Owning a hot tub is a luxury, but staying on top of proper and regular maintenance can be stressful. There are a lot of steps involved, and many different ways to go about treating your hot tub water, some of which are safer and more effective than others.
We put together this guide to help take the stress out of owning and caring for your hot tub, so you can focus on the fun part: relaxing and enjoying it with your family and friends!
If you’re not interested in personally caring for your new hot tub, don’t waste another second worrying about it. Our professional hot tub service can help you breathe easy and get the most out of your hot tub.
Why is Regular Hot Tub Maintenance so Important?
Investing in a hot tub should add peace and relaxation to your life, not unnecessary stress. Keeping up with regular hot tub maintenance can feel like a chore, but staying on top of it will make your life easier and more enjoyable in the long run.
As a family-run business, our top priority is your family’s health and safety, so we can’t stress the importance of regular and proper hot tub maintenance enough! Hot tub maintenance is also important for financial, functional, and aesthetic reasons. Here are some key reasons why you should prioritize hot tub maintenance:
- Good water quality is important for your health and safety. Soaking in dirty hot tub water can cause skin irritations, rashes, bacterial infections, and more serious health problems. According to WebMD, between 2000 and 2014, bacteria outbreaks from treated pools and hot tubs were linked to more than 27,000 infections and eight deaths in the United States.
- Regular cleaning and maintenance helps ensure proper circulation, which keeps chemicals balanced and your hot tub safe to use.
- Good quality hot tubs aren’t cheap! Regular maintenance will prolong the life of your hot tub and protect your investment. A properly maintained, good-quality hot tub can last up to 20 years or more!
- Regular maintenance helps identify small issues and prevent them from becoming more costly and complex problems down the line.
- Proper cleaning and maintenance will result in a more beautiful inviting hot tub, so you’ll get more use out of it and be more likely to enjoy it with family and friends. No one wants to soak in a murky, slimy tub!
How Often Should You Service a Hot Tub?
As you can probably guess, how often we recommend cleaning and servicing your hot tub depends on how frequently you use it. If you use it very regularly, you probably want to service it weekly or even twice weekly to keep the water safe and crystal clear. If your family uses it sporadically, biweekly servicing may be sufficient to keep things clean and clear. Even if you travel often or rarely use your hot tub, you should still invest in at least monthly maintenance so that it’s nice and ready to enjoy when you do need it.
The Three C’s of Hot Tub Maintenance
Now that you understand how important hot tub maintenance is, you’re probably wondering what exactly good hot tub maintenance entails. The three C’s of hot tub maintenance are cleaning, circulation, and chemistry. Professional hot tub servicing usually includes, at minimum, a thorough cleaning service, chemical balancing, leak checks, and a visual inspection to scan for any potential issues.
Hot Tub Cleaning:
Hot tub cleaning may include skimming the surface for any floating debris, wiping the sides to remove any spilled or sitting water, vacuuming the bottom and seat bases, scrubbing the jets and their casings, and wiping off the headrests, handles, covers, and other exposed system components. More intensive hot tub cleaning, including draining, thoroughly scrubbing, and refilling your hot tub with fresh water, will also need to be performed regularly, usually every 3-6 months. Every once in a while, you may need to use an extra-strength jet cleaning serum to backwash the system.
Hot Tub Circulation:
The next ‘C’ on our list is circulation, and while it wasn’t the first on the list it is the most important. You can clean your hot tub from top to bottom, inside and out, but the process must start all over again if the water becomes stagnant. Sitting water is a hatchery for all kinds of bacteria and harmful parasites. Yes, you can add multiple chemicals to try and combat this overgrowth but the water would then be harmful due to toxicity and need to be drained anyway.
The most effective circulation processes would include consistent water movement 24/7. And while this may be the most advantageous for the cleanliness of your tub it may not be in the best interest of your wallet. A feasible recommendation would be to make sure that your hot tub runs once or twice a day for at least 20-30 minutes. Overall, the more circulation the better. The filters also play an important part in the circulation process of your hot tub’s water maintenance. Filters should be sprayed weekly to clear them of any small bits of debris. Filters should be cleaned and soaked with each drainage cycle.
Hot Tub Chemistry:
Onto the most falsely intimidating ‘C’ of them all: chemistry! You don’t have to have an A+ in science or take any college chemistry courses to handle the maintenance of yo
ur salt water hot tub. Like checking the water in a small fish tank, balancing the chemicals of your salt water hot tub can be as easy as matching colors on the test strips, reading the description, and adding a couple of chemicals. Some electric water testing systems today even allow you to insert your strip in the device and to give you exact numerical readings of your hot tub water quality.
