How Often Do I Need to Drain My Spa?

Testing your hot tub water often to keep it fresh and safe is part of spa maintenance. A good spa maintenance question to ask yourself is, “How often do I need to drain my spa?” As a spa owner, familiarize yourself with the spa chemicals and accessories that are typically needed to maintain your spa. The right chemicals do extend your water’s cleanliness. However, you will have to drain your hot tub several times throughout the year.

Draining a Spa Can Be Easily Done

First, draining your spa is not a difficult thing to do. Once you properly disconnect the power to your spa, attach a garden hose to the drainage spigot. Make sure the hose is level or on a downgrade and open the valve to drain the water. This should take about an hour or so. If you want to speed up the draining process, you can purchase a submersible pump that can do the job in as little as ten minutes. Of course, spa size is a factor in draining time. 

Spa Water Should Be Changed When…

So, the process of draining your spa is trivial when it comes to maintenance, but how do you know when to drain it? There are a few telltale signs that draining may be necessary. For instance, if your spa water is cloudy or foamy, you should be concerned. Now, there are wonderful spa chemicals such as shock and foam remover that can treat these issues. You can purchase SpaGuard® products from Mastercraft Pool & Spa instore and online that do just that. However, if your water doesn’t clear up or the chemicals did work, but only for a short period, it’s time to change the water.

Another obvious sign that your hot tub water needs to be drained and replaced is foul water. Other than a typical chlorine smell, the water should be odorless. Anything other than that, should prompt you to drain your spa. 

Schedule Spa Maintenance

Besides the telltale signs your spa water should be drained, a general guideline is to change your hot tub water at least once, every three to four months. Regardless of the visual and olfactory indications, it’s smart to do this for spa maintenance. Scheduling regular water drainage will ensure a pleasant experience with each spa use. 

Using the proper spa chemicals helps to keep your spa water fresh and healthy, but be aware that contaminants are left in your hot tub each time it’s used. Every person that enters your hot tub leaves behind contaminants from their body such as perfumes, lotions, and sweat. These contaminants are referred to as total dissolved solids or TDS. You can and should use test strips to regularly measure TDS levels. Just know TDS are always in your spa water and they can accumulate making it hard for spa chemicals to do their job.

“How often do I need to drain my spa?” is a great question. Know that draining your spa isn’t a maintenance step that can be skipped. Schedule your draining once, every three to four months or sooner when hot tub concerns can’t be resolved with the proper use of spa chemicals. If you require maintenance including the draining and filling of your hot tub, Mastercraft Pool & Spa has qualified technicians. Call today for the spa service options that best fit your needs.