I don’t own it yet but if I get the short sale house I have an offer on I will get it around the first of the year and don’t want to have it ruined by the Michigan winter and be able to enjoy come late spring time.
Basically it was empty, but someone left the cover off it last summer and it collected about 5 inches of rain water. It’s in decent shape physically and I am told that it was running last year so I’d like to know what I would need to do in order to get it ready for winter with a least amount of cost.
I’d say I have a 75% chance of getting the house and know that the bank will not do anything since they are selling as is. The former owner is long gone, so no one to ask questions to about the history.
Any suggestions? Could the pump be shot since it probably wasn’t properly winterized last winter (other than drained)?
If it were me, I’d fill it and see if the pump works. Best to know now, rather than wonder until January.
I’d drain it and throw a new cover on it so rainwater won’t collect and spill down into the lines. Drain the lines and make sure there’s no water in the pump. If you have an air compressor, it makes this task a bit easier.
Not sure what sort of model you have, but if the pump is external, you may want to consider disconnecting it and placing it somewhere where it won’t be exposed to sub-zero temperatures.
I keep my outdoor hot tub running throughout the chilly Wisconsin winters. It’s stood up to -20 fahrenheit on multiple occasions.
No advice about what to do about the pump, sorry.
Since the water and electric are still hooked up I could probably get away with filling it and leaving it on winter standby mode. The bank may just think that one of thier property managers had it done. Would that be wrong?
I’m with QtM - this question kinda does not compute. I know lots of people that run their hot tubs all winter, no worries. It’s the best time to have a hot tub, IMO.
On rereading, it seems that you’re worried about the fact that it’s mostly empty now, and will continue to be empty until you take possession of the house. In your case, I’d talk to either your realtor or the bank to request permission (or get them to do it) to either a) fill it or b) empty it thoroughly and completely.
Filling it without also heating it could be a problem, as the whole thing could freeze by then. What does the winter standby mode do - heat it enough to keep it above 32 degrees? Also, if you fill it, do you need to add the appropriate chemicals as well, to avoid nasties growing until you can maintain it permanently? That could set off warning bells, should you do it on the down-low.
Is there anything else creative that would work - something like filling it with styrofoam or such? It’d be a mess to clean out, but better than spending lots to get it fixed.
Well I did think of just putting some anti-freeze in the tub and putting the cover back on. :rolleyes:
Actually, I’d be suprised if the pump is not shot since the house was unoccupied last winter. The realtor said she it might be but wasn’t sure, thus she put an “as is” clause onto the agreement and I know they will do nothing (like allow the electric/water bill to increase). If that is the case is it worth getting a new pump (and possibly new lines)? Not sure, but I’d hate to see the tub itself crack over the winter for lack of doing nothing.