Neutralizing chemicals before draining?

[michiganwinter]

Stupid question maybe, but before I drain my tub for the first time, is there a way to help the chemicals neutralize or lessen before draining the water out onto our yard? I was told the chemicals were pretty benign, but we live on a lake and don't want to have any pollutants make their way down towards the lake. I thought perhaps going a few days without using the spa and having the cover off would help but don't have any other ideas.  I know some of you live on lakes or near bodies of water; how do you handle?

Thanks in advance!

[Pathfinder]

Any of your local pool & spa stores should carry a chlorine neutralizer product. It comes in a variety of names like Chem-out, Chlor -out, Clor ease.

[SerjicalStrike]

Stupid question maybe, but before I drain my tub for the first time, is there a way to help the chemicals neutralize or lessen before draining the water out onto our yard? I was told the chemicals were pretty benign, but we live on a lake and don't want to have any pollutants make their way down towards the lake. I thought perhaps going a few days without using the spa and having the cover off would help but don't have any other ideas.  I know some of you live on lakes or near bodies of water; how do you handle?

Thanks in advance!

If you are using chlorine, just wait a day or two without adding any chlorine and dump it.  You won't have any problems.

[atom12]

The tub we are considering is the HS Vanguard. The area right of the deck is grassed and I am wondering if the dump water will harm the grass? If it will harm the grass is the drain threaded so I could run a hose out to the woods?

[Vinny]

I have used straight bleach trying to kill growth of unwanted vegiataion and it did absolutely nothing to the grass or any other growth!

I would not drain anything with chlorine anywhere near a stream, pond or lake but dumping it onto the lawn should be fine. I also would suggest not dumping it anywhere near food plants - don't take any chances with that.

Something to know is that sunlight kills chlorine. Although our stabilizer is high by the end of our water's life if any water pools for a length of time the chlorine should be destroyed by the sun.

[michiganwinter]

My tub sits under the deck so it doesn't get a lot of sunlight. The tub is about 50 feet from the beach and there is a slight slope down towards the lake. I was thinking of draining it along the slope, but think the water will make its way to the lake, which is why I want to be sure it is okay before doing so. A chlorine neutralizer sounds like a possibility, but then of course there may be chemicals from that.

How is the idea of turning on jets and letting evaporation take place with the top off sound? Do you all think that would work much? I use Nature2, but have had to add some chlorine as well at times (on instructions to do that with what the spa dealer gave me) and of course the shocking of the tub gives that heavy chemical smell. I just want to be as green and nature friendly as possible because in no way do I want to compromise the lake at all!

[stuart]

If your worried about the Chlorine just throw in a couple of cheap bottles of Hydrogen Peroxide from the grocery store before draining. Otherwise your dealer might have a Thiosulfate product that will work.

[soak-king]

The tub we are considering is the HS Vanguard. The area right of the deck is grassed and I am wondering if the dump water will harm the grass? If it will harm the grass is the drain threaded so I could run a hose out to the woods?

As Vinny & SergicalStrike said, if you wait until your chlorine levels are low and drain you shouldn't have any problems killing the grass, but, yes, the HotSpring drain valve is threaded to accept a standard water hose so you can drain where you want it to go.

[Chas]

Chlorine goes away just about overnight in my tub - a shock treatment would last a couple of days and then be gone. So unless you have shocked within hours of dumping, your water should contain no chlorine, or at least, less than the tap water which your sprinklers dump on the same plants regularly.

I have drained my tub onto my orange trees for years - and the more I change water the better they do.

 8-)

[wmccall]

Chlorine goes away just about overnight in my tub - a shock treatment would last a couple of days and then be gone. So unless you have shocked within hours of dumping, your water should contain no chlorine, or at least, less than the tap water which your sprinklers dump on the same plants regularly.

I have drained my tub onto my orange trees for years - and the more I change water the better they do.

 8-)

What he said.

[stuart]

I have drained my tub onto my orange trees for years - and the more I change water the better they do.

 8-)

...and it hasn't affected the fruit at all....

[sonofsail]

Unless you have shocked with chlorine in the last day or so, you won't be putting any more chlorine into the yard than if you water your yard with a sprinkler or washed your car and got water on the yard.  Where I live, water from the water company has about 1.5 to 2.0 ppm chlorine.   You could use the water from the tub to water your flowers.  

