Hot Tubs and Antifreeze
Question from a visitor:
"I will be putting my tub out of service for a few months. I would like to drain it and suspect i should use potable anti freeze. is this a good idea and can i put it in at filter location?"
Answer:
DO NOT USE REGULAR ANTIFREEZE! This is usually made of Ethylene Glycol, which is extremely poisonous and has some rather nasty side effects, causing liver and kidney damage and being FATAL at high levels of exposure.
You need to find Propylene Glycol, which is supposed to be safe enough to be used as a food additive. This is marketed as a safe anti-freeze for pools. But, it really isn't necessary if you have completely drained all water from your hot tub and covered it up to prevent water from leaking into it over the winter.
Your best option is to follow your manufacturer's guidelines for winterizing your hot tub. Drain your hot tub thoroughly, and vacuum out any remaining moisture with a wet-and-dry shop-vac. It is essential to remove all of the water from the plumbing lines, pumps and heaters because these will be severely damaged by freezing temperatures.
I cannot recommend using anti-freeze, especially if you have completely drained your hot tub, following your manufacturer's recommendations. However, if you are still concerned, you can pour straight Propylene Glycol into susceptible areas to displace any remaining moisture.
You are better off removing the filters and storing them in a dry location, rather than letting them sit in anti-freeze all winter, but that's just my opinion.
When Propylene Glycol is used to winterize the pipes in a large pool, the resulting concentration in the spring is very low. The same amount of Propylene Glycol used to winterize a small hot tub results in much higher concentrations when the tub is filled up again in the spring.
So if you decide to use Propylene Glycol, remember to flush out your hot tub fittings thoroughly with clean water before filling your hot tub again in the spring. This is the real downside to using anti-freeze, and even though Propylene Glycol is supposed to be perfectly safe and will evaporate, I personally cannot recommend soaking in it.
It's better to be safe and enjoy your hot tub with peace of mind!
;)
"I will be putting my tub out of service for a few months. I would like to drain it and suspect i should use potable anti freeze. is this a good idea and can i put it in at filter location?"
Answer:
DO NOT USE REGULAR ANTIFREEZE! This is usually made of Ethylene Glycol, which is extremely poisonous and has some rather nasty side effects, causing liver and kidney damage and being FATAL at high levels of exposure.
You need to find Propylene Glycol, which is supposed to be safe enough to be used as a food additive. This is marketed as a safe anti-freeze for pools. But, it really isn't necessary if you have completely drained all water from your hot tub and covered it up to prevent water from leaking into it over the winter.
Your best option is to follow your manufacturer's guidelines for winterizing your hot tub. Drain your hot tub thoroughly, and vacuum out any remaining moisture with a wet-and-dry shop-vac. It is essential to remove all of the water from the plumbing lines, pumps and heaters because these will be severely damaged by freezing temperatures.
I cannot recommend using anti-freeze, especially if you have completely drained your hot tub, following your manufacturer's recommendations. However, if you are still concerned, you can pour straight Propylene Glycol into susceptible areas to displace any remaining moisture.
You are better off removing the filters and storing them in a dry location, rather than letting them sit in anti-freeze all winter, but that's just my opinion.
When Propylene Glycol is used to winterize the pipes in a large pool, the resulting concentration in the spring is very low. The same amount of Propylene Glycol used to winterize a small hot tub results in much higher concentrations when the tub is filled up again in the spring.
So if you decide to use Propylene Glycol, remember to flush out your hot tub fittings thoroughly with clean water before filling your hot tub again in the spring. This is the real downside to using anti-freeze, and even though Propylene Glycol is supposed to be perfectly safe and will evaporate, I personally cannot recommend soaking in it.
It's better to be safe and enjoy your hot tub with peace of mind!
;)
posted by HotTubSource at
10:44 AM
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