WINTERISING YOUR HOT TUB

Many families actually prefer to use a hot tub when the weather is the coldest. On a chilly winter’s night when toes are numb, nothing beats a hot soak in the tub!
If there is snow on the ground, it can only add to the pleasure.

Draining:

• Turn power OFF at the breaker
• Locate the drain valve (usually at the front left-hand corner of the skirt).
• Remove the safety cap and attach garden hose. Turn outer ring counterclockwise and pull outward on the garden hose. This will open the drain valve fully.
• Or drain by actually pumping the water out with a submersible pump. Either way, make sure you leave the bottom drain spout open when you are done.
• Drain water to a convenient area. (Spa water may harm grass or plants if sanitizer levels are high).
• If you have a Coast spa; When water begins to flow out of the hose, open air relief valve located on filter lid.
• The spa will drain except for a small portion left in the foot well. This can be removed with a sponge and pail.
• Once empty, clean as required.
• To finish push garden hose forward and turn outer ring clockwise, remove garden hose and attach safety cap.

• After draining, your spa may still have water remaining in the equipment and plumbing fittings. Disconnect the hand-tightened union fittings going to and from the jet pumps. Be careful not to lose the o-rings between the unions and pump housings.  Loosen or unscrew any fittings on your spa equipment that look like they could be loosened or unscrewed. These are usually quick disconnect fittings on either side of the heater and on either side of the pump. As you loosen each fitting, water will come out. This is what you want! Leave all fittings unscrewed. Remove any drain plugs that may be on your pump housing. This is most important! Pump housings crack easily with only a small amount of water in them. Make sure you also drain out the heater and remove any drain plugs that are there.
• Leave drain valve in the open position and safety cap off.
• To completely drain the plumbing lines, a wet/dry shop vac can be used to draw out any remaining water. Place the vac hose over the jet fittings in the spa as well as the plumbing lines in the equipment area. You should also disconnect the union on the crystal clear inspection tube.
• Remove the filter cartridge, clean and store in a warm, dry area and make sure that all the water is out of the filter canister compartment. Leave a large terrycloth towel in a lump in the bottom of the foot-well to soak up any additional water that might get in.
• Clean the spa shell and place spa cover on spa. Be sure to lock the cover in place in case of high winds or rain. 
• Please do not put any type of pipeline antifreeze in your spa, pipes or equipment. It is very difficult to get this liquid completely out of your system come Spring, and it really is not necessary, provided that you have performed all of these winterising procedures properly.
• The purpose of winterizing your Spa is to ensure that you remove every last drop of water from the system to prevent freeze damage from occurring.
• Replace the hard cover back on the unit. Secure the cover to the spa so that wind will not flip it up.

Emergency Situations: To eliminate freezing in the event of equipment failure, use a 100- watt light bulb or small heater via extension cord and place it in the equipment area, keeping it away from plumbing lines. This will help for a short period of time until proper service can be rendered.