Many swim spa devotees love them for their ability to operate even in the coldest of weather, but there are others who have no desire to be swimming outdoors when the temperatures plunge. If you live in a part of the country that experiences freezing temperatures during the winter, you’ll need to take steps to properly shut down your swim spa for the season. We’ve put together this article to help those who want to learn how to winterize a swim spa.
Why Is Winterizing My Swim Spa Important?
It’s the unique property of water expanding when it freezes that makes it so important to properly winterize your swim spa if you plan on shutting it down for the season. Expanding ice can make pipes burst and cause severe damage to mechanical components. If you don’t trust your ability to do this job on your own, most swim spa dealers offer a service to come and do it for you. If you want to do it yourself, make sure you read the owner’s manual. This article is only a guide as every swim spa is different. Call your swim spa dealer if you cannot find the answers to specific questions in this article or in your owner’s manual. You should have a wet dry vacuum/shop vac and a bunch of towels that you don’t mind getting soiled.
Water Filters
Remove your water filters and give them a good inspection to make sure they’ll make it through another year. If so, spray with a cleaning solution, rinse until the suds dissipate and allow them to dry out before storing them indoors until you’re ready to use them again.
Drain The Water
While you’re taking care of your filter cartridges, start draining the water. Depending on your model you may need to siphon it out with a hose, use a pump or remove the cap from the drain. Make sure you know where the water is draining as you wouldn’t be the first person to flood their house or garage when doing this.
Drying The Swim Spa
Now that most of the water has been drained it’s time to start carefully drying out the various mechanical components. If it has an air blower, start there. It’s best to put the cover back on before doing this as you could end up spraying water everywhere. Once this is done you won’t need power anymore, so turn it off both at the swim spa and the breaker box as well. Refer to your owner’s manual for the specifics of draining and bleeding the water pump, heater, filter housings and jet valves. Use the shop vac to blow out and dry up any remaining moisture in these components.
Shell Cleaning
You can give the swim spa shell a good cleaning to prepare it for overwintering. Once done remove the last of the water from at the bottom of the tank with the shop vac and towels. By now everything should be nice and dry with no water hiding anywhere.
Cover For The Season
Now all you need to do is cover everything up and protect it from the seasonal elements. Make sure any doors or hatches on the cabinet are properly closed and secured. Replace the swim spa cover and lock it. A tarp (or tarps) that covers the entire swim spa will provide an extra layer of protection and keep out any dirt and moisture that may try to accumulate over the winter.
Now that you’ve learned the general steps for how to winterize a swim spa, find out more information by downloading a free buyer’s guide today.