To keep clean, a hot tub needs maintenance every few days. Additional weekly spa maintenance is required to protect your hot tub pump and parts as well as the cleanliness of the water. And every three months a thorough hot tub maintenance is recommended. In addition, the water level and filtering in your spa will also affect the hot tub maintenance requirements.
This guide to spa maintenance will provide you with the information you need to carry out your basic hot tub maintenance yourself. In this way, the water will remain cleaner longer and your hot tub pump and parts will live longer. For the most part, only a few minutes investment at a time will be required for your hot tub maintenance, ensuring you the luxury of a home spa year round.
Before Your Hot Tub Maintenance
Assuming that your hot tub is going to be cleaned and filled for the first time, there are a few spa maintenance tricks that will make the job easier. To begin with, after cleaning your hot tub, be sure to wipe off any soap residue with wet paper towels or a wet cloth. This will prevent the water in your hot tub foaming up after it is filled, which is harmful to your hot tub pump and can become a real nuisance when the foam rises too high. In fact, bad cases of foam may require you to empty your hot tub and start your spa maintenance over again, or use large amounts of foam reducer on a regular basis.
When filling your hot tub be sure to bring the water level to the water level line. Typically this line is easy to find on the water filter entrance. If during spa maintenance you fill the tub too low, the hot tub pump will disengage as a safety measure. The spa will then stop heating and circulating and may appear to be broken. If you fill the water level too high, once more your hot tub systems may disengage to prevent over-heating; although often the hot tub will empty the excess through an exit hole. Therefore, make checking the water level in your hot tub a routine part of your spa maintenance.
First time spa maintenance (for fresh water) includes a few additional steps above and beyond routine hot tub maintenance. The hot tub chemicals below can be tossed into the hot tub waters, while the hot tub is circulating (that is, while the hot tub pump is working and the spa is bubbling).
1. Bromine. Add 6 tablets of bromine to your bromine floater or your filter compartment. This will keep your hot tub water clean. Tip:It’s recommended to use a bromine floater as you can then determine how much bromine to release at a time. Initially, set the bromine float wide open, then minimize the aperture.
2. Calcium Hardness Increaser. Add 8 oz (8 tablespoons) of Calcium Hardness Increaser. This hot tub chemical will protect your hot tub pump and equipment from corrosion by increasing the hardness of the water.
3. Granular Bromine. Add 2 oz (2 tablespoons) of granular bromine to the spa water to kick off the sanitation of your hot tub with proper bromine levels. This will allow you to use your hot tub shortly after the spa maintenance, without risk of sitting in unsafe waters.
4. Shock. Add 2 oz (2 tablespoons) of Shock, to play a double rule in your spa maintenance. First, shock will oxidize organisms killed by the bromine, which will eliminate any unpleasant odors in your hot tub. Second, shock will activate the hot tub chemicals making the more potent faster.
5. Stain & Scale. Add 2 oz (2 tablespoons) of Stain & Scale to your spa water to protect your hot tub pump and equipment by preventing mineral build up.
Tip 1: Keep the hot tub pump working for 30 minutes after your spa maintenance.
Tip 2: Test the quality of the spa waters with hot tub tester strips. The color patches that appear after dipping in the spa will tell you if you need to add or countermand any of the hot tub chemicals you used.
This weekly spa maintenance should supplement your bi or tri-weekly spa maintenance discussed below. In this step you will be adding hot tub chemicals to supplement the initial maintenance you performed on the fresh water. These hot tub chemicals should be tossed into the spa while the pump is working and the waters are bubbling.
1. Shock. Add 1 oz (1 tablespoon) of Shock to keep the oxidation process going. This will eliminate odors by oxidizing dead organisms. This will also help to keep your hot tub chemicals potent. Tip: For large hot tubs increase the dose to 2 oz (2 tablespoons).
2. Stain & Scale. Add 1 oz (1 tablespoon) of Stain & Scale to keep protecting your hot tub pump and equipment from mineral or metal buildup. Tip: For large hot tubs increase the dose to 2 oz (2 tablespoons).
Tip: Keep the hot tub pump working for 30 minutes after your spa maintenance.
Tip 2: Test the quality of the spa waters with hot tub tester strips. The color patches that appear after dipping in the spa will tell you if you need to add or countermand any of the hot tub chemicals you used.
Bi-Weekly or Tri-Weekly Hot Tub Maintenance
Every two or three days, it is recommended to test the water in your hot tub. Use hot tub strips, the kind you dip in the water. The color patches will show you exactly water hot tub chemicals should be included in your routine spa maintenance. Based on the results add:
1. Bromine. Add bromine tablets to your bromine floater. If the bromine level is too high, reduce the size of the aperture on the floater. If they are too low, increase the size.
2. PH up. Depending on the strip test, add 1 or 2 oz (tablespoons) of Alkalinity Increaser to raise the PH level in the spa water. This will protect your hot tub pump and equipment from corrosion.
3. PH down. Depending on the strip test, add 1 or 2 oz (tablespoons) of PH Decreaser to return the water alkalinity to where it should be.
Recommended Frequency for Complete Spa Maintenance
It’s best to change the water in your hot tub every three or four months. Because of hot tub chemicals, you may not wish to empty the hot tub into your yard. It’s best to take a short hose, dip one end in the hot tub, then suck the air out of the opposite end until water starts to flow. Since nature abhors a vacuum, water will start to flow out of your hot tub to fill the empty space in the hose. In this way you can slowly empty your spa into buckets, then deposit the chemical rich water where it won’t harm your garden plants.
Equipment Spa Maintenance
So long as your spa is functioning well, it’s best to have a routine hot tub equipment maintenance once a year to treat filters, your hot tub pump and other parts. Look for a local provider online and be sure to compare prices. Avoid buying your hot tub chemicals at the time of maintenance as the price will be higher than if you bought your spa chemicals online or at your local home improvement store.
Energy Efficient Spa Maintenance
Your hot tub should circulate the water daily to keep it clean. Most hot tubs come with the option of running 24 hrs or running on a timer that you can set. Choose to run your hot tub for 3 hours a day for optimal spa maintenance.
Reference:
1. Eastside Hot Tub Service customer spa maintenance flyer.
