draining & refilling for the first time

[Gillian]

I'm going to drain & refill my Jacuzzi 365 for the first time. Should filters be removed before draining water?  Rinse filters with cold hose water?  Or indoor soft water from shower?  Is Swirl Away needed?  Does the shell need to be cleaned? We've owned (brand new) hot tub just over one month.  Water isn't as clear as I'd like so I'm thinking it's best to start over with fresh water. TIA

[wmccall]

Changing is probably a good idea, my tub is about 4 weeks old now, I'm thinking of doing the same before weather turns cold.  No to swirlaway and it doesn't matter if you leave the filters in during draining. (at least the main filter/s) A Jacuzzi expert can add more if necessary.

[Gillian]

Jacuzzi is draining very slowly... I'm wondering if I don't have the valve open all the way.  I'm going to Sears, Home Depot and/or Lowes to buy a submersible pump.  Any recommendations - brand, size, etc...?

[JohnnyK45]

I have a Barracuda 1/4HP submersible pump; takes about 20-25 min. to drain my tub (which is 250 gallons).  Paid $45, works great.

J

[999]

I have had my Jacuzzi hot tub for just over a year and change my water every 3 months. Even then the water still looks good.

I always use Swirl Away for every water change as advised by my dealer. I don't want to wait until I have built up slime in my pipes before I use it. (but filters have to be out of the water to use it)

You should be able to keep your water crystal clear for at least three months. If it isn't, its because you are not using enough sanitizer and allowing bacteria to cloud the water. But even if it isn't clear it is possible to get the water back to clear in 24-48 hours. I just put a larger dose of chlorine to cunsume any bugs, non-chlorine shock will oxidise any waste and clarifier will bind any particles of dirt together to get sucked out by the filter. It soon clears.

I know people who use a submersable pump to quickly drain the tub. I just let mine drain out of the hose and it takes just over an hour. I then give the shell a good clean with a suitable Jacuzzi cleaner thats not going to effect the new water. I then give it a good rinse before refilling.

Balance your water first. Check alkalinity and adjust if necessary. The PH should follow. Then add your sanitizer. I always put a large dose in first... not sure if this is necessary but I want to make sure my new water clean. Mine heats the water by 2 degrees C per hour, so you can roughly work out when it will be ready to use.

You ask about cleaning your filters. They should be done every week or two weeks at most by hosing with cold water and allowing to dry. Its a good idea to have two sets of filters so you can change them over. Every so often, for me its after every water change, I soak the filters in cleaning fluid to thoroughly clean them and disolve any grease. If filters are not cleaned regularly that can cloud the water.

One other thing I do regularly, is clean the top edges and the inside of the cover with chlorinated water from the tub. When I know that the chlorine levels are good I wipe down with that water. Then I know I am killing anything on the inside of the cover and on the surfaces of the tub that aren't submerged.

[rin-spa-aic]

I completed this operation on Saturday as well.  My 324 gallon Maax also too forever to drain!

While I was waiting I cleaned the cover and gave it a coat of 303 Protectant

Eventually I ran out of patience and got out the old submersible pump to finish the job.
Was really irritated because the drain still left a few inches of water in the bottom and the way the some of the seat jets are located, the water wouldn't fully drain out of them until I splashed it all away.

Then I hooked up a hose splitter to the hot water tap for the washing machine and ran the hose out to the tub filling with hot water from the boiler. Filled temp was 90 degrees.   

When starting up chemicals I like to get the Alkalinity into range and then make sure the hardness is adjusted. Once the hardness is all set I find the alkalinity and Ph are a lot more cooperative.

[Gillian]

Thanks for the info!  I bought a submersible pump and drained the tub very quickly!  We've had a hard time keeping the water balanced from the beginning.  We are new hot tub owners - probably making lots of mistakes! I read on these boards that when in doubt, throw it out (the water).  With snow in the forecast, I wanted to drain and refill. So now we have sparkling clear water!  I've been using test strips to test the water.  Are the water test kits a better way to go?  Or just take water samples in to the dealer? 

[sorebikr]

Universally the advice you'll receive is toss out the test strips.  I'd agree.  Shortly after purchasing my spa I picked up this test kit based on the advice I received here:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002IXIIG/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00
Taylor Complete FAS-DPD Pool Water Test Kit K-2006

Its a little tricky at first to figure out what to do, but after a while its simple and take 2-3 minutes.  Chlorine test, PH test, Alkalinity test and you're good to go for months.  Later you can do tests to total chlorine (to start figuring out if you should change the water) but I've found that to be unnecessary since there are usually other signs that its time to change your water.

