How to Properly Winterize Your Spa or Jacuzzi
First of all, you should consider leaving your spa or jacuzzi open and using it during the winter months. Lot’s of people enjoy the hot soak more in the winter than they do in the summer and use their spas all year round! Of course, this will depend on how severe your winters are, if you have temperatures near zero you may not even want to think about going outside let alone using a spa!
While many dealers recommend hiring an expert to close your spa, you can do it yourself if you’re careful and play close attention to every detail! Most of the damage that occurs to a spa or jacuzzi occurs due to improper winterization methods. Freezing water can burst pipes and other fixtures in your spa that can be very expensive to replace.
As with anything electrical, the first step is to turn off the electricity. If you can reach the plug, it’s best to just unplug the power from the electrical source. Immediately after turning off the power, turn off the spas heater! The next thing that you need to do is to remove the thermal cover and drain as much water as possible out of the spa.
You can hook your garden hose into the connection at the bottom of the spa and let the water drain out and off of the property. Or, you can use a submersible pump to pump all of the water out of the tub. However, you decide to remove the water, be sure that you don’t close the drain plug when you’re done.
It’s a really great idea to flush your system before shutting it down for the winter. You can purchase a system flush at any pool and spa supply, you simply remove the filter and add the flush. Then you just let the pumps and jets run for a few minutes. A spa flush product will remove build up in the lines and jets that can reduce the spas water circulation.
If your spa has an air blower, you’ll need to make sure that it’s free of water as well. Once the spa is empty, replace the thermal cover and run the blower for about 30 seconds to remove any left over water. Once, you gotten the air blower emptied, remove the cover to finish winterizing your spa.
Use towels or any other material to clean up any remaining water that you can see in the spa. You want to get the interior as dry as possible before shutting it down for the winter. Any water left in the spa could freeze and damage the unit. It’s also a good idea to leave some sort of material in the main bottom just in case water gets inside. A extra large towel, or even an absorbent blanket is perfect to use.
Next, you’ll want to start on all of the connectors and fittings that you can see in the spa. There should be one on each side of both the heater and the pump. You need to loosen every fitting and open every drain plug that you can find. Even a small amount of water left inside the pump can easily crack the housing if it freezes.
A spa isn’t any good without water, but in freezing temperatures, water is a spas worst enemy! Drain everything including the pump housing, the heater and even your filter canister. This is the perfect time to clean your filters as well. Soak them in a filter cleaning solution and store them in a dry place until summer.
If you clean the shell of your spa now, it will make it much easier to prepare for opening in the spring. Clean all of the surfaces with a good non-foaming cleanser and rinse them well with clean water. You can use a commercial cleanser made especially for cleaning your spa.
You can also apply a good quality lubricant or spa wax to the spa to help prevent dirt and grime from building up on the surface during the winter months. The spa cover should also be cleaned thoroughly inside and out and a lubricant or wax applied to the entire area.
Now, you’re ready to replace the spa cover and securely lock the straps. Additional straps should be used if the area that you live in gets really bad winds. You also need to make sure that any doors on the spas cabinet are securely fastened and check the latches to make sure that they won’t easily come loose.
If you have a wooden cabinet, now is a good time to apply another coating of finish to it. Cold temperatures can cause the wood to retain dampness and severely damage the wood. If you live in an area that experiences severe winter weather, you might want to consider investing in a spa cover. While a simple tarp can get blown off or end up with holes, a cover provides more secure and lasting protection.
While many people opt to use antifreeze products made for spas, it’s not really recommended. The residue that anti-freeze leaves behind is very difficult to remove and will make opening your spa in the spring a lot of hard work!
Source:
http://www.spadepot.com/spacyclopedia/winter.htm
