Well, it is close to that time of the year when for whatever reason some people decide to close their hot tubs for the winter. Here is the preferred way to winterize a hot tub. We feel that winterization should be left to the pros, and when done carefully using the following instructions your risk of damage from freezing can be minimized! Please note products don’t warrant against freeze damage in a tub that has been winterized, either by the owner or by a professional service center.
Things that will be needed: 2 Gallons of NONTOXIC (R-V type) antifreeze, a strong wet/dry vacuum (shop vac), a turkey-baster, 1 or 2 light plastic dishes approximately 5” in diameter (from the bowl container), and Time approximately 2 hours.
*Instructions: Drain your tub. With a wet-vac, vacuum out of any water remaining in the foot-well and the seating. Then with each jet in the open position, vacuum each jet nozzle until no more water is being drawn out. DO NOT FORGET the small ozone jet in the foot-well. If your tub has a whirlpool diverter jet (all Hot Tubs have at least one) with a vacuum over the whirlpool jet nozzle (and plastic dishes over the suction intakes in the footwell) turn it to each position until there is no more water being drawn out.
Remove your filter, clean it, and place it in storage until you restart your tub. Pour the NONTOXIC antifreeze into the filter canister until it runs out into the foot-well of the tub through suction intakes. With the turkey-baster, squirt a small amount of NONTOXIC antifreeze into each jet. Usually, the side jets will take around one ounce. Also, the whirlpool jets will take several ounces (about 5 squirts per whirlpool jet).
DO NOT FORGET the small ozone jet that is located in the foot-well of your tub.
Place the cover on the spa, and place a tarp over the tub and cover. Making sure to securely tie down the tarp. The tarp will help reduce the amount of weather your tub is exposed to.
When a tub is drained and left empty, O-rings and pump seals can dry out. Also, they lose their ability to seal properly. You should closely inspect for small leaks in the equipment area when you do the restart. If you are unsure of the location of the O-rings and pump seal, contact your dealer for help! If replaced early the damage caused by failures can be inexpensive to fix.
**This is a helpful hint to assist you in winterizing your tub.**
***Sunny’s cannot be held responsible for any freeze damage caused by improper winterization.***
Posted In: Spas, Tips and Tricks
Tags: hot tubs, spas, winterization