When balancing your hot tub’s chemicals the following attributes should be addressed each time: Purity, acidity, alkalinity, stability, and quality. The earlier you are able to detect any fluctuations in your acidity or alkalinity levels the easier it will be to correct. We recommended doing a quick check twice a week just to ensure your levels aren’t out of whack. The best practice for chemical containment is to keep all necessary chemicals on hand in one place. Chemicals should be kept in a locked area away from children and vulnerable wildlife.
Chlorine Granules & Alternative Hot Tub Water Treatments
One of the most confusing parts of hot tub maintenance is choosing the best hot tub water treatment solution for your hot tub – one that’s safe, effective, and won’t interfere with your hot tub warranty. Chlorine granules are commonly used, but there are other, safer ways to treat your hot tub water that use fewer chemicals.
Below, we’ll highlight three of our favorite hot tub water treatment solutions that are safe, effective, and more eco-friendly than other options. Of the three different solutions outlined here, we are partial to O-Care, because it provides all the benefits of a saltwater tub without the corrosion and other problems!
Hasa Pool: HASA® pool and hot tub treatments are known for being more eco-friendly and safe than other chemical treatments.
Leisure Time: The Leisure Time Free® is a biguanide-based spa sanitizing system that is 100% chlorine-free, bromine-free, odor-free, and hassle-free! It’s known for being long-lasting and effective and is an ideal solution for anyone with sensitive skin.
O-Care: O-Care is a safe hot tub balancing solution that makes water maintenance simple. This product provides all the benefits of a salt water hot tub without the corrosion to pipes and mechanics of the tub. Unlike saltwater, O-Care is compatible with MAAX Spas and Vita Spa hot tubs and won’t disrupt your warranty. O-Care will leave your hot tub water silky smooth and crystal clear! Here are a few more benefits that come with O-Care:
- It can reduce the amount of chlorine or bromine needed by up to 78%. Chemicals can irritate eyes, ears, and skin, so O-Care is especially safe for children who love to swim underwater.
- It uses high-quality mineral salts that leave your hot tub water crystal clear and your skin feeling soft and odorless. You won’t even need to shower after enjoying your hot tub!
- It’s a simple, two-part treatment. Simply add the two bottles to the hot tub water once a week with the provided measuring cups and the treatment will last 3 to 5 months!
If you have any questions or need help determining the best water treatment system for your specific hot tub, please don’t hesitate to contact us!
Typical Cost of Maintaining a Hot Tub
If you go the DIY route for hot tub maintenance, you can pay as little as $40 a month for the basics. This doesn’t include the cost of repairs or more thorough cleanings though and doesn’t take into account the time you’ll waste taking care of the cleaning and maintenance yourself.
Contrary to popular belief, investing in professional hot tub maintenance doesn’t have to break the bank; it can actually be a cost-effective solution! Depending on how much you use your hot tub and how much maintenance is recommended, the cost of maintaining your hot tub with a professional service company like ours can start as low as $60/month.
At Aqua Clear, we won’t bill extra if it takes longer than expected to service your hot tub, and we guarantee crystal clear water every time. For many people, the peace of mind that comes with a professional service like this is priceless! You will never have to stress about hot tub maintenance again.
DIY vs. Professional Hot Tub Service
While hot tub maintenance isn’t too cumbersome, most people complain that there are not enough hours in the day. For many people, adding another weekly or monthly task might just be too much, and that’s okay! Owning a hot tub should be an upgrade to your mental health and physical wellness, not a detriment. If you find yourself in these shoes, don’t fret. Companies that offer monthly and weekly maintenance packages allow their clients to have the peace of mind that their hot tub will be ready when they are.
In addition to convenience, professional services tend to be much more thorough and can help maximize the lifespan of your hot tub. Professionals will be able to quickly identify potential issues and prevent them from developing into more complex and expensive problems over time.
Whether you’re looking for help with a specific hot tub maintenance issue or are ready to invest in a complete hot tub maintenance package, we have professionals ready and willing to help!
Never Worry About Hot Tub Maintenance Again!
Aqua Clear has been providing top-rated service and maintenance for hot tubs, swim spa, and pool owners in Central Oregon since 2008. Our reliable, top-quality maintenance services will take the stress out of owning a hot tub so that you can focus on relaxing and enjoying your spa.
To get started, explore the different hot tub service packages on our website or contact us today to learn more. We’ll help you choose the best service plan for your needs and budget!
