water can also damage the soil and vegetation, so it’s important you find an appropriate place for the water to drain.
Step 3: Open the valve to drain the hot tub.
Your garden hose will redirect the water from the hot tub to the desired location, so all that’s left to do is for you to open the drainage valve and allow the water to begin draining from the tub. If there is a handle or lever on your drain valve, turn it so that it’s in the open position and wait for the tub to finish draining.
The draining process can take up to 2 hours, but you don’t need to supervise if it is properly set up. Just make sure the hose is actually draining to the correction location, then check back periodically, and at least after 1 to 2 hours.
How to Drain a Hot Tub with a Submersible Pump
When you are draining a hot tub through the drain valve it can take up to 2 hours. If you don’t have the time to wait, then you should consider using a submersible pump to drain the hot tub in just a few minutes.
Step 1: Turn the power off and connect the pump.
Unplug the hot tub or turn off the circuit breaker to prevent the hot tub from being turned on accidentally while you work. This is to ensure that the jets and hot tub pump are not active when the tub is empty, as this can cause damage to the components.
Plug in your submersible pump and connect a drainage hose that can quickly and effectively move the water from the hot tub to an appropriate drainage location away from the garden, patio, and home. A submersible pump drainage hose is a specialized type of hose that is designed to work with a submersible pump.
Step 2: Run the hose to a suitable drainage location.
The drainage hose from the pump needs to be run to a location where the chlorinated water will not damage the surrounding vegetation or create erosion problems in the soil, due to a high volume of water. A good idea is to run the hose to a sanitary sewer drain so that the dirty water is carried to the sewage treatment plant.
Alternately, if the pH level of the water is relatively close to neutral (7) then the water can be drained into the lawn without damaging the grass, though other plants may be more sensitive to the chemicals than grass, so it’s advised to avoid draining the hot tub into the garden. Also, do not drain the hot tub into the storm drain because these drains flow directly into local streams and rivers.
Step 3: Drain the hot tub.
Place the submersible pump into the deepest part of the hot tub and turn it on to begin pumping water out of the tub. Check to make sure that the water is draining to the correct location and keep a close eye on the pump so that you know when to turn it off. If the pump keeps pumping after all of the water has been removed, it can get damaged and stop working. However, a pump that has a float switch will automatically turn off when the water reaches a specified level.
After the water has been pumped out of the tub, turn off and unplug the pump, remove it from the hot tub, and disconnect the drainage hose. Allow the pump and hose to dry before storing them safely in a shed or garage.
