Many hot tub owners are looking to warm up in the comfort of their spas during this cold weather. Nothing says relaxation quite like a bubbly soak in a hot tub. While the prospect of maintaining a hot tub may seem stressful, you can get the job well done with minimum hassle. If you are a hot tub owner that has been using your spa more regularly, you need to be mindful of the fact that heavy hot tub usage equals more consistent, thorough hot tub maintenance. Hot tub maintenance is simple and if done properly, you’ll spend little time maintaining and more time soaking. If you are not sure you know how to maintain a hot tub, then we will walk you through everything you need to know about keeping your hot tub sleek. There is more to it than wiping it down with a cleaning solution, get it wrong and you could be in for some nasty surprises. Eliminating buildup while treating your hot tub surfaces with care is easier than it sounds, and you don’t need a degree to do it. We have put together a basic guide to get you comfortable with proper, regular hot tub maintenance.
7 Hot Tub Maintenance Tips
Hot Tub Circulation
Still, waters might run deep, but flowing waters run clean. Circulating the water helps keep it free of contaminants by passing it through your hot tub’s cartridge filter. If the water is constantly circulating, inorganic and organic contaminants have less time to settle and build up within your tub. Depending on the model, your spa may have an automatic circulation schedule that ensures it runs once or twice a day. These cycles circulate the water for around 15 to 20 minutes to ensure all the water in your tub passes through the filters. If your hot tub doesn’t have an automatic cycle, make sure you turn it on for 15 to 20 minutes twice a day to ensure your water’s been refreshed. The more you run your hot tub, the cleaner it’ll be. With regular circulation, your filters will in turn catch and trap more contaminants. It is very important to regularly clean and soaks your spa filters.
Filter Care
The filters must be cleaned regularly otherwise the water flow will be restricted and the hot tub will automatically shut down.
- Rinse your hot tub filters with warm water from your hose
- Spray your filters with a professional filter cleaner to penetrate the dirt that has built up then rinse the cleaner off your filters after you have thoroughly sprayed them.
- Soak your filters in a professional chemical cleaner on your drain and clean days. After they are done soaking for the recommended dosage time, rinse them off.
When your filters get to the point where even a chemical soak doesn’t completely clean them, it is time to replace them.
Cleaning
Cleaning your hot tub is a critical part of effective hot tub maintenance. Indoor and outdoor hot tubs are both prone to developing scum. Weekly scrubbing your hot tub’s shell is super helpful in removing build-up, outdoor tubs are exposed to both organic and inorganic contaminants and therefore need a good scrubbing on a weekly basis. A weekly clean with a sponge and some white vinegar on your tub will keep things tidy and get rid of buildup. Use it to scrub away the dirt line at the water’s edge as well. Make sure you clean the inside of your hot tub as often as possible and don’t forget to wipe down the shell. Focus cleaning on your tub’s water line and jets for a weekly clean. Give the tub cover a quick once-over with a 10% bleach solution to keep mildew at bay. A weekly clean is an essential hot tub care plan but you should drain your tub every two to three months for a thorough deep cleaning.
Water Chemistry
A spanking clean tub makes another core component of maintenance a lot easier which is water chemistry. Water chemistry is vital to your hot tub’s health, your tub’s water chemistry needs to be tested every week with a testing kit, test strips, or with other professional testing products. Balancing your tub’s water is similar to balancing pool water but a bit trickier due to the drastic size differences
PH Level
The term pH is a way of describing whether your water is acidic or alkaline. The pH scale works from 0-14 with 7 being neutral. Anything below 7 is classified as acidic, and anything above 7 is considered alkaline so you must keep your pH level within the range of 7.2 to 7.8.
Alkalinity
For alkalinity, shoot for 100 ppm to 150 ppm. If alkalinity gets too high, it can cause scaling and cloudiness.
Sanitizer
Your hot tub will need to be treated with sanitizer to control and prevent bacteria growth. Bacteria can multiply rapidly in a hot environment, so you must maintain an appropriate sanitizer level to ensure any bacteria in the water is killed. There are two main sanitizers available to keep your hot tub clean and these are chlorine and bromine.
Shock Treatments
If you are using your spa after a long period of inactivity or you’ve been using it heavily, it is a good idea to shock your hot tub to make sure it’s completely sanitized. Make shocking a regular part of your scheduled hot tub maintenance to keep your water safe and clean. It is recommended to shock dose or oxidizes your water every week with a non-chlorine shock treatment.
Following these procedures will provide a firm foundation for hot tub maintenance care that will get you started on the path to soaking satisfaction and relaxation. To further solidify your spa care regimen, add an effective and consistent hot tub maintenance schedule.
Hot Tub Maintenance Schedule
Regular hot tub maintenance is what is going to keep your hot tub in top shape. Besides, there are some hot tub maintenance practices that only need to be done monthly, seasonally, and even annually. And the key to good maintenance is consistency and simplicity. You will find it is much less stressful and much easier to keep track of tasks.
Owning your hot tub is an affordable luxury but while the bubbles may be relaxing, maintaining the unit takes work and effort. For yours to operate correctly and last a long time you must maintain the hot tub as needed. At Premier Hot Tub, they offer the best hot tubs in Ireland. They use the latest technology, the most durable parts, and the most energy-efficient designs to give you the best spa and hot tub experience.
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