Empty the spa while gone for summer?

[Billyg]

We are getting conflicting reports. Not sure whether to empty the inground spa/hot tub for the season or to keep up the weekly maintenance and keep it full of water.
Thoughts? Experiences?
Thank you

[capecodkev]

I would empty it, no reason to run the spa and keep adding chemicals if not in use. More wear and tear on the motor and pumps which isn't needed. Just make sure you dry it out before you put the cover back on.

[kathy and al]

I have a hot tub and have been told by professionals not to leave the tub empty. They are very emphatic about this due to the fact that an empty tub is vulnerable to the earth/soil and atomospheric pressures and could cause severe damage to the hot tub. I too have had extended periods of non use and the best thing to do is just cover it and when you return just drain and clean the tub and add new chemicals.

[cathyw]

Try rhtubs.com They have a link to the owners manuals for about 50 different hot tubs. I randomly picked two. One said " It is imperative that you do not empty the hot tub. " Then gave various senarios about what could happen and how coslty it is to repair. The other link ( for a different brand of hot tub ) said it was OK to drain. So look for your brand, I hope it's there.

[Biker Dog]

We emptied our hot tub and when we refilled it we had leaks all over the place. Ended up spending $700.00 to have ever seal replaced. It was a night mare.

[chuckinca]

Friends of ours are leaving this weekend for 6 months and are leaving their in ground spa filled and having it serviced every week. They even have invited neighbors to feel free to use it while they are gone.


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[BritParrothead]

We had an inground spa do0wn in Orlando. Do Not empty it!! Just leave it be. Ours was good to us and our guests. ;)

[George Bieniaszek]

Just bought a free standing hot tub from T & D Pools. Thy said to keep the water in it when we are not going to be here andd just empty it, clean and refill with water and chemicals when we get back. We will be gone for 4-6 weeks. Keeping the water in the tub will keep the seals from drying out and leaking as a previous poster mentioned happening to him when they drained the spa for an extended period of time.

[skyking]

Handle it just as you would a pool. Leave the water in and either drain it or "shock" it with a high dose of chemicals when you return. No need for weekly service.

[Billyg]

So, we will leave the water in. Should we have our house watcher run the water thru when she does her weekly visits or is that unnecessary ?

[Xavier]

So, we will leave the water in. Should we have our house watcher run the water thru when she does her weekly visits or is that unnecessary ?

This past summer we decided to just shock ours and shut it down. When we came back it was the greenist of greens and you couldn't even see the bottom. We drained it and spent a good deal of time scrubbing it down with clorox and water and then refilling, shocking, etc.

Our spa (10 person) takes so little care that we're going to keep ours running this summer - it's way too much work otherwise. If I were you I'd think about setting the automatic timer to run a couple of hours each day and have your house watcher check the water level and bromine tabs every two weeks or so.

I think the small electric costs to run the spa pump would be more than offset by the savings we realized by putting in the dehumidistat last year for the air conditioning.

Xavier

[skyking]

So, we will leave the water in. Should we have our house watcher run the water thru when she does her weekly visits or is that unnecessary ?

Billyg, Running the pump passes water through the filter removing any solids and also disperses the chemicals throughout the plumbing system. Chemicals keep the water clear by preventing growths of algae and germs. If you have your house watcher add a generous amount of chemical each week and run the pump long enough to mix them in well you should return to a clean spa. You can run the pump daily but unless it is outside and collects debris it is probably not necessary.

I have had in ground spas for over 30 years and the best thing about them is the minimal maintenance. Keep the chemicals up and clean off the filter every so often and you will be fine.