You have a hot tub but do you know how to ensure that you have crystal clear bacteria free hot tub water?
Whether you are new to hot tub ownerships or have had your hot tub for years it is good to have a refresh of how to maintain crystal clear and bacteria free hot tub.
When you purchased your hot tub you should have received full hot tub water hygiene management training from your hot tub supplier at the time of your hot tub installation and handover. It can be quite overwhelming with a lot of information to absorb so you will be forgiven if you didn’t remember everything you were told. It is after all a very exciting time when all you are thinking about is jumping into your new hot tub and relaxing.
We recommend new hot tub owners check their hot tub water at least once daily. A new hot tub is used the most in the first 6 weeks of ownership and so it is important to make sure you keep on top of your water levels so that you don’t end up with cloudy water. As you get used to how the chemical levels change with use you will become more confident.
We have put together a guide of what to do daily, weekly, monthly etc to keep you on a straight and narrow.
Before testing make sure the water has been still for approximately 20 minutes. Always follow the instructions on the test strips with regard how long to keep submerged and whether to ready straight away or wait 10-15 seconds before reading.
Daily
Check sanitiser and pH readings and adjust any parameters that are out of range. Add more sanitiser if low and adjust the pH using either pH Increaser or pH Decreaser depending on the reading.
Weekly
Remove your pleated filter and using the garden hose at the highest setting hose in between each pleat to remove any debris. Do not be tempted to use a jet wash as this will damage the fibres in the filter.
Check your Total Alkalinity (TA) level and if required add some TA Increaser (AquaSPArkle Total Alkalinity Increaser).
Oxidise your hot tub water, sometimes this is referred to as ‘shocking’ the hot tub, with an oxidising agent (AquaSPArkle Spa Fusion or Gold Horizons Spa Revive). This helps gather together non-filterable wastes that are in the water and ensures the bacteria don’t become resistant to the sanitser. You may find if the hot tub has had particularly heavy use (a party or several hours use daily) you need to oxidise more often.
Add a scale and stain prevention product (AquaSPArkle Spa Scaleaway) according to manufacturer’s instructions. This will help maintain water clarity and prevent scale formation on internal pipework. This is particularly important if you live in a hard water area.
Monthly
Remove your pleated hot tub filter and give it a thorough clean using a filter cleaning product (AquaSparkle Filter Immerse or Gold Horizons Filter Powder). Rinse thoroughly and leave to air dry before returning to your hot tub. If you have a spare filter you can rotate them month on month so that you aren’t waiting for the filter you have cleaned to dry.
Every Three Months
Completely drain the spa down and clean the inside with a specialist spa cleaning product (AquaSPArkle Spa Surface Cleaner). If the spa is particularly heavily used, it may be necessary to carry this procedure out more often, especially if the water chemistry becomes harder and harder to maintain despite all your efforts, or if the water looks lank, tired, and slightly musty despite the chemistry being within parameters. DO NOT under any circumstances use proprietary household cleaning products such as Jif, Flash, Fairy Liquid etc.
Annually
Before draining down to clean your hot tub remove the filter and add a flush product (AquaSparkle Hot Tub Flush). Leave overnight if possible, this will breakdown any scale or biofilm build up there is on internal pipe work.
Replace your pleated filter. If you have two and have been rotating them month on month this won’t be necessary.
If you have a Sundance Spas hot tub replace your Clearray UV Bulb.
IMPORTANT
Always switch off the power to the spa when removing the filter and/or draining the water.
Always store, handle and add spa chemicals according to the directions on the manufacturer’s packaging and ensure you use and operate your hot tub according to the owner’s manual.
We are here to help!
If you are unsure then we are only a phone call or email away and are always here to advise. We provide full hot tub water hygiene management training in store and offer a number of on-site hot tub service options from a technical service to make sure everything is running smoothly to a full annual plan.
You can find more information on different aspects of maintaining crystal clear hot tub water in our previous blogs.
- If you are unsure which sanitiser is best for you, take a look at our hot tub sanitiser guide
- Need help with Total Alkalinity and pH, click here
You can find out more about hot tub filters here
