How to drain your self-clean hydropool hot tub

Before you start

This post will guide you through the steps for draining your self-clean Hydropool hot tub. You will need 2 garden hoses, one for draining and one for filling. Your spa should be drained approximately every 12 weeks depending on the amount of chemicals added and the use it gets. **Remember to have your water tested monthly.

hot tub draining steps

  1. Start by turning off the air controls and ensuring there is water coming out of all the seat jets (move diverters to middle/neutral position, open closed jet faces).Put the tub on standby and remove the filter from the tub. This is an excellent time to chemically clean your filter with Rapid Action Filter Cleanse. Take the tub off standby.
  2. Add 1 bottle of Drain Prep to the water put the jets on low for one cycle and leave the tub heated and circulating as normal with the cover closed for a minimum of 12 hours (can be circulated for up to 48 hours before draining for heavier build up).  Drain Prep will break down any oils, dirt or scale build up that has coated the lines of the tub.
  3. After 12 hours minimum has elapsed, turn the temperature down.  This will ensure that the tub will not come on to heat the water once the water level gets below the sensor in the tub.
  4. Put the tub in Standby/Drain Assist Mode. The system will automatically exit Standby Mode after 1 hour and resume normal operating functions.
  5. Remove the skimmer basket so that the hole beneath it is accessible, and insert the #10 rubber expandable plug.
  6. Attach your garden hose to the hose bib located on the plumbing line beside the hot tub control system.
  7. Run the hose out to the road or other drain facility and open the hose bib.
  8. Close filtration pump return gate valve next to the hose bib (this directs the water out the drain hose)
  9. Press the jet button once; this will activate the filtration pump to start pumping the water out of the tub.  The topside panel will show DRN to indicate that the tub is in drain mode.  Water should then begin to drain out the end of the hose. The process is much faster than gravity draining because the water is being pushed through the tub and out the garden hose.
  10. Use the second garden hose to wash down interior surface as the hot tub continues to drain. A sponge with some Tub Cleanse may also be used to wipe down the interior surface. As the water drains, clean the waterline and seats.  This will help to remove any dirt and clean the tub surface.  Tub Cleanse is the only cleaner that we recommend using to clean the inside of any hot tub.  Do not use bathtub cleansers, CLR, or other household cleaners as they can cause damage to the acrylic surface.   
  11. To completely flush the old water from the plumbing lines: allow fresh water to fill into the foot-well area while the old water continues to be pumped out. Always keep at least 10cm (4 in.) of water in the foot-well so that pump 1 remains primed and less chance of getting an air lock in the lines.
  12. When the water from the drain hose turns clear (indicating all of the dirty water and Drain Prep are gone), the flush is complete.
  13. Press the jet button once to turn of the filtration pump. Close the drain-hose bib on the hot tub plumbing line and continue filling hot tub with fresh water. 
  14. Close the cover on the hot tub (to avoid splash-out) and open filtration pump return gate valve.
  15. Press any button on the topside control panel (other than the pump 1 button) to take the system out of STANDBY/ DRAIN ASSIST * mode. The filtration pump and the heater will activate to circulate and heat the water while filling continues. This also reduces the possibility of creating an airlock.
  16. Once the tub is filled to 2/3 of the way up the skimmer opening, remove the #10 rubber expansion plug from the bottom of the skimmer; put your clean, dry filter into the filter canister and tighten the lock ring.
  17. Release trapped air from the filter housing by carefully loosening the small black air vent/bleeder valve located on the top of the filter housing. When water begins to escape, close the air vent.
  18. Once the water is heated to 80F, you can start adding your Fresh Fill chemicals.

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