First Water Change - Please Help!

[333president]

Hi Guys,
I have a Caldera Maketa and we're due for our first water change. But it's December in Michigan and about 15 degrees outside!

I was told to shut off power, drain, then refill.

But if I do this during the Winter, will it freeze/damage the pipes if the hot tub is off? Any advice? Thanks guys!

[goneaway]

Hi Mr President.
It's actually December in other parts of the world too, not just Michigan.
On a serious note, there was a thread on here only last week regarding a similar question.

http://www.whatsthebest-hottub.com/forum/index.php/topic,17200.0.html

Or i guess you could wait for a 24 hour mild spell.
My tub takes about 5 hours to empty and 2 to fill up

[333president]

lol lol, thanks Keat63. I just meant that it's cold in Michigan because it's December (in contrast to someone living in Florida).

That article was helpful. So do I cut the power first, then drain it? Or should I drain it half way, then cut the power? I just don't want the cold temperatures to cause any damage. Thanks!

[clover]

What is the condition of your water?  If it is bad, smelly, or foul, change it, if not, well then its not broken, so there is no need to change it in this weather. 

[wmccall]

I will also add that I have a faucet 5 feet from my tub, so I keep a short hose in the house where it won't freeze.  Then if needed, I'll drain the tub down as low as I can. (My current tub, I can have it mostly drained in 15 minutes and the water remaining in the pipes would still be well above freezing.   I can refill pretty quickly wiht water that is at least 43F.   My old tub took forever to drain.    I've only done this when the water is what I call old, it still looks clear, but takes forever to clear after the jets are turned off and has an effervescent quality to it. 

[Sam]

You can get a submersible pump with 2" hose that will pump it out pretty quick.  I think they are around $150. 

[summerside9000]

The submersible is the way to go for sure. you don't need to turn off the power until it drains down below the jets and starts sucking air if the pump is turned on. Have a bucket and a sponge and if you are really good a wet/dry vac.
Should have it all drained and cleaned up and ready to fill in two hours or so.

I think we all know what ice forming looks like and that would be the time to hurry up and get it done.
Up in Canada we do all kind of work in -20 and below.
Heat and hoarding work wonders. Get creative with the BBQ or tiger torch if you have to.

[goneaway]

Id agree with clover. If the water is OK, then leave it.
If the water has gone bad, then change it.

If the temperatures are so cold and your'e really worried about freezing, maybe leave the pumps running and change only half of it.
Whilst they say this is false economy, it will give a fresh lease of life to the water until the weather turns.
We don't particularly have really long cold spells here in the UK.
We could be -10°C for a week, then +10°C a week later.
My scheduled water change would wait for the warm spell.

[Tman122]

Be sure to time your water changes so that your changing as late as possible in the fall (on a nice day) and as early as possible in the spring so you never changing in the winter.

[bimmerdog]

Just helped a neighbor drain his tub and it was 14 degrees as we did it.  First thing is to have everything ready to go before you start.  As we found out my friend hose was frozen so I had to run back home and get my hoses.  He owns one of the high end tubs (will not say which one) and I can't believe they have such a slow system to empty the tub.  In contrast on my Sundance I can empty and have the tub filled in 45 minutes.  His tub took almost 2 hours. 
We turned off the power before we started.  We also used two hose from two different faucets to fill the tub faster.  As the tub was draining I took all his filters back to my house where I have hot water in my garage to clean his filters.  My neighbors is a happy camper now and is ready for his Christmas company to use his clean tub. 

[meriflower]

Be sure to time your water changes so that your changing as late as possible in the fall (on a nice day) and as early as possible in the spring so you never changing in the winter.

I live in a cold state as well (MN) and this is what we do and hasn't failed us yet.

[wmccall]

Id agree with clover. If the water is OK, then leave it.
If the water has gone bad, then change it.

If the temperatures are so cold and your'e really worried about freezing, maybe leave the pumps running and change only half of it.
Whilst they say this is false economy, it will give a fresh lease of life to the water until the weather turns.
We don't particularly have really long cold spells here in the UK.
We could be -10°C for a week, then +10°C a week later.
My scheduled water change would wait for the warm spell.

Good point, we are supposed to hit 50 this weekend after a few weeks of snow on the ground.  I won't be using the tub from Jan 6th till about Feb 6th, so I will probably do a partial water change just to hold me out till early March.