How to Drain, Clean & Refill Your Sundance Spa

Draining, cleaning and refilling your Sundance hot tub 3 or 4 times a year will ensure you are soaking in clean, clear water and minimize the amount of time and effort spent on keeping your water in great condition.

Here are some tips for you to make the process as quick and easy as possible!

Before Draining Your Sundance Hot Tub

Before you begin draining your hot tub water, It is a good idea to use Whirlpool Rinse once a year to clean and degrease the internal plumbing and help prevent the build up of calcium which can have a negative effect on the performance of your hot tub. Here is how to use Whirlpool Rinse:

• Remove your filters.
• Remove your head rests.
• While the water is still hot, add 250ML (half a bottle) of Whirlpool Rinse.
• Turn your waterfall on.
• If your hot tub has diverter valves, turn them to the centre.
• If your hot tub has air controls, turn them to the off position.
• Run Jet pumps for 2 hours (make sure all jets are running and have not been manually turned off). You will need to turn the pumps back on every 20 minutes.

You are now ready to begin draining your Sundance Spa.

Draining Your Hot Tub Water

All Sundance hot tubs are equipped with a drain to remove the water. Here are the instuctions for draining by series:

680 Series (Ramona, McKinley, Peyton, Edison, Prado, Denali, Alicia, Tacoma)

680 Series hot tubs have gravity drain’s built in to them. The drain is located at the front of the right hand side panel. (The drain is situated behind the front panel on older 680 models).

To Operate:

1. Turn off power to spa at breaker.
2. Locate the drain valve on the side of the hot tub cabinet.
3. Hold the larger (rear) body to prevent it from turning, the loosen and remove the front cap to expose the underlying male hose threads.
4. Attach a garden hose to the exposed threads.
5. Gently rotate the larger (rear) valve body 1/3 turn counterclockwise to unlock the drain valve.
6. Pull the larger (rear) body outward to open drain. Water will now flow out of the drain.
7. After the spa drains, perform steps 2-5 in reverse order to close the drain prior to refilling the spa.

780 Series (Hamilton, Chelsee, Bristol, Hanover, Montclair, Dover)

780 Series hot tubs are equipped with an interior gravity drain.

To Operate:

1. Turn off power to spa at breaker.
2. Locate and remove the front synthetic cabinet door (directly below control panel). Use the Quick Release buttons to remove front panel.
3. Locate drain hose line attached to the 2 x 4 wood slat (top right hand corner of equipment area).
4. Pull drain hose from equipment area.
5. Hold drain hose above water line, then unthread drain cap from hose using a counterclockwise rotation. Place hose on ground making sure to direct water away from the spa. If you desire to drain the water further away from the spa, attach a garden hose to the drain valve.
6. After the spa has completely drained, reinstall drain cap on drain valve finger tight – DO NOT OVERTIGHTEN!
7. Place drain hose back inside the spa equipment bay.
8. Reinstall synthetic cabinet door.

880 Series (Maxxus, Aspen, Cameo, Optima, Altamar, Marin, Cambria, Capri)

All 880 Series spa are equipped with two drain options, a standard drain valve & the Quick Drain which comes with a thicker hose for faster drainage. Both drain options are located behind the synthetic “SunSide” skirt panel at the front of the spa.

Panel Removal

The SunSide Skirt panels on the 880 Series provide easy access to the equipment bay and components without the need for tools. To remove the skirt panels follow the steps below:

1. Turn of power to the hot tub at the breaker.

2. Grab one of the corner panels, from the bottom, where it touches the bottom pan. Then gently pull the panel forward to unsnap it from the holding clip then pull down to remove. Place the panel in a safe location to prevent damage. Repeat the steps to remove the other corner panel. Note: The corner exterior lights on the panels are connected to the light wires. Take care when removing the corner panels to avoid damaging the wires.

3. Grab the bottom of the main panel and slightly lift to release it from the top mount. Tilt the panel and pull down to remove. Before completely removing the panel, take hold of the indicator light wire and gently pull on it to slide the light from the housing. Place the panel in a safe location to prevent damage.

Standard Drain Hose

To use the standard drain hose, follow these steps:

1. Turn off power to hot tub at breaker.

2. Locate drain hose line attached to one of the 2 x 4 wood slats in the front corner. Hold drain hose above water line. Unscrew drain valve cap to expose the underlying male garden hose fitting.

3. Attach female garden hose end to drain fitting and route opposite end of garden hose away from the hot tub.

4. After spa has completely drained, reinstall drain cap on drain valve finger tight. DO NOT OVERTIGHTEN!

5. Place drain hose back inside the spa equipment bay.

6. Reinstall the panels (follow the steps shown in “Panel Removal” section in reverse order).

Quick Drain

To use the Quick Drain option, follow these steps:

1. Turn off power to hot tub at the breaker.

2. Locate the Quick Drain Valve. Unscrew drain valve cap. Place the cap aside.

3. Screw in the adapter with hose that was included in the equipment bay, attach it to the quick drain. Be sure to direct the hose to an area where the water will drain properly.

