Hot Tub Maintenance Is Easier Than You Think
We wanted to remind you that water care and hot tub maintenance is not only essential for your spa, but it’s so much easier than you think! Taking care of your spa allows you to not only maintain crystal clear water, but it’ll set you up for success long term. Set yourself up for decades of future spa use by getting it right from the beginning! While it may seem overwhelming – the maintenance process is easier than you’d think! We’d like to share some basic pointers to show you just how manageable it is to keep a clean and healthy hot tub that will last for years.
There are three standard essentials when it comes to taking care of your hot tub. Let’s break it down into the “3 C’s” of hot tub maintenance to ensure a clean spa!
What Are The 3 C’s?
- Circulation – Circulation helps things stay clean so you’re not covered in algae every time you want to take a soak. If water stagnates, it can soon become a breeding ground for bacteria.
- Cleaning – Scrubbing down is a key part of keeping your hot tub running efficiently. It’s key to drain out your tub and spray it down with water and a hot tub cleaner to break down grime.
- Chemistry – When your hot tub is filled up, you need to test the water to determine the pH, alkalinity, and sanitizer levels. Getting these numbers dialed in is key.
Hot to Use the 3 C’s?
If you keep up with the 3 C’s, you’ll be able to keep your hot tub running effortlessly all year, and even decade long. We’ve explained what these three factors are, but now let’s take a look at how to apply them.
Applying Circulation
When you circulate your water, it helps keep it free of contaminants by passing it through the hot tub’s filters. In fact, certain spas even have an automatic circulation schedule that ensures it runs once or twice each day. These cycles circulate the spa water for around 15-20 minutes to ensure all the water in your hot tub makes its way through the filters. If your hot tub doesn’t have an automatic cycle, you’ll need to turn on your hot tub for 15-20 minutes, two times a day, to ensure your water is clean and restored. To be frank, the more you run your hot tub, the cleaner it stays.
Applying Cleaning
Getting down and dirty with some manual cleaning is key to your hot tub’s health. While it may seem frequent, weekly cleaning is the best way to ensure that your tub stays in tip-top shape. On the bright side, you really only need to drain your spa completely for a full cleaning about every three to four months. For the extra achievers, you’re more than welcome to clean every couple of months, after all, a little extra scrubbing doesn’t hurt…especially if your hot tub gets a lot of new guests.
Applying Chemistry
Ensuring you have a sparkly spa is as easy as making sure you have the right water chemistry! However, balancing your hot tub’s water can be tricky due to the smaller size of the tub. You’ll be targeting three parts: pH, alkalinity, and sanitizer levels in this maintenance step. Before you begin, you will need a baseline reading on your water chemistry.
When your hot tub is full, test the water to determine the pH and alkalinity levels. You’ll want to aim for a pH level of 7.4 to 7.6.
- Values below this range will reduce your sanitizer’s effectiveness, and your spa will soon develop murky water.
- Values above the range will be too acidic, causing the water to potentially eat away at your hardware and could burn your skin and eyes.
For alkalinity, aim for 125 parts per million (ppm) to 150 ppm. If alkalinity goes way up, it can cause scaling and more water cloudiness. Lastly, add the sanitizer of your choice and test the water again to make sure your pH and alkalinity levels are within ideal ranges.
If you have any lingering questions, give one of our store representatives a call and we’ll set you up with the perfect water care package for you and your spa.
