Ah, the sweet smell of fall. Apple cider, pumpkin spice everything, and leaves falling on the ground—it’s a great time of year, unless you love the water. It’s time to start considering if you’re going to keep your hot tub running through the winter or not. After last February, your normal winter hot tub plans may be changing. But before we get to winter, let’s consider the question, “Should I keep my hot tub heater running through fall?”
Will You Use Your Hot Tub in the Fall?
We’re getting straight to the punch with this one: whether or not you should keep your hot tub heater running through fall depends heavily on if you’ll be using it or not. Fall weather is still nice enough to be able to enjoy your hot tub during the day or at night. Unless there’s a freak snow storm, you don’t really have to worry about your hot tub pipes freezing before winter.
So, if you’re still planning to use your hot tub through fall, you should definitely keep your hot tub heater running. Even if you use your hot tub as little as once a week, it is cheaper to keep your hot tub heater running than to turn it on and off.
Is It Really Cheaper to Keep It Running?
We know it can be hard to believe that leaving the heater on will save you money. So, why is this exactly?
When your hot tub cover is on between uses, it holds the heat in the water. With the heater running, it only has to deal with a fluctuation of a degree or two. But, if the heater is off and is turned back on, the heater has to heat the entire hot tub back up. Even with the cover on, you’re still going to lose heat. And heating hundreds of gallons of water at once takes a lot more energy than just leaving the heater running the whole time.
When Should I Turn My Hot Tub Heater Off?
So if you should keep your hot tub heater running through fall, when exactly should you turn it off? It’s really up to you. Some people like to stretch their hot tub season out as long as they can. Some people just never end their hot tub season.
But, if you find that you’re not using your hot tub as the weather gets cooler, you may decide to turn it off for the season. Keeping your hot tub heater running doesn’t save you money if you’re not using it! Don’t shut it down on your own, though. Your hot tub needs to be completely drained and winterized to keep the pipes from freezing as the weather gets cold.
If you decide to winterize your Hot Spring® Spa, schedule a service with Texas Hot Tub Company. We’ll help you make sure it’s fully ready to be shut down for the season. Or, if you decide to keep it running through the fall, we can help you maintain that, too.