2nd water change improvement...

[Roborph]

 Just did my 2nd water change. the improvement I'm speaking of is the size of the tube used to drain the tub.
On the first drain I used my garden hose,  3/8 inch in diameter. It took about 3 to 4 hours to drain.
This time I purchased a 3/4 inch diameter hose to drain.  This time it took about 1 1/2 hours. I didn't use the drain that is installed because the techs said it is not as fast. However, they used a 1 inch tube for draining and said it only takes about 20 minutes  in the showroom.
Anybody else have a quicker solution?

[CalicoskiesNC]

We used a standard garden hose at the drain and put another hose in to siphon.  Took us about 1hr 10min to empty an Optima.

[Snuggles]

Since I also have a pool, I used my 1.5" vac hose. I start the siphon by placing one end over one of the jets untill the hose fills.Then I remove it from the jet drop the other end on the lawn and let it drain. Next I turn off the power to the tub and remove filters etc. You'd be amazed on the amount of suction this method creates, as long as you have the end of the hose lower than the tub. You may have to put a weight on the end that's in the tub to keep it under water. It takes about half an hour.        

[Chas]

I have a 36" long section of 1" PVC pipe with the bell end.  Few bucks at Lowes – cut to whatever length you like. I have smoothed all the edges so it doesn't scratch my spas, and so I can force the bell end into a commercial 'smooth bore' 1.25" pool hose.  The 'smooth bore' hose is more expensive, but in this application, it makes all the difference in the world. The bell end is just slightly smaller than a regular coupling, but you can use the latter if you have to.  It's a tight fit, so take the time to smooth the edges with a file or sandpaper, and maybe even warm the end of the hose in some hot water. Once it's assembled you can leave it that way.

I drop the pipe into the spa, and I shove a few feet of the hose into the spa behind it, letting it fill with water as I shove it in, and then I grab the whole mess and pull it out quickly, leaving only the pipe in the tub. The water starts its own siphon as soon as the hose hits the ground outside of the spa.

The pipe makes quick work of vacuuming the bottom of the tub, and the water level drops visibly. The pipe also lets it get the water out all the way to the bottom and you can move it from seat to seat to empty out bucket areas. I have to move the hose around because it comes out very fast and I don't want to flood any of my planted areas.
The pipe helps again here, because it holds the hose in place while you go attend to the open end of the hose.

About 10 -20 minutes for a 500 gallon tub. I can keep the siphon going while I run the garden hose over the tub if I want to flush it, or if I'm using "Citirbrite" or similar to clean - but if you don't have good water pressure the vac hose will drain faster than the hose can fill.

Or I just put my "pool drainer pump" on the same hose and wash cars.

[tubin]

pumped my 500 gal spa out in 4 minutes flat...timed it.

of course i was using a 1.5 hp water pump and 2.5 inch pvc pipes ;Di

next drain, i am just using a hose, just do it overnight or during work.

[Chas]

Size matters.

[tony]

I use the quick drain kit from Sundance.  Two inch hose drains very quickly.

[Roborph]

Thank you all. Looks like I can make some more improvements!!