When the summer comes rolling around, you will probably find yourself relaxing in the pool over spending time in the hot tub.
For many people, turning the temperature down and leaving the water where it is is the most attractive option.
However, for others, this provides them with the perfect opportunity to clean their hot tub.
But the question of whether you can drain it and leave it empty over summer still remains.
The key to draining your hot tub for the summer is to make sure that not only is water gone from the tub itself but also from the tubes and pipes inside.
It’s water where you cannot see that can become stagnant and creates a breeding ground for all sorts of nasties.
What to Expect? While it is possible to hire professionals to do this for you, you can do it as a DIY job. You just need to make sure that you take extra care.
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Why Do I Need To Drain My Hot Tub Over Summer?
Let us start by saying that you don’t have to drain your hot tub for summer.
It’s perfectly feasible to simply cover it over between uses and continue enjoying the nice weather.
However, a lot of people find that, since the hot tub won’t be in use as much, that this is a good time of year to drain and clean it.
For some people, summer will be spent at camps or other vacation locations so leaving a hot tub filled with water back at home doesn’t seem like the best idea.
Draining and covering it will offer the best protection while you are away.
How To Properly Drain Your Hot Tub For Summer
As we touched upon earlier, there are a number of professional services out there that offer hot tub draining and cleaning.
If you are in any doubt about whether you will be able to successfully drain your hot tub then these services are for you.
However, most owners will be able to go through the motions themselves without too many issues.
When it comes to draining your hot tub, you have a couple of options.
Primarily – You will need to open the drain valve. Normally this will be located near the bottom of the hot tub with other such pieces of equipment.
This process can take a while but the good news is that there are products on the market that can reduce the time it takes to empty your hot tub.
For a standard hot tub, it might take around an hour to empty entirely.
However, when you use draining products, this time could be taken down to between 10 and 25 minutes, depending on which product you use.
A submersible pump will get the job done in the least amount of time.
How To Clean Your Hot Tub
Once you have drained your hot tub, you may want to give it a spruce up.
After all, once it is refilled, you won’t have the opportunity again for quite some time.
If it’s been quite a long time since the plumbing lines have been given a freshen up then this should be one of your top priorities.
There are a whole host of plumbing line cleaning products for hot tubs available online and directly from hot tub manufacturers.
These products are designed to remove any build up within the plumbing which will prevent any nasties from getting into your tub once it is refilled.
Usually, these products work over the course of around 24 hours although there are some ‘quick’ cleaners out there.
But there are also the visible parts of your hot tub that will need to be cleaned and that’s much easier as you can actually see what you’re dealing with.
You will need to wipe the shell over with a cleaning solution; just make sure that it doesn’t contain bleach as this can do more harm than good.
Next, you will need to take out any filters and give these a good clean.
In Some Cases – You will take out the filter and realize that there’s not much a good clean can do and in this situation, you’ll need to order a replacement.
Otherwise, you can soak the filter in a specialized cleaning product for hot tub filters or some hot soapy water will do the trick.
When you are ready to refill the hot tub, you may wish to give it another clean if it has been left empty for some time.
You might wish to flush out the pipes using a chlorine solution as this will make sure that any build up, debris, or even bugs will be removed.
Otherwise: You can go ahead and top it back up making sure that you have the right chemical ratios to keep the water fresh and sanitary.
How To Protect Your Hot Tub During Summer
Some people are under the impression that leaving an empty hot tub over the summer isn’t the best idea.
But in reality, there is absolutely nothing wrong with doing this.
As long as you properly protect your hot tub, it will be ready to use again whenever the moment calls for it.
The most important thing is to make sure that you have a good quality cover that fits correctly.
The biggest mistake that hot tub owners make when summerizing their hot tubs is not covering them.
What happens?
That hot sun and those UV rays beat down on the plastic, weakening and damaging it.
What a lot of people also don’t realize is that improper storage of your hot tub can cause your warranty to become void.
So, for the sake of purchasing and installing a cover, it’s really not worth leaving out.
Conclusion
If you don’t want to use your hot tub over summer, it is perfectly possible to leave the water in and cover the whole thing over until you’re ready to enjoy it again.
But for a lot of people, draining and cleaning the hot tub is preferable and there’s no better time of year to do it.
It’s fine to drain your hot tub over summer but you must make sure that no water is left in the pipes or plumbing as this will become stagnant and could affect the cleanliness of your tub.
The best thing to do is use the proper cleaning products to make sure your hot tub is fresh, clean, and sparkling ready for the next use.
