Winterizing Your Hot Tub

*If your spa is at immediate risk of freezing, a hanging shop light or small electric heater can be placed in the equipment compartment to keep the plumbing and components warm, if there is space in your spa equipment compartment to safely do so. Submergible heaters can also be separately utilized for the spa water. 

Winterizing Your Spa – Preparation

  1. Turn power off at the GFI
  2. Open the drain in lower corner of spa. Either drain your spa from the spa drain with hose attached to it, or drain with a submergible pump.
  3. Open all jets (but do not remove them)
  4. Remove all diverters from their housings
  5. Remove filters and filter bleeder knobs
  6. Loosen pump unions on back of pumps. Remove pump bleeder knobs.
  7. Disconnect circulation pump and leave it disconnected throughout the winter.

Wet Dry Vac

  1. Begin at the lowest points in spa and work your way up. Vacuum out each of the above items. (You could take out up to 15 gallons of water).
  2. Empty wet-dry vac and reverse it to blow through each of the above
  3. Return to suction mode and vacuum up any water left on seats or floor.

  RV Anti-Freeze

  1. Reconnect Pump 1, (main jet pump).
  2. Pour ½ gallon RV antifreeze into each filter cannister
  3. Run Pump 1 for less than 1 minute, or until anti-freeze begins coming out of the jets. Do not run pump for longer than 1 minute.
  4. Leave some anti-freeze on seats and floor where it sits. This will prevent ice, that forms over the winter, from sticking to the spa shell in those spots.
  5. Throw a tarp over the spa cover and weigh it down with 1 gallon jugs of water in each corner. Expect 2-3 inches of ice to form on the floor of spa over the winter.

Opening Your Spa in the Spring

  1. Remove the tarp
  2. Reconnect the circulation pump.
  3. Reconnect other pump unions. Put pump bleeder knobs back in.
  4. Close drain valve
  5. Fill spa through filter cannisters. ½ through each side.
  6. Turn power back on and activate both jet pumps.
  7. Watch for leaks or things you may have forgotten put back in place.
  8. When spa is operating properly, add 1 cup of liquid bleach and run keep running both jet pumps for ½ hour.
  9. When water is clean and clear, add sanitizer and enjoy.

Knowing how to winterize a spa properly can mean the difference between an easy, hassle free process of getting back in the water come spring, and unexpected difficulty. No one wants to invest in a hot tub at home only to find out they failed to take the necessary steps to keep it looking and running great.

Please call or email if you have any questions
(866) 418-1840 toll free in the US – techhelp@easyspaparts.com