very cold and j 385

[chaunceyboyblu]

i dont have a manual for my spa i bought it used and never asked for it. anyway, is there normally anything that people do when it gets very cold with spas? itis getting down in the negative teens f att night and only up to a few deg above zero. we went in the hot tub last night and i turned on the jets and the water was quite cold that came out of the far side from the pumps, by the waterfalls. it wasnt frozen, but really cold at first.

[tony]

That does not sound abnormal.  Be sure your air venturi valves are closed.  You should be able to download a pdf version of your spa manual off the JacuzziPremium web site.  It seems since they redesigned the site, some things are harder to find, but the manual downloads are there somewhere.

[chaunceyboyblu]

those are the buttons that add  air to the water stream? so have them on the setting where air is not added?

[tony]

That is correct.  You don't want air to be added to your jets anytime you are not in the spa.  And be sure to put your diverter valves back to the mid position to get water flowing to all jets during filtration or cleanout cycles.

[NE-Phil]

chaunceyboy,
You can download a manual from Jacuzzi's website. Check this link for a manual.
See Installation Downloads on the bottom right.
Enjoy,

Phil

[ssbraun]

i turned on the jets and the water was quite cold that came out of the far side from the pumps, by the waterfalls. it wasnt frozen, but really cold at first.

My Maxxus does the same thing...the water is cold by comparison to the 104 F water you're sitting in, but is nowhere near freezing IMO.  It's been about -5 F here for a few days, no problems at all.

[Brewman]

Do download that owners manual.  There may be a section on what to do for really cold temperatures.
My spa is a Sundance, which is owned by Jacuzzi, and I have a section on what to do once the mercury reaches -20F.  

[chaunceyboyblu]

 i did get the manual, thanks. basically it says to turn the filter cycle on for continuous operation below neg twenty. that is going to be a big consumer of electricity then. maybee it would be better to drain it and refill it when the temp goes up a bit? it got down to 15 below last night, so not there yet.

[hamrhed]

Should the air venturies valves be open as well as the diverter valves be open during filtration cycles?

Should above water jets be open too during cycles in cold weather?

[ssbraun]

be sure to put your diverter valves back to the mid position to get water flowing to all jets during filtration or cleanout cycles.

This is why I love this forum... all the little details others have already worked out that I may never have thought of.  Thanks, Tony!  

Steve

[Brewman]

Should the air venturies valves be open as well as the diverter valves be open during filtration cycles?

Should above water jets be open too during cycles in cold weather?

It is recommended by Sundance to leave diverters in the center, which allows water to circulate thru all plumbing during filtering.  And to keep air valves closed to save energy.  I suspect Jacuzzi may be similar.  Other brands, don't know.

[hamrhed]

Thanks Brewman,

I have a Coleman 470, but it makes sense to me to have the valves half cracked on water jets.

Air valves should be ok if in the closed position ya think?

[Brewman]

i did get the manual, thanks. basically it says to turn the filter cycle on for continuous operation below neg twenty. that is going to be a big consumer of electricity then. maybee it would be better to drain it and refill it when the temp goes up a bit? it got down to 15 below last night, so not there yet.

I don't think it'll consume that much more power.  If your Jacuzzi is like my Sundance, it's just one pump running at slow speed.  Not sure of the power consumption of the pump on low speed is, can't imagine it would be much more than a couple light bulbs left burning 24/7.  
Personally, I'd not risk a sub freezing water change.  It would require you to power down the spa, so no more heat or water circulation.  You'd have to get the spa drained quickly, and be very sure all water is evacuated from all the plumbing or you'd have a significant freeze risk.  Water will freeze very quickly when the temp drops below zero.  
My outside water pipes are drained and shut down for the winter, and running a hose to the spa from inside wouldn't be a very easy thing for me to do.  
Besides, shutting down will deprive you of some prime soaking opportunities- it's a lot of fun to be in the spa on a zero degree night.