Quite often, one of the first questions new hot tub owners ask is, “Where can I drain my hot tub?” If hot tubs contained only tap water with no treatment, it would be easy to drain them anywhere in the yard. It would probably do the garden some good. However, it would also be easy to get a skin infection from untreated hot tub water. The question remains, “Will hot tub water kill my lawn?”
Will Hot Tub Water Kill Grass?
Yes, most treated hot tub water will harm your lawn. It may not kill the grass on the first application, but where the water pools or ends up flooding the most will likely turn brown. In the coming months, repairing the soil to plant seeds or encourage new growth will become more trouble than draining the hot tub into the yard was convenient.
Why Does Hot Tub Water Kill Grass?
Three types of substances that may be found in treated hot tub water will, in sufficient quantities, kill grass. Below you will find descriptions of each type and scenario.
Will Chlorinated Hot Tub Water Kill Grass?
Plants do need chlorine to thrive and grow but they need this substance in micro quantities. Chlorine, in concentrations greater than 2 ppm, will “burn” plants. This means that the chlorine accumulates too quickly in the plant tissue and instead of growth this results in death.
Will Bromine Hot Tub Water Kill Grass?
In concentrations higher than 2 ppm, bromine can accumulate in plant tissue and root systems. Over time, this can lead to the death of these plants. Bromine is particularly harmful to trees.
Will Saltwater from a Hot Tub Kill Grass?
Saltwater kills most plants and, unlike chlorine or bromine treated water, salt doesn’t dissipate over time. Saltwater can harm plants in the same way that it harms people- the plants attempt to use the water like freshwater but instead of hydrating the plant, the plant is dehydrated, accumulates more salt over time, and eventually wilts and dies. This is as true for grass as it is for trees.
Related Article: What Kills Grass? The Full List
Is There a Way To Safely Drain Hot Tub Water on Grass?
Yes, there is a way to prepare hot tub water to be drained onto your lawn without killing your lawn. As long as you have a bromine/chlorine-treated hot tub or spa. Saltwater should not be used on any lawn. All you’ll need is time, patience, a chlorine and bromine test kit, and the willingness to run your hot tub for up to 6 hours.
First, you need to remove the cover on your hot tub and check the chlorine and bromine levels to get a baseline. You’re hoping to see a content of about 3 ppm. If this is where you’re at, you should then run the spa with the jets on and the cover off for about an hour. Check the levels again. Repeat the process until the levels are 1 ppm or less. Once the levels are about 1 ppm, you can safely let the water out onto your lawn once the water has cooled off completely.
If your levels are over 3 ppm, you should follow the same process but run your hot tub in cycles of no more than 1 hour. This should be followed by one hour off with the cover still set aside. This is to help reduce energy costs as well as reduce the impact of this process on the lifespan of your hot tub or spa.
Where Can I Drain My Hot Tub Water?
If the yard is out, what are the other options for draining a hot tub? There are several alternative places to drain your hot tub, depending on your city or county’s codes and ordinances. In most cities, you have access to a designated sewer or street drain. All you need to do is hook up a sturdy garden hose to the drain spigot of your hot tub and allow the water to flow into this direct sewer access. Some locations prefer hot tubs to be drained into utility sinks located on the same property as the hot tub.
If none of these options are available, it’s always possible to drain your hot tub into the sewer through a bathtub drain. You do want to keep an eye on this process, though, to catch any potential problems, such as clogs, before you have flooding issues.
With Proper Management, Hot Tub Water Could Benefit Your Lawn
Saltwater spas and hot tubs should never be drained on a lawn. However, more traditional chlorine-treated hot tubs can be drained safely if the cover is left off and the chlorine and bromine levels are allowed to dip below 1 ppm or, even better, below detectable levels. As mentioned above, small amounts of chlorine can even be beneficial to plant life and may even improve the health of your lawn if only applied a few times a year.
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