How to Drain a Hot Tub in Santa Rosa

1) Identify the water type and chemical history

If the spa is saltwater, stop and arrange a licensed disposal contractor; do not use the storm drain, sanitary sewer, or the landscape-discharge steps below. If algaecides have been used, the City says testing may be required before a sewer discharge. Contact Santa Rosa Environmental Compliance for current direction.

2) Identify the discharge system

For eligible non-saltwater water, locate and positively identify the sanitary sewer cleanout or an appropriate indoor drain at the same property. Do not use a septic system; Santa Rosa's published guidance warns that spa discharge can cause septic-system failure or overflow.

3) Check the water and the path

• Test the water rather than estimating its sanitizer or pH status.
• Route the hose where it cannot enter a gutter, outside drain, or neighboring property if a fitting fails or water backs up.
• Keep people and pets away from the hose, cleanout, and electrical equipment while pumping.

4) Pump slowly and supervise

The City's current pool-and-spa sheet specifies a siphon or sump pump at 20 gallons per minute or less for a sewer cleanout or indoor drain. Stay with the discharge and stop immediately if the drain backs up, the hose moves, or water reaches the street or an outside drain.

5) Handle filter material separately

The City says collected filter material belongs in the garbage and backwash water belongs in the sanitary sewer. Its sheet allows cartridge-filter rinsing in an indoor fixture or over a vegetated area only when the rinse water stays on the property and cannot enter an outside drain.

Could a landscaped or permeable area be an option?

Do not improvise a storm-drain discharge. Santa Rosa's guidance describes landscaped or permeable-area disposal only when its conditions can be met. The water cannot contain algaecides or leave the property. The soil cannot be saturated or recently treated with herbicides, pesticides, or fertilizer. The water must be clear, its pH neutralized, and its chlorine or other disinfectant residual below 0.1 milligram per liter.

Because soils, slopes, groundwater, septic systems, and local authority differ, confirm this option with the responsible agency before using it. When the conditions cannot be verified, use a licensed disposal contractor. Saltwater pools and spas require that contractor route under the City's current guide.

Stop and get help when

• You cannot positively identify a sanitary sewer connection.
• The property uses septic or the disposal route is uncertain.
• The spa is saltwater and a contractor is not yet arranged.
• Algaecides were used and current sewer-discharge direction has not been confirmed.
• Water contains repair debris, paint, plaster, sediment, or other solids.
• The hose cannot be secured without risking off-property or storm-drain flow.
• You have a spill or active discharge to a street, gutter, storm drain, or waterway.