Getting a hot tub was a great decision. You find yourself more relaxed; you are sleeping better, and you are using it to spend more quality time with your family. Your hot tub was a big investment, and you know it is meant to last for years. However, you may be wondering lately if you are doing all you can to care for it. You would hate for things to go wrong just because you weren’t as thorough in your maintenance as you should have been. Don’t worry—hot tub maintenance isn’t as scary as you think. Let’s go over the basics so you can be sure that your hot tub continues to provide your family with enjoyment for many years to come.

 

Understand Your Chemistry

The most essential part of good hot tub care is that you understand your water chemistry. You will test your chlorine/bromine, pH, alkalinity, and calcium weekly and adjust as needed to keep each one at the proper level. Test strips are a convenient way to do this. If you have any questions, your pool supply professionals can answer them and advise you. At Aqua Pools, we invite hot tub owners to bring in a water sample so we can go over how to adjust chemicals and achieve the proper balance. It is important that you keep a supply on hand of all the chemicals you need and use. It is a major inconvenience to realize you are out of something and have to run out to the store when you are in the middle of a project.

 

Weekly Cleaning Schedule

Schedule a day for your weekly hot tub cleaning and stick to it. Your weekly cleaning routine will involve:

• Water testing
• Sanitizing and shocking the water
• Removing the filter and rinsing it off with a garden hose
• Wiping down the spa cover, inside and out
• Cleaning the shell, jets, waterline, and headrests with a white vinegar solution

 

Quarterly Cleaning Schedule

Every three months you should do the following:

• Drain and refill the hot tub. Take care not to overfill. The water should come to a few inches above the bottom of the filter. Fun tip: for the most part, you can re-use the spa water in your garden. Read our blog post for more details! 

 

Special Tasks

There are a few tasks that can be done, as needed, for proper maintenance of your hot tub.

 

• The Cover:  Occasionally, remove the cover, thoroughly wipe down the inside with a weak (1:10) bleach and water solution and let it air dry. This should be done monthly, or more often if you notice a mildew smell.
• Filter Care:  In addition to rinsing the filter off each week, you should spray it with a filter degreasing product on a monthly basis. Every three months when you drain and refill the spa, the filter should be soaked overnight in a bucket of filter cleaner. Your filter will need to be replaced every year or so.

 

You can see that hot tub maintenance is not as scary as you think. The basic tasks are easy and as long as you are faithful about performing them when needed, your hot tub should last for years. Aqua Pools also highly recommends that you book an annual service call to make sure all the components of your hot tub are in good working condition and to make any necessary repairs. Please reach out to us if you have any questions!