How to Drain and Store a Softub and Hydromate

A Softub is built for exactly two states: running with maintained water, or completely drained, dried, and properly stored. Softub’s own guidance draws that line at about one week — leave it longer than that unused, and the right move is a full drain and dry-out. Improper storage damage isn’t covered by the warranty, so the details below (all from Softub’s official Owner’s Guide) are worth doing exactly.

The procedure in one line: unplug → purge if due → drain completely → drain the Hydromate hoses-down → roll the tub to purge its plumbing → wipe dry → store horizontally, lid off, ventilated, out of sunlight, protected from pests and freezing.

Step by Step, per Softub’s Instructions

Purge first if it’s due. If the plumbing hasn’t been flushed in a while, run a plumbing flush in the old water before draining — storage seals whatever film is in the pipes in with them. (Optional if you purged recently.)
Unplug the Hydromate. Softub’s rule is absolute: always unplug before draining.
Remove the filter (and DuraSock) — clean both, dry them, and store them separately. If the filter is near its yearly replacement point, note it now and start the season fresh with an OEM Softub filter.
Drain completely — siphon, or a submersible utility pump. Keep the pump’s suction end off the vinyl; Softub warns contact can damage the liner.
Drain the Hydromate: disconnect it and turn it so the hoses face down, letting all water run out of the internal plumbing. Handle it gently and never lift it by the plumbing assembly — that’s a Softub manufacturer’s warning, not a suggestion.
Purge the tub’s internal plumbing: per the Owner’s Guide, turn the tub on its side and roll it back and forth so trapped water leaves the tub’s internal lines. This is the one place “tipping and rolling” is genuinely official — it applies to the tub, for draining, not to storing it that way and not to the Hydromate.
Wipe everything dry — walls, floor, crevices. While it’s empty is also the right time for a liner clean (mild soap solution, rinsed) and an exterior wipe-down with Softub Cleaner & Conditioner. Residual water is the enemy: it freezes in cold climates and mildews in warm ones.
Store it right: tub horizontal (never on its side long-term), lid off, in a well-ventilated area, nothing stacked on top, and never empty in direct sunlight — each of those is an explicit Softub instruction, and sunlight-on-empty is specifically called out as warranty-voiding. The original shipping cartons are ideal if you kept them.
Protect against pests. Softub’s warranty excludes insect and rodent damage, and the foam is attractive nesting. Store off the ground where practical, in sealed cartons or wrapped breathably (not airtight plastic against the vinyl), in a space you actually check.

Freeze warning: the reason steps 5–7 exist is that leftover water in internal plumbing freezes and splits it. If the tub or Hydromate will see below-freezing temperatures in storage, the drain-and-dry steps are not optional detailing — they’re the whole job.

Restarting after storage

Set up per the Owner’s Guide setup checklist: position the tub (straps underneath first), connect the Hydromate, install the filter, fill through a pre-filter — bypassing any water softener, per Softub — then balance and start the sanitizer with our Softub Softcare guide. If the tub sat long or you bought it used, run a purge on the first fill.

Softub Storage FAQs

No. Turning the tub on its side and rolling it is Softub’s official method for draining the internal plumbing – but for storage, the Owner’s Guide says the tub must be stored horizontally, lid off, in a well-ventilated area, with nothing on top. Side-storage for weeks deforms a tub that was engineered to sit flat.

Disconnect it and turn it so the hose connections face down, and let the internal plumbing drain – that’s the official procedure. Handle it gently, never lift or carry it by the plumbing assembly, and give it time to finish dripping before it goes into storage.

Softub’s guidance: if you’re leaving the tub for more than one week without maintaining it, remove the filter and drain the system completely. There’s no approved in-between state – either the water is being sanitized and balanced, or the tub should be empty and dry. Note the warranty also expects chemicals maintained continuously, with more than 24 hours unbalanced called out.

Not exposed. An empty Softub must be kept out of direct sunlight (explicitly warranty-relevant), dry, ventilated, and protected from pests – and any water left in plumbing will freeze and split it. A garage or basement, horizontal with the lid off, beats any outdoor arrangement.

There’s no Softub-approved “half open” operating position, and no support for claims that a partially opened lid prevents or causes specific failures. Softub’s instructions are binary: lid completely off (required when adding chemicals, and while the tub is in use) or properly closed and strapped. For storage, the lid comes fully off and stores separately.

Additional Resources

Continue with the guide that best matches what you are seeing or what you need to do next.

Softub Plumbing Flush Guide — The purge that should usually precede a long storage.
Softub Softcare Water Care Guide — The full restart routine when the tub comes back out.
Why Hot Tub Water Must Be Drained and Refilled — The reasoning behind drain intervals, storage aside.