How to Drain a hot tub

With the change of each season, it is the perfect time to drain and clean your hot tub. But wait! Do you know How to Drain a Hot Tub?

Your hot tub (most likely) has a built-in drainage feature! This post will cover the brands we carry in our Hot Tub Showrooms, so consult your owner’s manual if you don’t have one of the following models:

How to Drain a Hot Tub

Hot Spring Highlife & Limelight Series    Caldera Spas
Hot Spot & Caldera Vacanza Series      Sundance Spas

Before draining & cleaning your hot tub,
make sure to turn the power off to your spa!

 

Hot Spring Collection (Highlife and Limelight models)

  • Facing the main controls of your hot tub, you should see a drain cap at the bottom of the spa. Remove the cap & you’ll see a hose nozzle/valve.
  • Screw your garden hose onto the nozzle
  • There is a small knob on the drain valve that you can turn to start the flow of water, which drains by gravity
  • Hot Spring Highlife Spas only: When the water is almost completely drained, unthread the cap on the secondary drain to any remaining water.
  • Once the water is drained, turn the knob off, remove your garden hose & screw the drain cap(s) back on.

Hot Spot and Caldera Vacanza Series

  • Remove the front panel of your hot tub (that’s the panel underneath your main controls)
  • Locate the drain cap. Lift white drain hose above the water level (requires cutting plastic tie the first time).
  • Unscrew and remove the drain cap.
  • Attach drain hose to garden hose and direct to an appropriate draining area. (Maintain hose below water line.)
  • Once the water is drained, remove your garden hose  & put the drain cap back in place.
  • Replace the hot tub cabinet panel.

Caldera Spas

  • Locate the main drain valve for your spa (check the left hand corner of the front of your spa)
  • Pull on the handle until you reach the mid position. Once there rotate the handle slightly to fully extend the drain tube. Then remove the drain cap.
  • Attach a garden hose to the end of the drain
  • Push the garden hose and drain tube half-way back towards the spa. This will start the flow of the water
  • unscrew black cap, screw nozzle, gently pull hose out of the nozzle to open up the flow of water
  • When the water is drained, pull & remove the garden hose, replace the drain cap & push drain tube back into spa!

Sundance Spas 880 & 780 Series

  • Locate the 3″ gray drain valve cap on side of the hot tub cabinet. Unscrew drain valve cap to expose the underlying male garden hose fitting
  • Attach female garden hose end to drain fitting and route opposite end of garden hose away from hot tub
  • Pull outward on garden hose end at drain connection (approx. 3/8″) to open drain valve and release water from hot tub
  • After hot tub has drained, close drain valve by pushing inward on garden hose end at drain connection until you feel it bottom out.
  • Remove garden hose and install gray drain cap before refilling hot tub.

 

Extra Tip: The quickest way to drain a hot tub is with a submersible pump. This small pump is something you can get at any hardware store & will drain your hot tub quickly. Once you get down to the bottom of the spa, there will be water left that you’ll have to remove manually as the pump can’t remove all the water, but it does a great job!


 

Did you know: Our Factory-Certified Technicians can take care of your spa for you! Inquire about our Spa Valet services to have your hot tub cared for as often as every week or just one time!

Request Hot Tub Valet Service

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