First water change

[96SC]

Ok folks we're doing our first water change in about 3 weeks.  Though the water looks fine and the chems are in line, it's been 4 months.

When you change the water what else should I do to the interior of the spa, pipes, pillows?  Are there places that algea/mold or other 'critters' may hide that I should be alert for?  Do I clean inside the spa with anything special?

I did a 'search' but either didn't get the right combination of words or overlooked a  post on the subject because there wasn't one that addressed it.  (But I know I have seen posts about cleaning the tub in the past.)

The weather should be in the 40's then also so I'm not worried about the temp.

Thanks for any guidance.

[Renee]

From what I've read on the board, there's really no need to clean the shell unless there's scum around the waterline.  Baking soda/water mix takes that right off.  Or you can use some dichlor diluted with water.  I simply wiped our shell down with paper towels after I dumped the water to make sure the shell was clean.    

[Vinny]

The only thing I would suggest is if you have removable pillows - look under them.

Other than that I do nothing at all unless there is grime on the shell and I usually use what Renee suggested.

If you feel the need just shock the tub with dichlor to kill anything that may need to be killed before emptying. I only do this if the water is cloudy before I dump the water.

I try to make it as simple as possible.

[sonofsail]

I agree with the shocking before draining idea.  Let everything run for about 30 minutes with 10-15 ppm chlorine.