[gadfly]

My tub sits under the deck so it doesn't get a lot of sunlight. The tub is about 50 feet from the beach and there is a slight slope down towards the lake. I was thinking of draining it along the slope, but think the water will make its way to the lake, which is why I want to be sure it is okay before doing so. A chlorine neutralizer sounds like a possibility, but then of course there may be chemicals from that.

How is the idea of turning on jets and letting evaporation take place with the top off sound? Do you all think that would work much? I use Nature2, but have had to add some chlorine as well at times (on instructions to do that with what the spa dealer gave me) and of course the shocking of the tub gives that heavy chemical smell. I just want to be as green and nature friendly as possible because in no way do I want to compromise the lake at all!

IMO, your situation is different than the people who live on a normal lot.  That close to the lake, whatever you put on the lawn, will make its way to the beach, and water... just as an fertilizers and pesticides on the yard, and shrubs, (and orange trees  )do... as well as, detergents and oil from washing the car on the driveway, or grass clippings on the curb, that make it to a storm drain.

As far as the chems in your spa water... the N2 has metals in solution , even when the chlorine strip says 0, you probably have combined-chlorine in there, and cyuranic acid.  Trying to evaporate it, would take days, if not weeks... and the most of the chems would remain in the concentrated puddle, at the bottom of the tub.  I am thinking that a MPS shock to oxidize, and dumping the next day, might help, but the CY acid will remain.  You may want to consider routing your spa drain water, to your sewer/septic system... but that also brings up some issues, for that system as well.  My next suggeston, would be a rain garden.  

I think that it is great that you are thinking about the best way to keep you lake safe.  If if the only concern was your one spa, it wouldn't be a big deal... IMO the issue, is all the pollutants combined with those of your neighbors, and all the sources that drain to the watershed.  If you have a good local watershed organization, or the MI DNR, can give you more information on how to keep your lake clean.  They will likely suggest living buffers, and rain gardens, to hold as much pollutants from making to the water.

[michiganwinter]

Thanks! I like the rain garden suggestion but as of now, I don't have a buffer. I wanted to get a couple raised beds going along both sides of the lot down towards the lake (vegetable garden) and drain into them, but right now it isn't up and running. Do you know if draining into a garden containing tomatoes, cucumbers, etc. would be a problem for the plants? Any suggestions for the meantime before any raised beds or water gardens can be developed? Perhaps we should just keep the water that we have until such a time as there is enough of a garden to absorb it?

FTR, we are on a well and septic system, septic being away from the lake. Our tub is on the other side of the house, towards the lake. We have low flow (dual flush) toilets, low water use appliances, etc. and have been very conscious of the lake (it is a very clean lake and we want to keep it that way). Gadfly is correct, everything will go to the lake.

[gadfly]

To be clear, I don't think your one spa is going to make a huge impact on your local ecosystem... even if you drained it directly into the lake.  The problem is the effect of the aggregation of your, and neighbor's, actions. IMO, with the choices you have available at this time, I would use the septic system.  If it was designed well, and is working as planned... it is already handling tougher waste than the tub water.  The human waste, detergents, and cleaning supplies, are a bigger challenge for the system.  If you can't drain directly into a house drain, consider pump it, over.  

As far as the raised vegetable beds... in order for the plants to thrive, you will likely be water regularly, and allow for drainage for any excess... unless a buffer/or containment system is included... otherwise any excess will still make its way to the lake... so it would not serve the purpose of protecting your resource.  A true rain garden usually uses deep rooted perennials, selected for their ablility to absorb water, and tolerate any ponding, used to control micro-floods.  To using the spa water to water the garden, you will need a storage container, to hold the 300-500 gallons water change, and meter it out.  The good news is, the produce would probably not be any worse for you, and perhaps even be safer, than the non-organic commercially grown products on the grocery shelves.  That is your call, but you would probably have the water tested, if you have a concern.

In addition to the resources I mentioned earlier, your state Extension service can point you, in the right area,for more info.  If not MI, I know that WI and MN have done work in the area of maintaining clean lakes.