[rin-spa-aic]

One thing I find challenging is waiting enough time after adding Hardness +  or Alkalinity +.
It can be so tempting to tweak hourly, but much much better to wait 12+ hours.

[Chas]

I have sold the test strips for over two decades. They are not super accurate, but they are so simple to use, and they generally give good enough results that you can keep you spa water safe and balanced.

Every once in a while I get a customer who just cant make out the colors. The Taylor kit, or a Guardex kit for less, is a bit easier to color match. None of these systems are perfect - you always have a human being making a color choice...

For a couple of our customers, I simply handed them a bottle of Phenol Red and one of Orthotolidine. They used the test strips once every two weeks to get it all dialed in, and just one drop of OTO into the tub to check for a residual chlorine level: ANY residual level.

The Phenol works well enough if dropped into a tub - one drop and you can see if it turns more towards the magenta or the brown. If it doesn't hit the sweet spot, then you grab the test strips to see what's up.

Again, I only offer this to my customers having trouble with the test strips, which are always my first recommendation.

HTH

 

[sorebikr]

Really Chas?  Not arguing, just very very surprised.  You may be the first seasoned member that I can recall that supports the use of test strips.  I also might very well be one of those people who just can't make out the colors very well, and so feel much more comfortable with the full kit. 

So much for my theory on "universal advice" 

I have sold the test strips for over two decades. They are not super accurate, but they are so simple to use, and they generally give good enough results that you can keep you spa water safe and balanced.

Every once in a while I get a customer who just cant make out the colors. The Taylor kit, or a Guardex kit for less, is a bit easier to color match. None of these systems are perfect - you always have a human being making a color choice...

For a couple of our customers, I simply handed them a bottle of Phenol Red and one of Orthotolidine. They used the test strips once every two weeks to get it all dialed in, and just one drop of OTO into the tub to check for a residual chlorine level: ANY residual level.

The Phenol works well enough if dropped into a tub - one drop and you can see if it turns more towards the magenta or the brown. If it doesn't hit the sweet spot, then you grab the test strips to see what's up.

Again, I only offer this to my customers having trouble with the test strips, which are always my first recommendation.

HTH

 

[Bonibelle]

I am also getting ready to empty and clean my tub before the big chill...I use my pool vac hose and just start a pump to fill the hose and start a syphon. It will empty the tub (450 gal) very fast!   If I have much water left in the footwell (because I let the hose slip out),  I use two garden hoses connected by a splitter at the spigot to create another syphon. So turn on both hoses at your outdoor spigot, put one hose in the tub water and the other on the ground lower than the tub. Then shut the water off. The syphon will finish the job cheaply and easily.  I also have a tall shop vac to suck the water in the jets and empty the water in my filter well. I wipe the inside of my tub with Chlorox Anywhere hard surface cleaner. If there is any mold, I use a stronger bleach cleaner.  I actually have a pump to empty the tub, but the pool hose is so much faster...

[TwinCitiesHotSpring]

Really Chas?  Not arguing, just very very surprised.  You may be the first seasoned member that I can recall that supports the use of test strips.  I also might very well be one of those people who just can't make out the colors very well, and so feel much more comfortable with the full kit. 

So much for my theory on "universal advice" 

I have sold the test strips for over two decades. They are not super accurate, but they are so simple to use, and they generally give good enough results that you can keep you spa water safe and balanced.

Every once in a while I get a customer who just cant make out the colors. The Taylor kit, or a Guardex kit for less, is a bit easier to color match. None of these systems are perfect - you always have a human being making a color choice...

For a couple of our customers, I simply handed them a bottle of Phenol Red and one of Orthotolidine. They used the test strips once every two weeks to get it all dialed in, and just one drop of OTO into the tub to check for a residual chlorine level: ANY residual level.

The Phenol works well enough if dropped into a tub - one drop and you can see if it turns more towards the magenta or the brown. If it doesn't hit the sweet spot, then you grab the test strips to see what's up.

Again, I only offer this to my customers having trouble with the test strips, which are always my first recommendation.

HTH

 

I'm not saying you have to sit and play chemist with a test kit every day, but water (most importantly calcium hardness) needs to be tested accurately with a test kit at startup either by your dealer or by yourself (I recommend yourself strictly so you can understand how water chemistry works)...I can't speak for all parts of the country of course but If I sell a spa in my area and give them a pack of test strips and say "here, use these to test your water" within 2 or 3 years time your heater will be out of commission and you'll be pulling out calcium deposits by the handful, literally...as I sit here and look at a test strip bottle it says recommended CH range is 250-450 ppm, run your spa with a CH level of 400ppm and you'll be a very unhappy camper in due time I promise you that

[Chas]

Local conditions vary quite a bit. Talk to your local dealer.