Can You Drain a Hot Tub into the Pool? (And 3 Other Uses)

Are you wondering if you can drain a hot tub into a pool? If you’re anything like me, you found the right hot tub for your backyard. Maybe you even found the perfect gazebo for your hot tub.  After finding the right one, we started to wonder, was how to properly drain it. And, of course, when you should drain it.

Did you know that in some cases hot tub water needs to be drained and replaced every 40 days? 

Where should all that water go? And how much will it cost you? It seems like such a waste. One commonly asked about method is:

Can you drain a hot tub into the pool?

The simple answer is:

Yes, you can drain a hot tub into a pool. 

Most in-ground pools only require draining every 5 to 7 years, so draining your hot tub into the pool can prove to be resourceful while lowering your sewer costs. Pool chemicals and filters are much stronger and aggressive than hot tub spas. Dumping the much smaller amount of water from a hot tub into a pool would hardly affect the quality of water in the pool.

But let’s look at this a little deeper.

What to Do with Drained Hot Tub Water

Aside from draining your hot tub water into the pool, there are a few other methods to dispose of the water beside the sewage! Let’s walk through each of them.

Water Your Plants

So long as your hot tub system is not a saltwater system you can actually recycle it in many ways. One of those ways might be watering your garden. Water that is no longer in a natural condition and has been treated or used several times is called gray water. 

If you have done the proper maintenance and treatments the gray water from your hot tub should be safe for plants, your next step is to check the chemicals in the water.

You’re going to want to dilute the chlorine over a course of a week prior to draining. Once the chlorine is below 1.5ppm you can proceed to water your plants with the drained water from your hot tub. 

If your hot tub uses bromine, you want a range of 2.0 – 4.0 ppm before it’s considered safe for your plants. The overall balance pH should be 7.2-7.4. So, if all these levels are good, go ahead and water those plants!

Wash Your Cars or Recreational Vehicles 

With the help of a submersible pump, many folks are able to actually wash their cars and recreational vehicles with their used hot tub water. This can prove a little tricky as you can not use a nozzle on the hose draining your hot tub. 

Many people claim they simply water the grass in between scrubbing their vehicles and then hosing them off. That’s two ways to recycle in one! Just be sure that your chemical and pH levels are in the recommended levels as stated earlier in the article so they don’t harm your grass! 

Provide a Swimming Pool for your Pet

My dogs love to romp around in kiddie pools during the summer, a great way to fill up the kiddie pool without using any more water than you need to, is to drain your hot tub water directly into it! As long as you have kept the hot tub water properly treated, it should pose no threat or danger to your pets!

Step by Step Walkthrough on Draining Your Hot Tub 

There are a few different ways to drain your hot tub depending on if you are using the hot tub’s spigot or you are using a submersible pump. 

For a submersible pump you will do the following:

1. Make sure your spa is off and completely disconnected from all power sources. If your spa remains running while there is no water, it could cause damage. 
2. With the pump submerged make sure your hose can reach the proper drainage area, if it cannot, you should consider getting an extension garden hose. 
3. Allow the pump to run until the hot tub is empty.
4. Power off your pump and remove it from your fully drained hot tub.

If you intend to use the spigot to drain your hot tub follow these directions:

1. As with the submersible pump, you’ll want to make sure your hot tub is completely powered off and disconnected.
2. A lot of spas have both a primary and auxiliary spigot. The auxiliary is used to remove the water from the internal bleed lines. Attach a garden hose to your primary spigot.
3. Run the hose to the intended draining area and proceed to drain. 
4. Once complete move your hose to the auxiliary spigot and repeat so you can drain your bleed lines. 
5. Remember to open the ball valve located on the spigot for complete drainage.

Check out this video on 3 easy methods to drain a hot tub.

Cleaning

After your hot tub has been completely drained, this is the stage that many begin the cleaning process of their hot tub. Start by rinsing the hot tub out with a hose to get rid of any residue. Did you know that you can clean a hot tub with vinegar. Note that you may need to re-drain any additional water that is being added in the process. 

Replace all your filters plugs and caps on drains, appropriately prior to refilling your spa. 

Some Fun Facts to About Hot Tubs

Now that you’re ready to refill and enjoy your hot tub again, here are some interesting facts to ponder while basking in the warm and relaxing water.

• If you’re looking for an optimal cardiovascular workout, try relaxing in your hot tub! Hot tubs provide the same type of cardiac volume increase as a cardio driven work out. How convenient!

• Since your heart is working on managing your body heat while submerged in your spa, your blood flow in turn increases and provides more oxygen to your cells. This actually helps to lower your blood pressure. Consult with your doctor first before considering the use of a hot tube if you have fluctuating blood pressure. 

• If you’re concerned about maintenance, 90% of hot tub owners in a recent survey from Caldera Spas said that they didn’t find the maintenance part difficult.

• Maybe you’re worried about energy costs, but 86% also said they didn’t report an increase in cost.

• Did you know that the jets in hot tubs were designed by the Jacuzzi brothers who were actually into aircraft manufacturing? 

• Hot tubs have been around since ancient times. Some of the more earlier civilizations used natural hot springs, and in Rome, public bathhouses were readily available for all to enjoy.

• According to the New England Journal of Medicine people with Type 2 Diabetes who spent 10 days at 30 minutes each day relaxing in the hot tub experience weight loss, reduced doses of insulin, and provide happier well-being. 

• The Guinness World Record for the most nations in one hot tub was set in November of 2012. 26 people from 26 nations relaxed in the hot tub together. More citizens of other nations asked to join in but had to be turned away because the tub reached full capacity!