I have a spa but no power. Now what do I do?

www.rickrobinsonhomes.com

Have spa but no power?  

Not to worry... most spas are very well insulated and can retain their heat fairly well for up to 2 weeks.

Not all spas are the same, some of your older spas or smaller ones may not have  full foam insulation within it.

 This could be an issue for you, if this true for your spa go out and get some household insulation and stuff this inside the spa cabinet like you would inside your attic this will give you a barrier from the extreme cold nights.

The biggest mistake people make when they have a spa and the power goes out is to drain it this is NOT a good idea.

If the spa was running and was heated to around 100 degrees just before the power went out then it will take a while for the spa water to cool down on it's own (up to two weeks), but if you drain the spa of water, that safeguard you may have had is gone. 

Now the surface of the spa will get cold and then transfer that coolness to the under side of the spa and the plumbing lines. Then the spa lines can FREEZE and crack. Now this doesn't mean that if you drained your spa it will automatically freeze. The outside temp needs to be below 40 degrees for several days for this to possibly happen. I have seen spas with ice inside them defrost in the spring and run fine with no issues.

Now getting back to my original statement LOL...

Most spas are fully insulated and as long as you do not keep going out there and lifting the cover up to check on it every hour  "you know who I am talking to" the water temp will remain high and you should be fine. I have seen a spa with a temp of 99 degrees when the customer lost power for 2 weeks and when the lights came back on the water temp was only down to 68 degrees.

Once the power comes back on you want to go out to the spa and be sure that the spa has power as well, if not check the breakers.

Run the pumps to be sure all is good then note the temperature on the topside display set it to 100 degrees and monitor it every hour to see that it will go back up to temperature without any problems. If you have made it this far you are golden check the spa chemicals to be sure that it has a good balanced level before going back into it.

I hope everyone is OK and has power back.

Until Next Time...

It's cold out there Don't forget to check on your spa

Rick the Spa Guy

It's cold out there so don't forget to check on your spa. When the weather gets very cold like this in the north east and all parts winter, we tend to neglect our outside spaces because it is just to cold to be outside but this could cost you some big money.


It is happening once again, I am getting many calls from people saying they just went outside and their spa is not running and the water in the spa is frozen.


The issue is they wait to long to check on the spa and by the time they realize something is wrong it is too late. A frozen spa can cost you a lot of money in repairs, one person I know had to spend over $1500.00 to get the spa repaired once they thawed it out and the spa was only 1 year old.


There is no warranty for a frozen spa. If your like most of us you get busy this time of year and the backyard takes a backseat to the holidays, and that is ok as long as you do your diligence and check in on your investment at least once a week.


If you keep your spa water tempreture at about 98 or 100 degrees and something happens to the spa it should take at least a week to drop the temp down to freezing temperatures where you have to worry. Some spas are more insulated than others so that estimate depends on your brand of spa.


It only takes a minute or two to go out and lift the cover and see if the spa is OK and check the chemical levels,and if you do find something wrong you should have plenty of time to call and get someone out to make the repairs it may need so you do not loose any great and relaxing time in your spa.


Happy Holidays


Until Next Time...

Closing Your Spa?

I have been getting a lot of questions these last couple of weeks about the best way to close/winterize their spa, so I thought I would jot down some quick helpful tips if you have decided to close your spa for the winter.

First let me start by saying "ARE YOU CRAZY" this is the best time of year to use the spa. Nice 100 degree water and 30 degree night air, get in and enjoy the night star filled sky...Nothing Like IT....

Anyway, back to the task at hand. If you want to close/winterize the spa you need to remember that these are small pools, you can not just drain the water out of it and walk away, the plumbing that is within the spa holds 10-15 gallons of water and this WILL freeze once we get those constant cold nights. First thing to do is turn off the breakers to the spa, you will need a shop vacuum and a blower or compressor to clear out the lines of water.


Remove the skirting on the front of the spa to expose the pumps, loosen the unions on the pumps to let the initial water out then take the shop vacuum and suck out whatever water you can from the pipes at the pump connections. Now I take the blower or compressor and blow air through the same unions and this will blow the water in the plumbing out into the spa itself and then you can use the shop vac to vacuum out this water.


Repeat this process a few times alternating between the blower and the vacuum. Listen for a hollow air sound going through the pipes and you know you are getting the water out. Then get inside the spa and vacuum out each and every jet, working from the top of the spa to the bottom foot well. Be sure to vacuum out the filter area and any main drains in the bottom of the spa as water will settle to the lowest point of the spa.


I now take pool anti-freeze and add this a little at a time in the jets and the filter holes, you can add a little into each pump for added protection. Once this is all done reattach the unions to the pump and vacuum out any remaining water or anti0freeze that is in the body of the spa and wipe down the surface. Put the cover on the spa and lock the straps so no wind can blow open the cover and let snow or water into the spa and ruin all your hard work. I tell my customers to get a tarp and cover the entire spa and tie a rope around the bottom so no water can get back in.


Now you can enjoy the lower electric bill, (at least for the spa) and have peace of mind that the spa is safe from freezing. 


Until Next Time...