How to Pack Down and Store Your Portable Spa the Right Way

Sooner or later most portable spa owners need to pack their pool away. Maybe you're moving house, reclaiming the deck for summer, or storing the spa between seasons. Done right, your spa folds back into its original storage bag and comes out the other side ready to go. Done in a hurry, you end up with a liner that won't fit the bag and moisture trapped where you least want it.

This is the routine Dave uses on his own spas and on customer pools. It's written for our inflatable and liner-based models like the Mono-Eco 6, but most of it applies across the range.

Before you ever pack down: film your setup

The best storage tip happens on day one. When you first set up your spa, take your own video of the liner coming out of the storage bag, and film the unfolding carefully. When the time comes to store it, being able to fold the liner exactly the same way is what makes it fit back into the bag.

Step 1: Drain and dry the pool

If the spa is indoors, connect a hose to direct the draining water to a drain. It takes a while, and a couple of people with buckets can speed things up.

If you can drain it where it stands, here's the faster way (and honestly, the fun way). Take two of the three caps that came with your pool and fit them to the inlet and outlet valves on the inside of the pool. Disconnect the inlet and outlet pipes from the control unit. When you're ready, undo the air pipe and move the control unit out of the way, and water will start gushing from that pipe. Then pull the two caps from inside the pool and it drains rapidly through all three pipes. Use the pool drain as well.

A word of caution: the caps and stoppers method is for our frame and verto series spas. If your control unit sits within the liner (Comfort, Premium and Muse series), fully drain the spa before removing any valves.

Once the water is gone, reconnect the control unit to the air pipe, restore power, and touch the bubble button. Air blows through the bubble curtain and pushes out the last of the moisture. Then disconnect the control unit again and towel dry the inside of the pool.

Step 2: Drain and dry the control unit

If the pool has had minimal use since it was last moved or stored, you can skip this step.

If the spa has seen plenty of use since the control unit was last flushed, flush it through the inlet and outlet pipes to clear any gunk that got past the filter cartridge. Hold the unit horizontal and rock it gently from side to side to pour out the last of the water. Once it's upright again, restore power and run the bubbles for a few seconds to clear any remaining moisture.

If it's been more than a month since the control unit had the white vinegar treatment, or the spa is heading into storage for a while, it's worth doing the vinegar treatment before it goes away. You'll find the full guide in our help centre.

Step 3: Deflate and pack the liner, bladder and heat mat

The insulation bladder deflates easily into a very small package. Squeeze the valve so the air can escape.

For the liner, the fastest way is to use the SUP valve wrench (the small black one) and rotate the inflation valve anti-clockwise until it comes out of the pool completely. With the valve removed, the opening is large enough to get nearly all the air out quickly.

Now fold the liner exactly the way it was folded when you first unboxed it (this is where that day-one video earns its keep). It will collapse down and fit back into the storage bag.

Done properly, the liner, the bladder, the cover and the heat mat all fit in the storage bag together. The only thing you carry separately is the control unit.

A couple of tips from the shed

A blower makes inflating pools and insulation bladders far faster and easier than the hand pump, and reversed (or with a vacuum) it's just as handy for getting air out again at pack-down time.

And if you use the insulation bladder day to day, it only needs enough air to form a sealed pocket on top of the water. There's no need to inflate it hard.

How long can it stay stored?

As long as everything going into the bag is properly dry, and the storage spot is dry and cool, your spa pool can be stored for a long time without any trouble. Moisture is the enemy: never pack away a spa with damp in the liner or the control unit.

Questions about your specific model? Email sales@portablespas.co.nz or give Dave a call on 027 411 2323. We're always happy to talk spas.