You daydream about relaxing in a hot tub after work while it soothes your aches and pains. You’ve got the perfect spot all picked out in your backyard. But the thought of chemicals and hot tub water care gives you pause. Is hot tub water care difficult? Do you wonder if you know what you’re getting yourself into?
Let us reassure you: Hot tub water care is pretty simple. Plus, as your local hot tub store, we’re always here to offer free friendly advice, test your water, and walk you through what to do. We even offer onsite water care and maintenance, so if you’d rather pass off your water care to the pros, we’ve got you covered.
To give you a good idea of what it’s like to own and maintain a hot tub, here’s an overview of hot tub water care.
1. Pick your sanitizing system.
At Brazos Valley Pools & Spas, we carry the best water care brands in the hot tub industry, including Sirona®, FROG®, and AOP Technology. If you visit our showroom, we’d be glad to discuss our chemical brands in more detail and help you pick the best one for you. Also, when you purchase your hot tub, we’ll recommend a sanitizing system and brand based on the hot tub you choose and your needs.
When it comes to selecting your system, your biggest decision is going to be which sanitizer to pick:
- Chlorine – Chlorine is the classic choice, and for good reason. It’s reliable and easy to use. Compared to a bromine system, water sanitized by chlorine may become cloudy sooner. However, it’s easy to rebalance, and perhaps more importantly, compared to bromine, it may be easier to keep your pH and alkalinity in balance.
- Bromine – Bromine is another popular and excellent choice. Compared to chlorine, bromine takes longer to lose its effectiveness, and your water is likely to stay clear for longer. However, compared to chlorine, it can be trickier to balance pH and alkalinity with a bromine spa.
Besides sanitizer, you’ll have a few more chemicals to balance, including pH, alkalinity, calcium, and a few specialty chemicals you may occasionally need to use.
To get an idea of just how simple it can be to keep your hot tub sanitized, watch this video of one of our FROG Systems in action.
2. Test, balance, and shock your water regularly.
Home testing kits are quick and easy to use. Simply dip the test strip into the water and compare it to the color-coded guide. You’ll be able to see at a glance your sanitizer, pH, alkalinity levels, and more.
Test your water before every hot tub soak. If you ever have a week when your spa is sitting unused (but operating), be sure to test the water once per week at a bare minimum.
You’ll also need to shock your water regularly. Depending on your sanitizing system, you may need to shock your spa after every use, once a week, or as little as once a month. You’ll also want to shock it after a hot tub party and other times you have more bathers than usual.
3. Bring us a water sample for a professional analysis 1-2 times per month.
Your home test kit checks the most common chemical levels, like sanitizer, pH, and alkalinity. To test a greater range of chemicals, bring a water sample to us regularly for a free professional analysis. In our water lab, our technicians will perform an advanced test to catch any other issues so you can head them off early.
4. Take care of your filters.
Your hot tub filter removes contaminants, oils, and lotions from your water. To keep it working efficiently, rinse it with the garden hose once a week. Then, for a deeper clean, apply a filter cleaner every month.
Depending on your hot tub model, your traditional cartridge style filter will need to be replaced every 2-3 years and a micro clean filter every quarter.
5. Drain and refill your spa every 3-4 months.
A few times each year, you’ll want to drain and refill your hot tub. This gives you a chance to wipe down the interior of your hot tub and start fresh with clean and perfectly balanced water.
And that’s it! When it comes to hot tub water care, you don’t need a chemistry degree, and you don’t need to be a maintenance pro. That said, there’s no reason you have to handle water care all on your own! We offer weekly and bi-weekly maintenance packages, as well as drain and refill service, so you can leave most of the maintenance to us. We don’t lock you in with a monthly contract, but rather you only pay for our service when you need us. Contact us to learn more.
Would you like to learn even more about water care? Download our free PDF: Your Guide to Easy Water Care.
