Vacation Maintenance Suggestions

[stahlee]

Hey All, we're leaving for vacation in a few days. We'll be away for 9 days and I don't have anybody to take care of the tub while we're gone. This is our first tub, Jacuzzi J480, and it was installed in mid August. We haven't gone through this yet.

The tub is about due for a draining, so I was thinking of emptying it. If I go that route, is there anything I need to do if I leave it dry for a week and a half? Like, does it damage the filters drying out.

Is there anything I can do to keep the tub clean for that length of time?

Appreciate the help, thanks!

[The Wizard of Spas]

I'd overfill the tub slightly to keep the tub from cavitating.  W/o knowing what you use as a sanitizier its tough to offer advice on water chemistry save for make sure your pH/alkalinity is balanced.

The draining issue is relative to the weather:  If outside temperatures threaten to be around freezing or below then absolutely do not at all drain your tub.  If you don't have any worry about that and you're in warm(er) climates then you should probably drain it and come back to it when you get back, since your water only really lasts about 4 months.

I hope this helps.  Good luck moving forward.

[stahlee]

Good point, I didn't give any info. It's UV based system running chlorine. I'm using Spa 56, 3 teaspoon fulls, after getting out of the tub and we're in about every other night. I still add Spa 56 after 2 days of non-use. I shock every Saturday night with Renew with 4 teaspoons. I use a small splash of Enzyme and Defender about every other week. I also use Bright and Clear about once every other week.

I use a Taylor K-2006 kit to check the water about once a week while using the Aquacheck Test Strips about every other day. Everything is balanced. We live in Austin, Texas. Had a cold spell for a day or two last week, but we should be safe from freezing temps. The tub is always crystal clear.

I like the idea of draining it before we leave. I was thinking about picking up some Ahhsome and running it through the tub before draining. If it's fine to dry out the tub, then I'll probably go that route.

[The Wizard of Spas]

It never hurts to clean out the lines.  Go ahead and add the line cleaner (per directions) and drain accordingly.  Worry about cleaning the shell and all that when you come back in town (unless you want to knock it out so you just come back and fill and go...)

[stahlee]

Thanks for the info. I'm going to drain it tomorrow.