As a hot tub owner safety should be your number one concern. Hot tubs are fun and relaxing, but you should always be mindful of potential risks that can come from hot tub ownership. To help put your mind at ease we’ve put together some basic safety tips that every hot tub owner should follow. These tips will ensure that everyone has a safe and fun time while enjoying the hot tub.
Temperature
Never set your hot tub thermostat higher than 104 degrees. If you’re pregnant or have other health concerns that maximum temperature should be lowered to 102 degrees. At these temperatures you should not soak for longer than 15 to 20 minutes at a time. Prolonged exposure to such high temperatures can cause nausea, fainting, dizziness and other adverse side effects. If you’d like to spend a longer amount of time in your hot tub, you should lower the temperature to accommodate your longer soak.
Clean Water
Water should be properly balanced and have the right amount of sanitizer to ensure that you’re soaking in healthy water. Aside from being uninviting, dirty water could cause illness that you want to avoid. Regularly checking and maintaining your water can easily take care of this.
Electricity
Know where the cutoff switch is so your pump can be turned off quickly in case of emergency. Don’t use any corded electrical devices in or near your hot tub. If you have a Bluetooth speaker or other device that you’d like to use near your hot tub, consider getting one that’s battery operated. You should also avoid using your hot tub during storms, just as you would a swimming pool.
Drains
The jets and pumps in your hot tub can create a powerful suction that can cause hair to get entangled or in rare cases even cause drowning. To avoid this you need to make sure that your tub is VG3 compliant. All tubs manufactured after 2008 should be. You can also purchase dome shaped drain covers that create less suction than flat drains. As an added precaution never fully submerge your head in the water to avoid any risk of your hair becoming entangled.
Children
Never leave children unsupervised in your hot tub. Be sure that each child can stand in the bottom of the hot tub with their head completely out of the water before allowing them into the tub. Lower the tub temperature to 95-98 degrees when children are present. These guidelines will help to make sure that children are safe.
The Cover
Finally, be sure that you have a locking cover that is properly in place whenever your hot tub is not in use.
No one enjoys a list of rules, but with a hot tub you can never be too cautious. Keeping yourself up-to-date on the most current guidelines will allow you to enjoy your hot tub without having to worry about the unthinkable happening.