To get rid of a hot tub, disconnect the power, drain it by your city's rules, then cut it up and haul it off. City bulk pickup in McKinney and nearby cities won't take one, because it's far past their size and weight limits. Cowboy Site Services removes hot tubs across Collin and Grayson County, from $515.
What are your options for an old hot tub?
There are really three. If it still works, someone may take it as-is and move it themselves. If it's dead, you can tear it down yourself or hire a crew to remove it.
Selling or giving away a working tub sounds easy, but the buyer still has to move it. Expect them to need the same power, draining and access work described below.
Most old tubs end up as a removal job. The rest of this guide walks through what that involves.
Why won't bulk pickup take a hot tub?
Size and weight. McKinney's residential trash page caps bulky set-outs at 3.5 feet tall by 3 feet deep by 9 feet long.
Allen's bulk page says every item must weigh under 150 pounds. Frisco's bulk trash page allows nothing over 6 feet in any direction or 50 pounds.
Even an empty shell won't meet limits like those. Frisco also says its crews can't go onto private property, so a tub in the back yard has to reach the curb first.
Step one: get the power disconnected
Nobody should touch, drain or cut a tub until the power is off. Turn it off at its breaker or outdoor disconnect, and leave it off.
Most full-size tubs are hardwired. Have a licensed electrician disconnect the circuit at the source and make the wiring safe before removal day.
Ask the electrician what they leave behind, such as a capped line or an empty disconnect box. That's useful to know if you plan to put something else in that spot.
Step two: drain it the way your city allows
Most tubs have a drain spigot, and a small submersible pump speeds things up. Before you point a hose anywhere, check your city's rules on where treated water can go.
Cities word this differently. Celina's stormwater page says pool and spa water should de-chlorinate for at least three days before it goes to the storm drain. It notes that storm drain water flows untreated into local water bodies.
Allen's stormwater page treats anything in the storm sewer that isn't 100% storm water as an illicit discharge. It names chlorinated pool draining as a common example.
- Frisco: Frisco's water page lets pool water go to the storm drain after 2 to 3 days in the sun without added chlorine. A de-chlorination additive also works.
- Frisco also lists draining to the sanitary sewer through an indoor drain as a proper method. It says saltwater pools should drain to the sanitary sewer.
- Plano: Plano's code says private pool water may never be pumped onto public property, such as alleys or streets.
Step three: let it dry, and clear out the chemicals
Leave the cover off for a day or two after draining. Wet insulation foam adds a lot of weight, and it makes cutting messier.
Leftover spa chemicals don't belong on the trailer. TCEQ's household hazardous waste page lists pool chlorine and acid as household hazardous waste.
Allen's household chemical pickup accepts pool chemicals, for example. Our household hazardous waste guide covers the other cities.
Step four: check the path out
Take photos of the tub, the path and the gate. Those photos tell you, or a crew, whether the shell can come out whole.
- Gate width: measure the narrowest gate against the tub's smallest side.
- Obstacles: decks built around the tub, steps, a slope, a fence line or landscaping.
- Ground: soft grass after rain makes dollies sink and ruts the yard.
- Overhead: low eaves, pergola beams or lines along the route.
Whole or in pieces?
If the tub sits on a patio with a wide, straight path out, it may tip on edge and roll out on dollies. That takes several people and a trailer that can carry it.
Most backyard tubs don't get that easy path. Then it gets cut apart on site: cabinet panels off first, then the shell and frame cut into carryable sections.
That means a reciprocating saw, fiberglass dust and loose insulation. Wear eye protection, a well-fitted mask, gloves and long sleeves.
What about the deck or pad under it?
Look at what the tub sits on. A deck built for a hot tub may be worth keeping, or it may be rotted from years of splash-out.
If you want the deck gone too, say so up front. That turns a haul-off into a deck removal job, and the quote should cover both.
A concrete pad is its own question. Mention it when you send photos, and ask whether concrete removal fits that slab.
Where does a hot tub end up?
Once it's in pieces, most of it is mixed debris: fiberglass or acrylic, paneling, foam, and some metal and wiring. If you haul it yourself, you need a facility you're allowed to use.
NTMWD's facilities page lets residents of Allen, Frisco, McKinney, Plano and Richardson drop off certain waste twice a month at its Citizen Convenience Centers. Its 121 landfill in Melissa charges by the ton with a one-ton minimum.
Allen's disposal page says loads must be covered or tied down, as state law requires. Foam and paneling blow out of an open trailer fast.
DIY or hire it out?
Doing it yourself can make sense if the tub is small and on a patio. It helps to have a trailer, a few strong helpers and a free weekend.
Hiring makes more sense when the tub is behind a narrow gate or built into a deck. It also helps when nobody wants to cut fiberglass or make three trips to a landfill.
Either way, the order doesn't change. Power off by an electrician, drain by the city's rules, then cut and haul.
When to hand it off
Hot tubs are one of the jobs other haulers turn down. Our hot tub removal service covers homes from McKinney across Collin and Grayson County.
Once the power is disconnected, we drain the tub and pull the wiring back to the disconnect. We cut it down on site when the shell can't come out whole, and everything leaves on the trailer.
Send photos of the tub, the path and the gate. Hot tub removal starts from $515, and the exact price is confirmed on site before we start.