The Ultimate Guide to Hot Tub Maintenance
|
|
Time to read 4 min
Table of Contents
Are you considering purchasing a hot tub and wondering how much maintenance is involved? Or do you already own a spa and want to know how to take care of it properly? Either way, you are in the right place. Not only do we sell spa chemicals, but we've put together the ultimate guide to hot tub maintenance. This will help you take care of and enjoy your hot tub for many years.
We'll break spa maintenance down for you. It's easy to care for your new spa once you understand water chemistry, have the right hot tub chemicals, and create a maintenance schedule.
Regarding spa care, there are three things to keep in mind.
- Circulation
- Cleaning
- Water balance
Keep Your Water Circulating
You want to keep your hot tub water circulating to keep it clean. While your water leaks, your spa filter is doing its job. As the water circulates, debris particles, bacteria, and contaminants pass through your spa filter. Many hot tubs have an automatic circulation schedule, so the water circulates a few times daily and lets the water pass through your spa filter.
If your spa has no automatic cycle, you want to run it for about 20 minutes twice daily to keep your water clean. You want to ensure your hot tub water is circulating and moving through your filter daily, even if you aren't soaking in it. If you don't circulate your spa water daily, it will get cloudy, take on a different smell, and even foamy.
Keep Your Hot Tub Clean
Create a hot tub cleaning schedule and stick to it. If you regularly clean your spa, you're more likely to use it often. And using it every day usually means you are feeling better and less stressed.
- Wiping down the outside of your hot tub.
- Clean the inside of your spa and remove any leaves, debris, and trash.
In addition, you want to drain and clean your hot tub every three to four months. If you use it often, you should do this more often.
Keep Your Filter Clean
This is a must-do task. Set a reminder to check your hot tub filter so your spa stays clean and healthy. Like with any water filtration system, mineral particles or hard water calcification can clog your filters, so it's a good idea to clean your hot tub filter every week or two, depending on your usage.
Here's how to clean your filter:
- Spray your spa filter cartridge with a garden hose. Rotate while spraying between the filter pleats to remove any debris.
- Use a filter cleaner. This keeps your filters clean and working well.
- Replace your filters every one to three years or as specified by the manufacturer. This is key to keeping your water running efficiently and smoothly.
- You can also soak your filters in cleaner when you drain and refill your hot tub. Then rinse before replacing.
You know your filter needs to be replaced if it's damaged, shows signs of wear, or doesn't come clean.
Balance Your Water
Like a swimming pool, you want to test your hot tub water regularly to ensure it's balanced. You're testing your pH levels and alkalinity. If these are out of balance, you may damage your filter, plumbing, jets, and even the surfaces of your spa. It's easy to keep your water balanced, so with regular maintenance, you can stay on top of it.
In addition to testing the water with test strips every week, you want to have these spa chemicals on hand:
- pH increaser
- pH decreaser
- Alkalinity increaser
- Sanitizer (either chlorine or bromine)
- Spa Shock
- Defoamer if your water gets foamy
Adjusting pH and Alkalinity
When adjusting your pH and alkalinity, you are looking for a pH level of 7.4 to 7.6. If you go lower than this, your water will be acidic. If you go higher than this, your water will be cloudy, and your sanitizer will be less effective.
Next, you want to add sanitizer to your spa. Follow the directions and always test your water after adding this to ensure your pH level and alkalinity are correct.
Finally, shock your spa with SpaGuard Enhanced Shock. This powerful product destroys contaminants in your hot tub, especially after heavy usage. You can use SpaGuard Enhanced Shock with any sanitization system, and it also has oxidizers that break down organic substances while keeping your hot tub smelling great.
You'll also appreciate that SpaGuard Enhanced Shock has a clarifier that helps your filtration system identify and eliminate foreign particles.
Shocking your hot tub is especially important if you've had heavy soaker loads and last used your spa a while ago.
Keep Your Hot Tub Covered
Another step in proper hot tub maintenance is using the right cover for your spa. You want to keep your hot tub covered whenever you aren't soaking. This keeps it clean, and it also keeps the warm water inside.
You want to keep your hot tub uncovered when not in use. You may get dirt, debris, snow, rain, and even unwelcome critters in your hot tub if you do.
A hot tub cover also helps the longevity of your hot tub because a cover helps keep your spa clean.
You want to rinse your cover off and clean it with a gentle cover cleanser as part of your regular maintenance. You can also add a protectant as part of your routine. This helps your cover last longer.
You've Got Your Ultimate Guide
Now that you have this information grab your hot tub chemicals. You’re ready for many years of hot tub enjoyment, relaxation, and wellness!
Got a hot tub, a swimming pool, or both? Great! You've come to the right place if you want quality hot tub and pool chemicals shipped to your door. At Pool Goods, we are here to help you enjoy every day in your hot tub with the best pool and spa products on the market shipped right to you!
