Posted by on 9/29/2023 to How-to

Materials and Supplies:

Submersible pump for fast draining. At least ¾ hp. Other methods for draining can be used also.
Shop vac. A small one is just fine.
Basic hand tools such as screw drivers, pliers, oil filter wrench, flashlight, drill, etc.
Stretch wrap. Available at any hardware or home improvement store.
Packing tape. Same stuff you would use to seal a box before shipping.
Thick mil plastic. Black is best, and available by the roll at any hardware store.
Towel. Any type will work.
Small plastic zip-loc sandwich bag.

STEP 1 - Start by first inspecting the spa. You want to make sure the spa is in working condition before winterizing.

Open up the cover and check the water for proper set temperature.
Look at the display and make sure it looks okay and is not incurring moisture or damage.
Open up the panels everywhere you have equipment such as the control system, pumps, blower, etc.
Use a flashlight to search for leaks, rodent infestation, and any other obvious damage.
Run the pumps and blowers and listen for any sounds that are not typical of what you are used to.
Remove the control box cover and look for any of the above damage or adverse conditions.
Check main incoming electrical connections for tightness.
(Advanced Bonus Check) Create a call for heat, test incoming voltage to the terminal block, and test amperage on the circuit to ensure the heater is working and drawing amperage while running, as it should.
Take note of any repairs that need to be made.

STEP 2 - Shut down the breaker and start draining the hot tub.

Shut the breaker off at both the sub panel (if applicable) and the house breaker that feeds that panel.
Verify no power to the spa and no display on keypad.
If you do not have a submersible pump, you can create a siphon with a garden hose, or open up any drain lines on your tub and wait. This takes much longer. A submersible pump can have your tub empty in just minutes. It also doubles as a failsafe if you run your spa during winter months. That is a discussion for another time.
Set submersible pump by placing it in the foot well of the tub. 5. Bring the hose from the pump out to an area of your yard where it will not flood or cause damage to vegetation.
Plug it in and monitor the discharge, moving it to another location if needed.

STEP 3 - Use Shop Vac to remove any remaining water in footwell and seats.

Once the draining is complete, pack up your submersible pump, it will not be needed for the rest of the work.
Remove the filter from your shop vac.
Use the vac to remove any standing water in the foot well and seats of the tub, and empty the vac.

STEP 4 - Disconnect pump unions and get ready to blow out the plumbing lines.

Find every pump in the spa.
Disconnect the intake and discharge unions from the pumps. Use an oil filter wrench or a strap wrench if the unions are too tight to remove by hand.
Remove the lowest pump plugs found on the face plate of the wet end. Store them in a plastic sandwich bag.

STEP 5 - Blowing out the plumbing lines.

Remove the filter from your skimmer and set it aside to be cleaned later and stored in the garage.
Any skimmer parts such as twist lock lid, telescoping weir, etc., can also be removed and stored.
Check that every jet in the tub is in the fully open position. Usually turning counterclockwise will achieve this. Some jets are not adjustable and cannot be turned.
If the Spa is equipped with diverter valves, leave them all the way on one side for now.
Open all isolation valves in the plumbing (if applicable).
Set your shop vac to blower by disconnecting the hose and inserting it into the opposite side of the vac head.
Place the hose into the open discharge of the pump's wet end.
Blow into the discharge of each pump, this will evacuate any standing water still left in your pump’s wet end.
Once the pumps are cleared out, proceed to the intake and discharge plumbing of each pump.
Insert the vac hose into the PVC plumbing lines and proceed to blow the water out of the lines and into the spa shell.
Insert the vac hose into the skimmer hole at the bottom, and blow out the plumbing line.
Be sure to blow each line twice.
If more than a couple of inches accumulate in the spa shell, vac the water out before proceeding to other lines.
If you are equipped with diverter valves, you must blow the lines, turn the valve to the opposite position, and blow them out again.
Vac out all water from the interior of the spa again.

STEP 6 - Removing water from hidden compartments in your plumbing.

Once all the main water has been blown out of the plumbing lines, more water can hide in certain places. It only takes a small amount to freeze and crack.
Set your shop vac to suction.
Hold the hose firmly against each jet one at a time and suck out any remaining water from each one. Hold the hose for a count of 15 seconds each. This will remove any water trapped in the jet body behind the tub wall.
Open up and disassemble each air intake valve, diverter valve, scent or mineral dispenser.
Blow these out and make sure no part is holding any trapped water.
If your spa is equipped with any sort of UV or ozone system that holds water, you must disassemble and drain that out as well.
Once you are satisfied that all water has been fully evacuated from the spa plumbing lines proceed to the next steps.

STEP 7 - Prepare the hot tub for the final steps.

Use a towel to wipe down the interior of the spa. Any water left standing in the foot well, lounge seats, or other seats will go rancid and be nasty in the spring. Be sure the entire interior of the tub is bone dry; this includes the jets, seats, floor, walls, skimmer compartment, and upper sill.
Place the bag you used to store the pump plugs inside the cabinet. You can tape or zip-tie it to a length of plumbing, store it in a safe place inside your house, or even place the bag inside the control box.
Reconnect the pump unions to the wet ends of the pumps. Do not leave these disconnected, if rodents infiltrate the hot tub during shutdown, they will make nests inside your pump's wet ends or plumbing lines. Simply connect them back up and leave them loose. This way if something goes wrong, hopefully, water will leak out of the loose unions and not accumulate and freeze.
Replace the cover on your control box and secure it.
Clean up or wipe down any standing water inside the equipment and plumbing area.
Look for any tools or supplies you may have left inside the cabinet.
Replace and secure the outside panels of the hot tub skirting.
Replace the hot tub cover and secure safety straps.

STEP 8 - Wrap the tub to prevent rain and snow from infiltrating the spa shell.

Evacuating water from the shell and plumbing lines is only half of the winterizing procedure. You must prevent any and all water from entering the tub during this down period, your hot tub cover is NOT sufficient to prevent this. Any means such as plastic sheeting, tarps, boating shrink wrap, etc. can achieve this. In this guide, we will use the plastic and stretch wrap method. These items are easily found at any hardware or home improvement store.

Use thick mil plastic. Sold by the roll.
Cut a large section that will cover the entire top of the spa and down all 4 sides at least a quarter to halfway down the skirting panels.
Use stretch wrap, starting at the very top, wrap tightly around and around the whole spa securing the plastic you placed. Keep wrapping until you reach about 4 inches from the ground.
Use packing tape to secure the stretch wrap. Place vertical lengths of the tape from top of the wrap to the bottom every 12”-14” apart. This will stop the wind from tearing up your stretch wrap.
Again, make sure that stretch wrap is super tight!
Keep an eye on it during the winter months and rewrap if needed.
If you did it right, the spa should look like how it first looked when it was originally delivered to you brand new.
This wrapping is good for only one cold weather season and up to one full year. If the spa is to be left winterized for over one year, you must remove the wrap, check the interior for moisture or standing water, and rewrap.

If you have any questions, you can always contact your friendly and knowledgeable technicians here at Spa Care Center.

5 MISCONCEPTION ABOUT WINTERIZING YOUR HOT TUB FOR THE COLD WEATHER SEASON

Step-by-step to winterize properly your hot tub