4. Open the drain valve by sliding the handle to the side and pulling up.

5. After the hot tub has drained close the valve by pushing it downward and sliding the handle to the side. Remove the adapter and reinstall the Quick drain cap before refilling hot tub.

6. Reinstall the panels (follow the steps shown in “Panel Removal” section in reverse order).

980 Series (Claremont, Kingston, Lisbon, Odessa)

All 980 Series spa are equipped with two drain options, a standard drain valve & the Quick Drain which comes with a thicker hose for faster drainage. Both drain options are located behind the synthetic “SunSide” skirt panels.

Panel Removal

The SunSide Skirt panels on the 980 Series provide easy access to the equipment bay and components without having to unscrew the panel. To remove the skirt panels follow the steps below:

1. Turn off power to the hot tub at the breaker.

2.. Grab one of the corner panels, from the bottom, and gently pull the cabinet forward to unsnap it from the holding clip. Then slide it down to remove. Place the panel is a safe location to prevent damage. Repeat the steps to remove the other corner panel.

3. Remove the center panel. Grab either the top left or top right side of the front center panel. Gently pull the cabinet forward to unsnap it from the holding clips. Make sure to support the cabinet as you work your way down the side to completely unclip it from the hot tub frame. Once completely unclipped, tilt slightly forward and lift up to remove it from the hot tub frame. Place the panel is a safe location to prevent damage.

Standard Drain Valve

1. Turn off power to hot tub at breaker.

2. Locate drain hose line attached to the 2 x 4 wood slat. Hold drain hose above water line. Unscrew drain valve cap to expose the underlying male garden hose fitting.

3. Attach female garden hose end to drain fitting and route opposite end of garden hose away from hot tub.

4. After spa has completely drained, reinstall drain cap on drain valve finger tight. DO NOT OVERTIGHTEN!

5. Place drain hose back inside the spa equipment bay.

6. Reinstall the panels (follow the steps shown in “Panel Removal” section above in reverse order).

Quick Drain

1. Turn off power to hot tub at breaker.

2. Locate the Quick Drain Valve.

3. Unscrew drain valve cap. Place the cap aside.

4. Screw in the adapter with hose that was included in the equipment bay. Attach it to the quick drain. Make sure to direct the hose to an area where the water will drain properly

5. Open the drain valve by sliding the handle to the side and pulling up.

6. After the hot tub has drained close the valve by pushing it downward and sliding the handle to the side. Remove the adapter and reinstall the Quick drain cap before refilling hot tub.

7. Reinstall the panels (follow the steps shown in “Panel Removal” section above in reverse order).

Additional Drain Options

In addition to the internal drains, there are other options available to you.

The Quick Drain, is up to 5 times faster than the standard drain valve, removing 10-12 gallons of water per minute.

As well as saving you time, the Quick Drain also vacuums the floor of your Sundance hot tub as it drains, removing leaves, grit, sand and any other debris from the bottom of your hot tub.

Another option for draining your water is the use of a small submersible pump that can be purchased at most hardware stores. These are particularly handy during the colder months, if you need to do a quick water change.

There will always be a little water left in the foot well of your Sundance hot tub. This can either be removed with a Shop-Vac or simply left in place as it will have no impact on the new, fresh water you are adding.

Cleaning Your Sundance Hot Tub

Now that your spa is empty, you may want to give it a quick clean.

While it is tempting to use your favorite cleaning products on your hot tub, all you actually need is water and a little bit of vinegar. Using harsh cleaning products will result in foamy water when you refill your hot tub.

A product such as The Tub Scrubber can be used to remove any residual waterline build up.

Draining your Sundance hot tub also gives you a good opportunity to give your filters a clean (or replace your Sundance Micro Clean Filters). Read here for more on Hot Tub Filter Maintenance.

Refilling Your Sundance Hot Tub

When adding new water to your spa, put your garden hose into the filter well so that it runs through the pipes as it fills up, this will help prevent air locks upon re-start.

Once your hot tub is filled to above the top jet, you can turn the power back on so it can begin heating up (Do not power up the hot tub until your garden hose has been removed).

Read here for more detailed information on Hot Tub Water Care.

If you have any questions on how to drain, clean & refill your hot tub, don’t hesitate to visit any of our 6 locations (Burlington, Hamilton, Mississauga, Oakville, St. Catharines & Vaughan), and our team will be glad to help you out!