As a proud, new owner of a hot tub, take the necessary steps to keep yours in pristine shape. Your hot tub needs care just like a pool does. By executing the appropriate maintenance, you’ll be able to enjoy your hot tub for years to come. Here are three spa care tips for new hot tub owners.
1 – Keep Your Spa Water in Check
An important thing to keep track of when it comes to your new hot tub is the water. The perfect water temperature is probably the first thing most hot tub owners think about. However, understanding the chemistry of the water is also key to an overall enjoyable experience. And no, you don’t have to be a scientist to keep your water in check.
Use test strips or a test kit to test your spa’s pH levels, alkalinity levels, and the calcium hardness. To correct these levels if they are too high or low, chemicals need to be added to your spa’s water. For instance, if the pH level is low, the hot tub’s water is too acidic. You would then add a pH increaser to increase the levels. One way to make spa upkeep a little easier is to use water treatment and conditioner. It not only aids in maintaining appropriate pH levels, but keeps scale and scum lines away and spa water silky.
There are also other chemicals for your hot tub including sanitizer, to disinfect the water, and shock, to help with the clearness and quality of the water. Chlorine is a familiar chemical used in both hot tub sanitizers and shock. Mastercraft Pool & Spa carries an assortment of chemicals for your hot tub maintenance.
2 – Aim for a Squeaky-Clean Hot Tub
Even though chemicals are used to help maintain a clean hot tub, the owner still has to perform a few tasks. For one, it is recommended that you drain and refill your hot tub every three to four months. However, in the meantime, your hot tub does need to be cleared of debris, the scum line should be scrubbed, and seats as well as jets need to be cleaned. It would be best to wipe down the outside of the spa too.
You can’t forget about filters, either. They’re an essential part of your hot tub that are constantly working whenever it’s in use. Rinse them often and use filter cleaner when needed. When you drain and refill your spa, you can give the filters a thorough, deep cleaning.
3 – Don’t Forget Water Circulation
Speaking of filters, for them to do their job, your hot tub’s water has to circulate. It’s important to circulate the water every day, for 20 minutes or longer. This will ensure that the water moves through the spa’s filters to remove contaminants. For models that don’t feature an automatic cycle, you’ll want to make sure you have circulating spa water on your schedule.
Balancing your hot tub’s water, cleaning your hot tub on the inside as well as the outside, and circulating spa water are all part of regular maintenance. These three spa care tips for new hot tub owners cover basic maintenance requirements. If you prefer to have a professional service technician maintain your hot tub, Mastercraft Pool & Spa has weekly and bi-weekly plans available. For more information, or to attend a future spa school event on proper hot tub care, call Mastercraft Pool & Spa.