Perhaps you wanted a hot tub for a long time before getting one, or maybe you woke up one day and thought, ‘I’m treating myself today’. Either way, we all want our hot tubs to be perfect and ready to use each time we come to them. In this blog, we’re telling you common hot tub care mistakes to avoid.
Imagine that you’ve been looking forward to using your spa all day, you finally get time to hop in, and the water is dirty, cloudy or not heating up. None of these are things you want to deal with when you’re ready to relax. With care and regular hot tub maintenance, you won’t need to worry about them.
Hot tub care mistakes to avoid
Not showering before using the hot tub
It’s obvious that you should shower after using a hot tub, but many hot tub buyers don’t realise that you should also shower before too! Not rinsing off before using the spa can lead to sweat, oils, soaps, and more getting into your water and clogging up the filters.
These oils and body lotions can make your hot tub water dirtier faster, cause muck to gather along the waterline or lead to excess foam in the water. All of these mean that you’ll have to spend more time cleaning, treating the water or emptying and refilling the hot tub.
When showering before using your hot tub, you should avoid using any soaps or oils. Rinsing with water alone will be enough to ensure the hot tub water stays in its best condition.
Not rinsing swimming costume
As well as rinsing off in the shower, you should give your costume or trunks a good rinse too. After washing, these can hold oils too that can affect your hot tub’s water quality. It’s always best to give them a good rinse with warm water before going in the hot tub.
For a small amount of foam, you can use our Foam Away water treatment. However, large amounts of foam will need to be treated by emptying and re-filling the hot tub. After this, you should ensure that guests and costumes have been rinsed thoroughly to remove any oils.
Not cleaning filters regularly
Your hot tub’s filter is a very important part of the filtration system, as it helps to keep the water clean. Filters are generally a low-maintenance part of owning a hot tub. To ensure that the filter continues to work to its full potential, you should check it every so often.
Turn off the hot tub before removing the filter. Once removed, place the filter under warm running water to remove any dirt that has gathered. After the dirt has been removed, check the filter over for any cuts or splits. If you do notice damage to the filter, it will need to be replaced.
Before replacing the filter, you need to ensure that it is dry, which may take a couple of days. Some hot tub owners choose to purchase a second filter so they can switch them over when one is removed for cleaning and drying. Hot tub filters can be purchased from our online shop.
Leaving the hot tub uncovered
A hot tub cover is a great way to keep your hot tub water free from debris and other rubbish. Particularly on windy days, you can expect to find things floating around, and without a cover, these could end up in your hot tub.
Occasionally, you may notice debris floating in the water, which may have come off someone’s feet when entering the hot tub. If this happens, you can use a small net to remove any dirt from the water.
Each of our hot tubs comes with a fitted spa cover, so you don’t need to worry about sorting one yourself. Check the cover over regularly to ensure that it is free from splits, and keep the hot tub covered when not in use.
Not testing the water regularly
Water testing is extremely important and should be completed multiple times per week. Ideally, you should test the water daily if you are using your hot tub that often. The water must be balanced correctly to keep all guests safe. You will receive all water advice and a water care kit upon delivery of your hot tub from us.
The main hot tub water chemicals you need to look out for are chlorine or bromine, pH and alkalinity. If you put too much of these chemicals in the water, you’ll need to use a decreaser or start again. When adding any chemicals, make sure to keep testing the water to ensure they are within the optimal range.
You can use our quality testing strips to check the water throughout the process. You should always ensure that you are using the correct chemicals. Using the wrong chemicals in hot tubs may cause issues.
Many new hot tub owners think that they need to fully drain and refill hot tubs often, but you actually only need to do a deep clean around four times per year. Of course, this requires you to maintain the tub and the water between each deep hot tub clean. Hot tub maintenance can seem like a lot at first, but it does get easier. Read our blog on the risks of a pH imbalance.
Not using quality parts or care products
It is always recommended that you continue to buy products made by the same brand for your hot tub. These products will be correctly sized for your hot tub and will ensure that it continues running efficiently.
With good quality hot tub care, your spa will last for a long time. Our friendly team are always on hand to offer support and answer any questions you may have. Get in contact with us. We hope this blog on hot tub care mistakes to avoid has been useful.
