Hot Tub Forum
Original => Hot Tub Forum => Topic started by: Warkovision on January 26, 2005, 06:48:40 pm
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OK. I know this has been covered - and I did do a three year search on the subject, but didn't find the info I was after. I'm due for a water change and rather than use the gravity drain, thought I would go the pump route. I saw Steve's post about just using a hose (pool vacuum type) to syphon out the water, but our tub is on the ground and I don't believe I can get the hose low enough in relation to the tub to be effective. My question is, what brand or variety pump would you recommend and what accessories? (hose adapter, etc.) And where's the best place to purchase such a thing? I saw where someone suggested an oil free pump because of the chance of leakage with one that has oil. Anyhow, thanks.
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Hey Wark! That concept of using a vacuum has no bearing on the spas position or depth. Once the flow has been established by use of a shop vac, it will flow freely from that point on without suction. You'll just need a weight of some sort to keep it in the footwell.
If you are considering a sump, any basic unit will do and I don't believe special consideration needs to be looked at for this application. These usually come with the required fittings to hook up to the unit itself. I don't have any brand names to forward to you but keep it simple and inexpensive. It'll do the job for ya!
Steve
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good info at homedepot.com
do a search on sump pumps
then click on the info page.
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Thanks guys,
Maybe I'll just buy the pump connection hose first and see if I can make the syphon trick work. Then move on to the pump if that fails, :)
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I'm just a newb, but here's what I did...
I bought a 24' sump pump discharge hose ($7 everywhere), held one end tight to a handy jet, ran the pump for 10 seconds, and voila!!
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Maybe I'll just buy the pump connection hose first and see if I can make the syphon trick work. Then move on to the pump if that fails
Good plan Warko! My 400 gallon tub sits on the ground, yard is flat. The $7 sump discharge hose (no pump) empties it in 15 minutes. 8)
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lucky for me my drain hole is much larger then most spas so I can drain my tub (about 275 gal) in about 20 minutes. My drain is about 1 1/2".
But I have heard the sump pump works great and FAST probably becuase it to has a large capacity hose. And that is good especially if you live in a cold climate as to get the empty and refill done quickly. I have hear others use the tub drain along with a garden hose at the same time and that speeds it up. But I think the sump pump would be the quickest. I just bought one for our house at Home Depot for $130 Cnd funds.
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Maybe I'm just being a girl who knows little about sump pumps and the like, but where does the water go when you are draining with such a short hose (24") ? Am I missing something here? My tub sits on the ground, and the one time I drained it I ran a long hose to the back corner of my lot where the drainage sewer is located and hung the end of the hose down into it. Would I need a larger, but equally long, hose to drain faster? Can someone set me straight?
Elle...giving women everywhere a bad name
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I'm just a newb, but here's what I did...
I bought a 24' sump pump discharge hose ($7 everywhere), held one end tight to a handy jet, ran the pump for 10 seconds, and voila!!
Being that your a newbie, that can't have any merit ;D
I might try that next time. Something simple I didn't think of doing.
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Maybe I'm just being a girl who knows little about sump pumps and the like, but where does the water go when you are draining with such a short hose (24") ? Am I missing something here? My tub sits on the ground, and the one time I drained it I ran a long hose to the back corner of my lot where the drainage sewer is located and hung the end of the hose down into it. Would I need a larger, but equally long, hose to drain faster? Can someone set me straight?
Elle...giving women everywhere a bad name
Think he said a 24' hose (24 feet)... That should be lots for most people. We actually need about 50 feet to get the back of our yard so I'd need 2.
Anyone know if the sump pump hoses can be connected together?
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Dont you just drain the water onto your yard/lawn ??? That is what I do. I don't add any chems to my tub for a couple days before I drain as to try no to kill my lawn. So far so good my lawn is still green.
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Dont you just drain the water onto your yard/lawn ??? That is what I do. I don't add any chems to my tub for a couple days before I drain as to try no to kill my lawn. So far so good my lawn is still green.
Same for me. A couple of weeks ago I wouldn't have wanted to add 425 gallons to my lawn, but normally it isn't a problem.
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Maybe I'm just being a girl who knows little about sump pumps and the like, but where does the water go when you are draining with such a short hose (24") ? Am I missing something here? My tub sits on the ground, and the one time I drained it I ran a long hose to the back corner of my lot where the drainage sewer is located and hung the end of the hose down into it. Would I need a larger, but equally long, hose to drain faster? Can someone set me straight?
Elle...giving women everywhere a bad name
Yeah. leave it to a guy to state that 24" will stretch across the whole yard...
-Ed
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Dont you just drain the water onto your yard/lawn ??? That is what I do. I don't add any chems to my tub for a couple days before I drain as to try no to kill my lawn. So far so good my lawn is still green.
Right now we're using Bromine and keep the levels up right until we drain. We've got a drainage easement right on the other side of our back fence so we just run the hose and stick it under the fense. That way the're no risk of doing anything to the grass...
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Dont you just drain the water onto your yard/lawn ??? That is what I do. I don't add any chems to my tub for a couple days before I drain as to try no to kill my lawn. So far so good my lawn is still green.
Dear hubby would take off my head if I drained the spa onto his precious lawn. Not going to happen on my watch. :)
Elle
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Home Depot has
Backwash Hose 1 1/2 x 50 Ft.
Model 25972PTM
Internet/Catalog 166290
$11.97
Also folds flat
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Dear hubby would take off my head if I drained the spa onto his precious lawn. Elle
Acutally, it will be good for the lawn. Just don't super chlorinate the day before you drain and you'll be fine. I have been doing it for years. In fact, one of my salespeople has a short garden hose and he drains to the same spot on his lawn all the time. That's the greenest part of his whole yard now.
I use a pool-drainer pump and a backwash hose. I like the backwash hose because I can roll it up flat and store it easily. Also, you can buy a 200' 'box' of it for around $20 and cut it to desired length, and it comes in 1.5" and 2" sizes, so you can slip it over 1.25" pipe and 1.5" pipe.
I bet any good sump pump with the correct adatper would do it: I like to have the large pump that I do because I like to scrub out the tub with 'Citrabrite' and then run the garden hose to rinse while the pump runs. Get's just about all the old water out, and it's easy to just stick the hose into filter areas, jets and stuff to rinse those out.
(http://www.poolmart.com/backwashhose.jpg) Backwash hose.
The pump I use is for pool service people, and cost about $300 from a wholesale house. You can use a smaller pump from a home center, just won't go as fast.
Also, you can get a short pool vac hose to go over the edge of the spa, and then use the backwash hose to direct the water to other parts of your yard.
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I'm just a newb, but here's what I did...
I bought a 24' sump pump discharge hose ($7 everywhere), held one end tight to a handy jet, ran the pump for 10 seconds, and voila!!
to do this, don't you need something to keep the inlet open and submerged? doesn't it kink/get pinched where it bends over the tub wall?
txwillie
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to do this, don't you need something to keep the inlet open and submerged? doesn't it kink/get pinched where it bends over the tub wall? txwillie
See my post just above: use a short pool vac hose to get over the side of the tub, then connect to the flat bw hose to direct the water where you want it.
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to do this, don't you need something to keep the inlet open and submerged? doesn't it kink/get pinched where it bends over the tub wall?
txwillie
I didn't. The hose is rigid plastic, and the end stayed in the foot well by itself. Near the end of the process I held the hose vertical. Very little bailing finished the job.