Hot Tub & Spa Maintenance 101 - A Basic Guide

Some people think that owning a Hot Tub can be a very expensive and time consuming task, this beginner guide will help you to save your money and your maintenance time which will allow you more time inside the tub instead of spending your time under it.

A safe Hot Tub is reliant on chemical use and filtration to keep the water clean for you and yours.

SETTING UP YOUR HOT TUB

Whenever you purchase a new tub and have it balanced and set up on your pad, the first thing to do is fill it up and then give it a high dose of your choice of sanitizer. Sanitizer is generally Chlorine or Bromine and this will keep your water healthy and clean for you. Bromine is becoming far more popular due to less rash, less smell and other reasons. A good guide to start this would be 60g of chlorine per 1500 l of water. 

HOT TUB CIRCULATION & FILTRATION

Most Hot Tubs will have a filtration system which helps to maintain clean water, catch debris and stop contamination. We advise to check your filter bi-weekly to make sure it doesn't look to dirty. You can clean these using a solution or can possibly even hose them down too. Eventually though a filter cartridge will need to be replaced.

TESTING YOUR WATER

This is a vital step to keeping your Hot Tub clean and ready to use. The easiest way to do this is by using test strips, or taking a sample of water in a clean vessle to a local pool store who can test it and help you decide what you need. We recommend testing of the water weekly (depending on use).

The basic levels that we are testing for in the water is Sanitiser (chlorine or bromine), PH levels and Total Alkalinity. Test strips show you the level of these chemicals in the water and will tell you whether you need more or less. From here, it is a matter of simply adding more PH or TA + or - and adding more or less sanitizer. 

It is important to use the test strips accurately as directed. After using them for a while you will become a pro and reading and adjusting these levels.

HOT TUB FOAM

If your hot tub water is producing too much bubbles and foam, this can often be caused by remaining detergents in the water. This is often due to detergents on swimming suits. It may seem like a big ask but if people were to have a quick shower with their costumes on before hand this would greatly reduce foam build up. This will help to remove, cosmetics, mousturizers, detergents etc before people get in. 

Another simple solution is buying Dazzle Defoamer which quickly and easily removes foam from the water.

GENERAL CLEANING

We also recommend using a spa safe scrubbing brush or sponge to remove any build ups around the inside of the tub. We love the Life Spa Magic Foam Sponges for this use. 

 MAINTENANCE SAFETY TIPS

For any hot tub owner / user it is important to keep our safety tips in mind at all times:

1. Make sure that Hot Tub temperatures do not exceed 40℃ (lower if children will be using the Hot Tub)
2. Never leave non-swimmers / children unattended in a hot tub
3. Do not overload your spa with more people than its recommended size
4. Do not use electrical appliances near your hot tub
5. Do not use glass around or in a spa
6. Do not drink alcoholic beverages before or while using a hot tub
7. If you’re pregnant, have high blood pressure or any cardiovascular conditions please contact your doctor before using a hot tub
8. Always wear gloves when cleaning / changing hot tub filter cartridges

 

Happy Hot Tubbing!!