How to drain and refill Jacuzzi^® J-200™ Collection Spa

One key responsibility of spa owners is making sure their spa is well-maintained and safe to use at all times. Apart from regularly dosing your spa with water chemicals, you will also need to periodically drain and refill your spa with fresh water. Draining and refilling your spa pool should be done every 3 to 6 months or as required.

In this article, you’ll learn:

• Why do you need to drain and refill your Jacuzzi^® spa?
• How to drain Jacuzzi^® J-200™ Collection Spa
• What to do before filling your Jacuzzi^® spa?
• How to refill Jacuzzi^® J-200™ Collection Spa

Why do I need to drain and refill my Jacuzzi^® spa?

Regularly sanitising your Jacuzzi^® spa with the recommended water chemicals is important to keep your spa water clean, safe and clear. However, over time, your spa water might become concentrated with dissolved solids from these chemicals.

Spa filters cannot filter these particles out because they are too small. However, their size still makes your water appear cloudy when caught in the light. The best way to remove these is by draining the spa entirely and refilling it with fresh water.

As a guide, draining and refilling your spa pool should be done every 3 to 6 months or as required. How often you change your spa water, depends on a range of factors including the type of spa you have, the number of spa users, how often you use it, and how vigilant you are with hygiene.

For new spa owners, we recommend doing this after the first 12 weeks since they tend to use their spa more often and have more users. Once spa use settles down, you may then follow the spa draining and refilling timeline guide above.

How to drain a Jacuzzi^® J-200™ Collection Spa

Draining your Jacuzzi^® spa is pretty simple ー but there are certain precautions to keep in mind when draining your spa.

CAUTION!

• To prevent damage to the components of the spa, turn off the power to the spa at the circuit breaker before draining it. Do not turn the power back on until your spa has been refilled.
• If it is extremely cold, and the spa is outdoors, freezing could occur in the lines or the equipment. On the other hand, if it is hot outdoors, do not leave the spa’s surface exposed to direct sunlight.

Important: Before emptying your spa, please check with your council on the best location to dispose of your spa water. We recommend that you do not add spa chemicals to the water for at least 24 to 48 hours before draining your spa. This means that there will be less chemical residue in the water.

Step 1: Safety First

Make sure that you TURN OFF the power to the spa at the breaker.

Step 2: Locate the drain valve

You’ll find the drain valve on the front left corner of the black plastic pan. Hold the larger (rear) drain valve body to prevent it from turning, then loosen and remove the front cap to expose the underlying male hose threads.

Step 3: Connect a garden hose to the drain

Attach a garden hose to the exposed threads. Then, gently rotate the larger (rear) valve body 1/3 and turn counterclockwise to unlock the drain valve.

Step 4: Open the drain

To open the drain, pull the larger (rear) body outward. Make sure to direct the hose to an area where the water will drain properly.

Step 5: Close the drain

After the spa drains, perform steps 3 and 4 in reverse order to close the drain prior to refilling the spa.

What to do before filling your Jacuzzi^® spa?

For new spa owners, before you can start filling your spa with water for the first time there are a couple of checks and installation steps you need to complete.

For example:

• Make sure the spa is in its final resting area
• Install a cover lifter
• Install a CPR sign
• Check the Barrel Union

Click the button below for full instructions on filling your spa with water and what to know.

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How to refill Jacuzzi^® J-200™ Collection Spa

To refill your spa, please follow the instructions below.

Step 1: Safety first

If you just drained your spa, keep the power OFF. You should NEVER apply power to an EMPTY SPA.

Step 2: Remove the filter lid

Remove the filter lid and weir assembly by rotating them counterclockwise. Then, remove the skimmer basket.

Generally, spas can be refilled using a garden hose through the empty primary filter fitting.

However, we highly recommend that you refill your spa through the primary filter inlet to avoid airlock (air is trapped in the pumps, preventing the pumps from circulating water) which typically happens when refilling the spa through the footwell.

Step 3: Fill the spa

Insert the garden hose into the filter, then open the water source.

Important reminders:

• Fill the spa with clean tap water from a garden hose, to reduce the risk of contracting a waterborne illness (e.g. an infection, bacteria or virus) and/or respiratory ailments.
• Fill until the water covers all jets but does not touch the bottom of the lowest headrest (DO NOT OVERFILL!).
• On average, it takes 1 to 4 hours to fill a spa. However, it can go shorter or longer depending on several factors such as water pressure, spa size, and hose size. We recommend setting a timer to keep your eye on the water level as your spa gets filled to avoid overfilling.
• In the rare event that your spa displays an error due to an airlock, please refer to the troubleshooting guide below.

Step 5: Turn the power ON

Once your spa is filled with the right amount of water, apply power to your spa and set the temperature to your desired level (26-38 degrees is recommended).

Pro Tip: Putting the spa cover on also speeds up the heating process as it locks the heat inside.

Step 6: Test the water and apply the needed chemicals

Once the spa water is heated, use the test strips to measure pH and Alkalinity and dose the water with suggested chemicals.

Important reminders:

• Wait at least 20 minutes after applying any balancer chemicals before testing again.
• Use the daily dosing instructions on the back of the chlorine container instead. Failure to follow this can result in damage to your spa or unsafe conditions.
• Do not turn on the jet pumps or clean cycle for at least 30 minutes after you have added the sanitiser.
• To allow for off-gassing, please leave your spa cover open for 20 minutes after dosing with spa sanitiser or spa shock.

Click the button below to learn more about spa chemicals and how to properly use them.

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In Summary

We hope this step-by-step guide has given you a good understanding of how to empty and refill the water in your Jacuzzi^® spa.

If you need further information or have any questions about this topic, or anything else to do with your spa pool, please contact our customer care team. We are here to help!