How to Empty a Hot Tub Lazy Spa
So, you need to know how to empty a Hot Tub Lazy Spa before you put it away for the winter, well you are in the right place! But working out how to empty a Lazy Spa (as the brand name is often casually misspelt) takes a bit of thought if you don’t want to risk damaging your portable relaxation station.
Here’s how (and, almost as importantly, why) to empty your Lay-Z-Spa properly every time:
How To Empty Your Lay-Z-Spa Properly
Figuring out how to empty a Lazy Spa is one thing. But considering why it’s so important to get things right can give you the added motivation to take the time that’s needed:
- Cold temperatures are not your friend – inflatable hot tubs aren’t usually ideal for colder temperatures. Of course, nothing is stopping you from using your tub in the winter. But it’s going to take a lot of energy to heat up and freezing conditions will likely damage it.
- Lower than 4°C is where the real problems start – your hot tub pump and other vital components are susceptible to temperatures lower than 4°C, meaning locating somewhere safe to store your tub in winter after you’ve emptied it is a priority.
- Improperly emptied tubs get mouldy – as you’ll have noticed, hot tubs can be expensive! Don’t put yourself in line to experience that horrid sinking sensation when you get your tub out of storage next year only to notice the sight and smell of mould in the creases.
How To Empty A Hot Tub Lazy Spa – First Things First
1) Turn Off And Disconnect The Pump
Any discussion about how to empty a hot tub Lazy Spa should always cover the pump first. The pump is a separate component in all Lay-Z-Spa models, making it easy to identify but doubly important to care for.
That’s because, with the possible exception of the heater, this is probably the most important and expensive component in your entire tub. So, be sure to:
- Turn off your pump and unplug it
- Remove the filter housing and any chemical feeds
- Your tub should have come with caps for the debris screens – place those on
- Unscrew the various couplings
- Disconnect the pump from the tub
2) Clean And Dry The Pump
You’re not quite done with the pump yet. In fact, it’s worth reinforcing here that you really don’t want to be putting any part of your Lay-Z-Spa hot tub away before it’s been properly cleaned and dried.
To do this for your pump, flush it through with clean water (you can also backwash it using a garden hose), let it drain, and then let it sit to air dry. Finally, dry it by hand to ensure it’s desert-like in there.
How To Empty A Hot Tub Lazy Spa – The Main Event
Now you’ve dealt with your highly important pump, it’s time to empty your Lazy Spa for real. Here’s how to go about it:
- Identify the first outlet pipe – attach a hose to the low outlet, point that hose into a drain, and remove the interior cap from the outlet pipe.
- Let the water drain – gravity will now start doing its work. At a certain point, the water level will sink beneath the level of the first outlet. Then it’s time to intervene again.
- Identify the base outlet pipe – if you remember inflating your tub, you might recall there is also an outlet pipe in the base. Once the water level has dipped below the point where the first outlet pipe is draining anything, hook up the base outlet and let it drain again.
- Flip and empty – when there’s next-to-no water left in your tub, you can flip it over and tip the rest out.
- Clean and dry – don’t skimp on the cleaning and drying process before you store your Lazy Spa. Use an antibacterial or soapy water, rinse, and then wipe and dry absolutely everything.
One important note here before you get started: the water that you drain from your tub is going to be full of the chemicals you’ve used to clean and balance the water chemistry. This means it is not good for garden plants and grass.
Always empty your Lazy Spa into a drain. Take special care when flipping and emptying the last dregs.
How Do You Empty A Lazy Spa Quickly?
Though it won’t take that long to empty your Lazy Spa, there are a couple of ways you can speed up the process:
- Submersible pump – these are expensive bits of kit that might not be worth it for an inflatable model. But if you’ve got the money and are an impatient type, a specially-designed submersible pump will empty a hot tub very quickly.
- Wet-dry vacuum siphon – create a siphon with a wet-dry vacuum by placing the hose end in the water, activating the vacuum for a few seconds, waiting for the hose to be active, and then quickly turning off the vacuum and unplugging the hose. The water should continue to drain at pace. You can do the same with a garden hose, but a vacuum hose is wider, making emptying your Lazy Spa much quicker.
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