Care for a spa that is not being used

[sepandee]

Hi everyone, I live in Toronto, Canada (hot summers, freaking cold winters). I have a hot tub that's not being used by my tenant. As such, he also doesn't want to pay for the electricity. I've heard that I can't leave the hot tub empty, but if I keep it full and not use the pumps, then the water doesn't get circulated. My original idea was to buy a small external pump that I place inside the hot tub so that the water is moving. But the tiny pump is always breaking, and it barely moves any water.

So I'm wondering how you guys deal with a spa that you might not use for a year or so.

Thanks
Sepand

[Sam]

You can and probably should just leave it empty.  You will simply need to follow winterization procedure.  You can google search how to do it, but basically you need to make sure that you evacuate all of the water still in the plumbing and remove the drain plugs on your pumps.

[sepandee]

THe other problem with leaving it empty is that with all the rain coming in, it collects water and ends up being mucky anyways.

In fact, the mucky spa i have right now was emptied in May, and is now full.

I have a cover, but it's just a soft cover. Won't keep the rain from coming in.

[Quickbeam]

Couldn't you put a tarp over the cover?

[sepandee]

Couldn't you put a tarp over the cover?

Yes, I can. I was thinking about that earlier. If leaving the tub empty is in fact not bad for the tub (for some reason someone told me I shouldn't leave it empty as that can damage the tub), then that's what I might do.

[Quickbeam]

Yes, I’ve heard as well that not having water in the tub can damage it. Just not sure if it’s true or not. Two things I’ve heard is first of all that you have to be absolutely meticulous in getting the water out. Unhook all drain lines, etc., etc. This is to prevent freezing and makes sense to me. The other thing I’ve heard is that if the tub is left dry for too long, the seals can dry out. Just not sure about this one. Maybe someone else with more experience can give their thoughts.

[Sam]

Having an empty spa is not a problem.  What you probably heard was that you can't let the shell be exposed to direct sunlight when empty.  It can cause the acrylic to warp.  It is totally fine as long as it's covered.

[sepandee]

Having an empty spa is not a problem.  What you probably heard was that you can't let the shell be exposed to direct sunlight when empty.  It can cause the acrylic to warp.  It is totally fine as long as it's covered.

My soft cover only covers within the confines of the tub, so if it's empty then the cover falls in and covers the ground but not the walls. You're saying I should get a cover that blocks the whole tub?

[Tman122]

The seals between the pump motor and pump can dry out and be problematic during startup.