Hot Tub Maintenance

n217970

Looking for a bit of advice regarding hot tubs, mainly cleaning and maintenance. Some background, we have just bought a house which included a hot tub (which I was not that bothered about tbh)- we have since discovered it is a none working hot tub but after a bit of fault finding I am confident it can be easily fixed with a new pump. At least I know the RCD works

So what I have now is a hot tub full of cold, not crystal clear, but not especially murky water. I have no knowledge of these things at all. I have a wife who is demanding it be in service by April.

I have a pump and can easily empty the thing but how do I go about giving it a DEEP clean? How do I go about maintaining the thing afterwards? Really appreciate any advice anyone can give.

theonlywayisup

We have a couple of holiday lets with hot tubs. I will share what I can to help.

Assuming you have the tub up and running and it is heated to approximately 38c.

Daily - test the water with something like this (I haven't searched to find cheaper) https://www.amazon.co.uk/Happy-Hot-Tubs-Aquachek-Aquacheck/dp/B00AWP6EXA.

The strip will tell you if you need to add any chemicals. The main 4 you will need (and you will not need all 4 depending on your water hardness). Chlorine granules, PH increaser and or reducer, total alkalinity increaser. These will be your key daily components. Quite literally you may need none in a day or you may need a scoop of chlorine and a bit of PH increaser/reducer depending on your water hardness.

If you have one, run the cleaning cycle. If you don't then add any chemicals to get the water to the correct balance and run all the pumps for 10 minutes.


Weekly - remove and thoroughly clean the filter. If you can have two filters it will be a help as one can be in the tub and the other can be cleaned and waiting/ready.

Wipe down the cover and sides with a protectant. This will protect from UV rays as well as cracking etc.

Top up water if needs be.

3-4 monthly and this really depends on usage and how efficient your filters/cleaning is, but you should drain down the system and clean it using a cleaner - you literally need to stand inside and make sure it's all been wiped clean. Refill and check everything is working properly - you might find air in the pipes. Usually a blow through with all the pumps on will clear it.

Annually - we do this ourselves, but if you cannot, then get someone in to give the tub a check-over. Drain it down, clean it out and check every connection that you can access. Our electrician will check the outdoor connection and heater/pumps and we check for leaks, lighting etc.

Hopefully that will be of some help. It sounds like a lot of work, but in reality, it's a 10 minute job each day. It won't be the end of the world if you miss a day but good quality water with a little effort will give months of enjoyment.

You can buy water clearing products, but if you keep the daily maintenance up to scratch it won't be needed. The only other thing you may want is a bit of foam reducer.

Do you know the make/model of your tub?

theonlywayisup

I have a basket for each property with the basics in.



These are the four main ones.

theonlywayisup

Sorry they are so big.

We use Hotspring as all of our tubs are Hotspring tub, but you can buy any brand.

If you clean the tub out with a decent cleaner and refill it, depending on your heater, you could be up and running within 24-48 hours. Then it will take 2-3 days for your water to settle (I never add any chemicals in the first 2-3 days) but you can still use the tub. Then just do the daily/weekly checks.

n217970

Thanks theonlywayisup, very informative. No idea what make the tub is, but I better get some of these chemicals sourced