Hot tub care may not top your list of favorite pastimes, but it’s something all spa owners have to do. If you want to enjoy your hot tub, you have to take care of it, just like anything else in life. And it’s always easier to get ahead of things than to try and fix them once they’ve gotten too bad. So, how do you take care of your hot tub? Follow the THTC guide to the best hot tub care.
Where Do I Even Start?
Quite honestly, one of the hardest parts of hot tub care is just getting started! Once you get into the swing of things, it’ll just be second nature. The most important part is getting on a schedule. You should:
- Check your hot tub chemical balance every few days.
- Use SilkBalance® Everfresh water softener once a week.
- Have your hot tub water tested professionally once a month.
- Change out your hot tub cartridge once every four months.
- Drain and fill your hot tub once a year.
Sit down and make a schedule so you can keep yourself accountable. Plus, you know you’ll always be able to enjoy your hot tub because it’s being taken care of. Who knows, maybe you’ll even find the hot tub care relaxing!
What Do I Do with These Filters?
Hot tub filters are a different ballpark than actually caring for your hot tub water. You’ll need different chemicals to clean them, and they’ll run on a different schedule. But, the schedule is still pretty easy. Like water care, once you get a hang of your filter care schedule, it’ll be second nature. To take care of your filters, you’ll want to:
- Rinse the filters off with water once a week. Just any hose water will do.
- Clean the filters once a month with a chemical rinse. You can even get two sets of filters and just swap them out each month to really give them a good clean.
- Replace the filters once a year when you drain and fill the tub. Or, if you are swapping out two sets of filters, you’ll need to replace them every two years.
It may seem like a hassle to clean your filters. Is it really going to keep your hot tub in better shape? Absolutely. Clean filters can filter more particles and bacteria in your hot tub, making it safer to soak in. Plus, if the filters are doing their job, your hot tub’s pH balance is more likely to stay normal. This helps prevent issues with your hot tub water, such as foamy and/or cloudy water.
Is Foamy Water Normal?
It’s really easy to overlook foamy water in your hot tub. You just had your hot tub jets on. Isn’t it just from that? Unfortunately, no. The most common culprit of foamy water is unbalanced chemicals, followed by dirty filters. This is why it’s so important to keep up with your hot tub care before things get to this point. In the absolute worst case scenario, you could have to completely drain and refill your hot tub. And no one wants to do that more than absolutely necessary. Fortunately, there are ways to fix foamy water in your hot tub. However, the best way is to be preventative. Keep your chemicals balanced, keep your filters clean, and rinse off in the shower before your hot tub session. Future you and your hot tub will be grateful.
Oh, No…My Hot Tub Water is Cloudy!
Unlike foamy hot tub water, when you see cloudy hot tub water, you know for sure something is wrong. Hot tub water is not supposed to be cloudy — it’s supposed to be crystal clear. While it is not safe to soak in, cloudy water is pretty easy to fix. Like foamy water, the best way to treat cloudy hot tub water is preventing it in the first place. If you remember nothing else from the THTC guide to the best hot tub care, remember this: You can prevent cloudy water, and most issues, by keeping your hot tub water’s pH balanced and the filters clean.
If you’ve been keeping to the recommended schedule and you still have foamy water, think back a bit. Have you been using your hot tub more frequently? Did you just have a group of people over? Did you ask your teenager to do your spa maintenance instead of doing it yourself? Any of these changes in behavior could affect your hot tub water and cause it to need care sooner than usual. So, go ahead and check your pH balance and your filters, or remember next time that it’s better just to do things yourself. But if none of those fix your issues, your hot tub may be in need of some TLC from Texas Hot Tub Company.
Does My Hot Tub Really Need Maintenance?
Even if you follow the THTC guide to the best hot tub care to a T, the odds are that your hot tub will still need some professional maintenance. In fact, it’s recommended to have your hot tub professionally serviced at least once a year. For many people, this happens before they open their hot tub for the season. But since you’re likely to have your hot tub open all year round, a great time for this service would be when you’re doing your annual drain and fill. Once the hot tub is drained, our professionals can take a look to make sure everything is working correctly. We’ll make sure all of the parts are intact and there are no leaks, so you can continue to enjoy your hot tub. If there is an issue, we’ll let you know. We can get it fixed — no matter how old your hot tub is. We still service all THTC hot tubs, even from when we opened in 1958.
There could be other reasons your hot tub needs maintenance. This could be foamy or cloudy water you can’t get rid of, algae, or some other issue you’re not sure about. Whatever it is, don’t hesitate to reach out! We’ll be happy to take a look and get you back in your hot tub in no time.