How often should you drain a hot tub?
For the One Model, drain and refill every 1 to 2 years. Between drains, the weekly test strip and the app show whether the water needs anything. Good Hot Tubs has not released drain steps yet.
How often should you drain the One Model?
Every 1 to 2 years, drain and refill. It is the last line on the owner routine, after a weekly test strip, a filter every 3 to 6 months, a salt cell every 6 to 18 months and a yearly check-up.
The tub holds 345 US gallons, about 1,300 litres. Between drains, the water pump runs 24 hours a day and moves the water through the filter, the ozone chamber, the salt system and the heater, and the app shows what Waterlab reads, so you can see how the water is doing.
Why does a hot tub need draining, and what signs say sooner?
The King County public health hot tub guide (Seattle and King County, Washington) says water in a hot tub builds up minerals and other substances over time. Chlorine, pH and filtering keep that in check, but they do not remove everything that dissolves in the water.
The guide says dissolved substances should stay below a recommended maximum as long as chlorination, pH and filtration are right. It adds that during heavy use, you may need to dilute or replace the water if dissolved solids build up too high.
The guide gives one clear sign. Cloudy water that does not clear after you add fresh water, adjust chlorine and pH, and run the filter may mean you need to drain and refill the tub.
In the One Model, start with the app and the weekly strip. Check the filter too. If the readings and the filter look fine and the water still looks wrong, contact Good Hot Tubs before you drain.
What happens to the water between drains?
The water takes a lot of use. The CDC lists sweat, dirt, sunlight and the mist from jets as things that use up chlorine. The King County guide says splashing and evaporation lower the water level, and that you add fresh water when that happens. Heavy evaporation can make the remaining water cloud up, because everything in it becomes more concentrated.
This is why the weekly strip and the app matter. They show how the water is doing, so a drain stays a planned job.
What should you ask before you buy about draining?
Ask who does the drain, how long it takes and how the tub is refilled. Ask where the water goes under local rules, and what the owner does before the tub is used again. Ask how often the seller expects it, and in what conditions that changes.
For the One Model, the answer is every 1 to 2 years.
What do you do after you refill?
The King County guide says to measure and readjust the chlorine level and the chemical balance before you use the hot tub again. It also says not to run the pump or the heater unless the tub is filled to the proper operating level.
For the One Model, the weekly test strip and the app are how you check the water after a refill.
Where does the drained water go?
The King County guide says to drain according to local regulations. It prefers the sewer, and it says to keep drained water out of storm drains and away from waterways that hold fish. It also says not to drain into a septic tank's drainfield.
Check with your own municipality or regional district before you drain.
How does the One Model handle draining?
Drain and refill is a line on the routine, every 1 to 2 years. It sits beside the yearly check-up with your local expert, who looks after the tub on Vancouver Island.
Ask your local expert about the drain at the yearly check-up you book, and contact Good Hot Tubs if you are unsure.
Under warranty, Good Hot Tubs arranges the repair. Before ordering, the team looks at your yard on a video call, and a local expert on Vancouver Island delivers and sets up the tub. That is a good time to ask where the drained water can go.
Questions
Can you drain a hot tub onto your lawn?
The King County guide says to drain according to local regulations, and to avoid storm drains, waters that hold fish and a septic drainfield. Ask your municipality or regional district about your own rules.
Can you top up a hot tub instead of draining it?
Yes, when the water level drops from splashing or evaporation. The King County guide says to add fresh water then, and that you may need to drain and refill if cloudy water does not clear after fresh water, chlorine, pH and filtering.
How much water is in the One Model?
345 US gallons, about 1,300 litres.
Should you drain a hot tub in winter?
The King County guide says to keep the pump running in freezing weather, and to drain the tub, piping and equipment by the maker's instructions during a long freeze when the tub is not in use.
Sources
General facts on this page come from these public sources. Facts about the One Model come from Good Hot Tubs.
- Staying Happy and Healthy in Your Hot Tub, sixth edition (PDF). Public Health, Seattle and King County.
Related answers
Is the One Model right for you?
Ten questions about your home and how you would use a hot tub. You see your result before you give any contact details, and you can ask for a test soak on Vancouver Island when you send it.