Draining, Cleaning and refilling your spa/hot tub is an essential part of hot tub maintenance. Your hot tub should be drained every 3-4 months to keep up proper water balance. (If you have a Hot Spring Freshwater Salt System, your water only needs to be changed every 12 months)
So why do we drain the water every 3-4 months? I like to compare it to a glass of tea. If you're adding sugar to it, eventually after so many packets of sugar, no matter how much you stir the tea the sugar just falls to the bottom. That tea can only dissolve so much sugar into it and your hot tub water is no different. Your water has a peak of TDS (total dissolved solids) it reaches where chemicals become less effective in your water creating water issues.
First - Spa Purge or Swirl Away. One of these products should be used on a yearly basis to help clean out any type of build up in the pipes of your hot tub. Once this product has run through per manufacturer directions, drain your spa. You can drain it with a pump or use the drain port on your hot tub.
Second - Clean your filters while you are running your purge. By using Filter Cleaner or Spray & Rinse Filter Cleaner, you help break down any build up in your filters. Rinse your filters and let them dry before putting them back in to your spa. We recommend having 2 sets of filters so you can put the filters you cleaned on your shelf, let them dry and have clean filters ready to go when you fill your spa back up.
Third - Once the spa has been drained, cleaning the surface of the shell and your jets is important. This is a very simple process by using Surface Cleaner and a wet rag. Be sure to not use anything too rough as you do not want to scratch the shell of your tub.
Fourth - Wipe down your hot tub cover and keep it protected by putting 303 Protect on it.
Finally - Fill up your hot tub! The best way to fill up your hot tub is by putting your garden hose into the filter compartment where your filters go. This will ensure the hot tub will fill from the inside out to prevent an air lock in your pipes and pump. Once the hot tub is completely filled, turn on the power, balance your water and now it's time to relax!
