How to Drain a Hot Tub

From time to time you will need to perform a tub drain on your hot tub or spa. The tub will need to be drained and cleaned periodically, especially if you are not using it during the winter. Whatever the reason, draining the tub is important. If you leave it too long, bacteria can form. In particular, winter maintenance is vital to ensure your hot tub won’t sustain any damage when the weather turns cold.

Initial Steps

The first thing to do is to turn off the heater on the hot tub and switch it off at the mains supply. Next, locate the circuit breaker for the tub in the breaker box and turn that off as well. Electrical safety is absolutely vital when dealing with appliances that use water and failure to follow these steps can be exceedingly dangerous. Take the cover off the tub and remove the filter before cleaning it inside the house. The filter can usually be washed underneath a cold tap and replacements should only be made if there are obvious sings of wear and tear.

If you’re going to refill the tub immediately, you’ll need to put the filter back before doing so. If you won’t be using your spa for several months, keep the filter in your house after letting it dry thoroughly to help stop it perishing during the cold weather.

Tub Drain

Attach a garden hose to the hot tub’s bottom drain spout. You’ll need to twist the hose onto the spigot so make sure it’s on firmly. Stretch the hose to a part of the yard where the water drainage won’t matter. If the hose is long, the water could be used to give plants a final soaking before the onset of winter. Open the spigot and allow the tub to drain.

For hot tubs with electric air blowers, turn the circuit breaker back on and replace the spa cover. Turn on the blower and let it run for a minute. This will allow the water to drain from the lines. Now remove the cover again. If the water won’t drain through the spigot, use the wet/dry vacuum to clear it up. Turn the circuit breaker off again before continuing.

Couplers, Valves and Drains

Open the heater housing by loosening the plastic couplers. Each of the pumps will have couplers and you will need to loosen one of the couplers on each of them. Take out the drains or bleed valves on the pumps. This prevents potential problems that could occur during cold weather such as cracking or freezing.

There might still be water in the jet lines. Use your wet/dry vacuum to mop up as much of this as possible. If you can’t get it all out, don’t worry - a little water left in over the winter won’t cause damage and will probably evaporate anyway. This completes the tub drain.

Put the spa cover back on the tub and close the equipment panel. For extra protection, cover the entire hot tub with a tarp for the winter. To fill the tub again, simply follow the instructions in reverse.