How to Maintain your Hot Tub

"Ahhhhhh," that sound we make when we sink into a sweet soak of our clean and clear hot tub. Keeping a healthy and clean hot tub means keeping up routine maintenance checks. Not only does maintaining your hot tub keep it lasting longer, but it also gives you and your family the best experience possible. It is important to make sure you maintain your hot tub or you will find yourself having common hot tub problems like cloudy/foamy water, algae growth, smelly water, malfunctioning parts like filters, jets, or your cover. To put it simply, maintaining your hot tub is the best insurance policy you can have to avoid future messy problems that could cause a lot of headache.

How to Stick to a Schedule

Before you dive into knowing what you need to maintain, finding a way to remind yourself of when to do these tasks ensures your success. Here are a few ideas on how how to keep a hot tub maintenance schedule:

• Set reminders on your phone- For some people, setting reminders on their phone is the best way to make sure tasks get done. You can do this by going to your "Reminders" app and adding new reminders there. The application can walk you through the steps. It will send you notifications on your phone when you want to remind yourself to "Shock your hot tub at 3 pm today," for example.
• Keep a dry erase board near your hot tub- You can hang or stick a small erase board somewhere near your hot tub. Put it in a place you will most likely look at or easily notice. You can draw a calendar and then write the tasks for each month that you need to accomplish. Cross them out or erase as you go!
• Create habits- Just like you create habits like brushing your teeth before you go to bed every night or turning the light out every time you walk out of the room, creating cleaning habits may also work well for you. For example, create a checklist in your head of what you need to do every time before and after you get in and out of the hot tub. On the first day of every month, you do another checklist of what you need to do for monthly maintenance. For some people, this works well.

Before and After Every Use Maintenance Routine

1. Measure PH, alkalinity, and sanitizer levels using testing strips- Every time before getting into your hot tub, check for these three chemical balances: PH, total alkalinity, and sanitizer levels using a testing strip. Keep testing strips somewhere safe and close to the hot tub within easy reach. If levels are off, add a chemical increaser or decreaser. To learn more on how to do this and which chemicals to use, read our article on Chemicals you Need to Balance your Hot Tub Water.
2. Check water temperature- Keep a waterproof thermometer inside your hot tub water. Check it to make sure it is at the right temperature before hopping in. Keep it between 100°-102° Fahrenheit when its cool outside and between 92°-95° Fahrenheit when its warmer outside.
3. Check cover- After using your hot tub, make sure you secure the cover on properly. Check for any tears or damages.
4. Keep an eye on the water levels- Make sure the water level is a few inches above the filter or never falls below the skimmer level.

Weekly Maintenance Routine

1. Test and adjust chemicals- Be sure you test and balance your PH, total alkalinity, and sanitizer levels at least once a week. You can check this off your list if you have already done this during a soak that week. If you didn't use your hot tub at all in the past week, be sure you do this in your weekly maintenance checklist. Read more here.
2. Shock therapy- You should use a shock treatment once a week. Be sure you leave the cover off for a few hours right after adding your shock treatment to allow it to work properly. Read more on how to and why you shock your hot tub in our Shocking your Cloudy/Foamy Hot Tub article.
3. Rinse filter- Remove your filter and rinse it with clean water. You can use your hose for this. This will prevent your filter from clogging and allow it to do a better job at filtering out your water. Quick and simple.
4. Wipe off dust- Use a cleaning wipe like a Clorox wipe above the water line and on both sides of the cover to prevent mildew and mold.

Monthly Maintenance Routine

1. Chemical rinse of filter- Unlike the weekly water rinse of your filters, you should use special cleaning chemicals to soak your filters in monthly. You can read step-by-step instructions on how to chemically clean your filters here.
2. Inspect jets- Do a quick inspection of your jets to make sure they are working. Look for any visible cracks or damages.
3. Deeper clean of cover- Remove your hot tub cover and wash both sides of the cover with a non-foaming cleanser and your water hose. Put the cover back on your hot tub.

Seasonal Maintenance Routine

1. Drain and clean inside- Completely drain your hot tub water by opening the drain plug. Use a damp towel and a spa shell cleaner to deep clean your shell below the water level to remove build-up and grime. While you are cleaning, check for any cracks or damages inside your tub. Read more about draining and refilling your hot tub here.
2. Chemical rinse of filter- While the hot tub is drained, do a chemical rinse of your filter as you do in your monthly maintenance routine. Read more about cleaning your filter here.
3. Refill and adjust- After you replace your cleaned filter, refill the hot tub using your hose. Adjust the chemicals appropriately by testing the PH, alkalinity, and sanitizer levels. Add the chemicals needed.
4. Clean your cabinet- Use the appropriate cabinet cleaner and a brush for your spa to clean the exterior part of your hot tub. Remove build-up and grime.

Annual Maintenance Routine

Note that your monthly, seasonal, and annual maintenance routine checkups can all occur on the same day by lining that up. This helps you be more efficient and maintain your hot tub.

1. Professional lookover- It it smart to call a professional from Spa Logic to come in and take a look over your hot tub to make sure it is running smoothly and everything looks okay. You can read more information about our services here.
2. Inspect hardware and wiring- Hot tubs are built pretty simply, but there are a few parts that are very important to check such as your filters, jets, the interior and exterior surfaces, and your cover. Check for weathering, damages, and problems with your water.
3. Replace your filter- It is generally recommended to replace your filters every 1 to 2 years. You can put in a request with your local Spa Logic dealer to get replacements or call or swing by at one of our closest locations.
4. Flush plumbing- Flush out all the plumbing lines to get rid of any biofilm and bacteria that built up over the last year.

Have any other questions about hot tubs or Spa Logic? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions page to help find answers fast.