Draining and Refilling Your Spa

One aspect of spa pool ownership rarely discussed is the process of replacing your water. We thought we should fill this void with a quick explanation around how often you should change your water, how it’s done, and why you need to do it. Along with adding the appropriate chemicals, washing, and replacing your spa pool’s filters, your water needs to be completely replaced every so often, much the same as changing the oil in your vehicle. Dive into this article to gain a comprehensive understanding of this important process.

Why You Need to Change Your Spa Pool Water

Depending on how often your spa pool is used and the bather load it’s servicing, your water will reach a point where it can no longer dissolve certain chemicals – like calcium chloride. This will result in scaly residue making its way onto the side of your spa pool and into the internal componentry where it can wreak havoc and cause major damage. On top of that, your spa water will eventually end up with many organic contaminants present, such as perfume, shampoo, and all kinds of body fluids. These contaminants build up and combine to create what we call total dissolved solids (TDS). After a while, the TDS will build up to a point where it will prevent the water from mixing with your sanitiser/chlorine. This is a situation you want to avoid. Fortunately, replacing your water will let you do just that.

How to Drain Your Spa Pool Water

This is the easy part – drain the water via the valve located on the side of the spa pool cabinet. If you want to empty the water further away from the spa, you can attach a hose to the valve and direct it to an area of your choice. There will likely be a small amount of water left in the footwell, we recommend using a sponge and bucket to remove this, so you can clean componentry like jet intakes.

Cleaning Your Spa’s Shell

Giving your spa pool’s shell a good clean before you refill it with fresh water is an excellent chance to rid the area of bacterial residue that may be clinging to the walls. Wipe down the shell with a general household all-purpose cleaner, but use the solution sparingly. A microfibre cloth will help to remove scale buildup and make sure to clean the whole surface area, including the spa’s jet intakes in the bottom of the footwell. Rinse the spa pool down if there is residue from the cleaning solution present, and bucket out the excess water. This is also a great time to remove your filters and wash them in a filter cleaning solution, or completely replace them if necessary.

Refilling Your Spa Pool

Ensure power to the spa pool is off and your filters are removed, then place your hose into the filter box and fill your spa to the recommended line (see manual if you’re unsure where this is). Once filled, place your filters back in their boxes and turn on the power to your spa. This will initiate an automatic ‘priming cycle’ to test the spa’s components and prepare itself to heat up – allow five minutes for this process. Once complete, we recommend you give your spa pool’s water a ‘shock dose’ of chlorine to ensure it is the cleanest, clearest, and most inviting water possible. Following your ‘shock dose’, test the water’s pH and Total Alkalinity levels, and add appropriate chemicals to balance if required. After that, allow your spa’s pumps to circulate for 20 minutes with covers off so the chemicals can mix, make sure your set temperature is at your desired level, and replace the cover to allow time for heating. Once your water is heated, all there is left to do is enjoy an indulgent soak in your pristine spa pool.