How often do you drain?

[hottubdan]

I am reading in other threads concerns about CYA levels and TDS levels.  Spa and chemical manufacturers recommend drain and refill every 2 to 4 months depending on products used and bather load.  Fresh water takes care of the above issues.

I am curious how often people are draining and refilling, and why they are on that schedule.

I try to drain every 3 months.  I use BaquaSpa (AutoFresh) and find that it is difficult to keep water clear when the water gets older.

[solo]

I am targeting every 4 months.  I will be coming up on my first drain/refill in a month or so.

For me, I want to make a fill last as long as possible for several reasons.

1.  I'd rather not spend time on draining/refilling/getting the water chemistry stable

2.  More fefills = more money.  It takes a bottle of metal gone and nearly an entire bottle of calcium every fill.  Not to mention, you will use more of other chemicals too until the water chemistry stabilizes.

3.  Right now the water is SO easy to maintain.  I add a tea spoon of dochlor after every soak and shock with dochlor every 1-2 weeks.  I don't want to mess with stable. good water chemistry.

So the longer i can make a fill last, the better for me.  

[windsurfdog]

Every 4 months for me as well...like clockwork, though I've been tempted to make it last longer until I remember just how good a fresh fill feels.  There's nothing like the first soak in a freshly filled tub...aaaahhhh! 8-)

[Josh]

I haven't decided on my schedule yet for my new hot tub (it seems to stay really clear and clean compared to my old one).  I drained the old one every 3 months and it was always pretty dirty around the time I drained it.   I'm using this new one a lot more, but it seems to stay cleaner.

[Zep]

About every 3 months....

would be much more often if it wasn't such a........

[Jacuzzi Jim]

Every 4 months, although I have gone as long as 9 and water was still crystal clear.


 Nat2 cartridge, chlorine after use,shock every other week. Watch PH and Alk  rinse filters once a month,clean filters every other water change.  Any other chems as needed.  2 to 4 adults plus kids.  Spa used a few times a week.

[Spiderman]

I change our water every 4 months, but I should probably be doing it every 3 months.  We use the tub every day (wife + 2 kids) and our water is just over 3 months old right now and it should be changed, but I'm going to wait a little longer; especially with the cold weather around here.

[dax]

I've only had my tub since the end of June.  Changed the water in August due to foaming issues.  Changed it again in November.  Would like to change it this month, but depending on the weather, may wait until March.  Right now the water looks clean and clear, and test strips show no issues so I guess I can go another month.

[tony]

I am also on a four month schedule.  The only time I vary from this is during mid summer if the kids have an overload of use with lots of friends (teens).  I then do an extra water change.

[Steve]

Taken from TDS thread...

In my expereince, it is impossible to give people a "timeline" on water longevity unless you have a clear understanding on the source water, potential usage of the spa and its initial TDS reading.
 
If your TDS starts off at 150, sure you may get close to 6 months (which is pushing the envelope a bit IMO), but if your TDS is starting off at 800, you may only get 2-3 months (if that). We had many people on well water that had initial readings of 1000+ TDS that only got 4-6 weeks out of a fresh fill.
 
The best analogy for TDS is a coffee cup. You can keep adding sugar to it but at some point the coffee becomes saturated and the sugar will not dissolve and instead, sit in the bottom of the cup. Anything past 1500 TDS in a spa prevents your chemicals from properly doing their job as the water is now becoming saturated essencially throwing good money after bad.
 
The mistake many people make is that they base their water quality off of clarity. Battery acid is also clear...

[wmccall]

Taken from TDS thread...

In my expereince, it is impossible to give people a "timeline" on water longevity unless you have a clear understanding on the source water, potential usage of the spa and its initial TDS reading.
 
If your TDS starts off at 150, sure you may get close to 6 months (which is pushing the envelope a bit IMO), but if your TDS is starting off at 800, you may only get 2-3 months (if that). We had many people on well water that had initial readings of 1000+ TDS that only got 4-6 weeks out of a fresh fill.
 
The best analogy for TDS is a coffee cup. You can keep adding sugar to it but at some point the coffee becomes saturated and the sugar will not dissolve and instead, sit in the bottom of the cup. Anything past 1500 TDS in a spa prevents your chemicals from properly doing their job as the water is now becoming saturated essencially throwing good money after bad.
 
The mistake many people make is that they base their water quality off of clarity. Battery acid is also clear...

Based on my own experience, this seems like a great post.  We recently had our daughter move out, so our bathing load is 1/3rd less, but I think we start out closer to 500 TDS.   I go for every 3, but weather is iffy around here from Nov to April, so right now I'm up against 4.    I did drain 25 gallons and add back around 40 gallons yesterday, holding off till the next warm spell as if I refill, I'll be starting at 40F

[leaky]

We use ours pretty frequently as well, and change at about 3 months consistently.  Any longer, and even though it may be crystal clear, the water gets that "used" smell to it, along with your skin and suits.....

[soak-king]

I use my tub at least 3 times a week but usually I'm in it once or twice a day -

I Drain every 4 months when I replace the Silver Ion cartridge. I use MPS each day I get in the tub and dichlor weekly.

[2busymom]

I just got my tub installed in July.  I drained it the first time after 4 weeks, I just didn't know what I was doing.  Then I drained it again in November, about 2 1/2 months, and thought that could get me through the winter.  Unfortunately I had to drain it again mid-January (the water was really cloudy and very sudsy--after non-family kids soaked in the tub).

I seem to be on the 2 1/2 month schedule...would love to get it to 3 months, but really love the look and feel of fresh water so will probably stay on that schedule.