{"id":12441,"date":"2022-04-14T17:58:49","date_gmt":"2022-04-14T16:58:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businessfinancenews.com\/?p=12441"},"modified":"2022-04-14T19:39:20","modified_gmt":"2022-04-14T18:39:20","slug":"how-hard-is-it-to-maintain-a-hot-tub","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businessfinancenews.com\/hot-tub\/how-hard-is-it-to-maintain-a-hot-tub\/","title":{"rendered":"how hard is it to maintain a hot tub"},"content":{"rendered":"
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.<\/p>\n Thinking about having a hot tub installed in your backyard? You can find plenty of good deals on hot tubs, sometimes even including the initial installation.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n But what happens after that? The more challenging part of getting an outdoor hot tub is the ongoing work you have to do to maintain it.<\/p>\n Fortunately, hot tubs are not too hard to maintain once you master a few basic skills. You need to learn how to to perform weekly checks of the water balance and add necessary chemicals, clean and change the filters monthly, and fully replace the water every 3-4 months.<\/strong><\/p>\n If you don’t feel like taking all of this on yourself, you can always hire a service to handle it for you. But once you know the common tasks associated with running your hot tub\u2014and come up with a plan for addressing them\u2014it can honestly be done pretty easily by most people.<\/p>\n When you first install and fill a hot tub, you can\u2019t just get right in\u2014there\u2019s a process you have to follow before it\u2019s ready for use. This is called balancing the water<\/strong>.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n If you\u2019re lucky enough to have a professional to complete the installation for you, you can skip this section. But if not, here\u2019s what you\u2019ll need to do:<\/p>\n You need to test your water one to three times a week to make sure everything is within the above ranges. The easiest way to do this is with some test strips (something like this JNW Direct 100-pack should be plenty to get you started), although there are more advanced testing kit options which can give you more accurate results.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n While the initial process of balancing your water can take several hours, the weekly checks that you need to do more frequently are much less involved.<\/p>\n You\u2019ll find yourself needing to add small amounts of chemicals to adjust things here and there, but don\u2019t worry; it\u2019s not going to be the hours-long process you had to go through when you initially filled the tub for the first time.<\/p>\n Every time you use the spa (or once a week if you use it less frequently than that) you need to use what\u2019s called a shock treatment<\/strong>. This is what allows your sanitizer to work properly.<\/p>\n How sanitizer works is that when pollutants or tiny particles of dirt are introduced to the water, your sanitizer will bind to these particles. Eventually, all of your sanitizer will be used up, bound to the particles that get introduced to the spa through regular use.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n The purpose of shock treatment is to kill all the bad stuff that your sanitizer has attached itself to, which releases the sanitizer so it can be useful again.<\/p>\n And that\u2019s why it\u2019s important to remember to shock your spa\u2014if you don\u2019t do this, after a while it will seem like your sanitizer has stopped working, and you\u2019ll start to get cloudy water and algae or a pond-like smell.<\/p>\n Speaking of cloudy water, there are a few issues you might run into with your water as a spa owner. Usually, but not always, these are the result of sanitizer being too low. Checking your sanitizer levels should always be the first thing you do if you experience any of these issues.<\/p>\n Sometimes though, it could be that your sanitizer is fine, but you\u2019ve introduced some other agent (often a small amount of shampoo, body wash or other detergent, or a buildup of lotion) that\u2019s creating foam or cloudiness. In this case, there are products you can use which can help to banish foam or cloudy water:<\/p>\n <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Most hot tubs come with a cartridge filtration system, which means there will be one or more removable filter cartridges. These are designed to catch dirt and debris before it can get sucked into your hot tub\u2019s equipment, where it could do serious damage.<\/p>\n Over time, these filters fill up with grime, which means you need to clean them. At a minimum, you\u2019ll want to remove the filter once every two weeks and give it a quick rinse<\/strong> it with a garden hose, and then to do a deep clean once a month.<\/p>\n As the monthly clean will involve soaking your filter for a couple of hours or overnight, it\u2019s a good idea to have an extra set of filters so you\u2019ve always got a clean one on hand to rotate into your spa.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n You should completely replace a filter after 1 to 2 years of use<\/strong>, or sooner if you notice holes or tears or other deterioration in the fabric.<\/p>\n Although you can maintain sanitary water in a hot tub for several months by carefully managing the balance of chemicals, it will eventually fill up contaminants or Total Dissolved Solids (TDS).<\/p>\n If you notice your chemicals not working as well or becoming hard to balance, that\u2019s a good sign the water needs to be replaced. This means draining all of the existing water, and refilling it afresh.<\/p>\n Exactly when you need to do this will depend on how much usage your spa gets, but fully replacing the water every 3 to 4 months<\/strong> is a good guideline.<\/p>\n You\u2019ll want to set aside a full day for this process, as it can take several hours of waiting around for each chemical to circulate, and then testing again, before you can move onto the next step.<\/p>\n This drain and refill process is exactly the same as the steps you need to follow when setting up your hot tub for the first time. That means waiting for the water to heat up, and then balancing the water that comes from your hose until it has the right chemical levels required to be safe for a hot tub.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n One of the most important (and overlooked) factors in keeping your hot tub sanitary is the cover. Any time you\u2019re not using the spa, the cover is there to keep heat in, and dirt or the elements out.<\/p>\n A cover in bad condition won\u2019t do its job properly. What\u2019s more, covers are expensive to replace\u2014they can set you back several hundred dollars.<\/p>\n You can save yourself time, money, and headaches by following a few simple steps to protect and maintain your cover in great condition for as long as possible.<\/p>\n One of the first things would-be hot tub owners want to know is how much it will affect their energy costs. And yes, it\u2019s no secret that running a hot tub will add a bit more to your bills than you\u2019re used to.<\/p>\n Energy costs will vary depending on your local climate, but in general you can expect to pay $50-$100 per month<\/strong> to power a hot tub.<\/p>\n Although not technically maintenance, this extra cost is definitely something you should factor in when you\u2019re deciding if getting a spa is worth it for you.<\/p>\n If you live somewhere it doesn\u2019t freeze, or if you want to keep using your hot tub throughout the winter, you won\u2019t need to worry about this step.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n But if you\u2019d rather shut down your hot tub over winter\u2014which many people do to avoid the additional energy costs it will incur\u2014this is an important maintenance step you don\u2019t want to miss.<\/p>\n Winterizing is the process of completing clearing your hot tub of all water so that it can\u2019t freeze, and therefore burst or crack any pipes.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a brief overview of how to winterize a spa:<\/p>\n Now your hot tub will be safe and protected from freezing temperatures throughout the winter, so you can avoid any nasty (not to mention expensive) surprises when you go to fill it back up in the spring!<\/p>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.Thinking about having a hot tub installed in your backyard? You can find plenty of good deals on hot tubs, sometimes even including the initial installation.But what happens after that? The more challenging part of getting an outdoor hot tub is the ongoing work you have to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[57],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n1. Setting up your hot tub<\/h2>\n
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2. Treating the water<\/h2>\n
3. Shocking the spa after use<\/h2>\n
4. Dealing with cloudy water or foam<\/h2>\n
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5. Changing the filters<\/h2>\n
6. Changing the water<\/h2>\n
7. Keeping the cover in good condition<\/h2>\n
8. Paying the electricity bill<\/h2>\n
9. Winterizing your spa in cold weather<\/h2>\n
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