Congratulations, you decided to take the plunge and invest in your very own home hot tub! Your journey to better health and wellness has only just begun. However before you begin to reap all the benefits of your home spa, there are a few things you need to know. In ths guide we aim to equip you with all the knowledge and information you need to keep your spa in the best possible condition, all year round.
Setting Up Your New Hot Tub
- Power
There are two ways your hot tub can be connected to a power source and the type of hot tub you own will determine how the power is connected. Plug and play hot tubs are simply plugged into a standard wall outlet. Other hot tubs require the skill of an electrician to establish a safe and proper power connection to your homes main electricity supply.
- Cleaning
Once your hot tub is set up and positioned you will need to clean it. it is important you do this after your hot tub has been connected to a power supply as running the jets is an important step in the cleaning procedure.
The first step in cleaning your hot tub is wiping down the cabinet. Clean the exterior of your tub with a damp cloth and soapy water. this will prevent dirt from the outside of the tub entering the shell while you are cleaning.
Once your cabinet is clean it is time to wash down your spa’s shell. There are many solutions you can use to clean hot tub shells from homemade mixtures to store bought ones, however the safest way to ensure a clean shell and prevent damage to your spa is to use a purpose-made hot tub shell cleaner. If you don’t have this to hand you can also use a soap and water solution but it is very important to ensure no soap residue is left behind before filling the spa. Leaving soap residue in the hot tub could cause excessive foaming when you run your jets or even prevent hot tub sanitisers from working properly. The best way to prevent these issues it to use a diluted soap solution and rinse 3 or four times after using. Never squirt soap directly into the spa, even when it is empty.
- Shell Cleaning Method
Wipe down the shell with a non-abrasive sponge or cloth and your chosen cleaning solution. Rinse thoroughly and leave the valve open to allow water to drain. On most hot the valve is located at the bottom or side of the cabinet and which can be unscrewed to let water escape. If you are unsure how to locate the valve refer to your hot tub manual or contact your hot tub seller.
Once your hot tub’s shell is thoroughly cleaned and rinse you can now fill it up. Your hot tub should either have a ‘fill line’ marking on the inside of the shell or your hot tub manual should indicate the required fill level. The fill level is important to prevent air entering the pipe work and causing an air lock.
Once your spa is filled to the required level you will need to add your chosen sanitiser and run your spa’s jets for around 15 minutes. Running the jets will help to flush any bacteria and dirt from the inner pipework.
After running the jets, use a water test strip to check the sanitiser, PH and water-hardness levels of your hot tub. The packaging of your test strip should provide clear instructions on how to read the strip. If any chemical levels are out of balance you will need to add the correct chemicals to balance your water, you can read more about this in the next section ‘caring for your new hot tub’.
Caring for Your New Hot Tub
- Balancing Chemical Levels
Balancing your hot tubs water may seem daunting but it is usually a very simple process. Neglecting your hot tubs water on the other hand will cause damage to your spa and your health. To keep your water in check you will need a sanitiser (bromine and chlorine are the most popular). If your water is showing to have a PH that is too high or too low, you will need to use a PH increaser/decreaser solution. This will also help to balance the hot tubs alkalinity.
- Maintaining Clear Water
Once you understand how to balance your hot tubs water, keeping the water clear is the easy part. Usually, well-balanced water means clear water however from time to time there may be other factors at play preventing you from achieving the crystal clear look you want. If you are having trouble keeping your water sparkling, check out our tips below.
- Showering Before Hot Tub Use
Cosmetics can build up in your spas water and cause it to become cloudy. Prevent this by showering before using your hot tub and rinsing away any cosmetic lotions or soaps from your skin. For the times you forget to shower beforehand use a water clarifier. Clarifiers help to bind contaminants together so they are too large to pass through the filter.
- Maintaining a Clean Filter
Depending on the volume of hot tub use, your hot tubs filters should be cleaned around every two weeks on average. All you really need for a clean filter is a garden hose. However, if you want a more thorough clean or need to wash away more stubborn dirt/oil you can use a filter cleaning solution. A filter cleaning wand is also a handy tool which attaches to your garden hose for easier cleaning between filter grooves.
We hope you found our guide helpful. Happy Hottubbing!