Questions about cleaning a hot tub after draining.

[kurt6137]

I have some questions about cleaning a hot tub. I have recently drained my tub and will be refilling it this sunday, before i drained it, I was told by the Hot Springs dealer to put a half a bag of burnout 35 ( a shock  for pools) run for 45 mins then drain. I have some stains on bottom of tub in 2 areas, can I use white vinegar to clean off safely , dont want to hurt tubs surface, stains are minimal and were caused by adding well water without filter attached to hose.  My question is, what procedure should i do when draining and refilling the tub. I have allways done it according to the dealers, but what is the best way to prevent bacteria buildup in plumbing lines, etc.. Just looking for a wealth of information on drains and refills, thanks .

[Tman122]

I used to shock it with chlorine (achieve a level of 10PPM or higher) and run it for a while 30-45 minutes. Drain and then scrub the inside with soft scrub or baking soda. Then rinse very very well and then refill. Go light on the soft scrub if you decide to use that. And make sure you get it all rinsed out.

[TwinCitiesHotSpring]

If you have a hard to remove metal stain or something similar yes the vinegar can work...otherwise you can dilute a little bit of pH reducer/spa down in some warm water then dip a rag into that and use for cleaning purposes...works extremely well for nagging little stains

[Sam]

I use a 50/50 mix of distilled white vinegar and water.  It is safe for most surfaces, disinfects, and is very inexpensive.  If that doesn't work, soft scrub will get pretty much anything out.  As tman said, rinse very well afterward.